*Warning: The following material may contain strong language, unusual humor, violence, and sexual contents that readers may find offensive. Please use your own discretion.*
6.2
Earlier that morning, Sunghee and Sejin dropped by at his house to find him something better to wear. After going through his closet, Sunghee gave up on the task. In the end, the best she could find were the least wrinkled sweater he owned and a pair of jeans. She knew he lived alone, but how could he not even have an iron?!
Sejin grumbled to her,
“Because if I need to, I can just send them to the laundromat and they take care of everything. Besides, it’s not like I have many occasions to wear a suit.”
The hairdresser returned and began to apply the hair dye. Sejin sighed and looked at Sunghee through the reflection on the mirror.
“You go ahead and have fun. I assume this is gonna take a while.”
“That was my plan, so don’t worry.”
The new pair of glasses she picked out for him looked great. Instead of the old ones that made his eyes look hazy and round, these new pairs made him look sharp and modern. Feeling proud of herself, Sunghee grinned and walked to the reception area, and sat down on the comfy sofa. She picked up a thick magazine and began to read it.
By the time she finished two magazines, stretched her legs, and drank two cups of tea offered by one of the staff, Sejin’s hair was finally done. The hairdresser was busy complimenting Sejin, and when Sunghee saw him, she had to rub her eyes in disbelief. She stood still and stared at him.
A completely different man stood in front of her now. Sejin already looked better earlier with the new glasses, but now with the new hair… How could a different hairstyle change a person so much? The lighter brown color brought out the straightness of his facial features, and the shorter style made him look much more modern. He looked… elegant like Manager Min for some reason.
When the hairdresser took his gown off and he stood in front of her, Sunghee couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed.
“Your boyfriend really needs to take care of his appearance a little. See how different he looks?!”
The hairdresser looked at Sunghee enviously. It was a completely different reaction than when they first walked in. Deciding she deserved to brag a little, Sunghee replied,
“Yeah, I nag him all the time to take care of his appearance a little. I guess I should be thankful he has agreed to do this now at least.”
“I’ll show you how to style your hair. It’s really easy.”
The hairdresser showed him how to manage his now-short hair. Sejin stared at the bottle of hair wax suspiciously, but when the hairdresser recommended purchasing one, he nodded without a word.
Sunghee was grinning and enjoying his reflection on the mirror when suddenly, she frowned. Something seemed wrong. She took a few steps towards him and looked down at him. Sejin asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, I just…”
She looked around in confusion before shaking her head. After making his payment, they left the shop together. Finally, Sunghee turned towards him again. Sejin kept touching his hair as if he was uncomfortable.
“Don’t touch your hair! It looks great right now.”
“But my head feels cold.”
When he grumbled, Sunghee rolled her eyes.
“What are you talking about? The weather’s really warm right now, so how could your head be cold?”
“You don’t understand because you have long hair. Do you have any idea how cold it feels when your hair suddenly gets so short? Even my neck feels cold.”
He rubbed the back of his neck a few times. Sunghee stared at him for a few minutes before asking,
“Sejin, how tall are you?”
“How tall am I? Why do you ask?”
“I’m just curious.”
When she continued to stare intently, Sejin hesitated before mumbling,
“187.”
No way. He had to be joking. There was no way in heck that he was over 180 cm. When she wore her 10 cm high heels, Sunghee felt like she could make eye contact with him comfortably. So how could he lie and say he was 187 cm?
Sunghee crossed her arms and glared at him.
“Don’t lie to me. Just tell me the truth. You meant to say 177 cm, right?”
“Sunghee, no one would mistakenly say the number 10 cm higher than their actual height. Why do you always think I’m lying? You need to learn to trust me.”
But how could she? After all, their strange arrangement only began because Sejin threatened her. Looking up and down at him, Sunghee shook her head.
“You do look a little taller today. It must be your clothes and hair that are creating this optical illusion. Just tell me the truth. How tall are you?”
“187.5 cm.”
Sunghee was beginning to feel a little upset now. She frowned and took a step forward to stand right next to him. She then glanced at the store window to check. Sunghee was wearing a pair of high heels that were well over 10 cm today, which meant she had to be close to 170 cm right now. Despite it, it was clear Sejin still was much taller than her. The tip of her head just touched his shoulder.