A      S  w  i  t  c  h

If there was one thing Chaerin completely dreaded,  was partying. The ear-splitting music blasting through the speakers, the disgustingly sweaty bodies rubbing and grinding upon each other in a so-called “dancing” fashion; without mentioning the vomit-inducing smell of alcohol, cigarette smoke and other unknown substances. Those were things Chaerin certainly loathed and now, to her misfortune, she found herself picking out an outfit to wear to that place she would otherwise never come close to if it wasn't for her friend's pleads.

Yet again she met the same situation she had dealt with in a not-so-distant past. A déjà vu crossed her mind as she rummaged through a variety of clothes, but without putting the least amount of attention in them. It seemed like it had been yesterday when her little sister was going through the nerves of experiencing her first date and Chaerin was willing to do anything but help her pick an outfit for the occasion; all thanks to the conflicting thoughts that distanced herself from the real world.

Weeks have passed since that moment. Now Harin is blissfully dating her childhood friend -madly in love may Chaerin add- and yet the oldest sibling is still stuck in sorrow.
 

“Chae, I was thinking...” Bom spoke as she stopped looking through the clothing store racks.
 

Chaerin lifted her head towards Bom and made a gesture for her to continue.

“Have you ever considered going back to your natural dark hair colour?”

The question set her thinking. As a matter of fact, Chaerin had wondered from time to time whether it would be time to go back to black. It had been so long since Chaerin was Barbie blond that she even forgot why she changed her hair colour to begin with.

Must have been teenage angst.

“Don't get me wrong” Bom added before her friend could answer. “I think blond looks great on you, but I just thought why not try a little change?”

Chaerin nodded in agreement.

“You're right, maybe I should go back to being a dark brunette”
 

“And what better occasion to show off your new hair than the party right?” Bom wholeheartedly smiled.
 

“Right” Chaerin forced a smile at the thought of the upcoming event.
 

✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴

Chaerin breathed.
 

As the black-inked water ran down her hair and onto the bathtub, she simply breathed.
 

While Bom applied shampoo on her friend's scalp and softly massaged it with her hands at the same time as she hummed a banal melody... Chaerin still only breathed.

She decided it would be best if she didn't entirely focus on the present situation. Otherwise she wouldn't have even agreed to set foot in her friend's bathroom in the first place, knowing under what conditions it was for.
 

After all those years of having those golden locks, it would be logical to grow so attached to them. But at the same time it would also be logical to grow out of them, to want to move on and change.

Hot air exited from the blow dryer and came in contact with Chaerin's now darkened hair. The dryer it got, the closer she came to seeing her new persona and the more she distanced herself from her past one.
 

About twenty minutes later, the blow dryer's noise ceased to sound, and the hot air stopped emerging from it.
 

“Wow Chae” Bom whispered under her breath.
 

Chaerin took a last breath, and opened her eyes.
 

“Wow” She also mumbled, while contemplating herself on the mirror and softly running her slender fingers through her now black hair.
 

“You look stunning” Bom smiled as a proud mother would.
 

But more than stunning, Chaerin could see something else. Trapped inside that mirror was Chaerin at fifteen; a loving, caring, empathetic Chaerin. Before all the conflicts, and before all the heartaches, lied a different person.
 

Observing that glimpse to the past through her hair, she hoped and desired to regain a little light from those days. A little joy from the time gone by.

✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴

After the make up appliance, the dressing up and hair styling, Chaerin and Bom plopped down on the couch at Bom's living room and watched some television while waiting for Seunghyun to pick them up.
 

Chaerin fiddled her fingers and nervously bit the inner part of her cheek. As expected, whatever they were airing on television was what she was least concerned in. The tornado of thoughts that lied upon her mind were distracting enough to make her ignore any other aspects that surrounded her.
 

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. “He's here” Bom smiled and excitedly went to open it.
 

Chaerin observed how stunningly beautiful her friend looked. She was wearing a short high-waisted beige skirt, with a black long-sleeved velvet top and a pair of burgundy high heels on her feet. Her wavy hair hung loose over her shoulders. Chaerin knew, the moment Seunghyun saw her, he would be struck by her appearance.

In the end, what man wouldn't?

On the other hand, Chaerin ended up choosing a black high-waisted leather skirt, with a white scoop neck crop top and midnight blue high heels to wear. Her hair cascaded like a waterfall over her back; unlike her friend, she kept it sleekly straight. The look was simple, just what Chaerin wanted. The less attention she grabbed at that party, the better.
 

The door opened to reveal a mesmerizingly handsome Seunghyun. Chaerin couldn't help but scan him from head to toe on the sly. The way that black blazer and pants hugged his perfectly built body, and how that white low-cut shirt revealed a tad more skin than usual was driving her insane.

“You look so beautiful” Seunghyun spoke in a low whisper next to Bom's ear as she shyly giggled and mumbled a “thank you” while caressing his neck.
 

Chaerin's insides were like a tight knot at the sight of the nauseating love scene that stood in front of her.
 

Once the two lovebirds stopped with their mutual appreciation session, Seunghyun unexpectedly approached Chaerin and wrapped her in a friendly hug.

“Nice hair” He kindly chuckled in his low voice tone.
 

With much power of will, Chaerin thanked him and returned the greeting as friendly as possible.

A hug had never felt so cold.

“All set?” Seunghyun asked the girls. They both nodded, and so their journey to the nightclub commenced.

✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴
 

“Who's that guy over there?”
 

“That's Lee Soo Hyuk”

A/N: Okay, I pushed myself this time and I finally could update in a shorter period of time! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, there are some interesting things coming up so wait for it :)