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The blinding spotlights shone mercilessly onto the stage where two young models with long, flowing hair were each seated at opposite ends. The audience hushed when the host walked towards center stage and bowed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the most highly anticipated event of the year in the wonderful world of fashion and style!! Welcome, to the annual Stylist Showdown Finals 2013!!!”

The audience cheered and clapped loudly, their cheers bouncing off the walls and echoing back into the hall. Clearly, many of them were very excited and the host waited a while for the audience to calm down.

“As all of you know, the Stylist Showdown is an annual event, where the best of the bests battle against one another to claim the title of ‘Stylist of the Year’. As you can see, this is a battle of the wits and courage, as they go all out and try every trick up their sleeves to prove to the world that they are a cut above the rest; pun intended.”

The audience giggled as the host paused for a dramatic effect.

“This year is very special, because we have also invited a special guest all the way from France, who will make a very special appearance later on. And now, allow me to introduce to all of you our lovely judges…”

The host introduced the judges one by one. There were a total of five judges, all of them very well-known public figures as well as professional stylists themselves. They each stood up as the host called upon them, turning to wave at the crowd.

 “And now, without further ado, let us welcome our very special guest from France who will take part in this competition, Monsieur David!!”

The audience grew wild as a tall and lanky man, dressed in a black suit and tie sauntered out from behind the stage, his personal assistant wheeling in the stylist tools on a trolley. He bowed once to the audience and settled behind one of the models.

“And his challenger, Lee Donghae-sshi!!”

-

Backstage, Donghae took in a deep breath. This is it, he told himself. It’s your time to shine.

“… Lee Donghae-sshi!!”

He opened his eyes and nodded at his assistant. Together, the both of them walked onstage with much bravado, him with his hands in his pockets and his assistant with his hands tightly clutched around a bag full of the tools.

If the audience was shocked beyond shock at the sight of a college kid dressed in country clothes assisted by a girly and feminine boy who looked a lot younger than him, they didn’t show it. The audience clapped even harder, marveled by the bravery of this young man who dared to challenge one of the top stylists in France at a competition as important as this. Heck, nobody had even heard of this kid before. Murmurs echoed throughout the hall, nearly everyone wondering about the sudden appearance of the country kid.

The host saw the organizer throwing him a smirk, and he quickly winked back, chuckling evilly to himself.

Someone’s going down.

-

Donghae bathed in the audience’s cheers before he took his place behind the second model. He made a big show of taking out his tools and laying them out neatly on the small table provided, while his assistant merely got in the way of everything.

“Wookie,” he hissed, when his assistant dropped a can of hairspray on the ground.

“Sorry, Hae hyung.”

“Just get behind me.”

“Yes, Hae hyung.”

-

When both competitors were comfortably seated, the host picked up the atmosphere again by going through the rules of the competition.

“Judging criteria will be based on skill, speed, style and overall performance. And both contestants need to know that whatever the hairstyle they choose for their model, it has to be done within a span of two hours. Now, are the both of you ready?”

Earning a quick nod from both sides, the host continued. “The Stylist Showdown begins… NOW!!”

-

Donghae threw a look at the French stylist opposite the stage. Honestly, he had no idea how he ended up challenging a top stylist all the way from France. He had no idea what to do. He had never actually participated in any competition before, let alone an international competition where his pride was at stake.

He stared at the model’s head in front of him. What should he do?

He held a tuft of hair in his hands, his mind flipping through a thousand different styles he just thought up at the spur of the moment. He paced around the model, thinking hard and whacking away his assistant’s hand who wanted to touch the hair, making him cower back and pout.

The truth was, Donghae had never styled for anyone before. Although his dad owned a barber shop, all the styles he had ever cut for anyone was the crew cut, which was somehow the norm for all the males in his village. He looked at the female model in front of him and decided that the crew cut wouldn’t look very appealing on her.

How did he even end up here in the first place? Perhaps it had something to do with the weird man he signed a contract with just two days ago. He’d forgotten to read the contract just because he was so focused on the 100,000 won offered together with it. Hey, 100,000 won wasn’t a lot of money, but it meant so much to him. He never thought that he would end up onstage in front of half a thousand people, battling against a French stylist in the most prestigious competition in the fashion world.

-

Dammit.

One glance at the clock told him that he’d already spent half an hour gazing at the model’s hair. Pressured immensely by the pressing time and the weight of five hundred pairs of eyes on him, he hesitatingly grabbed a tuft of hair and raised his other hand which was holding a pair of scissors, placing the sharp edge near the top of the head.

“STOP!!!”

Cut.

Oops.

Long locks tumbled to the ground. Donghae whirled around to see three guys rushing onstage towards his end.

“I thought I told you to STOP???” The guy in the middle asked. “Why didn’t you stop??” The same guy held up the hair that was chopped in half.

Donghae threw a skeptical look at the three newcomers. “Who the heck do you think you are and what are you doing here?”

His assistant rushed up to back him up. “Yeah, who do you guys think you are