Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Friendship Fee Payment Complete
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─Ding-a-ling
Stepping through the door, I saw quite a few people even though it was daytime. Among them, a woman in her forties who looked like a stylist approached.
"Welcome."
The designer who greeted me seemed to be someone my sister knew, as she called out to her.
"Hello, Director."
"Oh my, welcome, President of Linda."
From listening to their conversation, it seemed this woman was the director.
"Why are you here so early? Your perm hasn't loosened up yet."
"Today, it's not for me. My acquaintance is here to get it done."
Hearing that, I stepped out from behind my sister where I'd been hiding.
"Hello."
"Welco...me."
The director trailed off mid-greeting as she got a proper look at me, then her eyes sparkled, and she came closer.
"Wow... Miss! What hair products do you use?"
"Oh my, look at that shine. It's so pretty."
"How can the color come out like this?"
"No way. Hair like fine glasswork can't come from dye."
"How did you control the volume? It's like soft cotton candy."
I'd felt this pleasant tickle before when my sister had sparkled like this at the clothing store, chattering about things she loved.
Watching her get excited and ask questions about something she was passionate about made me feel good.
Maybe because I didn't have anything like that myself, but meeting people like this was always a pleasure.
"Miss! Could I touch your hair just once?"
"Pfft. Sure, but can I sit down first?"
"Of course! Let me show you to a seat."
The hair salon director didn't take me to a spot on the first floor but led me up to the second, turning a corner by the wall.
Following her, I saw a long hallway with several rooms, and she took me into one.
"What's this room for?"
"This is a private room. Celebrities, influencers, and regulars who want to keep their privacy use it."
"Oh... I see. But I'm none of those three."
When I voiced my doubt, she smiled and replied.
"You're President Linda's acquaintance. She's one of our best regulars, and I really want to style your hair myself."
"Ah, got it. I'm grateful, then. Should I sit here?"
"Yes, make yourself comfortable."
I plopped down in the chair, took off my mask and sunglasses, and set them on the table in front of the mirror.
I waited quietly, expecting the director to come over, but the room stayed silent. Looking up into the mirror, I saw the director and my sister staring blankly.
"Um... Director?"
"Y-Yes?"
"You're just staring."
"Ah, sorry. You were so pretty, I zoned out."
"Why are you zoning out too, Sis?"
"Huh? Oh... Ga-eul's just so pretty..."
I widened my eyes innocently in the mirror, and my sister cleared her throat fake, pretending to check her black-screened phone while sneaking glances at me.
"There was a reason for those fun glasses and mask. I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you."
"Thank you. There are so many pretty people in the world. Celebrities too."
"Um... I don't think it's on that level...? You look like a living doll."
"Right! Ga-eul's too pretty!!"
The flood of compliments was overwhelming, so I cut them off and asked the director to style my hair.
"Um... sorry, Miss, but there's really nothing to fix."
"Pardon? Nothing at all?"
"Yes. Your curls are perfect, the volume's full, and the texture is beyond words. Assuming you want to keep the current style, of course."
After thinking it over, I said to the director.
"My hair's too long and flowy. Should I chop it like yours, Sis?"
"No!!! Absolutely not!!!!"
The moment I mentioned cutting it, my sister yelled from behind.
"Ow... Sis, why yell."
"I agree, you shouldn't cut it. Even thinking of cutting such treasure is too much."
"Right! Total veto! No cuts for Ga-eul!!!"
One was vehemently against it, and the director I'd just met looked disappointed too. I wondered if this was normal.
"Fine, calm down. Then why'd you bring me here?"
"How about bangs, Ga-eul?"
"Bangs? I don't have any."
"That's why you'd cut some. It'll be super cute for sure."
"???"
The conversation was heading into a dead end, but then the director spoke up from behind.
"It's a common guy mistake. It means trimming the sides to create bangs."
"Ah... I get it. Bangs would look good on me too. Please cut them."
"It's a cut, though. You sure you can decide that easily?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Do whatever you think is best, Director. Hair grows back anyway."
She beamed happily, promising to make me as pretty as possible with a determined smile.
"Just a moment," she said, putting on an apron loaded with tools, then draping a cutting cape over me to keep hair off my clothes.
"Let's begin, Miss."
"Yes, please take good care of me."
She started fiddling with my hair, pulling out styling scissors and a rat-tail comb from her apron.
As the cut began, the pleasant sounds of brushing and snipping scissors filled my ears.
Lost in the relaxing rhythm with my eyes closed, I heard the director say it was done.
"Oh..."
Opening my eyes to the mirror, I saw cute bangs falling just below my eyebrows, and playful side strands neatly framing my cheeks.
The seductive allure of my body now mixed with cuteness. I loved it.
"Whoa... Director, your skills are insane."
"Hehe, once I'm on it, it's game over!"
