Heaving a sigh, Mika pushed the door to his apartment open and threw his keys onto the coffee table in his living room. He trudged over to the sofa and fell into the soft abyss of cushions. They didn’t help him relax as much as he thought they would. He had spent a long day working in the studio recording and preparing for Dae Guk Nam Ah’s next album. Along with this new album, the manager had said they needed to change their outward appearance so the fans won’t get bored. Of course, Mika was all for it. Whatever the manager thought was right was probably right.

Mika reached higher up on his head than he usually would to push his hair out of his eyes, but there was nothing there. He didn’t feel the soft strands of his fringe. There was only his forehead.

What Mika was really anxious about was how his girlfriend would react to the whole situation. Would she like it? Would she hate it? Would she think he’s ugly now? Will she break up with him? These thoughts sprung into Mika’s mind one after another.

Mika and Yun Hee had been dating for nearly a year now. They knew each other like the back of their own hand, as cliché as it may sound. Mika also knew that Yun Hee wasn’t too fond of shorter hair. Whenever they were alone, she would gingerly run her hands through Mika’s hair that reached just above his shoulders absentmindedly. It was one of the small things Mika woke up for everyday.

Because of this, Mika also knew that Yun Hee wouldn’t like his new haircut. She wasn’t shallow enough to break up with him because of it, but it’ll take her a while to get used to it.

Just as Mika’s thoughts traveled elsewhere and he was finally able to feel less tense about this new ordeal, he heard his beloved’s signature knock on his door. With another sigh, Mika begrudgingly dragged his body to the sound of the soft rapping while imagining the look on Yun Hee’s face when she saw him.

He inhaled a small breath before slowly opening his front door. There she was. Her long hair was tied in a topknot, and a subtle lip gloss was applied to to match her chocolate colored spring dress. She must have been in a good mood today to make herself up. Way to ruin it, Mika cursed himself.

He finally dared to look up to Yun Hee’s face. It was blank. She was taking in the sight of her new boyfriend. There was a long pause without either greeting each other. They both knew why.

“You…” Yun Hee’s voice rang in Mika’s eager ears, “cut your hair.” Was that disappointment? He couldn’t tell.

Instinctively, Mika rubbed the back of his head feeling his shorter strands. “Yeah,” he trailed off deciding it would be best to stay quiet until she said her opinions first. He let his hand fall to his side limply.

Yun Hee grasped through the expanse of her vocabulary to find an accurate adjective. “It’s…”

Mika gulped, his eyes cast downward. “You don’t like it,” he blurted.

“I don’t,” she whispered as if it would spare his ego some of the pain.

Mika sighed and his heel. He dragged his body back to the couch and threw himself on it. “I knew you wouldn’t, but I had to get it.”

Yun Hee followed after Mika and softly sat herself down next to him. She gingerly reached up to play with the remaining hair on his head. “I understand, but I loved it so much before.” The corners of pulled down.

“I know you did.” Mika gave her a weak smile.

“It’s not so bad. I’ll get used to it.” She continued to entwine her fingers in his hair. “It’s still soft.” Yun Hee brought her other hand up to touch all over his head comically. Mika laughed and pulled her closer. She had to wrap her arms onto his neck to keep balanced from the sudden shift. She ended up half on his lap, half on the cushion.

“Thank you.” Mika kissed her nose.

Yun Hee blushed and covered her nose embarrassedly. “Eh? I didn’t do anything,” she mumbled.

Mika chuckled at her childishness. “Well, you weren’t mad at me for it.”

“Why would I be?” Yun Hee tilted her head in confusion.

He simply shrugged.

“You know,” Yun Hee started when her face turned red, “Your face is more attractive, so as long as you don’t get rid of that, I’m fine.”

“My face? What happened to ‘It’s the inside that counts’?” Mika joked while pouting.

“No, I just meant-you know what I mean. I love you for being you and all, but I like your face more than your hair.” Yun Hee groaned at herself and buried her head in Mika’s shoulder.

“I love you, too,” Mika teased.

She playfully smacked his shoulder. Yun Hee sunk deeper into Mika’s shoulder. “Yah! Why are you so embarrassing?!”