Day 2 of Probation - 12, Chuns Hair
After leaving the Cow House, Danaa hooked her arm through mine and asked.
"It's three o'clock already. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
At her question, I turned toward the wall while thinking it over, and caught sight of my own reflection in the glass panel. My hair, falling just past the tops of my ears, caught my eye.
Early in the year I'd been so buried in the project that getting a haircut was out of the question—I could barely make it home. By the time the project wrapped up and I finally had a spare moment, I'd ended up here, so my hair was longer than usual.
I grabbed the ends of my hair and tugged on them, then asked Danaa.
"They have a place to get haircuts here too, right?"
"Yes. There's a barbershop and hair salons. Probably several of them."
"Do you know any good ones?"
"I don't get my hair done here, so I don't know any specific places. Want me to look it up?"
"No, I can find one myself. Hold on."
I stopped walking and pulled up the Garden app, scanning the full map of the first floor. Danaa let go of my arm and took out her own phone to search as well.
"Found one. Let's go here."
Having located the closest hair salon, I showed Danaa my phone screen. She glanced at it, then looked around as if confirming the location. After slipping her phone back into her bag, she hooked her left arm through mine again.
"I know where that is. Let's go."
"You want to get your hair done too?"
Danaa picked up the ends of her own hair with her right hand and rubbed them between her fingers.
"I'm fine for now."
"I'll be stuck waiting while you get your hair done. You know, why don't you get some kind of treatment? I'll pay."
"Really? Women's hair care tends to be pretty expensive though~"
"I don't need to worry about the price right now."
I said that and smiled at her. Danaa met my eyes and smiled back.
"Heh. Alright then. I'm getting the most expensive thing they have."
"Go for it. Top of the line."
We walked along chatting like that. As we went, I found myself observing the people passing by. By the end of it, I'd sorted everyone wandering the Garden into roughly five categories.
First, women walking alone. There were quite a few of them. Some were dressed to the point of near-nudity, but many were at a level you'd rarely see even outside—sexy, but not explicit.
Second, women in pairs or groups of three. These were the most common. They tended to wear even less than the solo women. I noticed some groups had coordinated their outfits with each other.
The most memorable outfit was a leather dress that looked perfectly normal from the front but was nothing but straps in the back. That group was three women, and all three wore clothes that left their backs completely bare.
The red, blue, and yellow fur pom-poms bobbing above their backsides—like rabbit tails—burned themselves into my memory. They were clearly decorations on anal plugs.
Third, men walking alone. They looked to be in their thirties and forties, scattered sparsely throughout. Most wore comfortable clothes and hats. They had a tendency to hug the edges of the walkways.
Occasionally I saw one striding confidently through the center, and those men usually wore the same smart band on their wrist that I had on mine. Now I understood—they were O-Class.
Fourth, groups of men only. These were threesomes or foursomes, talking amongst themselves as they walked. They seemed to be rating the women who passed by. Bold around women, but the moment they spotted an O-Class band, they went quiet.
And finally, one man accompanied by one to four women. In these cases, the women were all stunning, with bodies that defied belief. Naturally, the man was O-Class. He paraded them around like trophies. These groups were less common.
It looked like a massive shopping mall, yet there were no families in sight—the kind of people you'd normally see at a place like this. Though I suppose I wouldn't bring my family here either.
Lost in these pointless observations, watching the crowds drift past, I arrived at the hair salon before I knew it.
The salon's wall was white, with the Chinese character for spring and the word HAIR painted across it in flowing black brushstrokes.
I approached the door and was about to press the open button when it slid open on its own.
"Welcome to Chuns Hair."
Someone inside had pressed the button for us as we approached. I walked past the staff members bowing beside the entrance and stepped inside. The moment I crossed the threshold, a long counter stretched out directly ahead.
The staff who'd opened the door and bowed all wore the same uniform. It was styled like a school uniform—though, predictably, there wasn't enough fabric.
The top was a deep navy jacket. A name tag was pinned to the left breast, and a spring patch adorned the right. But the jacket was all they wore on top.
There was clearly a white collar tied at the neck with a black ribbon, but between the ribbon and the jacket there was no fabric—just bare skin. The jacket was cropped so short that a sliver of navel peeked out below it.
The bottom was a red plaid pleated skirt, and it was short too. Short enough that the Y-zone threatened to flash into view with the wrong movement. On their feet were black over-knee socks and flat shoes.
The uniformed staff had all put on makeup, but every one of them looked young.
The woman at the counter wore a black apron, and aside from that apron, no clothing was visible.
The waterproof apron, with its many pockets, covered most of her body—but above the chest, nothing showed except the apron's shoulder straps. She was obviously wearing nothing underneath, and the effect was obscenely erotic.
The counter rose to her waist, so I couldn't see below it.
"Thank you for visiting Chuns Hair. I'm Lee Mijin, floor manager. How can I help you today?"
As I stepped closer, the woman bowed so deeply her forehead nearly touched the counter.
"Yes... I'm here for a cut, and, uh... she's here for, um... care."
I stumbled, momentarily forgetting what to call Danaa and what the treatment was even called. The woman who'd introduced herself as Manager Lee Mijin smiled brightly and helped me out.
"Do you have a reservation?"
"No."
"This is your first time at our salon, correct?"
"Yes, first time."
