"AFTER THAT stunt you pulled yesterday, you have lost all your privileges," changbin declared during breakfast the next morning. "from now on, you're never leaving our sides. say goodbye to your independence, kid."

jeongin groaned but said nothing more as he munched on his pizza pockets. he wanted to protest but couldn't deny that he was in the wrong for not telling his friends about his plans and blatantly breaking the biggest rule that the stray souls had. plus, he almost got himself killed, which could have been avoided if he just hadn't gone at all.

"fine," he muttered with his mouth full. "just please tell me we're not going grocery shopping. that's lame."

"nope!" hyunjin grinned. "today we're going to noni street!"

jeongin immediately sat up, interest swimming through his veins. "wait, noni? really?"

noni street was one of jeongin's favourite places in lehua town (second only to the beach). it was a seaside shopping district that tourists and locals often visited due to its variety of shops and its quick pathway to one of lehua's smaller beaches. a few shops there were "district nine", an apparel store with clothes that ranged from pastel crop tops to muscle tees; "rock", the most prestigious (and expensive) jewelry store in town; "glow", the twenty-four-hour convenience store; "boxer", a gym that was primarily overrun with the members of stray souls; "mirror", a beauty parlor that hyunjin spent quite a bit of time at; and "jyp café", the best (and only) restaurant in town.

"yeah." hyunjin ran a hand through his brown locks (jeongin never understood how it stayed so smooth all the time, even after he woke up). "i've gotta get my hair cut so i can get back to my princely beauty. i'm starting to grow a mullet, and i'm pretty sure that my man isn't gonna fall for me if i start looking like a chick."

changbin spat out his juice. "wait, your new target is a guy?"

hyunjin shrugged. "yeah. and?"

"no, nothing, it's just..." the shorter boy shifted uncomfortably. "i didn't know you were into men. i mean, it's fine with me, but you might wanna be careful about who you tell that to..."

hyunjin leaned back in his chair nonchalantly. "well, in my eyes, beauty is beauty, no matter the gender. if the rest of the gang is against it, they can suck my dick." he cocked an eyebrow. "anyway, i thought you knew this already. i literally told you yesterday, and you saw me flirting."

"i thought you were just being a bro! you do that shit with us all the time!"

"yeah, but with you guys, it's a 'no homo' thing. with seungmin, it's an 'all homo' thing."

"wait, you like that rat?"

as hyunjin opened his mouth to defend his (self-proclaimed) future boyfriend, jeongin piped up. "um, can i go to mirror with you? i was thinking about changing my hair..."

hyunjin and changbin's bickering immediately ceased at their friend's request. "of course!" the brunette chirped, pinching the younger boy's cheek (much to jeongin's displeasure). what kind of look do you have in mind?"

"um... i wanted to try dyeing it."

the other two gasped and minho's fork clattered against his plate. "our baby is growing up!" hyunjin screeched and leaped across the table to tackle jeongin in a big hug. "changbin, minho, he's finally becoming an adult! first he's gonna change his hair, then he's gonna get a tattoo, then—"

"alright, alright, stop imposing your stupid dreams on him," changbin said with an eye roll as he pulled the pair apart. "it's great that you're starting to break out of your norms a bit, kid, but it's so unlike you to want to do this sort of thing that i have to ask: why?"

jeongin was silent for a moment as he tried to think of a good answer. it's true that he would have never even considered doing something like dyeing his hair before; but then again, lately he had been doing a lot of things he never thought he would. he was, for the most part, someone who tried not to do anything impulsive or drastic since his goal was to be under the radar, so dyeing his hair would go against everything he had worked towards all these years. people would stare. people would notice. people would see.

but that's what i want. i want someone to see me.

"i guess i just wanna try something new," he responded, and changbin nodded in approval.

"i'm proud of you, i.n. should we get going?"

the two males across from him nodded excitedly, and he turned his head to find minho cleaning up everyone's dirty dishes and shrugging on his leather jacket. changbin grinned at the elder, taking his nonverbal cues as a sign that he wanted to go too.

"well then, let's ride, boys."

☀☀☀

jeongin had only been inside of mirror a few times, so he was thankful to have hyunjin with him that day. his friend was a frequent customer, going in at least three times a week for beauty tips or to flirt with the female workers there, but it was clear that today he was on a mission when he marched inside without so much as a wink towards the lady at the cash register. "i'll make it quick: one haircut for me and one hair dyeing for my friend. get me your best employee for him— he only deserves the best— and my usual for me." he slapped down a few dollar bills, saying, "keep the change," before plopping down in one of the salon's chairs.

he's acting like he owns the place or something, jeongin thought with a snort. "i'm so sorry, he's—" he stopped with he saw the starstruck look on the worker's face. man, he's got everyone here wrapped around his finger, huh? it must be nice to have someone fall in love with you with just one glance. a face popped into his mind, but he quickly shoved the thought down when a man approached him.

"are you hyunjin's friend?" he asked, and jeongin had to force himself to maintain eye contact with him. not only was the worker intimidating as hell, but he was also absolutely beautiful. the seriousness in his gaze only emphasized that, and it was a bit too much for the young biker's poor, gay heart. at the same time, recognition tugged at his brain. why do i feel like i've seen him before?

