"Did you really have to choose this salon out of all the salons in town?" grumbled Sana, unconcerned about whether Nayeon could hear her. The woman sat in line with the others, waiting for the other customers to finish. "No doubt, crossing paths with you at any time will result in misfortunes in my life," she even added, forcing Sayuri to bump her elbow into her niece.

"Stop showing that attitude," the woman said quietly. "People might hear you," she added, attempting to appease Sana. Shirou and Sayuri were the only ones who knew about Sana and Nayeon. They used to adore Nayeon, but that changed after she hurt Sana and abandoned her. "We can be angry at her elsewhere, but not while doing business; act professionally for a while, okay?"

"I'm trying, but just seeing her face pisses me off, auntie," Sana sighed, left with no choice but to put her gaze away from Nayeon.

"Excuse me," Nayeon said abruptly, drawing the attention of everyone else in the salon. She cleared , surprised that just actually talking drew so much attention. "May I ask who will cut my hair?" she politely inquired.

The other hairstylists all turned to look at Sana, who was now free. That means she'll have to take on the next customers, but she can do someone else instead of Nayeon.

"I just want to explain how I would like the cut to be," Nayeon explained, but she received no response. "Oh, can't I know who will be doing it yet?" she chuckled softly, not used to getting her hair cut in public places. This is due to the fact that she has her own personal stylist and has only come here for a specific reason.

Sana had no choice but to approach Nayeon because everyone appeared to be expecting her to take it. She scrunched her nose and faked a toothy grin as the woman watched her approach. "I will be the one to do it," Sana stated emphatically, causing Nayeon to hold back a smile.

"Really?" the woman asked playfully. "I'm looking forward to it, missy," she said.

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't do it," Sana said discreetly, making sure Nayeon could hear her. "Make no mistake about it: I'm still mad at you and will be for the rest of my life."

"You've already said that a lot," Nayeon replied. "I'm reminded of your hatred every time we meet."

"I'll remind you again."

"Then you must want to keep meeting me," Nayeon smirked, confidently nodding her head. "I know I'm a busy person, but I'll make time for you."

"Make time to irritate me like this?" Sana questioned.

"Yes?"

"I hate you, Lim Nayeon."

"The same as for me, missy," Nayeon responded.

"Good Lord, consider giving me more patience," Sana could only whisper as she watched Nayeon cross her arms and slyly smirk. "We'll do it quickly because I think I've developed an allergy to becoming near you; I could die pretty much immediately."

"If you don't want to do it, I can ask another stylist in here," Nayeon said, her gaze darting elsewhere. She then pointed to one of the ladies who was still styling another customer's hair. "She gave me a small wave and smile when you weren't looking," she told Sana, who only furrowed her brows. "She's kind of cute, and I think she'll do a good job cutting my hair," Nayeon added.

"How is being a cutesy linked to doing well at hair cutting?" scoffed Sana, shaking her head in disbelief at what she had just heard. "I'll do it. Didn't I just tell you?" she said again, rolling her eyes.

"Or you can say you'll still hate seeing other women holding my hair," Nayeon said.

"Excuse me, Lim Nayeon, you're the one who hates it when someone else touches your hair unless it's me," Sana blurted out, drawing other people's attention to her and Nayeon.

"So, you still remember when I told you that?" Nayeon asked, her beautiful smile causing Sana to blush. "I thought you told me that you despised me, hmm? How come you still care about what I strongly hate?" she queried.

"I have a good memory; it doesn't mean anything else."

"Sure, missy. Whatever you say."

 

The couple keeps a close eye on Sana and Nayeon, who are clearly bickering quietly. Nayeon is already seated in front of the mirror, while Sana wraps a barber cape around her.

Shirou narrowed his eyes, perplexed as to what the two were arguing about this time. He only knew this was a bad idea. "Should Sana really be the one who does Nayeon? I don't think this would work well," he said to his wife, who smiled shamefacedly, probably agreeing with him.

"Oh no," Sayuri uttered as she noticed Sana deliberately pulling the end of Nayeon's hair. "Why are they still acting like the same high school kids they were back then?" she asked, clutching her nape.

 

"Can't you be a little pleasant looking?" Nayeon asked, seeing in the woman's reflection in the mirror that she was unwilling to do this job.

