Chapter 54: My Girlfriend Isn't Showing Up at the Meeting Spot.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: My Girlfriend Isn't Showing Up at the Meeting Spot.
"How would you like your hair done today?"
"Uh... just a... trim, please."
"How would you like me to trim it? Your hair tends to stick out quite a bit overall, so I don't think just thinning it out will help. Do you have a specific style in mind?"
Coming to this massive salon because Yu-min told him to look handsome was all well and good.
But from that point on, it had been a series of shocks, horrors, and embarrassments.
Maybe I should have just gone to my usual place...
At his regular spot, he didn't even need to speak. He’d just say, "The usual, please," and they’d give him the 'Kim Min-su Cut' without a word.
He had never once thought about the specific shape of his hair.
It was a place where they just cut your hair for you, a space where everyone worked in stoic silence.
He missed his regular salon terribly right now.
"I don't... really have one."
"Is this your first time at our shop?"
"Yes, yes..."
"Oh! Is it for a date?!"
Min-su’s heart grew heavy as he faced the overwhelming friendliness of the staff.
He wished they would stop talking to him. He couldn't understand why they were asking such personal questions.
What if I didn't have a girlfriend...
But looking at it from another perspective, did that mean he looked like someone who did have a girlfriend?
Suddenly feeling better, he squared his shoulders and held his head a little higher.
"That's right."
"Oh my! Then it would be such a waste to just get a trim when you’ve come all the way to a shop like ours. How about trying a perm? Your hair length is just right, so I think it would look great."
"A perm?"
"Yes! Your whole vibe will change in an instant. There are quite a few perms that would suit you. You have such a nice face that I think almost anything would look wonderful. Shall I show you a few photos?"
"Yes, yes..."
For Vincenz, the head designer of Essence Shop, handling a greenhorn customer like him was child's play.
Vincenz had pegged exactly who Min-su was the moment he stepped into the shop.
The Hero, Kim Min-su... He doesn't usually come to a place like ours, but here he is... To groom himself? There’s only one reason a man tries this hard: a woman! He came here today with a plan.
He identified the customer's needs in advance and moved strictly according to them.
Nothing Vincenz had said so far was a lie.
Scamming a naive customer? That would be a truly trashy thing to do.
I'm simply presenting him with possibilities.
To just keep getting the same old haircut without knowing the potential of one's own hair—would a girlfriend like that when he showed up for a date? He couldn't be sure, but he doubted it.
"Look at this model's hairstyle. His head shape is very similar to yours, isn't it? Oh, but your features are much better than his. Hoho."
"Really?"
Flattery could make even a whale dance. The key was to make it feel natural within the conversation rather than burdensome.
Being the head designer of a shop wasn't just about being good at cutting hair.
A crucial metric was how many regular clients one could attract through charisma and communication.
"Of course. I'm not the type to just say empty words. Anyway, as you can see, a similar head shape means the style will turn out roughly the same. Don't you think this model looks completely different with the perm versus without it?"
His words were clear, delivered with perfect distance and pitch.
His diction hit Min-su’s ears with flawless precision.
Min-su couldn't think straight.
To be honest, the difference the perm made didn't look that big to him.
But since the expert said it was "completely different," it started to look that way.
"Yes, I suppose...?"
"That 'suppose' can make or break a style. So, what I’d like to recommend is doing an As Perm and a Down Perm together to press down the sides while giving the parting a bit of volume. What do you think? Also, I see a few stray grays; how about a dye job with a deep black to give you a stronger impression?"
"Ah... well..."
"If you do it now, we’re also including a hair nutrition treatment. It’ll make the color last longer and keep the perm looking fresh, raising the overall quality of the look. Shall we go ahead?"
"Yes... yes, yes..."
Min-su was dazed.
What was this social prowess? How could someone talk so much to a person they’d just met?
The man spoke in a way similar to himself, yet it wasn't unpleasant at all.
"Then please wait just a moment~ I’ll prepare a drink for you while you wait. Is there anything specific you’d like?"
"A strawberry ade, then..."
"Coming right up! One strawberry ade. Thank you, sir."
It felt like he’d been swept into making a big decision, but he figured it was for the best.
I came here to get my hair done anyway.
It was true that putting in real effort was better than just a trim.
Min-su nodded as he looked in the mirror.
Is Yu-min going to totally fall for me today?
He was already looking forward to it.
+++++++++++++++++++++
"I just have to be there?"
"Yeah, exactly. Don't let Min-su see you; just stay hidden somewhere."
"And then?"
"After some time passes, Min-su will get a phone call. Once that call ends, just approach him naturally and ask, 'Are you okay?' That's all."
"And if I do that, you'll let us test the new weapon development, right?"
"I told you I would."
"Understood."
