It was an unexpectedly scorching mid-September day – the kind of day during which a person just wants to relax and sit poolside with a cool glass of lemonade. Mr. Kim was in the process of cleaning up the air-conditioned barber shop alone, trying to decide whether he had time to get an ice-cold juice before the next customer came. He was just about to sneak upstairs when the barber shop door opened, letting in a burst of hot air. A small sweaty boy sprang into the barber shop by himself, his arms full of handheld gaming consoles and games. 

“Ryeowookie, I'm here for game training! You better be rea~dy!” He walked to the waiting area and gently placed all his gear on a chair then looked around the shop, not seeing his intended target. He frowned.

The barber smiled at the boy, glancing back and bowing slightly in greeting as the doorbell tinkled and a well-dressed woman walked into the store, fanning herself. 

“Sorry, Kyuhyunnie, Ryeowook’s at music camp this week,” the barber replied as he turned back to the boy. 

“What? Why?” Kyuhyun whined, pouting. 

“He goes to music camp every summer for a couple of weeks. He says it's lots of fun and that he spends lots of time singing and making music with his friends. How about you, do you go to summer camp Kyuhyunnie?”

Kyuhyun shook his head vigorously. 

“There’s no gaming camps!” The boy said earnestly, making the woman behind them laugh. 

Mr. Kim chuckled as well and strolled over to the barber chair, getting the booster seat ready. 

“You should try going to a camp too! Ryeowook always has great stories from camp and makes lots of new friends.” 

“Well, Kyuhyunnie does like to sing. He sings like an angel in the children’s church choir every Sunday – although, he’s only in the chorus right now,” the woman added as she made her way to the waiting area where Kyuhyun was, patting at her forehead with a handkerchief. “Sorry I'm a teensy bit late – I just had to buy a cold drink from next door. It's so hot outside; I don't know how people can live without air conditioning.” She bowed to the barber. “I'm Kyuhyun's mother. I’ve heard a lot about this barber shop and had to come see it for myself! It's so charming! I'm sad that I missed your son though – I've heard so much about him from this little munchkin here.” Mrs. Cho patted her son's head affectionately, “Unfortunately I can’t come here as often as I would like; I’m much too busy with work and all the committees I lead so usually my husband comes here with my cute, adorable son.”

Kyuhyun scrunched his nose and pulled away from his mother, stomping after the barber, who had beckoned him towards the barber chair. 

“So how about it Kyuhyunnie? Do you want to try going to music camp next year with Ryeowookie?” asked his mother, calling after him. 

“No, I only sing because you make me sing! I don’t want to sing! Appa said singing is for girly boys!” he shouted from the barber chair. 

“Well, you’re really good at singing, Kyuhyunnie. And I'm sure you'll have fun with Ryeowookie too,” she said patiently. 

“I don’t care. I don’t want to sing!” He yelled and crossed his arms underneath the barber gown, face drawn into a pout. 

“Don’t worry about it for now, Kyuhyunnie,” said Mr. Kim, trying to diffuse the tension as he spritzed cool water all over the boy's hair. “So do you want a new haircut this time or would you just like a trim?” 

Kyuhyun shook his head fiercely, still worked up. 

“I only want Ryeowookie’s hairstyles! I like Ryeowookie’s hairstyles!” 

“So, just a trim then, I guess.”

The boy nodded, his overgrown fringe flopping up and down. 

“I want Ryeowookie!” Kyuhyun declared one final time. He then pulled out a hidden handheld gaming console from his pocket and started playing, tuning out the world, brow furrowed in unhappiness.