Jihyun and I only go out to look for shopping on Monday after class. It’s a relief that we only had Basic Statistics in the morning and it ended at eleven o’clock. As you know, we were supposed to go out on weekend, but I hadn’t got my fever over with on the next day, so it was then postponed on Sunday.

So to keep it short, Jihyun phoned me on Sunday when I was about to dress up and told that she cannot make it today. Her uncle got into an accident early in the morning and she, along with her family had to go visit him at the hospital. I didn’t feel upset at all with the sudden change of plan because I wasn’t really excited about of the idea of shopping in the first place. So then I spent the weekend snuggling in my comfy blanket while watching a couple episodes of ‘Superman is Back”.

Back to the present, after we have chosen our dresses to be worn tonight—I went with a simple black mini dress—we head to the beauty salon in Gangnam right away. It is Jihyun’s favourite place and she wants to have a bit change of hairstyle as well as make-up.

I go out of the premise, leaving Jihyun alone at the counter as my cell phone suddenly rings.

“Hello, who’s there?” The phone number is not in my contact list.

A man’s friendly voice greets me. “May I talk to Miss Im Yoona?”

“It’s me,” I reply. “I’m Im Yoona.”

“Oh, really? I am Mr. Kang Kiwoon, the landlord of apartment ‘905’.”

“I see…”

“I was told by your landlord, Mrs. Jung that you are the current owner of apartment ‘805’, so I would really like to ask you a favor,” he says directly without beating around the bush. I continue to listen to his remark. “The owner of apartment ‘905’ put the apartment out for lease in a hurry and someone has already contacted me to survey the house. But that’s where the problem lies. The owner is actually now in an overseas business trip and her apartment is rather in a mess right now, so I can’t bring the possibly next tenant to survey it.”

“So you’re saying you want to use my apartment as sample?”

“Yes, that is my intention,” he adds. “The layout of your apartment and hers are exactly the same, so that is why I’m asking you a favour to let me borrow yours today.”

“Today?” I raise an eyebrow, taken aback.

“Yes, around 3 o’clock. Is there any problem with the timing, Miss Yoona?”

“Oh, no. There isn’t,” I say, biting my bottom lip. “You see, I can simply let you use my apartment, but the thing is… it’s a bit untidy at the moment, so…”

A laugh echoes through the speaker. “Oh, it’s okay. We won’t be looking at your belongings or judging how your apartment looks like, so don’t worry.”

“Well, all right, then.” I nod. “I’ll text you my password later.”

“Thank you, Miss Yoona!”

The conversation ends a moment later and quickly I get back inside.

“Where have you been, Yoona? I thought you had left me all alone!” is the first thing I hear as soon as I step the salon. Jihyun looks pretty grumpy with crossed arms.

“I was answering a phone call just now. Sorry!” I mutter a quick apology.

“Uhm, fine, then,” she answers nonchalantly. “Anyway, I have chosen what I want to do with my hair! I want to dye it brown and cut a bit of my bangs.”

“I think your current black hair looks better on you than brown, though.” I scrutinize her thick, long, raven black hair. I’ve always liked her hair this way and it would be a disappointment if she wants to dye hers brown.

“I know black suits me better, Yoona… but I was thinking of dyeing it to brown. After all, tonight’s a big day. I want to look pretty in the students’ eyes and of course, Hyungsik’s eyes.”

“Well, if you say so, who am I to change your opinion, right?” I flash her a smile. “Just you always said to me, don’t get swayed by others; do what you want to do.”

“Thanks, Yoona!” She then discusses more about her hairstyle with the hair stylist.

Drowning into boredom, I waltz to the couch and read some cool magazines, only to be abruptly stopped when the latter calls me out.

I pivot to her, confused. “What?”

“Don’t you want to have your hairstyle changed?” she questions.

“Well, I just changed it a few months ago and I think I’m fine with what I look now.” I cut my hair like a few months back then and I reckon that I wouldn’t want to change it just because of tonight’s big event.

“Are you sure?” She gives me a skeptical gaze. “I think you would look prettier if you had no bangs down your forehead and uhm, changed your brunette hair to a lighter color. Blonde, maybe?”

“Blonde?” I laugh. “I wouldn’t look prettier, then! I’d look noticeable!”

