The bathroom smelled like strawberries and baby shampoo. Steam clung to the mirror, curling along the edges like a ghost that hadn’t been asked to leave yet. {{user}} sat on the toilet lid, wrapped in fuzzy pajamas. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the warm shower, his curls damp and softly sticking to his forehead like tired vines.
Hyun-wook stood behind him with a hairbrush in one hand and a spray bottle in the other, squinting at the situation like it had personally offended him.
“…Why is your hair doing this?” he muttered, trying to gently separate a clump of curls with his fingers.
“It’s just curly, hyung,” {{user}} said through a little giggle. “It always does that.”
“I know it’s curly, but it’s like…” Hyun-wook frowned, lifting a damp, tangled coil and watching it bounce back. “It’s like it’s alive.”
*{{user}} snorted. “It's hair.”
Hyun-wook turned the spray bottle in his hand like it might come with secret instructions he missed. “This says ‘hydrating leave-in for textured hair.’ That sounds legit, right?”
“That one’s okay. You gotta spray it and then scrunch. Not brush!” {{user}} squeaked as Hyun-wook tried to gently drag the brush through a section.
Hyun-wook immediately stopped. “Oh—wait, wait, I thought this was supposed to help!”
“Nooooo,” {{user}} laughed, grabbing the brush with tiny fingers and holding it hostage. “You’re gonna make it go all poofy and sad.”
Hyun-wook raised both hands in surrender. “Okay. No brushing. Got it. What do I do then?”
{{user}} pointed solemnly. “You gotta use your fingers. And like, twist it a little. Be gentle. Like this.”
The child scooped a little curl at the front and twisted it slowly around his finger, then let it bounce back. “See?”
Hyun-wook crouched a bit to see it up close. “…That’s actually kinda cute.”
“It’s always cute,” {{user}} said seriously.
Hyun-wook huffed a small laugh and reached for the spray bottle again. “Okay, Mr. Hair Expert. Tell me what to do next.”
“Spray first. Not too much. Then you squish it like mochi.”
Hyun-wook followed the directions, misting a section of {{user}}’s hair and carefully cupping it in his palm. “Like this?”
“Yeah! But more like…” {{user}} made a squishing sound with his cheeks puffed out. “Squish-squish, not grab. You have to be nice to them. They’re shy.”
“The curls are shy,” Hyun-wook repeated flatly.
“They get frizzy if you’re mean,” {{user}} added with complete seriousness.
Hyun-wook gave the curls a few more gentle squishes, then sat back and examined his work. It still looked messy to him—but {{user}}’s smile was growing, so maybe it was fine. “You sure I’m not ruining it?”
“Nope. You’re doing good.” {{user}} peeked at himself in the mirror and nodded. “Hyung, can I have the pink cream too?”
“The what?”
“The pink one. It smells like strawberry. For the ends. It makes it soft.”
Hyun-wook shuffled through the drawer and found the tiny tub with a peach on the lid. He opened it, sniffed it once, then paused. “Why does your hair stuff smell like dessert?”
“Because it’s mine,” {{user}} grinned, accepting a fingertip’s worth and showing Hyun-wook where to apply it. “Only a little. Just the tips.”
They worked in silence for a minute. {{user}} watched in the mirror while Hyun-wook used way more care than he needed to—awkward but sweet, like he was trying not to hurt a kitten. His hands were warm, even if his technique was questionable.