“Hyewon, we need to color your hair,” the hairstylist told her as she sat on the chair. The older woman wrapped a black cloth around Hyewon. “Will you be okay with bleaching your hair?”

Hyewon gulped when she heard the question. She knew it was bound to happen. She is an idol. It’s part of the job even though she was so adamant about the whole idea of bleaching her hair. Yuri told her it was “hella painful.” She shivered just thinking about the pain it might bring her.

“Hyewon,” the stylist called to catch her attention, “are you okay with bleaching your hair?”

“Unnie, do I have a choice?” Hyewon asked, already resigned. The stylist chuckled and shook her head. Hyewon sighed. “I guess I’m okay with it.”

“Do you have a color in mind? Rose gold is close to your assigned color. Maybe you’d want that,” the stylist suggested.

Hyewon thought hard. If she’s gonna let them bleach her hair and color it something crazy, she wants every painful minute of it to be worth it. She wanted her first bleaching to matter. She thought about what matters most to her, and her mind instantly went to Eunbi. Eunbi. More than a year ago if she thought about this, what she’d probably think of first is food. Amazing how things could change so drastically.

“Hyewon, are you okay?” her stylist asked in a concerned voice. “Are you sure you’re okay with bleaching your hair?”

Hyewon nodded and firmly said, “Purple. I want to dye my hair purple.”

The stylist smiled. “Purple it is."

The first bleaching wasn’t as painful as she expected. It wasn’t so different from when they put in normal dye on her hair. What shocked Hyewon the most was when she saw her reflection in the mirror after the stylist washed her hair. She was blonde. Blonde as . It was a massive shock, and it wasn’t even the pretty kind of blonde. There were still light brown streaks.

“I look like a freaking rooster,” Hyewon muttered. She still took selfies. She’s never looked worse than this, but she’s not gonna pass up the possible hilarity that might ensue when she shows the pictures to her members.

The second bleaching wasn’t so bad either, although she can feel her scalp burning a little. It wasn’t “hella painful” as Yuri said. Maybe her pain tolerance was high. Hyewon was pretty proud of herself by now. Just then, her phone vibrated. Eunbi sent her a text.

How are you? You doing okay there?

Hyewon found it odd, not because Eunbi cared to ask—she’s always looking out for Hyewon—but because it seemed like Eunbi knew what she was going through. She figured it was because she’s the leader. She must’ve known the plan for everyone’s hairstyle beforehand. Still, she d