“Well, I was just suggesting an idea. It’s okay if you don’t want to have a new hairstyle.”

I rack my brain as I think of Jihyun’s words. Should I really go for a new hairstyle? I mean, after what I heard what she said, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea, after all. Plus, it’s not just about the formal dance tonight. I’d say having a new hairstyle would indicate that I am starting afresh. Well, you know, lots of things have happened to me lately and I’m getting a tad depressed.

“Well… I guess I’ll do it.”

She turns to me, her eyes widening. “Do what, Yoona?”

“Changing my hairstyle,” I declare, a significant smile on my lips. “Let’s chop these bangs off mine and go for blonde, shall we?”

Jihyun runs into my arms at once in which I’m a little taken aback. (and suffocated). “You’ll rock the night out, Yoona! Your dress is amazingly pretty and your hair, well, is noticeably blonde!” she shouts in my ears afterwards. “Everyone’s eyes will be on you, Yoona! I can assure that!”

I stifle my laugh with a hint of anticipation and amusement.

///

I reached the neighborhood by subway around half past six. Holding a big carrier bag of a dress inside, I would say people’s eyes are all fixated on me as I walk down the street to the officetel building. The reason—well, it’s obvious—is that they are ogling at all my blonde hair. If you ask me whether I’m happy with this unexpected transformation, I would have no words to say because this is what I wanted to do in the first place. Whether or not I love it once it’s all done, I cannot have old hairstyle back. However, if I really had to give a thought on my new blonde hair, I love it.

I look mature. If people used to say that I don’t look like my actual age, now I can be vastly proud because this new hair color of mine will show them a new, different side of Im Yoona.

Oh yeah, Jihyun said that she likes my new hairstyle. She even told me that she didn’t actually like me having bangs in the past. Well, that was unexpected, to be honest. Anyway, she likes it, saying I look bold yet feminine.

Enough with the rambling, the event is going to start sharp at 8:30 PM, and I really have to dash home and gear up as soon as possible, though I just have to slip in the dress and that’s it. I have already have my make-up done at the beauty salon earlier, so I need not worry about it. Baekhyun and Taeyeon unnie will be going to drive me to the campus. Yes, I know it that they should’ve made the venue classier and more exclusive like in a hotel or something.

“Is that Jun?”

I see someone—a little boy—waiting in front of my apartment the moment I trudge out of the elevator. When I’m walking close to my apartment, it turns out that the little boy is really Jun. I feel a sudden wave of perplexity. What is he doing in front of my house? Shouldn’t he be at his own house?

“Jun?” I stop and shoot him a questioning look. “What are you doing here? Where’s Lu Han?”

“Noona, you’re finally home! I’ve been waiting for you to come home!” To my surprise, he lungs towards me. Slightly awkward, I respond to him and pull into my arms.

“Why are you waiting for me?” I’m getting confused. “Where’s Lu Han?” I repeat the same question.

He pouts. “Appa isn’t at home. He suddenly fled like, three hours ago and asked Ahjumma to look after me while he’s gone.”

“I see,” I say. “Still, why are you in front of my door? Shouldn’t you be upstairs with her?”

“I did, but came down to meet you. I thought you were at home, but when I rang the doorbell, it turned out that you weren’t at home. So I decided that I should wait here until you return home.”

I let out a sigh. “If you’d known I wasn’t at home, you should’ve gone back upstairs. I feel bad for making you wait, Jun.”

“It’s okay.” The 5 year-old boy smiles warmly. “I have something to tell you, so I didn’t mind waiting.”

“Really?” I say, raising an eyebrow. “Anyway, let’s go inside first.”

I unlock the door and we both enter my house. Jun literally goes running to the fridge, indicating that he must have been so thirsty or hungry as he had waited outside for a while.

I dump the carrier bag on my bed and take a quick scrutiny around. I remember having let the landlord of apartment ‘905’ to my house with his possibly next tenant. Well, it looks like everything seems to be in its place—even for the mortifying mountain-like dirty clothes in the laundry basket. They couldn’t have seen that, could they?”

Jun only returns with a glass of orange juice in his hand, looking particularly full after having eaten a large slice of the left-over Chocolate cake Taeyeon unnie left last F