The Sixth Meeting
The Little Things
October 2009
She needed a haircut. Somehow, she had survived all summer with her hair all the way down to the middle of her back. But with the autumn breeze coming in, the length was getting ridiculous. Since that October night, she vowed never to cut her hair again. As a child, scissors were always something to be played with. She smiled woefully as she remembered her mother’s facial expression when she had bluntly cut off her hair to resemble a boy‘s. Her mother always chastised her, saying that long hair suited her.
She needed a haircut. Somehow, she had survived all summer with her hair all the way down to the middle of her back. But with the autumn breeze coming in, the length was getting ridiculous. Since that October night, she vowed never to cut her hair again. As a child, scissors were always something to be played with. She smiled woefully as she remembered her mother’s facial expression when she had bluntly cut off her hair to resemble a boy‘s. Her mother always chastised her, saying that long hair suited her.
During her “rebellion” stage in elementary and middle school, she always cut her hair above her shoulders, much to her mother’s fury and sadness.
___ ah, back when I was your age, I could never grow out my hair. I wanted to so badly but your grandpa always said that it would attract the stares of lecherous men. The days have changed, so I wish that you could fulfill this small desire of mine.
Back then, she couldn’t understand. Why was her mother forcing her dreams on her? Why not just grow out her hair now? But she was naïve and stupid and by the time her hair was finally long, her mother was already gone. She promised her mother she wouldn’t cut her hair again (except for the occasionally trim of her bangs), but she had to let go.
Her hair, no, her promise, was getting in the way of moving forward.
So with a heavy heart, she walked in the hair salon.
Key was finicky when it came to his hair. While the other members checked if their hair was out of place in front of the cameras, Key kept a vanity mirror in his bag in case a breeze may brush a hair out of place.
“I’m thinking pearlescent blue this time, Taehwa sshi. You know, as an appreciation to the fans,” he said enthusiastically while lifting a highlight.
The stylist nodded in agreement. “Key sshi, you’re the boss. I’m sure I can get it that color but.. It’ll take around three hours.”
Key smiled happily as he said, “Oh Taehwa sshi, take all the time you need. We have all the time in the world, right hyung?”
Onew groaned.
Onew took out his script but after reading the first few lines, he sighed. Both Taemin and Minho were at school while Jonghyun was in the back of the salon getting his hair bleached. Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to follow his two dongsaengs for their hair appointment.
Both Key and Jonghyun were fun to talk to and hang out with. They all talked animatedly about their upcoming single as they ate lunch at their favorite chicken restaurant. But as soon as the other two boys stepped into the salon, it was all business. His hair was simple - just a cut and blow dry. Jonghyun and Key both had bleaching and dyes and cuts.
And waiting for them was making him bored out of his mind.
He placed his script book on his face, hoping to shield the light from his eyes and catch a quick nap. The door’s bell jingled and the sound of heels clicking on the floor broke him out of his daze.
“Excuse me? I have an appointment at twelve?”
He knew that voice. How could he not?
“Ah! You’re ____ sshi, correct? Please follow me and then we’ll get started,” Taehwa said while looking up from Key’s bleaching.
Onew slid his script from his face and silently observed her. She seemed not to notice his presence and he was glad. Their last meeting hadn’t gone too well. In fact, he had the impression she never wanted to see him again.
“A trim please. A little below my shoulders. It’s getting too long to handle,” she said to Taehwa, capturing the attention of Key.
“Omo! You’re cutting your hair? You’d look so horrible with hair at that length! Taehwa sshi! Don’t do it!” Key bluntly voiced his thoughts.
____ looked scandalized at the unwanted opinion and pursed her lips in displeasure. “And who are you, you charming ahjusshi, to have a say on whether or not I can cut my hair? Tsk! If you honestly think I’ll take the advice of a man who has a rainbow helmet for a head, your hair is not serving its purpose from protecting those precious, limited brain cells of yours. Taehwa sshi? Snip away.”
Onew buried his face in his script book before snorting. She still had her old rude personality, even if it only showed in anger. He watched her from behind and grinned as Key simply huffed in annoyance. But he was curious over why she was cutting her hair. He remembered the day when she promised not to cut it again.
“Oppa. I’ve always been cutting my hair. I think my umma hates me for it. Do you think.. Do you think that if I grew it out, she’d come back? Jinki… I didn’t want her to hate me. I never thought she’d just leave. And now you‘re leaving too… If I grew out my hair.. Would you stay?”
“Ah, gamsahamnida!” Her voice broke him out of his thoughts. He watched as Taehwa smiled and helped her collect her things. After a bow and a sour glance at Key, she walked out the door.
A slap on his back tore his gaze from her retreating back. “Ya! Lee Jinki! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you just saw a ghost!” Jonghyun joked while toweling his hair.
She was leaving.
“Hey Jonghyun, Kibum. I’ll be back, okay? No, never mind. I’ll, um, I’ll meet you back home,” Onew rushed as he shoved his book in his bag. “Later!”
“Ya Lee Jinki! Where are you - !”
As the door was thrown open, the bell rang harshly.
Onew ran with all of his might. He knew he wasn’t an athlete like Minho; he was never invited by KBS’s Dream Team for a reason. Despite his high grades in high school, he nearly failed physical education. He was last in races and relays. He tripped over nonexistent cracks and he was able to fall over things that weren’t (or were) a flat surface. The last time he fell, he had to have his front teeth replaced.
I would be willing to lose all my teeth for her.
He stretched his arm out to grab her shoulder.
Almost…
She turned around suddenly and he realized he was going to run into her. Her eyes widened in fright and closed, waiting for the impact.
Bam!
Somehow during the fall, Onew managed to turn her around so that he was below her. His head was aching from hitting the ground and he was sure that his elbows were bleeding. And as light as ____ was, the added weight to his body made him want to pass out. All he wanted to do now was sleep and go back to bed.
