The TV was showing an episode of your favorite TV show, and you were cackling at it when Sunny went out of her room with two bags; one was a small carry-on and the other was a purse. The last time you checked, you were going to take her on a date – not on a trip.

"Why are you bringing a carry-on bag?"

"It's a change of clothes."

You furrowed your brows. "We're going to a mall. Why would you need a change of clothes?"

"I'm gonna drop by Yoonji-unnie's salon first, so I'll change there."

"Do you need that big of a bag?"

"Yes," she looked at you incredulously, as if your question was ridiculous to begin with.

"...okay?"

"You'll see what I mean later. Shall we go now?"

You stood up, straightening your muscles by pulling your body upwards while she eyed your stomach. "What?"

"Your underwear is showing, honey. You might need to wear your belt."

#

Grooming was not your favorite thing to do, but ever since you were dating Sunny, it became something you enjoyed. Besides maintaining your health, you also made sure to wax or shave every other week. She was not fussy when it comes to your clothes, but seeing her getting dolled up pushed you to look decent as well. The initiative made her happy, so you kept the habit.

You put on your black shirt and wore your blue jeans – in case she didn't feel like going to a fancy place – with your dark blue shoes. Once you finished combing your hair and put some perfume on, you grabbed your phone and wallet before driving back to the beauty salon to pick your girl up.

You arrived in less than thirty minutes, and to your surprise, there was one guy sitting in the waiting room. You passed by him and went to the receptionist, Irene, whose face brightened when she saw you.

“Hi! Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said, eyeing you from top to bottom.

“Thank you,” you smiled, “is Sunny finished?”

“I think she’s still getting her make-up on. She’s in the corner if you want to see her.”

“Okay, thanks, Irene.” You gave another smile before walking past her and made your way to the corner where Sunny was still getting her treatment.

The beauty salon was not big, but it was definitely spacious. The design was similar to a capital U. It was divided into three parts; the first one was the hair treatment section, including haircuts and various kinds of styling on one-half of the U; the second section was the face treatment on the other half of the U; and finally, body treatment section, which was located on the second floor the building.

On your way to your girl, you passed by three beautiful young women, one of which eyed you from top to bottom even you turned a corner. You ignored her and focused on looking for your girl, whom you indeed found on the corner, having a conversation in Korean with Kim Yoonji, the make-up stylist. Your smile went wider with every step closer until you were right behind the older woman.

“Hello, Unnie.”

The greeting made her turned back to look at you, along with Sunny who was done with her hair, but still half-done with her make-up.

“Honey! You’re here!” your girl exclaimed, showing her eye-smile.

“Omo! Look at you getting all dressed-up!” the stylist greeted.

You chuckled, taking your girl’s outstretched hand in yours before answering the stylist. “Yeah, she’s not the only one who can get dolled-up, you know.”

“You look really good. Been taking care of your face like I told you?”

“Yes, Unnie.”

“Good. We don’t want that baby face of yours to get older before your time.”

With a nod, you answered her. You then glanced at the mirror in front of you, seeing your girlfriend checking you out. “Like what you see?”

Sunny bit her lower lip before nodding shyly. “You’re going to like what I’m going to wear as well, honey.”

“Looking forward to it,” you smiled, “I’m going to leave you here and wait in the lobby, okay?”

Leaving the two beautiful women, you walked back to the lobby, again passing by the girl who eyed you from top to bottom. You glanced at her, and you swore you had seen her somewhere, although you couldn’t remember where. Even when you sat down on one of the chairs in the lobby, you were still racking your brain for any memory of the beautiful girl. It was strange since you usually remember beautiful faces.

“Waiting for someone?”

A voice was heard from your left. It was the guy you passed by when you came before. “Pardon?” you asked.

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“Oh. Yeah,” you answered curtly, not really interested in having a conversation.

He sighed, looking at the clock on his phone before turning his attention on you. “I’ve been waiting here for three hours. Three hours! I could have my car cleaned instead of waiting here doing nothing.”

“Why don’t you?”

“She insisted that I wait here so I could be the first one to see her after her treatment is finished,” he said with a mocking tone.

“But you can still be the first even when you pick her up later, right?”

“Exactly! We had to fight before she finally made me sit here, hungry, and tired even when I’m doing nothing!”

You studied his expression, and he was indeed looked haggard. He was handsome – and that came from a gay girl – but the fatigue and anger took the youth out of his face. You smiled at him emphatically, feeling his frustration. Still, you were curious why someone so handsome and loaded – you could tell by the watch he wore – would bow down to a girl.

As if the guy just found a reason to voice out his complaints, he started telling his tale with this girl. Apparently, they met during high school and dated after two years of being friends. Their relationship was going so strong, they even decided to pick the same major in college, since both their parents wanted them to take over the family business.

Things were going well until he got caught in some drug problem. He became a addict and an alcoholic, and his parents were too busy to notice that. Only his girlfriend noticed the change in his behavior to the point when she caught him snorting in his room. Countless arguments later, they decided that he needs to be rehabilitated. Only his girlfriend stood by him through two years of rehabilitation and relapses that he knew he owed her his life.

That was five years ago, and he was clean and sober. They were engaged, but almost nine years of being in a relationship started to bore him. He wanted some space, yet she wanted the old him who was always ready to give her compliment