"Kyaa! Ga-eul, you're killing it. So cute!"
I liked it so much that she instantly became "our director."
"But Miss, every time I touched your hair, this peach scent wafted out. Do you use a hair perfume?"
"No. It's just my natural scent."
"Ah... a constitution like that? I'm so jealous."
"Yeah... something rare like that, I guess? I've always been this way, so I don't know much either."
"So your hair and eye color are natural too?"
"Yes, exactly. Always have been."
"Wow, that's amazing."
After that, I talked her out of refusing payment, settled the bill, and left the salon.
"Sis, I need a smoke."
"Huh? You just had one."
"Hand!"
"I'm not a puppy..."
She grumbled cutely but slowly offered her hand, which I grabbed and linked fingers with, heading to the smoking area.
I pulled out a cigarette, lit up, and puffed as my sister asked beside me, her tone laced with worry.
"Ga-eul, do you like cigarettes that much?"
"Of course. This is sex."
"...If you're gonna use that pretty mouth on trash like that, give it to me."
"Pffft."
I stubbed out the cigarette as the ember neared the filter.
"Sis, I'm going live soon, so stay out of frame."
"Why?"
"Remember what I said when we were shopping?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Like I told you then, my stream has too many crazies. Your face showing up would be bad."
"But I wanna be on your stream, Ga-eul..."
"No. If at all, later, slowly. Not now."
"Okay..."
Her exterior was aloof and unapproachable like a haughty cat, but inside she was pure puppy. I could see her tail drooping sadly.
Looking at my sister, I spread my arms.
"Sis, come here. I'll hug you."
She stared at my open arms with wide eyes, glanced around, spotted the big bike rack blocking views from the smoking area, and sneaked over.
As she hesitated, I pulled her into my embrace.
"Eek."
With our heights similar, she shyly pressed her face to my shoulder, letting me hug her fully.
"Aww, did our pretty sis get sad?"
"...Yeah."
I gently stroked her back, the picture of worldly sorrow.
She flinched at my touch on her back.
"Who made our pretty sis sad? I'll scold them."
"Mmm."
"Aww, really."
"Ung..."
Meaningless chatter continued.
"You like me that much?"
"...Yeah."
"We've only known each other two days. What's so great?"
She stayed buried silently for a while before whispering softly.
"Before you came to buy clothes yesterday, I was watching from the second-floor window."
"Before shopping? Hmm... what do you mean?"
"I saw you give your clothes and money to the homeless guy."
"Ah... you saw that. So you think I'm a good person?"
She nodded slightly, her face buried in my shoulder.
"Hmm..."
My left hand stroked from her back to below her neck, while my right caressed below her waist.
"Sorry, Sis, but that's a misunderstanding."
"...What misunderstanding?"
"I was barely scraping by, not even thinking about the future, just tomorrow."
"..."
"Seeing that homeless man made me think that might be my future."
She stayed silent, head buried, listening.
"The money I gave him was the last 100,000 won from my day labor."
I moved the hand stroking her back up to gently caress the back of her head.
"The clothes I gave were what I wore for winter labor."
The hand on her lower back slid down to stroke her butt.
"Eek..."
Her body twitched each time I stroked her butt slowly.
"I just dumped trash on a homeless man. Tossed the remnants of my trash-like past into the bin."
I gripped her warm, soft butt firmly, fingers digging into the cleft.
"Heek!"
"I thought dumping in the bin would clean it up, but I was the trash itself. Pull out a bit from the pile, still trash. Wipe it clean, still trash."
I eased the grip slightly, pressing my middle finger into her butt cleft.
"Hngh! G-Ga...eul."
"I've lived selfishly until now, and I'll keep living like trash."
I kneaded her butt in that position.
"Hng... haah..."
Looking at her twitching against my shoulder as I kneaded, her ears were bright red.
I brought my lips to her ear and whispered.
"Sis, we're friends, right?"
"Haht... y-yes... friends... hng..."
"Good. Then pay the friendship fee."
Tilting her head down revealed her pretty neck. To collect the fee, I pressed my lips to it.
Wiggling my middle finger while kneading her butt, her body trembled in my arms.
Her shivers felt good.
Feeling them, I sucked noisily on her pale neck, leaving a hickey.
"Hng... hngh... no... Ga...eul... hii..."
Her body shook violently in my embrace.
I licked and sucked her neck repeatedly until a bright red hickey bloomed on the white skin.
Finally satisfied, I stopped my hands and mouth. Exhausted, she went limp, chin fully on my shoulder, breathing raggedly.
"Huu... haa..."
One arm holding her, stroking her hair, the other pulled out a cigarette, lit it.
"Phew─ Sis, you okay?"
"..."
"Did Ga-eul's friendship fee feel that good? My finger's all slippery."
"Hngg..."
"Pffft. Now that you've paid the fee, we're besties, right?"