"One moment, please. Let me check."
Manager Lee Mijin tapped through what looked like a schedule on the tablet in front of her, then looked up.
"The hair clinic is available right away, but there's a short wait for a cut. Would that be alright?"
I was about to say it was fine when Danaa stepped up beside me, resting her hand on the counter.
"How long is the wait?"
Manager Lee Mijin turned her head toward Danaa.
"The designer is finishing up with a client, so about five minutes."
"Is that okay with you?"
I nodded at Danaa, who was looking at me for confirmation.
"Yeah, that's fine."
"Shall I wait with you?"
"No, don't worry about it. Five minutes flies by. Men's cuts are quick anyway, so you should go first, Danaa."
"Okay, understood."
Manager Lee Mijin had been quietly listening to our exchange, and once it wrapped up, she spoke.
"Then, for the cut—would you like it done in the hall, or in a private room?"
The unexpected question sent my brain spinning. Judging by the staff uniforms, this was not going to be an ordinary haircut. Which meant I'd rather not be on display for everyone to see. Apparently I did have some limits after all.
I don't need strangers comparing my dick to other dicks.
"A room, please."
"Of course. Ryu Jeongi will escort the lady to Room 3, and Do Euni will take you to Room 8. Please follow our staff."
Two of the staff members standing behind the counter stepped forward, one approaching Danaa and one approaching me. I followed the smiling employee, who gestured toward the interior with both hands, deeper into the salon.
The shop was a maze of narrow corridors, making it impossible to grasp the full layout. The employee walking ahead of me had a bob cut that reached her neck, with waves at the ends. The back of her skirt had been hiked up by her hips and rode even higher than the front.
It wasn't just a hint of undercheek—more than a third of her ass was on full display. Yet from behind, no panties were visible, only bare flesh. I didn't notice at first, but she had an earpiece in one ear, connected to a small radio clipped at her waist.
I'd started out walking alongside Danaa, but her room came up first. She gave me a slight bow.
"Well then, enjoy your time."
"Huh? Uh... yeah, you too, Danaa. Get the really good stuff."
It was a strange thing to say to someone getting their hair done, but I watched her disappear into her room, then hurried after the employee leading the way.
She stopped walking and stood beside an entrance where the curtain was drawn open, gesturing inside.
"Right through here."
Inside was a cubic space. A large mirror dominated one wall, and there was even the kind of styling chair you'd find at any regular salon—it felt like a miniature barbershop.
"Please have a seat, and the designer will be with you shortly."
The employee followed me in, gripped the styling chair with both hands, and rotated it to face me.
"Got it, thanks."
"Would you like me to bring some refreshments?"
"No, I'm fine."
Once I sat down, the employee drew the curtain shut, blocking any view from outside. Though the space was enclosed by walls on all sides, it was bright enough that it didn't feel claustrophobic.
The employee retrieved a cutting cape from a hook on the wall and approached me.
"Let me put this cape on for you."
"Sure."
After draping the cape over my shoulders, the employee clasped her hands together and stood silently beside the chair. An awkward silence settled over the room. I caught her eye in the mirror and broke the ice first.
"Did you say your name was Do Eun?"
"Yes, I'm Do Ju-eun. Please feel free to speak casually with me."
She turned the name tag on the left side of her jacket toward me as she answered. The atmosphere felt stiff somehow.
"Um... I was just curious, but how old are you?"
"I'll be twenty-two next month."
"So you're still twenty-one. Have you been working here long?"
"No, not long. About a month now."
"Ah, I see. How did you end up working here?"
"I was at a different shop, and a friend recommended this place. She said the work isn't too hard and the pay is good."
"Is the work actually okay?"
"Yes, it's much more comfortable than my previous job."
"But aren't you S-Class? Doesn't that... other duty make things harder?"
I couldn't bring myself to say "sexual services" directly, so I danced around it, but Do-eun caught on immediately.
"I am S-Class, yes. But fewer guests request me than you'd think, so it's manageable. You're O-Class, correct?"
"Uh, yeah."
"O-Class members don't visit that often to begin with, and when they do, they're usually accompanied by beauties in a completely different league from someone like me. So they rarely pay attention to me. Unless you're O-Class, the most you can do is touch."
"Oh, is that right?"
"You didn't know that? Oh! I'm so sorry."
Do-eun clapped a hand over her mouth and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, apologizing profusely. I didn't think an apology was necessary, but this was a different world from the one I'd lived in, so I tried to understand.
"It's fine. I have less experience than you do, Do-eun. I'm still on probation—and it's only day two of that."
Do-eun bowed her head again.
"Thank you for understanding."
"So non-O-Class members can't do anything freely?"
"Correct. Touching is allowed, but anything beyond that requires payment—and only O-Class members can pay. Even then, it's not unconditional; there are restrictions. Not many people are willing to spend Garden Points on someone like me just to go further."
"I see. So are you trying to become a hair designer?"
"Yes, I graduated from beauty school and got my license, but I don't have experience yet, so I'm working as staff and learning on the job."
"That's impressive at your age. By the way, I heard S-Class members have to go through some kind of training?"
"Yes, four weeks of training. During that time, I seriously regretted coming here. But I'd already received the signing bonus and training fee upfront, so I gritted my teeth and pushed through."
"I see. So then, Do-eun, you also..."
Snick~