small words || jeongcheol

40: temper tantrums.

"Okay, we are done," said the hair stylist, taking off the foils from Jeonghan's hair, "Time to wash out."

"I kind of zoned out," Jeonghan remarked, smiling slightly at his reflection. His hair looked weird with all the bleach, and he had a momentary doubt as to whether he had made a good hair decision, but brushed it away.

"As expected," she laughed, putting a towel around his shoulders, "You had to wait ages. Right, let's wash it out, then all that's left is to tone it."

"Thanks, Eunha," he said, getting up and following her to the basins. He sat down and she moved his head to rest above the sink, turning the little shower head on. "I didn't know if I was ready to take a big step like this."

"Hair is a strange thing,"  she agreed, "It's a big part of someone's identity. Every time I get mine cut short again I'm like shit, did I make a mistake? But it's what makes me feel more like myself."

"I'm not really sure what most like 'me'," Jeonghan remarked, closing his eyes as the spray from the water pattered on his forehead. 

"You'll find it," she assured him, tucking her chin-length black hair behind one ear before wrapping his hair in a towel and gently drying it off. "Sometimes it's nice to have a drastic change."

"You still haven't gone blonde," one of Eunha's colleages pointed out as she passed.

"I'm not the most drastic person, okay," she replied with a shrug. "Okay, let's get this hair dry. How much were you wanting off, again?"

"Just a little," he answered, smiling at his reflection in the mirror. He felt a sort of inner glow that morning, already imagining how he would style his new hair. Would Seungcheol like it?

"So what inspired the change?" she questioned as she picked up a hairdryer.

"I'm going through some changes, I guess," he considered, "In life, or whatever. I'm... actually receiving treatment at a centre, and I've come so far, I almost feel like a different person." He glanced at her reflection in the mirror as she combed through his hair. She wasn't judging him. Jeonghan was surprised at how much easier it was to talk about it now; the months had gone by so fast and he was ready to take back his life again.

"So, who is the new Jeonghan?" Eunha asked playfully, "A cute blond?"

"Hopefully," he said with a slight laugh. "I might even come out soon."

Eunha's eyes widened. "Am I the first to know?" she whispered loudly.

Jeonghan's cheeks reddened a bit. "Maybe the second? Well, to formally know, I guess. I haven't gone public or anything."

The hair stylist clutched the hairdryer to her chest. "It's a really hard thing to do. But if you're in a good place, I say - go for it. My girlfriend didn't actually come out until we'd been dating for three months, but she had to do it in her own time."

"What about you?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, I was pretty much the only out lesbian in high school," she laughed. "But whatever's best for you, I'd say. Anyway, I'd better start drying your hair, I can talk for days."

Some time later, he was transformed.

"I love it," he uttered, running a hand over his shoulder-length platinum blond hair. It was soft, and framed his face gently, the colour complimenting his slight tan.

"Time for a change, was it?" his step-father asked, getting up from where he had been sitting in the waiting area. He had gone to do a bit of shopping in the meantime, but returned some ten minutes before Jeonghan's hair was finished.