Kyungsoo held back a cuss word as he ripped through the many boxes in his living room, desperate to locate a pair of clean boxers and his toothbrush so he could finally get ready for work. He was a firm believer of starting the morning right in order for the day to proceed pleasantly, and cursing in the morning was sure to land him in a foul mood (not that he wasn’t this close to tipping everything out of their boxes already). Finally locating the two items, Kyungsoo took a brief moment to thank all the gods and deities before charging back into the shower. If he made it quick enough, he might still have enough time to grab a sandwich before heading for work.

Kyungsoo was one who liked stability and routine in his life. The abrupt move had thrown his life off balance and he was already looking forward to his next day off so he could finally sort everything out in his new apartment. He does not fancy rummaging through boxes for the next six days at all. Slamming his front door shut, Kyungsoo was trying his best to tighten the shoelace on his sneakers without falling over when he felt a pair of hands around his waist. “!” Kyungsoo screamed - damn, that was embarrassing - and nearly tripped as he spun around to see who had the audacity to be touching him inappropriately. He hardly recognized his neighbor with his sweats traded for ripped skinny jeans and a form fitting shirt that complimented his lean torso perfectly.
“Good morning to you too.” His neighbor smirked. “I waited so long out here that I was beginning to think you were hiding from me, because you lied.”
“Pfft,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and shoved his way past the man. “I, Do Kyungsoo, do not lie. I despise liars. And my ex landlord.” He added after some thought.
Chuckling, his neighbor slapped him on the back in what seemed to be a friendly gesture to him. “Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo. I’m Kai.”

Kai was a freelance illustrator who also taught dance lessons. And boy was Kai talkative. Kyungsoo was this close to shoving his half eaten sandwich in Kai’s face to shut him up but on second thought, he needed to eat for energy. The summer heat was merciless and he half wished he had washed his one and only white shirt so he didn’t have to wear an all black ensemble. At least he was nearing the salon and he’d be able to enjoy the air conditioning all day.

“So, what do you think?”
“What?” Kyungsoo finally turned to look at his neighbor, obviously distracted.
Kai huffed indignantly. “How could you tune me out?”
“Sorry,” Kyungsoo mumbled halfheartedly and Kai seemed somewhat placated.
“I was wondering if I should go silver blonde or a dirty sorta blonde?”
“You have yet to pay me for consultation.”
“What?” Kai’s pitch went up a decibel. “What consultation fees?”
“Just kidding.” Kyungsoo replied with a completely straight face as he polished off the last of his sandwich. “We’re here.”

Kyungsoo waltzed past a very pissed looking receptionist, muttering a halfhearted good morning and headed straight for the employee’s lounge. Kai tapped his foot as he glanced around the upscale salon, trying his best to ignore the receptionist who wouldn’t keep staring at him.
“Yes?” he offered when the man didn’t seem to be taking his eyes off him anytime soon.
“Appointment?” the receptionist spoke with a bit of an accent and Kai peeped at his nametag - Tao.
“I’m with Kyungsoo. He said he’d give me a dye job.”
The receptionist rolled his eyes. “By appointment only.”
Thankfully Kyungsoo returned at this point with his work pouch strapped around his waist and he raised a brow as if questioning what Kai was doing hanging around the reception. The illustrator/dancer groaned inwardly before quickly shuffling his feet over to the leather chair Kyungsoo was waiting by.

Another receptionist came by soon enough, this time with a dimpled smile as he offered Kai a cup of tea. Said receptionist also cheerily greeted another hairstylist by the name of Baekhyun before heading over the reception area and soon enough, the silence of the salon was replaced by classical music.

“Your receptionists are a funny pair.”
“Yixing balances out Tao for sure.” Kyungsoo agreed as he dropped a color chart onto Kai’s lap. “Pick one.”
“Aren’t you going to give me some inputs as to which blonde suits me better? To complement my olive skin and make it shine or something?”
“You can trying oiling up your skin for that.” Kyungsoo deadpanned before pointing to a particular shade. “How’s this? I think it’ll look great with shaved sides.”
“Well, you’re the hairstylist here, aren’t you? I’ll leave it in your hands then, as long as my scalp isn’t burned and I don’t lose all my precious hair.”
Sometimes Kyungsoo regrets giving a damn about anyone else who isn’t himself.

After the relaxing pretreatment, Kai didn’t seem too relaxed anymore when Kyungsoo called Tao over to help him with coating Kai’s hair in bleach. The man looked more like a serial killer really.
“Tao really wants to be a hairstylist so we give him some unofficial trainings here and there.” Kyungsoo took one look at Kai’s reflection from the mirror before offering an explanation.
“What about Yixing? Doesn’t he need some training too?”