“JINKI OPPA, I’LL KILL YOU!”
Today was just not his day.
They sat on the steps of a pharmacy with a pack of bandages and rubbing alcohol. Onew watched as she gently dabbed a soaked cotton ball on his cheek. Despite the sting, he laughed out loud at the irony of the situation. A few years ago, this was an everyday occasion. She’d smack the back of his head for being so stupid yet apply bandages with care. They’d talk loudly and cheerfully over how they just managed to get away with skipping class and all the pain would disappear.
But now, his eyes stung from bitter laughter and the pain wasn’t fading.
“Jinki oppa… Seriously, you should be more careful. To run into a person like that…” she trailed off, clucking her tongue while putting a bandage on his face.
Onew wrinkled his nose. “You know I don’t go running into people on purpose. It just happens.”
She smirked as she collected the items to throw away. A breeze tugged her hair, blowing the shoulder length strands across her face.
Unmoving, Onew stared at the sight. His curiously got the better of him and he asked, “Why did you cut your hair?”
____ frowned, staring at him before walking away. He followed, ignoring the sores on his body. “I can see that your member’s rude bluntness rubbed off on you, Jinki oppa,” she said with an scathing tone.
He argued indignantly, “Kill off my chicken supply for being curious. You told me that you wouldn’t cut your hair after - “
“People change, Jinki. You can’t expect me to be the same after you left to be an idol, do you?” she interrupted bitterly, causing him to wince. But her expression softened at his hurt one.
“My yearly trip to Incheon… It was yesterday. I told you on this day, so long ago, that I thought both of you would come back if I grew my hair out. You two didn’t,” her voice and his heart cracked. “No matter how long my hair was, she didn’t come back. You didn’t come back. I can’t grow it out forever, you know? It becomes a burden. It interferes with my everyday life. So I needed to cut it. I needed to leave it behind.”
Onew was guilty. He was sorry. He felt sadness and longing. He didn’t know what he was exactly feeling or why he was feeling this way but.. But most of all, he was angry.
“But I’m here now! I’m here in front of you but now you’re pushing me away as if -”
“I waited for you for so long, oppa. But after she left you left to go pursue your dream. And I’m so proud of you! Look! You achieved it! But me? I never had a dream, I never had those goals. I never had any goals. I lived because of the people around me.But you left, she left, my appa even left for his company. Where was I supposed to go? What was I supposed to do?”
“You could’ve stayed!” he said heatedly, staring angrily at her. “Instead, you ran away, like a coward!”
“I’m a coward! I am! Do you know why?” she said with equal anger, with equal hate. “Why did I move to the States? Waiting was too painful. This place reminded me too much of everything I wanted to erase. And meeting you, seeing you that day at the market, seeing you now.. All I know is that you’ll turn away, you’ll leave again, and I’ll be stuck with nothing, no one -”
“I’m here now! I won’t leave! I was your friend and I’m still your friend! Hell, you’re all I have left of the past,” He shook her shoulders gently. “The past I loved. I threw it all away the moment I applied to S.M. Academy, but I want it back. Please.. Give it back. Come back.”
Onew stared at her but she looked away. Her shoulders were so cold when they used to be warm. He felt her trembling.
“The person you’re asking to come back to you doesn’t exist anymore, Jinki oppa.”
He froze, looking at the tears running down her face. He wanted to grab her and hold her and promise that he wouldn’t leave her again. Onew made that mistake once, leaving her when she was most vulnerable and hurt. He knew that it was his fault but he just wanted her to trust him again.
But instead of acting on his desires, instead of asking her for what he wanted most…
He ran.
Who’s the coward now, Jinki?
She stumbled into the bus with blurry eyes. It was nearly empty and she was glad. After years of holding back her tears, the dam finally broke.
Her tears wouldn’t stop flowing.
The bus began to move but the soft roar of the engine couldn’t block out the sound of footsteps approaching her. She looked up at the person who sat next to her. The October winds were cold but his body was warm.
She whispered, her voice still hoarse from her early argument. “Minho sshi -”
He wordlessly pressed her head to rest on his shoulder and enclosed her small hand in his warm one.
“It’s okay. I promise I won’t leave you.”
And she believed him.
Author's Note: Another monster chapter. Barely managed to squeeze it in five pages. But it's mostly dialogue, so.. yeah.
Oh Dubu, I love you but I don't think you'll be that good with girls. And I adore Key and his hair choices, but in this one episode of Star Golden Bell, people commented on his hair (RDD version) looked like a helmet so I'm just playing off of that. Sorry for Taemin lovers! I'm not confident on writing him to match his actual personality, so he'll only be mentioned for now.
Thanks chasethestars for the grammar help! I think I fixed all of them now. And I don't mind you pointing them out, so don't worry! I don't know what I was thinking when proofreading. I blame the Red Bulls. And thanks to all of my readers, subscribers, and commenters! You guys are such a huge source of my drive to write. :D Until next time!
Author's Note: Another monster chapter. Barely managed to squeeze it in five pages. But it's mostly dialogue, so.. yeah.
Oh Dubu, I love you but I don't think you'll be that good with girls. And I adore Key and his hair choices, but in this one episode of Star Golden Bell, people commented on his hair (RDD version) looked like a helmet so I'm just playing off of that. Sorry for Taemin lovers! I'm not confident on writing him to match his actual personality, so he'll only be mentioned for now.
Thanks chasethestars for the grammar help! I think I fixed all of them now. And I don't mind you pointing them out, so don't worry! I don't know what I was thinking when proofreading. I blame the Red Bulls. And thanks to all of my readers, subscribers, and commenters! You guys are such a huge source of my drive to write. :D Until next time!
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