"yeah..." he said shyly. the man nodded and began walking over to one of the chairs near the back; jeongin quickly followed after realizing that he was meant to follow.

"my name is jinyoung," he spoke, and it was then that jeongin realized who he was. for the longest time, hyunjin wouldn't shut up about some guy named "park jinyoung" who he had seen during one of his visits to mirror. he gushed on and on about how well he styled hair and how he was clearly the best in the salon. then, one day, hyunjin got the opportunity to get his hair done by him, but he never requested him ever again.

"why?" jeongin remembered asking once.

hyunjin had shaken his head, a melancholic look in his eyes. "his aura... just being around him was too great of an honor. i'm not worthy of sitting in his presence." he threw an arm across his face dramatically. "but oh, how one can dream!"

he's probably super jealous right now, jeongin thought. sure enough, when he turned his head, he saw hyunjin staring at him, jaw practically on the floor. the employee in front of him waved her hand in front of his face with a look of confusion, and jeongin had to bite back a laugh.

"sit here." jinyoung's firm voice snapped the biker to attention and he quickly scrambled into the chair the worker was gesturing to. "what colours were you considering today?"

"um..." jeongin hesitated, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "i was thinking about red, but i don't really know..."

jinyoung made a noise of approval. "if done well, red would actually suit your complexion nicely. however, one wrong move, and you could end up looking like a tomato with legs." he took a few strands of jeongin's hair in hand. "but i won't do that to you. i mean, i could, but i won't."

is... is he joking? i really can't tell...

as if he could hear his thoughts, jinyoung gave a small chuckle and patted him on the shoulder. "lighten up, kid. i'm just playing around. trust me, i'll make sure you look good, or the appointment's on me." with a flourish, he pulled a floral-print salon cape from out of nowhere and promptly clasped it around jeongin's neck. "i'm mirror's best for a reason. plus, any friend of hwang hyunjin can be sure they'll get stellar treatment from me. he's one of the few people i don't mind seeing nearly every day."

as the appointment began, jeongin made a mental note to tell hyunjin that later on.

☀☀☀

hyunjin's haircut finished early, so he left to go shopping, periodically checking in on him with snacks (and to show off whatever new clothes he had bought). when he returned at the end of the appointment, he nearly dropped the large soda he was holding. his eyes were as wide as saucers, and jeongin wanted to shrink back in embarrassment. "innie...you look..."

"weird?" the younger covered his face with his hands. "oh, i knew it! i never should've done this! it was stupid of me to think this would be a good idea—"

hyunjin smacked him on the head. "no, dumbass! you look all grown up! my...my baby is all grown up!"

his voice was wavering, and when jeongin removed his hands from his face, he saw that his friend was on the brink of tears. "oh my god, you're so dramatic," the younger groaned, his ears turning pink. but he couldn't deny the spark of happiness in his chest at hyunjin's words— after all, his friend was extremely fashion-conscious, so if he thought it looked good, then it must be.

it's red, he thought, facing the mirror in front of him, but not too red. it's bright, but not too bright. it's different, but...it's nice. really nice.

"thank you so much, jinyoung," he grinned. "you really are mirror's best for a reason."

the man gave a soft smile. "of course. it's what i do. now, if you'll excuse me, i must get back to work." with those words he left to tend to another customer who had just entered the salon.

the pair of bikers stood in silence for a moment before hyunjin finally spoke. "...so, why'd you do it?"

"huh?" jeongin asked, confused. "do what?"

"don't play dumb," his friend said. "i've known you for years, and doing something spontaneous— something that will bring attention to you— is something that you'd never do." he took a sip of his soda. "it's a girl, isn't it?"

if jeongin had anything in his mouth, he would've spat it out in shock. "what?"

"trust me, man, i know things. shy guys like you don't just do stuff— they do it to catch some chick's eye." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and jeongin wanted to die on the spot. "so, who is it? who's the lucky girl you're trying to seduce?"

"it's— it's not like that! there is no girl!"

"oh, so it's a guy?" hyunjin asked, tilting his head to the side innocently, and while jeongin wanted to refute, he found that the words were lodged in his throat.

"i-i..." what's wrong with me? why can't i tell him he's wrong?

hyunjin squealed and clapped his hands excitedly. "ooh, i was right! you're trying to land yourself a man, just like me!" he clasped jeongin's shoulders in a tight grip. "let me guess: you're going after one of those surfers, aren't you?"

"w-what? no!" but it was too late, as hyunjin had already decided to stop listening. instead, he pranced around the salon with glee, throwing his arms in the air. "hyu—"

"innie's growing up! innie's growing up!" the biker cheered, and jeongin ran a hand down his face exasperatedly. oh my god, he's such an idiot...

however, there was a little voice in the back of jeongin's head that kept nagging at him long after they had left, even when the four of them were riding home. he's right, you know, the voice said, and no matter how hard he tried to push the thought down, he couldn't deny the truth of it. you're doing this because of him. you just want his attention, don't you?

shut up, brain, jeongin thought. yeah, maybe hyunjin was right. i am doing this because of a guy. so what? that doesn't mean anything. it doesn't mean anything at all. no more thinking about it. the end. done.

he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't look at the sea once during their drive home.