Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Hair
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Two weeks had passed since the so-called "lewd video incident."
There hadn't been any changes between Si-eun and me. At school, we went out of our way to avoid running into each other, so there was no overlap there. At home, it was just the occasional shared meal or her bringing snacks—nothing more.
There was no reason to get any closer than that. This was the perfect distance for an employer and a part-timer.
I rolled my eyes and glanced sideways.
A long cordless vacuum cleaner was buzzing around every corner of the room. Naturally, the one operating it was Si-eun. She was darting from spot to spot, sucking up dust and tiny crumbs.
"A cordless vacuum, huh. The world's really come a long way."
I sounded like some old geezer.
"It's been on the market for a while now."
"What do I know? In my world, all we had were brooms and dustpans."
Well, fair enough.
Si-eun had said she'd grown up poor. Our family wasn't much different, so we hadn't brought modern conveniences like cordless vacuums into the house either. We had a regular vacuum, but I doubted her place even had that.
"Speaking of which, how's the group project coming?"
"Pretty much done. Just needs a few tweaks before submission."
"Got it. Let me know before you turn it in. I'll give it a once-over."
Si-eun replied in her usual crisp tone.
The deadline was still far off, but our team had decided to submit early. Better to wrap it up quick—that was Si-eun's policy. She didn't want to finish it all and then forget to submit, causing a disaster.
No reason to fight it, so we'd go along with her plan.
"Sure. I'll email it over."
At my response, Si-eun turned away to hunt for more dust.
But then came a loud thunk as something collided. Right after, an object tumbled into my view.
A smartwatch lay face-down on the floor.
I'd left it on the dresser, but Si-eun must have bumped it while vacuuming.
"Ah... Sorry."
Si-eun bowed her head deeply in apology.
I waved it off toward her.
"Nah, it's fine. I don't even use it. If it's busted, I'll just buy a new one."
If Si-eun hid it while I was out, it could be months before I noticed. That's how little I used the thing. I brushed it off lightly and reached down to pick up the watch.
But Si-eun had the same idea. Our hands overlapped on the tiny watch, and inevitably, our fingers brushed.
"Ah."
Si-eun let out a small sound and yanked her hand back to her chest. Then she looked up at me with wide, startled eyes.
"S-Sorry."
"It's okay."
What was she even apologizing for? I gave a wry smile inwardly.
If there was one change in Si-eun lately, it was this: she overreacted to any physical contact.
Living together, we'd had brushes like this before, and she'd never batted an eye. But ever since she caught me with that video, she'd started being cautious.
She used to trust (or dismiss) me enough to think I wouldn't pull anything weird. Anyway, it was a good thing. As housemates, a little wariness was only natural.
Soon the noise stopped.
Si-eun propped the vacuum against the wall and plopped down on the bed. Wondering why she'd quit midway, I looked over. She pointed subtly at my hair.
"Hey, you ever tidy up your hair?"
Tidy up? I touched my hair at her words. Yeah, it had grown quite a bit.
"Sometimes."
"How often is 'sometimes'?"
"When it starts blocking my vision."
"Normal people cut it before then."
She looked utterly exasperated.
Of course, I planned to cut it once it got long enough. But when push came to shove, laziness won out. Plus, the stylists always chatted me up, making it awkward for an introvert like me...
Come to think of it, Si-eun's hair always looked neat and groomed. She must brush and care for it daily. Meanwhile, I was a mess, too lazy to even use my own shampoo and just sharing hers.
"You have to take good care of your hair."
Si-eun whipped her head around, letting her hair fan out dramatically. Her face peeked through the strands with a smug expression.
"See? Pretty, right?"
"Yeah. Very pretty."
"..."
Si-eun covered her mouth and cleared her throat.
"Anyway, why not cut it today?"
"Too much hassle."
"Then I'll do it for you."
"You got a license?"
"Do I look like I do?"
Yeah, obvious question.
Si-eun snorted and continued.
"If you don't cut it today, I'll sneak in with scissors while you're asleep."
"You that desperate to chop my hair?"
"Not desperate. It's just... with your hair cut, you'd look pretty..."
She trailed off, shoulders shrugging as she clamped her mouth shut.
I didn't know what that gesture meant, but clearly Si-eun wanted me to get a trim.
Maybe she hated the hair shedding everywhere. Short hair meant stray strands wouldn't stand out. And since she handled all the cleaning, she had reason to prefer it.
If I was cutting it anyway, might as well now. If it saved her hassle, I'd play along.
"Fine."
"For real?"
"Yeah. You're the one cleaning up."
I meant it kindly, but she just tilted her head. Hmm, wrong guess?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ That's how I ended up heading to the salon.
After changing, I stepped into the living room where Si-eun waited in her going-out clothes.
"I go to this one place a lot. Let's head there."
"Okay."
I replied with resignation and followed her lead.
Her regular salon was pretty far from school. A relief—no worries about running into classmates.
We took a taxi to get there.
"Aren't taxis for like, corporate tycoons?"
What a fuss.
"You go there often, right? How do you usually get there?"
"Subway, then transfer to a bus."
Why go through all that for a far-off salon?
"I used to part-time nearby back in the day."
She read my mind.
"Started stopping by a lot, got close to the stylist there. She'll do a good job on you too."
"Doesn't have to be perfect..."
I was tempted to just buzz it all off to skip the hassle. But nah—that'd isolate me even more among the guys.
The taxi pulled up soon. I paid with my card and we got out.
I looked up at the building ahead.
A large salon tucked in a quiet alley. Way bigger than a neighborhood spot, and intimidating even from outside. Man, I don't wanna go in.
