Hyemi looked in the mirror and examined her attire. She had to wear rather baggy hoodies so her cast would fit under the clothes. She didn’t seem as tired as she’s felt, her eyes were sparkling with that old mischief she missed seeing in herself. One could say she was back on track. 

She could barely make out the muffled conversation on the other side of the door. Haechan and Nari were bickering again, Johnny was trying to calm the two while Tofu meowed. Her phone buzzed on her bed so she reached to check the notification. It was a text from Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun, her boyfriend. The term still felt foreign but she forced herself to repeat it at least fifteen times a day so she could get used to it. A sincere smile crept on her face as she was reading the message and she managed to slowly write back a reply with one hand. 

She looked in the mirror again, checking her faded pink hair. Her roots were darker now, and her hair was way longer than a year before. 

So many things have happened but her hair remained pink since she needed all the aspects of pink in her life. She decided it was time. She didn’t need more boost of the color pink since she had the needed boost from her friends, her family, her cat, and her Jaehyun now. 

She scrolled through her phone, hoping she would find the number she was searching for. 

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Hyemi asked trembling as she looked at Yeji’s reflection in the mirror. 

The bathroom in the sharehouse looked like a war zone, pictures of different hairstyles scattered around the floor, different sizes of scissors placed on the edge of the bathtub, along with a few boxes of hair dyes, in various colors raging from blonde to black. Hyemi was sitting on a chair, plastic bags tucked around her neck to avoid stains on her clothes. Yeji, her roommate, was armored with brushes, combs, scissors, a hairdryer and a chocolate bar. The whole mess gave the impression of a really low budget hair salon in the worst neighborhood.

The girl, scissors in hand, waved dismissively. “Don’t worry, I’m a licensed hairdresser. I used to work in a fancy salon, in Hongdae.” 

“Well the fact that you’re stuck here in a mental institution doesn’t make me feel safer.” Hyemi muttered, Yeji flicking her forehead.

“Yah! Don’t call Leeteuk oppa’s sharehouse a mental institution.”

Hyemi let out a chuckle. She’s been living there for over a month and she took a liking to Yeji. The girl was like the combination of Haechan, Nari and Johnny and she was the first person whit whom she could joke about their mental health. They would affectionately call each other crazy and she would be always there when Hyemi had a panic attack. 

“Okay, go on Kim Yeji. up my hair I don’t even care at this point.” she shrugged, Yeji’s eyes turning into crescent moons as her grin widened.

“Here we goooo!” she sang and the scissors cut the first strands, the brown locks descending to the marble floor. 

Hyemi’s finger stopped at a name on her contact list. She contemplated whether to call the girl or not. They’ve not spoken since Hyemi left the sharehouse but saw on the girl’s Instagram that she’d come back to Seoul and was working as a hairdresser again. She needed to make a decision quickly since she was about to meet Jaehyun so the two of them can have lunch together. Eventually, she let out a sigh and pressed call. After three rings the girl answered in her usual chirpy voice.

“Uhm, Yeji, hi.” Hyemi stuttered. “It’s Kang Hyemi. I’m not sure if you remember me though.”

“Hyemiiii!” she exclaimed. “Of course, I remember! How are you darling?”

“I’m good. How are you?” they exchanged pleasantries then Yeji cut to the point. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Actually, I was wondering if I can make an appointment? My hair needs a good trim and I’m thinking about changing the color too.”

Yeji chuckled in an airy tone. “Sure, you can! Got tired of pink?”

Hyemi’s lips stretched to a smile as she noticed the approaching Jaehyun in the campus cafeteria. “Yeah, I no longer need pink.” 

The other girl didn’t need more explanation, she understood what Hyemi meant. “I’m glad.”

“Why can’t you dye it already? I’m fed up with the kids calling me chicken noona.” Hyemi crossed her arms over her chest. 

“They’re just teasing you. It’s not that bad of a yellow, you look like the sun, and I’ve already told you. Your hair needs to rest for a few days then we can dye it.”

“And you’re still not willing to tell me what color?”

Yeji grinned mischievously. “Nope.” she answered, popping the p.

“Come on guys! We’re going to help the grandmas on the shore.” Leeteuk came clapping, the small boy, Kihyun, following after him with the Samoyed. 

Then three boys rushed towards the door, almost bumping into Hyemi and Yeji.

“Sorry Chicken Noona!” one of them yelled, grabbing his shoes and exiting the house.

“I swear to God I feed him a raw squid once we’re on the shore.” Hyemi gritted her teeth then felt a small hand holding hers. She smiled down at Kihyun, tightening her grip on his hand. “You want to walk with me to the shore?” 

The boy nodded timidly. 

“Okay, come on Kihyun-ah!” 

“He likes you since you have short blonde hair.” Yeji pointed out, the other girl rolling her eyes. 

“Don’t think it’s because of the hair.” Hyemi remarked.

“Whatever you say, Chicken noona.” Yeji winked and ran out of the house before Hyemi could kick her in the .

Jaehyun put Hyemi’s bag on the table as she sat down at the campus cafeteria, then he quickly left to grab something to eat for both of them. While she waited, a few students passed her, saying hi, asking her how she felt and Hyemi smiled sweetly at all of them, making an effort to have a small talk with everybody. Words travelled fast and almost everyone has known that she’d had an accident. The gossips also were on peak, some saying she ran directly in front of the car because Jaehyun had broken up with her, some saying they’d seen someone push her onto the road while Hyemi’s closer friends like Yangyang and Hendery were screaming their lungs out that it was merely an unfortunate accident. 

