Hisaya POV

“Are you sure of this, Miss?”

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My hair ran down to my waist, and my hair-stylist Hyuna was running her fingers softly through it. How I wished he would run his fingers through it, loving it as much as she did.

“Don’t you think it is a pity to chop off such healthy and thick hair? You must have taken such good care of it for years, for it to reach such a length.” Once again, Hyuna tried her best in convincing me to change my mind. And I stared blankly at the length of hair she was holding dearly as if it was her life.

Finally, after rounds of persuasion, she raised her white flag and picked up the scissors to start her job. As inch after inch fell to the floor, weight after weight lifted from my heart. I felt light and free. Did I regret it? Nope. Not at all. The only regret was probably why I chose to chop it off so late. Yet, I was glad that I did it because it was better late than never.

“Myungsoo, what is your ideal type?” I asked in a whisper while my fingers played with the hem of my skirt. My heart was beating like thunder, so loud I was sure he could hear it too, even from a distance. I was too anxious to know his answer.

Tapping his fingers on the table as if he was playing on his imaginary piano, a smile crept on his face before he opened his eyes and blurted out, “A girl with long wavy hair, and something innocently charming about her...”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at myself, recalling how innocent I was to believe in his words. A girl with long wavy hair? My ! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes the other day, perhaps I would have strangled Minah with all my strength for bad-mouthing him. Now that I had seen him being lovey-dovey with someone whose haircut looked more like a boy than a girl, I knew she was not lying. It was just me, being a fool.

The snip of the scissors brought me out of my memories, and I caught my reflection again. I looked unrecognizable. My long wavy hair was gone, and in its place was… was a short bob…

At first, it was a huge shock, a sliver of regret running down my spine, but as I watched Hyuna work her magic, spraying unfamiliar products and using unidentifiable tools… I grew to love the look more and more.

“Oh, I love it!” I squealed as she finished brushing off the hairs from my apron. I stood up out of the chair and leaned closer to the mirror, biting my grin as I turned to face Hyuna. “I love it!” I repeated, and then grabbed her for a hug as we laughed together.

That afternoon, I decided to meet with a few friends for a late lunch, and decided to forget all about Myungsoo and the heartache he had given me. There was no use wallowing in self-pity, when I could just move on from him.

We decided to go to a restaurant we had never been to before in downtown Seoul, and even though the place was unfamiliar, I couldn’t stop myself from remembering old conversations.

“Why don’t we try a different place today?” I asked Myungsoo, my hand in his as we walked down a quiet path by the river.

“Like where?” he questioned as a comfortable smile rested on his lips. I shrugged my shoulders and we stopped walking. He turned to face me.

“What about somewhere downtown? I’ve never been there before and I really want to check it out,” I bit my grin, hoping he’d take me.

But he pouted his lips and said, “I’ve been there but it’s overrated. Let’s go to that restaurant you really liked last time!” his smile made his eyes twinkle, and I could never say no when he gave me that look.

“Okay,” I nodded my head and followed him blindly.

“I’ve never been here before…” I muttered to myself as I followed the girls into a gloomy-looking building that had graffiti all over the walls. Men with piercings and girls with tattoos filled the tables, but we managed to find some seats by one of the windows.

“So, how’s it going with Myungsoo?!” Soojin asked as we read the menus. The girls giggled together as they waited for my reply, but my throat had dried up and I had no idea how to speak. “Oh, come on, Hisaya - we tell you everything about our boyfriends!” she pushed as the others whined with her.

“Stop keeping secrets from us!” Areum added with a pout as Jiwoo gasped.

“Don’t tell me he’s planning something…?!” she tapped the table with her hands impatiently, getting the other two as excited as she was.

“Oh my God! No wonder you got a haircut!” Soojin squealed, “You’re getting ready for all the photos, aren’t you?!”

They giggled together and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“That’s not why I got a haircut,” my words silenced their laughter, and I gulped, not knowing what to say next. Could I really admit to them that my boyfriend was cheating on me, with a girl who looked nothing like me? A girl who went against all the traits he had told me he looked for in a girl?

“What? Then why?” Areum murmured quietly. I silently cleared my throat, shuffling in my seat uncomfortably.

“Um… I mean… What I meant was… I just felt like a change,” I lied, running my fingers through my short hair, “It’s got nothing to do with… with Myungsoo…”

The girls’ lips parted as they nodded in understanding.

“So it’s a surprise for him?!” Jiwoo exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes and looked out the window as they giggled amongst themselves again.

And I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

The man who had told me he didn’t like coming downtown because it was overrated, the man who had told me he loved me for my long wavy hair… that very man was walking hand in hand with her.

I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing all over again, and this time I wasn’t alone.

“Hey, Hisaya!” Jiwoo shook my shoulder, and I stumbled back into the moment.

“H