But backing out now was childish. Following Si-eun inside, I was hit with that classic salon smell.
"Hello~"
Si-eun greeted with a bright, cheerful smile. The stylists greeted back.
One woman approached and stood before Si-eun.
"Oh my. Weren't you just here? Already time for another?"
"Haha, no. I'm here for him today."
The stylist turned to me at Si-eun's words. Hi. That's me.
"Ah~ Got it."
She peered at me closely and grinned.
No clue what she 'got,' but her social vibe was off the charts.
"Have a seat there."
"Yes, ma'am."
Intimidated by her gaze, I meekly obeyed.
For introverts, salons are a trial by fire.
From "How do you want it cut?" to fielding endless questions—pure agony.
But this stylist was different.
She didn't even make me answer the style question. When I hemmed and hawed at "Any particular style?", she just laughed, "Haha, I'll give you what suits you best."
And she skipped me entirely, chatting with Si-eun instead. A godsend. If only all stylists nationwide were like this.
"Si-eun, what's your relationship with this kid?"
The stylist glanced sideways as she asked.
Si-eun pondered briefly in the mirror.
"Nothing special."
"Really?"
Made sense—not easy admitting she was my housekeeper, even if we were close. I'd do the same. Outsiders might misunderstand.
"Si-eun says you're not that close. What do you think?"
The question arrow flew my way.
"...She's kinda scary, so please just cut it straight."
"Dodging the question."
I was dodging, but she was scary.
The stylist chuckled like she'd seen through us.
"I get it. You two are dating."
Wild guess, delivered with booming laughter. What a great personality.
"No, no!"
Si-eun waved her hands frantically in denial.
"Then?"
The stylist probed playfully. Si-eun puffed out her chest.
"He's the guy next door."
"Why bring the neighbor to your salon..."
I'd wondered if she'd say it. Staying silent paid off.
The stylist tilted her head in confusion. Before things got messier, I took the baton.
"Uh, well, we're in the same department. She recommended a salon, and pointed me here."
"Oh, yeah! That's it."
Si-eun backed me up. The stylist eyed us suspiciously—"Really?"—then shrugged.
"Eh, I get the vibe."
What vibe? Do stylists read minds?
Dozens of minutes later, I shed the cape and got my hair washed in the shampoo area.
Just the blow-dry left, then home free.
Glancing back via the mirror, Si-eun's seat was empty. Bathroom break, maybe.
"You and Si-eun close?"
The stylist spoke up as I thought that.
"Dunno. Not up to me to say."
"Then who decides?"
She chuckled.
"That's why I'm asking. Si-eun's such a good kid."
"I know."
"So well-behaved too."
"Yeah, that too."
"And super sensitive."
Sensitive? Not sure about that.
She endured all sorts of hardships without breaking. And choosing to live with a guy? Tough as nails.
Reading my doubt, the stylist smiled softly.
"She hides it from others. 'Everyone's got it rough anyway—complaining won't help,' she thinks. Keeps it bottled up inside."
"Huh."
Her words brought back Si-eun's sick day recently.
When weak, she'd acted tough. Refused help, insisted on handling it alone. Maybe she always put up a strong front.
Who knows. I was just her employer paying for housework. No right to pry deeper.
I turned to the stylist.
"But we're really just department friends. Save that talk for her boyfriend."
She smiled with her eyes.
"Yeah. That's you."
"No, we're seriously just..."
"Huh? Don't lie."
She grinned wickedly and added,
"When you came in, I smelled the same shampoo on you."
"Gah..."
I was speechless. She poked fun again.
Stylist senses—sharp as ever. I flapped my mouth uselessly, no excuses left.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back on the road home.
The sun was already setting beyond the taxi window. Wasting a golden weekend afternoon like this. What a shame.
But getting the cut here was a win. I'd always gone to random spots before, but today the stylist worked magic—it looked decent.
"How is it?"
Si-eun asked from beside me.
"Seems okay."
"Right? She said she even won awards."
"Mm."
Using me as material and still pulling that off? Award-worthy for sure.
But my taste was unreliable. Looked good to me didn't mean it was.
"What do you think?"
Si-eun tilted her head at my question.
"Of what?"
"My hair."
Being specific, she stared into my eyes. I met her gaze, and soon she turned to the opposite window.
Then,
"Looks kinda cool now."
"Wha..."
Her surprise attack threw me off.
But hey, if full marks are 100, going from 0 to 1 is progress.
"Cooler" just meant my score went up. With an award-winner at work, no way it'd drop.
I spoke to Si-eun, still gazing out the window.
"Hey."
She slowly turned back, meeting my eyes. The sunset filtering in gave her cheeks a rosy glow.
"Yeah?"
She urged cautiously.
Her face stiff, body tense. Like she was anticipating what I'd say.
To that Si-eun, I voiced what I'd been holding back.
"On the way, can you grab me some shampoo? Different from what you use."
"...Huh?"
Utter confusion.
"Why shampoo?"
"Just... wanna try taking care of my hair. Guys who don't end up bald, right?"
I rubbed my neck, mumbling excuses.
No way I'd admit the shampoo mix-up with the stylist. Just needless worry for Si-eun.
(For the record, I didn't explain straight to her either. Boyfriend was a flat-out lie, and spilling the truth would've upset Si-eun.)
Si-eun frowned.
"Fine."
"Thanks."
But she sighed right after.
"I'll mix some into tonight's dinner. Enjoy."
"What?"
She was pissed. Asking why got me just a "Hmph." No answers forthcoming.
What the hell did I do?