Hyemi wasn’t so concerned about the rumors, them going in one ear and out the other. She was more focused on working out her relationship with the one and only man she liked. Jung Jaehyun. 

“Here. Eat up!” he set a tray in front of her, sitting across her. 

“Thanks.” she grinned and pulled the tray closer, inspecting the food he’s chosen for her. “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me somewhere?”

Jaehyun looked up, munching on his food. “Where exactly?”

Hyemi’s grin grew wider. “I want to change my hair color.”

“You’re crazy! You are seriously crazy Kim Yeji!” Hyemi’s hand reached to hold a strand of her short, pink hair. “You dyed my hair pink? What the hell?”

“It suits you.” Leeteuk came with a laundry basket, setting it on the floor in the living room then instructing the two boys playing XBOX to fold their clothes.

“I thought you’d do like, burgundy or some peachy blonde, but pink? Freaking pink?”

“Now, now.” Yeji patted her head, ruffling her hair into a stylish way. “Pink is basically light red, often associated with love and romance.” she clutched her heart dramatically. “But pink is more than a knock off red.” she added dreamily. “Pink is joyful, creative and childish. Pink is vibrant and refreshing. Pink takes the passion from red and the purity from white!” she wailed her hands. “You need all the attributions of pink in your life.” she finished, Leeteuk clapping proudly like he was in a theatre. 

“Beautiful Yeji! Absolutely amazing wording!”

Yeji bowed as she was some musical actress, Hyemi and the two boys in the room staring baffled at the other two. Hyemi looked in the pocket mirror again, scrutinizing her new hairstyle. Yeji might be right. She does need all the attributions of pink in her life. 

“Kang Hyemi!”

“Kim Yeji!” 

The two girls rushed to each other but Yeji stopped abruptly.

“Oh my God! What’s happened to your arm?”

Hyemi flushed red and scratched the back of her head with her healthy hand. “I was almost hit by a car and fell on my arm.”

“Seriously…” Yeji shook her head disapprovingly. “I should’ve kept in touch with you. I should’ve been more persuading.” 

Hyemi chuckled at the memory. Yeji carefully wrapped her arm around the girl, Hyemi mimicking her with one hand as they were showering each other with compliments, along with questions about the other’s life. 

“You look so good!” Yeji exclaimed.

“You too! I love your eyebrow piercing, it suits you.”

“Thank you! And who do we have there?” she turned to the gaping male at the door. “Hmmm based on the description you might be Haechan, the player, even though I pictured you a bit shorter.” she mimicked the height with her hand.

Hyemi shook her head, stifling a laugh. “Oh! No! He’s-” 

“Don’t tell me it’s Johnny!” Yeji cut in and covered , eyes widening. “Hi! Nice to meet you!”

Jaehyun raised his eyebrows at Hyemi the girl telling Yeji to calm down so she could explain. 

“Jaehyun this is Yeji, we’ve spent a few months together at a sharehouse in Busan and Yeji, this is Jaehyun… My boyfriend…” her voice faltered, cheeks turning cherry red.

Yeji was even more shocked than before, rushing to the male with the speed of a racecar. She threw her arms around Jaehyun’s neck, pulling him in a tight hug. “I’m so happy to meet you! Thank you, Jaehyun-ah! Please take care of our Hyemi!” she sobbed a few times, Jaehyun hesitantly patting her back.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.”

Hyemi mouthed sorry, Jaehyun shaking his head, telling her it was okay. 

“Your hair has grown a lot.” Yeji stated as she was brushing Hyemi’s faded pink hair. 

“Yeah, and my roots are also too dark, we couldn’t dye it pink anymore.” 

“Well, I’ve chosen the most beautiful chestnut brown for you, darling. You ready?” Yeji locked eyes with the girl in the mirror, Hyemi nodding with a grin. 

“I am.”

When Yeji took off her hoodie Jaehyun noticed that her left arm was covered in flower tattoos. Amaryllis, Daisy, Hyssop, Bittersweet, Poppy just to name a few, the flowers s around her arm from wrist to her shoulder, on her forearm, curvy writing of a quote that Jaehyun has seen before. 

“I like your tattoos.” Jaehyun said, Yeji sharing a knowing look with Hyemi. 

“Thank you very much.”

“Why must you drag me along?” Hyemi whined. 

“Who knows? Maybe you feel the urge to get a tattoo or a piercing.”

“Yejiiii!” The pink haired girl cried out. 

They’ve been working for three days in a row on the shore and she also had to go on a boat trip to help the fishermen. This was her first day off on the week and the last thing she’d wanted was to tag along while Yeji has her umpteenth tattoo. She’d wanted to snuggle between Kihyun and the Samoyed, Eun, and watch some stupid cartoon movie while munching on the remnants of that freaking good brownie they’d baked the day before. 

Upon entering the tattoo shop, the guy behind the reception desk greeted Yeji like an old friend. 

“This will be your last session, right?”

“Yes, yes.” she nodded vehemently. “We’ll recolor the Amaryllis on my shoulder because it faded a bit and finish the Spider Lily and the Black-Eyed Susan. Oh, also the quote.” she skipped to another room, yelling for Hyemi to follow her. 

She let out a defeated sigh, nodded to the receptionist and went after Yeji, who was already seated, when Hyemi entered. 

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter