It all started when Cho Kyuhyun’s father dragged his grumpy, combative four year old son to his bi-annual haircut. After Kyuhyun’s previous rebellion with his former barber - who had cut his fringe too short, uncomfortably exposing his eyes to the world – Mr. Cho was finally able to force his son to visit a new barber, hoping that this barber would, at last, meet their son's lofty expectations. As the duo approached the store hand-in-hand, the young boy eyed the soft purple and black shop sign with ‘The Kim’s Barber Shop’ splashed across in fancy lettering. What an ugly sign, he thought. 

Upon walking into the establishment, Kyuhyun surveyed the shop in distaste. The place was relatively large, with a counter taking up most of the center space and a semi-walled off waiting area beside it. At the other side of the shop were three black barber chairs accompanied by their respective side tables and equipment. A black-haired, bespectacled man wearing a matching soft purple apron embroidered with K.B.S. approached the two. He introduced himself as Mr. Kim, the barber, and assured the pouting boy that he would be extremely gentle and wouldn’t hurt him while cutting his hair. With the help of the man, Kyuhyun took off his tiny Pokemon backpack and settled, straight-backed, majestically (or as majestically a grumpy, gameless five year old could be) into his booster chair, and was covered in an oversized gown. Mr. Cho sheepishly introduced his son and explained the situation, much to the amusement of the experienced barber. The man turned to the cranky boy, deciding to start off slow. 

“That’s a nice Pokemon hat, Kyuhyunnie. Do you like Pokemon?” 

Kyuhyun nodded, sulking.

“What’s your favourite Pokemon?” 

The boy looked away, trying to ignore him. Mr. Kim smiled gently. 

“Well, do you mind if I take the hat off for now? I’ll put it back on as soon as I’m done.” 

Kyuhyun shook his head. 

“Come on, Kyuhyun-ah. It’s just for a short time,” Mr. Cho commented from where he was perched by the barber chair, casually flipping through a magazine. He had taken to standing beside his son at every appointment so he could both observe the work of the barber as well as protect him in case his son decided to rebel. “This kid is such a big Pokemon fan. He wears that hat everywhere.”

The barber smiled. 

“I’ll keep it safely on the table here right in front of you so you can see it, okay?” 

“Give him your hat Kyuhyun-ah,” coaxed his father. 

Kyuhyun mulled over the barber’s words then nodded tentatively. He watched unblinkingly as the barber took off the baseball cap and gently placed is on the table, patting it. 

“I’ll take good care of it.” 

Mr. Kim then lightly ruffled Kyuhyun’s long jet black hair, turned around and started speaking to someone behind him. 

“Ryeowookie, come meet Kyuhyunnie! He looks about the same age as you. Why don’t you watch him get his hair cut?” 

Kyuhyun heard an exasperated huff. He looked back and saw a small, pink-cheeked boy perched on a chair in front of the television in the waiting area, forehead creased, arms crossed with a little pout painted on his face. His soft brown hair was long – his bangs being so long that they reached the tip of his nose, effectively hiding the top half of his face. A large Winnie the Pooh soft toy was sitting on the chair beside him. 

“Come on Ryeowookie, Kyuhyunnie wants to see you.”

The little boy shook his head vigorously, hair flying in all directions. 

“No!” responded a high-pitched voice. 

The barber sighed and turned back to Kyuhyun and his father.

“Sorry about Ryeowookie. Don’t worry; it’s not because of you, Kyuhyunnie. He never had a problem with haircuts before, but a couple of months ago a customer told Ryeowook several scary haircut stories while he was observing her haircut. She told him about how her hairdresser once cut her ear off, and another time how another hairdresser poked her in her eye with a sharp scissor and she need 100 stitches. All lies, of course - so you don’t have to worry Kyuhyunnie. I tried to stop her when she was talking to Ryeowookie, but she was quite a loud person.” He rolled his eyes. “So now, my son is afraid of getting haircuts. He won’t even watch me cut hair anymore, just watches television in the waiting area.” The man sighed dramatically, “He used to love watching haircuts and said he wanted to be a barber when he grows up. How is he supposed to become a barber in the future if he won’t even watch anymore?” 