"It's your fault for coming here instead of somewhere else," Sana grumbled, no longer bothering to put on a fake smile.

"You work here, and now you'll complain because someone wants to be done?" Nayeon chuckled, looking up and raising an eyebrow at Sana. "What's the problem?" she inquired. "Aren't you meant to care about your customers?"

"Yes," Sana stated flatly as she sprayed water on Nayeon's face with the bottle. "Oops," she muttered, putting her hand above her lips as if trying to unnerve the woman.

"I'm going to rate this salon one out of five stars," Nayeon said.

A brief period of silence had caused Nayeon to simply stare at Sana's reflection in the mirror. She's curious about what the woman is thinking as she combs her hair. Sana's gentle and delicate touches on her head demonstrate the polar opposite of how the woman said she felt about Nayeon. It didn't feel like detestation was present at that time.

"Does your nape still get irritated when your hair touches it?" Sana inquired softly. "Isn't that why you always wear these kinds of shirts?" she asked, referring to Nayeon's black turtleneck shirt.

As much as Nayeon wanted to tease Sana about remembering this detail, she realized the woman was trying to strike up a serious conversation. "Yes," Nayeon replied, smiling slightly despite the fact that the other didn't even bother to look at her. "I can't keep my hair long either, so I just wear this," she explained.

"That being said, short hair suits you," Sana almost whispered, perhaps hesitant to give an unexpected compliment. Nayeon, on the other hand, felt something different in her heart when she heard these words. It was a strange combination of joy and agony that swept her off her feet.

"You've always told me that," Nayeon replied. "But you see, I haven't cut it in a while, and it's gone past below my shoulders," she continued, hoping to keep the conversation going.

"Even if you're busy, you should take care of yourself," Sana advised.

"Aside from being busy, the person who usually cuts my hair had a personal matter to attend to, which is why I came here instead."

"Why here?"

"I found out you are working here," Nayeon replied honestly, which caught Sana off guard. The woman expected a more complicated response; however, she was speaking with Nayeon. Nobody knows what this kind of person is up to.

"Are you trying to follow me around?" Sana asked, her brow furrowed.

"I don't think I need to do that," Nayeon stated. "Because no matter how hard you try to avoid me, you'll end up seeing me," she continued, "it's just a thing between us — our strings can't untangle."

"You must be into romantic dramas these days," Sana says, feigning a laugh and shaking her head.

"You're playing dumb."

"Seeing you isn't fate, Lim Nayeon," Sana insisted, standing firm in her belief. "Even if this is destiny, I'm going to defy it." "You are the last person on earth I would want to be with."

"But you're with me now," Nayeon said.

"Arguably, it was you who came to me."

"You made your point, missy."

 

"You must be comfortable with the other one," Sana mumbled, not wanting Nayeon to hear. But the woman must have been paying close attention because she noticed it.

"What other one?" Nayeon inquired, but Sana only pursed her lips, embarrassed that she had been heard. The prolonged silence had caused Nayeon to reflect carefully on what the other was referring to. "Ah," she said before drawing a tight-lipped smile on her face. "I must be comfortable with the person who usually cuts my hair." "Isn't that what you were attempting to say?"

Sana rolled her eyes and murmured, "I didn't say anything."

"Alright," Nayeon said simply. "But nonetheless, it is true, I am at comfort with her touch."

"Her," Sana said again, nodding her head. "Excellent," she even said.

"What's the big deal about her being a "her"?"

"Nothing."

"Are you jealous, Minatozaki Sana?" Nayeon inquired, causing Sana to choke inside . As a result, she coughed a couple of times. "You can't be jealous," Nayeon pointed out.

"Of course, because why would I be? We're no longer together," Sana hissed, her lips puckered.

"And apart from that," Nayeon said, "there's nothing to be jealous of." "She's a sixty-year-old woman who treats me like a child," she added. "Don't worry, no one else gets to stick their hands on my skin except you."

"I don't care," grumbled Sana.

"Plus, I'm no longer interested in love since we broke up."

"I don't care, I don't care," Sana said again, as if she didn't want to hear it. "I don't give a damn!"

"Cute," Nayeon whispered to herself.