HAIR CUT → JEONGCHEOL

19

Seungcheol was finally starting to grow hair on his head after two weeks or so. He didn't want to wear the wig because it was starting to get itchy, so he would go out in public with his minimal hair. He looked as if he had gotten a buzz cut for the military, so whenever he went out in public without a hat, people would look at him and pity him thinking he was off to the military.

One day, Seungcheol was taking the bus to go to the mall. He was standing and holding the safety strap while a couple of girls that looked like they were his age started crying as they looked at him. He then felt someone poke at his thigh and looked down to see an elderly woman sitting in the seat. She took his free hand and said, "It's okay, son. You'll get back safe."

Seungcheol teared up himself and said loudly, "I'm not going to the military! I just went bald!"

The entire bus was silent until he got off.

He did, however, wear his wig during work and basketball practice. Of course, he always wore hats over his head so that the wig would stay in place, so that also helped a little with the itching. He knew he had to keep the wig on during basketball for sure because of Chan.

Ever since Chan saw Seungcheol with the wig on, he thought Seungcheol's hair grew back in just two weeks. Seungcheol didn't want to disappoint Chan after he went on and on over how amazing it was that Seungcheol's hair grew back, so he just nodded and smiled whenever Chan talked about his wig.

"You look ridiculous," Jihoon said to Seungcheol at work one day. "The wig looks so bad."

"Would you rather I had a buzzcut and had teenaged girls cry in your shop because they pity me?" Seungcheol said through gritted teeth.

"No, I can't afford to clean up tears," Jihoon shook his head.

"Okay, then shut up," Seungcheol said.

"You could just get clip in bangs if you're going to wear hats," Jeonghan pointed out; he was visiting the café that day. "They aren't as itchy."

"I have no hair to clip it onto, though," Seungcheol said. "You'd have to buy it for me, by the way."

Jeonghan couldn't even argue with that. He sat down at a table and drank his coffee when the door to the shop opened. A cute boy walked it, causing Jeonghan to blush and almost spill his coffee all over him. A couple girls started whispering violently as the boy looked around the shop and walked past them. The cute boy walked to the register and said with such a soft, pretty voice, "Are you guys hiring?"

The boy looked at Seungcheol, who looked back at the boy, then at choking Jeonghan, then at the girls screaming in the corner, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, then at Jeonghan, then at the girls, then at Jihoon, then at the boy, who said, "I should probably introduce myself, shouldn't I?"

Seungcheol nodded slowly as the boy introduced himself.

"My name is Hong Jisoo. I just recently moved here from California, and this coffee shop looked like a nice place to work at while I get settled in. I'm currently a student."

The girls in the coffee shop started squealing, and Jisoo looked behind him and smiled at them. Seungcheol then finally looked at Jihoon, who was watching the scene unfold with his mouth wide open, said almost immediately, "You're hired."

Seungcheol then dropped down to his knees and said, "Praise the lord! I don't have to fill in for anymore shifts!"

Seungcheol went home happy that day. He went to his bathroom and turned on the tap to take a shower. He got undressed and entered the shower. He started to wash his hair when he realized he ran out of shampoo. His eyes were shut because he didn't want to get shampoo in his eyes, so he reached out blindly to the second bottle of shampoo he had sitting next to the first one. He mentally thanked himself for stocking up on shampoo and proceeded to wash his hair.

Seungcheol finally finished his shower and got out with a towel around his waist and another on his head. The bathroom was all steamed up from the hot water, so he couldn't get a look at his reflection when he took the towel off his head. He ended up just going to his closet and changing before coming back to his bathroom to put on cologne. When he reentered the bathroom, that's when he saw it again. Seungcheol was bald again.

Seungcheol almost started crying when he saw the lights of his bathroom reflect off the top of his head. The first time he went bald, he was angry. Now, he was simply sad. Why didn't he throw away that bottle Jeonghan messed with? The damage was done now, and Seungcheol was hairless once again.

Defeated, Seungcheol went to his room and slumped onto his bed. His phone, which he left on his bed before he went to take a shower, was right next to his face. He picked up his phone, found Jeonghan's conversation, and texted him.

seungcheol: hey uh

jeonghan: ?

seungcheol: i

seungcheol: uh

jeonghan: ??

jeonghan: what is it?

seungcheol: ...

seungcheol: i'm bald again...