Mr. Kim ruffled Kyuhyun’s hair once more. 

“Can you help Ryeowookie?” 

Kyuhyun was getting annoyed. The longer that the barber spent talking, the longer he had to stay away from his games and television at home. He was missing a Pokemon marathon! This wasn’t part of the deal he had with his father. It was supposed to be a quick in-and-out deal, with an accompanying pick-up order of fried chicken before returning Kyuhyun home to play. He turned around to glare sharply at his father, who just smiled back at him, amused. 

‘It’s about time Kyuhyun made a friend,’ the man thought. 

Kyuhyun caught on to his father’s plans and with an angry huff and decided to get it over with for the sake of his games. 

“Mr. Kim, how old is Ryeowook-ah?” he asked, mumbling.

“Five years old. His birthday is in June.” 

“Eh, he’s bigger than me; my birthday is in Febwuary! But I’m in a fast year so I’m five too!” 

Ryeowook’s father grinned. 

“Ah, so you’re same-age friends! Although Ryeowookie’s older than you by a couple months. Ryeowook-ah, see? Kyuhyunnie who’s younger than you isn’t afraid to get a haircut. And you’re too scared to even watch! Why don’t you come and join us?” 

“Yeah, Ryeowook-ah! I’m a gwown up,” Kyuhyun showed off. 

Kyuhyun heard a high-pitched growl and then saw the short boy stomp towards his seat, the Winnie the Pooh plush toy dragging behind him, clutched in his hand. 

“No, I’m bigger than you! Call me hyung!”

“You’re not acting like a hyung! You have a big stuffie toy and you can’t even watch a haiwcut. What a baaaby,” Kyuhyun taunted, amused. He stuck his tongue out at the older boy. 

Ryeowook stomped his feet in place and aggressively pointed at Kyuhyun, his other hand curled protectively around his plush toy. 

“Fine! Mr. Pooh and me will watch,” He ran off and brought over a powder blue step stool, placing it close to Kyuhyun’s barber chair. He stood on it and put his hands on his hips, the plush toy dangling from his grasp, watching the boy closely. “We’ll watch appa cut off your baby nose Kyuhyun-nie!” 

Kyuhyun grinned evilly.

“Ow-ie, that means your appa is a bad haircutter!”

“Appa is a barber, not a haircutter! And he’s the bestest barber ever! You’re so dumb Kyuhyun-nie!” 

Ryeowook’s father watched the two young boys bickering with affection. He started slowly t Kyuhyun’s hair, having an idea of what kind of hairstyle to give him based on his interests. He had to exercise caution, however, as his son and the boy had started a lively argument consisting of ‘does nots’ and ‘does toos’ typical of children, and the boy wasn’t staying still. He heard a chuckle beside him. 

“They seem to get along,” said Mr. Cho. 

The barber raised an eyebrow. 

“Are you sure? I can tell that my son is curious about him but it seems like your son might be a little irritated. Ryeowook sometimes has that effect on people,” he smiled sheepishly. 

“No, my son takes after me. If he doesn’t like someone, he doesn’t bother talking to them. Of course, I haven’t seen him truly befriend someone before. I think my wife and I introduced games and television into his life a little too early and because of them, he hasn’t really developed much socially - just plays games by himself. So it’s nice seeing him like this.” 

“Oh? Your son plays games? Like what? Preschool games?” 

“No, games like Minecraft. He never had an interest in ‘games for babies’ – as he describes it.”

The barber’s eyes shone. 

“Minecraft? Is that a farm game?” 

“No, no, it’s a building game.” 

The barber looked crestfallen. 

“It’s one where you mine different elements and build things. It’s quite educational because it teaches kids about basic science,” Mr. Cho continued. 

“Ah, I remember now, one of my nephews plays that game. But that’s quite impressive! My nephew was playing that game when he was nine. It sounds like Kyuhyun’s quite mature for his age.” 

