hair stylist!au

*

wonpil = kim pil hee ("pillie")

jae = park jae hee ("jae")

***

pillie badly needs a haircut.

on one occasion:

"eomma... my hair got caught in the door again!"

on another:

"appa... my neck is so hot! i can't breathe, that's how stuffy it is!!"

and, yet again:

"noona... i can't see anything... where's the bathroom?"

so, instead of growing out her hair over the summer like all the other girls in her class, the brunette gets her parents' consent to cut her hair short.

*

the cool air ventilating around the room fans her face and brings a smile onto her lips as she steps through the door to the hair salon. the weather has been especially hot this day, and she's extremely relieved to finally enter a refreshing atmosphere. "welcome to twice daily hair salon! what can we do for you today?" a young man with rounded cheeks who stands slightly shorter than pillie asks her from behind the main counter.

"hi! i would like a haircut, please..."

"great! will you be donating the hair to locks of love?"

"yes, please."

pillie is happy to do anything she can to help someone out. someone else needs her hair more than she does, so she will gladly give it away instead of just throwing it out.

"do you have a certain hairstyle in mind?"

just as the brunette brushes her hair back from her forehead, she catches sight of someone appealing from the corner of her eye. a tall blond girl is walking around in an apron, humming while sticking her hands in her pockets as she twirls mid pace. her hair is cut in a fashionable short style, and pil hee's eyes immediately widen in desire for such a hairstyle. "i want my hair to look like HER'S." the long-haired girl points at the tall blonde girl with round spectacles, still gawking.

"ah, okay. i'll call jae over so you can speak to her, then. she's an intern here, but she's actually really skilled even though she's only 19." the young man calls out the girl's name and beckons her over.

"hello," she says to pilhee, bowing a bit. "you look like you could use a haircut!"

"please... please cut my hair like yours!" flies out of pilhee's impulsive mouth and she springs forward to grab the intern's hands. "it's so short and nice and pretty! please cut my hair like that, noona!"

the blonde girl's face heats up, but she nevertheless nods and reassuringly dips their hands downwards. "as you wish."

*

"that's one massive clump of hair you got there..." the intern carefully gathers pillie's hair into one bunch at the back of her head so she can wet it with her water/detangling-solution mist bottle and begin to gently but effectively brush it.

"thank you so much, noona!" pilhee sits in the chair, swinging her legs around and tapping them on the leg rest.

"i haven't even started yet! there's no need to thank me..." jae continues to draw the hairbrush through pillie's hair, carefully tugging at some of the more stubborn knots with her able fingers.

"what's your name?" the brunette curiously asks.

"jaehee."

"ah! my name is pilhee!!! that's so cool!"

they continue to talk, pillie leading the conversation forward without rest, while jae patiently untangles her messy hair. once the brush can freely slide through the brunette's locks, the blonde beckons her over to the sinks. she lays pillie down so that the girl's long hair can float in the water while she lathers it with shampoo and massages her scalp. the younger girl leans into the touch and continue to talk, jae listening to her and adding in her own thoughts from time to time.

*

the talking continues throughout the entire process of the haircut, both girls getting to know each other quite well as the time passes. the brunette, satisfied with her hair, pays for her haircut over at the counter, then returns to the intern to give her a tip. jae gratefully accepts the money and stashes it in a box labeled 'band money!'

"and that ends my shift." the blonde takes off her apron and smiles over at pillie. and this statement gives the younger girl an idea.

"can i ask you out to a cafe then, jaehee noona?"

"sure. why not."

"alright! it's a date!!"

jae's ears tint red and she stutters out, "you're such a player, pilhee-ssi..."

pil hee laughs and gently places her hand on the taller girl's shoulder. "actually, this is my first time being sleazy... moon byul oppa taught me how to do it but told me to only be sleazy to someone i really like."

jae's cheeks now tint red and she shyly allows pilhee to pull her out the door and in the direction of the cozy cafe down the street.

*

"you're cute." pillie's tongue comes out to swipe at her lip.

"...okay?" jae draws out. she takes a sip from her cup, tilting it back to allow the honey-sweetened light brew coffee to soothingly slide down her throat.

"can i try some of your coffee?"

jae simply slides the drink over to the brunette beside her and the girl happily grips onto the sides, trapping the blonde's hand under hers in the process. she lifts the cup being supported by their hands to her lips, making sure to drink from exactly the same place jae drank from. "is it sweet enough?" the older girl breathes.

"mhm." pil hee sends her a huge smile and then: "but i bet you're even sweeter!"

which effectively brings jae's heart into a somersault. "do you want to go out again tomorrow?"

pilhee finally sets the cup down and takes a sip from the straw of her own drink. "sure! where do you want to go?"

jae thinks for a bit with a fastbeating heart and then, softly, shyly: "the arcade."

the brunette taps her chin and swirls her sweetened tea with the straw. "okay... but only if you teach me how to play games!"

and that's how the two girls end up at the arcade the next day, jae telling pillie that just because she snaps her mouth at the ghosts doesn't mean the pac man will be able to suddenly eat them.