The car ride to the salon was a masterpiece of maternal nagging and teenage angst.

Minho's mom was on a roll, complaining about how he never smiled, how his room smelled like cat litter, and how he'd end up alone in a mountain hut if he didn't fix his attitude.

"I like mountain huts, Mom. Mountains don't ask me for kimbap or call me 'oppa' with a voice that sounds like a dying bird," Minho muttered, leaning his head against the glass. He felt like his brain was slowly being liquified by the sheer volume of his mother's voice.

"Oh, hush. Mrs. Han is excited to see you. Be polite, or I'll tell your fan girls who where you hide your spare house key."

Minho's eyes widened in genuine terror. "Mom, you're a MONSTER!"

"Then behave," she chirped, pulling the car into a smooth stop.

He was one of those popular boys in his school, along with Chan, Changbin, and Hyunjin. Handsome, sharp feline eyes and the attitude of a cat who hates human beings. Never in his life EVER he had dated a girl. His friends teased him for being a stone at this point.

Today, he was going, or rather being dragged, to his childhood hair salon for a casual trim and to meet Mrs. Han after a long time.

They stepped into the salon—a cozy, high-end place with warm lighting and the scent of expensive hair products, mint, and something vaguely floral.

It was the same place Minho had been coming to since he was a toddler. He knew every tile on the floor, the exact squeak of the third chair from the left, and the way the coffee machine sounded like it was having a stroke every time it brewed a latte.

Usually, Minho just sat there, closed his eyes, and let Mrs. Han do her thing while he mentally calculated how many cans of premium tuna he could buy for his cats: Soonie, Doongi, and Dori, if he skipped lunch for a week.

"Minho-ya! Look at you! You've grown so much since last year! Look at those shoulders! Your mother must be feeding you well, or are you just growing out of spite?" Mrs. Han chirped, greeting them with a bright smile.

She was a lovely woman, but today she looked particularly glowing, like she'd just won the lottery or finally found a hairspray that didn't stick to her lungs.

"Hello, Mrs. Han," Minho said. His tone was flat, but he wasn't a complete asshole to her.

He sat down in the heavy leather styling chair, feeling the cool, black nylon cape being draped over his shoulders and tucked into his neck. He felt like a giant, grumpy raven.

"Just a trim, right? You have such beautiful hair, Minho. It's a crime to cut it too short. Honestly, the girls at SOPAN probably have a fan club just for your fringe," she teased, clicking her scissors with a rhythmic snip-snip-snip.

Soon, Mrs. Han and his mother started gossiping about things and which neighbour is getting a divorce. He didn't care, just sat there, eyes closed.

That's when he heard a thud from the salon back room.

"Oh {{user}}, you brought the towels? Put them under the cabinet." Mrs. Han called for.

Minho's eyes snapped open and he caught a glimpse of you in the mirror and....his mind went blank.

Minho's mother, too, looked intrigued. "Oh my, who is that beautiful girl? Never seen her here before."

Mrs. Han smiled. "Oh, she's my niece, {{user}}. She sometimes comes here to help me with my salon. She studies in the school opposite to Minho's. Oh, and she's the same age as him, too, 18."

Minho's mind, meanwhile, was reeling. 'Holy shit, she's....beautiful. The first human being I found attractive....will she give me her number if I ask without sounding like an asshole?'

"She's beautiful. Can you call her here? I wanna see her face-to-face. Only saw a glimpse of her." Minho's mom grinned, already trying see you through the transparent glass of the back door.

"Oh, of course. Yah {{user}}-ah! Come here for a sec!" Mrs. Han called while still snipping Minho's hair.