“Yes, my son’s quite smart actually. He’s already accelerating in kindergarten and constantly impresses his tutors. Just like I was-” 

“See? Appa said I’m smart. Not like you boo boo,” Kyuhyun shot in, picking up on their fathers’ conversation. 

“I’m more smart than you, Kyuhyun-nie.” 

“Am not.” 

“Am too!” 

The barber rolled his eyes, snipping off a little more and shaping the boy’s hairstyle as the boys squabbled. 

“What does Ryeowook do in his spare time?” asked Mr. Cho, “To be honest, my wife and I sheltered Kyuhyun a lot so we don’t know exactly what a boy his age should be doing.” 

“Well, other than hanging around in the barber shop, Ryeowook enjoys visiting his friends, especially the girl from the salon down the street. Otherwise, he enjoys karaoke, roller blading, girl group pop music, painting and drawing – anything artsy, really. He’s also a hairstyle snob. Aren’t you Ryeowookie?” 

Ryeowook stopped his lively argument with Kyuhyun and looked up, blinking. 

“What, appa?” 

“You’re a hairstyle snob, right?” 

Ryeowook pursed his little lips and nodded confidently. 

“Yes, appa!” 

“Mr. Kim, what’s a hairsmile snob?” asked Kyuhyun, curious. 

“Hairstyle snob, Kyuhyunnie. That’s-“ 

“That’s when your face and your hair don’t match,” Ryeowook interrupted. “Like when Jungwookie had mushroom hair! Or like Kyuhyunnie’s ugly hair when he got here!” 

Mr. Kim’s eyes widened as he tried to quieten down his son. 

“Sorry about that, Kyuhyunnie. My son always tends to say what he thinks, even out in public. It can be embarrassing sometimes.” 

“It’s okay. I didn’t like my hair neither. Boo boo haircutter made it ugly!” he whined. “It’s all appa’s fault!” 

Mr. Cho raised an eyebrow. 

“Kyuhyunnie, you should stop using the word ‘boo boo’, it’s not good, okay?” 

Kyuhyun frowned at his father as the barber patted him on the head. 

“I’m just about done, Kyuhyunnie. I’m very, very sure you’ll like your new haircut,” he said gently as he started applying miniscule amounts of gel here and there to give his hair the desired shape. 

“Yeah, appa is a plo-fez-i-nal!”

“A professional, Ryeowookie.” 

“That’s what I said appa!” Ryeowook rolled his eyes dramatically. 

“All right, done! What do you think, Kyuhyunnie?” He brushed off the stray hair and pulled off the gown. 

“I think it looks good, appa,” Ryeowook replied, nodding approvingly. “Perfect work for a plo-fez-i-nal!” 

“I didn’t ask you, Ryeowookie, I asked Kyuhyunnie. So what do you think, Kyuhyun-ah?” 

The boy looked at his hair from different angles, ambivalent. 

The barber smiled then picked up his hat and put it on his head. Ryeowook cocked his head to the side. 

“As a barber, putting a hat on a new hairstyle is horrible. But you can be an exception, Kyuhyunnie. Do you see it now?” 

Kyuhyun gasped and broke out into a big grin. 

“I’m Ash Ketchum! The bestest Pokemon twainer ever! I’m going to catch ‘em all!” He jumped out of his seat, ran to his father to get his backpack, then pulled out a toy Pokeball and ran around the store, attempting to catch imaginary pokemon. 

The barber chortled. 

“I’m glad you like it Kyuhyunnie!” he called out after the boy. 

“See? I told you my appa is the bestest barber!” announced Ryeowook, proudly hugging his stuffed toy. 

Instead of a sensible response, Kyuhyun made a beeline to the boy, stopped and stuck his Pokeball out at him, shouting:

“Ryeomon, I choose you!” 

“I’m not a pokemon Kyuhyunnie! Are your eyes brokened?” He stuck out his tongue at the boy. “Pokemon aren’t even real!” 

“Yes they are!” 

“No they’re not!” And so they continued. 

Mr. Cho smiled kindly at his son. 

“Looks like Kyuhyun approves of this place,” he sighed. “I’m so glad. Any more barber shops and I would have given up and let his hair grow as long as a girl’s.” He laughed heartily as they made their way to the cash counter by the waiting area.

Mr. Kim chuckled awkwardly. 

“I’m glad. Ryeowook and I look forward to seeing Kyuhyunnie again soon.” 

The two men silently watched their sons bicker and chase each other around the store as the credit card payment processed. 

“Mmm, yes, I think you’ll see us often,” said Mr. Cho absentmindedly, then called out to his son. “Kyuhyunnie, let’s go home!” 

Kyuhyun turned around pouting and whining. 

“Do I have to appa?” 

“Yes, we have to go home now. We’ll get some fried chicken on the way,” he said gently. 

Kyuhyun’s pout got deeper. 

Ryeowook walked over to the boy and patted him on the back. 

“Don’t be sad Kyuhyunnie. Here, you can have Ryeowookie-hyung’s Winnie, okay?” 

Kyuhyun shrugged his friend’s gesture off. 

“I’m not a baby Ryeowookie!” he pushed the plushie away, causing it to fall to the floor. 

Ryeowook’s eyes widened and tears started filling his eyes. He picked up his plushie and ran to his father, burying his face into his leg, bawling. 

“I was just being nice appa but Kyuhyunnie pushed Winnie and now Winnie is dirty. Kyuhyunnie is so meannnn.” 

Kyuhyun looked troubled, reaching out helplessly towards Ryeowook. 

The barber crouched down and picked up his son, rubbing his back. 

“Don’t worry about it, Kyuhyunnie. Ryeowook is very sensitive about his plushie. We’ll see you next time, okay?” He walked away and sat down in the waiting area with his son. Kyuhyun quietly followed behind, biting his lip. About a minute later, Ryeowook felt a weak tug on his foot. He looked over and saw the top of Kyuhyun’s head as the boy looked down at his feet. 

“I’m sowwy,” he said quietly, shuffling on the spot. “You can have my Pokeball. Please be my fwend. I like playing with you Ryeowookie.” 

Ryeowook shook his head, turning away. 

“Ryeowookie…” his father warned. “You have to play nice now. Kyuhyunnie apologized.” He placed Ryeowook back on his feet, facing Kyuhyun. The boy pouted, looking back at his father. Mr. Kim gave him a small encouraging nod. 

“I forgive you Kyuhyunnie,” the boy said, looking up happily, “But you have to hug Winnie!” Ryeowook stuck out his arms, offering the plush toy to the other boy. 

Kyuhyun winced then uncertainly took the toy. He looked at the plushie for five long, drawn out seconds then pushed the toy back into Ryeowook’s arms, shaking his head. 

“Noo, it’s weird.” 

Ryeowook sniffed. 

“Why are you so- so mean?” 

Kyuhyun went back to his father and put on his coat, leaving the depressed Ryeowook in the waiting area, hugging his Winnie the Pooh plush toy tightly, downcast. He put his backpack on, sending frequent worried glances towards the other boy. 

“Let’s go,” said Mr. Cho, amusement and disappointment both apparent in his tone. He clasped Kyuhyun’s hand and made to exit the building. 

But right before they stepped out, Kyuhyun let go of his father’s hand, ran back and gave a surprised Ryeowook a tight hug, the plush toy squished in between them. 

“Bye boo boo!” He stuck out his arm, waving goodbye as he ran back to his father, blushing, then left the building. 

Ryeowook was standing where he was, frozen. 

“So, it looks like you made a friend, Ryeowookie,” said the barber as he lifted his son up and sat him comfortably in his lap. The boy became all giggly, smiling goofily, cheeks pink. 

“Mm-hmm, and we’re going to be bestest friends forever!” he said, then cocked his head cutely. “But appa, he called me a boo boo!”