Melanie replayed the recording of the call she’d received out of the blue yesterday.
It was an unexpected request, but the trade was worth it.
I shouldn't have even offered Kim Min-su a modeling contract...
How much better would it have been if this deal had been about the modeling offer instead?
Baek Tae-yang’s rise was too fast to simply call him a rising star.
He was moving at a speed so blinding that one couldn't even read the negative reviews claiming he’d be a flash in the pan.
First Choi Young-nam, the chairman of Bogeumjari, and now Ben Moro, the CEO of Wonderland...
Once the big players of major corporations start getting involved, a person's value skyrockets beyond control.
That brief moment she’d met Baek Tae-yang in the limousine was when his value had been at its lowest.
She felt a sense of self-loathing that she, the future successor of the Kaivan Group, had lacked even that much foresight.
Kim Min-su was the one who was truly at the 'rising star' level.
A small star that couldn't even shine properly because it was trapped in Baek Tae-yang's shadow.
Since he's in the same class as Baek Tae-yang, he'll likely remain just a 'prospect' until graduation.
Baek Tae-yang had already built such a strong reputation that the public was calling him a Hunter.
A first-year Victory Academy cadet being called a 'Hunter'—it was unbelievable, but it was reality.
Normally, there should have been a backlash from actual Hunters, but even that didn't happen.
This was because Hunter Lee Min-jun, who held significant influence among his peers, had actively supported the title.
— "I hope the title of 'Hunter' no longer falls into stagnation."
— "Since when was the condition for being a Hunter graduating from an Academy?"
— "It is not a curriculum that determines a Hunter."
— "I hope that, starting with Hunter Baek Tae-yang, the stagnant pools of the Hunter world will begin to clear, even if only a little."
They were magnificent words, no matter how many times she heard them.
This two-minute video had spread across the entire internet in an instant.
"What do you think, Driver Kim?"
"About Hunter Baek Tae-yang? From the perspective of a commoner like me, he’s incredibly reliable. Between Bogeumjari Mall and Wonderland, weren't there zero civilian casualties? To be honest, S-Class Gates and Dungeons feel too far away to be real, but things related to civilian safety... those hit close to home. It makes him even cooler."
"...That makes it even more of a shame..."
Driver Kim shut his mouth, sensing that the atmosphere would turn heavy if he spoke any further.
There was no point in souring the young lady's mood.
I need to change the subject...
He frantically looked around.
He was reaching his limit of just sitting parked near Bogeumjari Mall.
He needed to find something to refresh her mood.
Oh? Found it.
Badmouthing others wasn't a good thing to do, but he had no choice this time.
"Miss, look at that person over there. He spent so much effort on his hair, but his clothes are a total disaster. I guess people like that still exist these days."
"That's Kim Min-su."
"What?!"
"I guess it's your first time seeing Kim Min-su's casual fashion. He wasn't always this bad, but it's gotten worse lately."
Even if he lived alone in the dorms, wasn't dressing like that a bit much?
Driver Kim wondered if perhaps Kim Min-su was a man too far ahead of his time.
After all, the world of fashion was profound and heavily influenced by the era.
"Black skinny jeans with a giant dog-print T-shirt... and a purple clutch bag... I can't believe it..."
"Me neither. I can't believe I have to go out there in a bit and talk to someone dressed like that."
"...Good luck, Miss."
"Thanks."
It was hard to even look at him.
Whether it was a stroke of luck or not, perhaps because his 'equipment' was small, the skinny jeans didn't show much.
His 'third leg' was at a level where it was barely a bump, so the crotch area wasn't overly burdensome to look at.
I probably don't need to mention that.
Driver Kim’s top priority was always the peace, stability, and happiness of the young lady.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
"Why isn't she here?"
It was already ten minutes past the meeting time.
Every time he saw his reflection in a window, a sense of pride swelled within him.
Of course, he hadn't expected changing his hair to cost that much money, but he was satisfied, so it didn't matter.
"Hmm... is Yu-min still getting ready?"
When thirty minutes had passed, he wondered if she’d been in an accident.
He thought about calling her, but he didn't want to be the kind of guy who pressured his girlfriend, so he held back.
Once an hour had passed, he finally picked up his phone.
The fact that she wasn't answering despite his multiple messages meant something had definitely happened.
Ring... Ring... Ring...
For some reason, an inexplicable chill settled over him.
It should have been a warm spring day, but waiting for his girlfriend under the clear sky felt incredibly unsettling.
Why?
A sense of crisis he couldn't explain washed over him.
Click.
"Yu-min, is something wrong? I was worried because you weren't coming out—"
— "Don't worry, Min-su."
Huh?
It wasn't Yu-min's voice.
A strange man's voice came through the receiver.
Dark clouds began to gather over the clear blue sky.