Work Text:
Jeonghan was busy sweeping up hair from his last client when a young man walked into the salon. He couldn’t help but be distracted–he was working at the chair closest to the entrance, and the man had eye-catching plush lips, and adorable down-turned eyes. His fluffy black hair was falling over his eyes, and he looked around with an air of curiosity. It was clearly his first time in their salon. Jeonghan cleaned with record speed and dashed over to greet him.
“Hi there.” Jeonghan gave him a big smile. “How may I help you today?”
“Hi, I’d like a cut.” Jeonghan saw the man’s eyes track over his own hair. It was long, dyed brown, and pulled back from his face in a bun on top. He was quite proud of it, and he thought the man looked impressed.
“Alright.” Jeonghan gestured to the open chair. “I’m Jeonghan, what’s your name?”
“Seungcheol.”
“Nice to meet you.” Jeonghan paused, waiting for Seungcheol to elaborate on what he’d like. Instead, Seungcheol’s eyes were focused on him in the mirror.
“Any style in particular?” Jeonghan prompted.
“Ah!” Seungcheol seemed to come back to himself. He shook out his hair a little. It fell past his ears to curve slightly around his jaw, framing his face. “I want a trim. A small trim.”
Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. Often, first-time clients asked for more daring styles since their salon’s prices were not cheap. Their location in Cheongdam-dong and the widely praised skills of the hairdressers guaranteed it. Still, he wouldn’t question the client.
“How about this much?” Jeonghan pinched a piece of hair between his fingertips as an example. About two centimetres hung below his fingers. With that much, Jeonghan was certain he’d be able to clean up Seungcheol’s haircut considerably, and thin out the edges to soften it.
“No, no, that’s a lot!” Seungcheol gripped the armrests of the chair.
Jeonghan bit back a smile. The hair he’d swept up from his last client begged to differ, but he thought it was endearing that Seungcheol was so fond of his hair.
“One centimetre?” Jeonghan suggested instead.
Seungcheol relaxed, nodding. Jeonghan fastened a hair-cutting cape around his neck, arranging it so that his clothes were covered. He waited an extra second once he’d picked up his scissors in case Seungcheol changed his mind, but he showed no sign, so Jeonghan got to work. He snipped steadily, idly wondering if Seungcheol wanted him to start a conversation, or if he preferred silence.
“You have amazing hair.”
Jeonghan looked up to see Seungcheol’s eyes on him again. He bent down slightly as if it could hide the wide, genuine smile spreading across his face.
“Thanks.”
“I’ve thought about growing my hair longer, but I don’t think I would be able to.” Seungcheol seemed pensive instead of dismissive.
“Why not?” Jeonghan held up a strand, briefly, to compare the lengths of their hair. There was a considerable difference, but months rather than years. He could imagine it.
“Would it even suit my face?”
Anything would suit your face, Jeonghan thought, Your face would be cute no matter what.
“It would be a different look.” Jeonghan said, neutrally.
Seungcheol was lost in thought. Jeonghan frowned as he tried to phrase a question in his mind.
“Is this your first time…in the area?”
“Oh, no. I live near here. I used to go to a small salon that my friend recommended, but the owner moved away.”
“Ah.” That answered Jeonghan’s question about where he’d previously been getting his hair cut.
Jeonghan worked in silence for a few seconds before Seungcheol spoke again.
“Have you worked here long?”
“It’s been about half a year. My coworkers are way more experienced.” Jeonghan hesitated, then leaned in conspiratorially. “I sometimes get the sense that they want to take the scissors out of my hand and do it themselves.”
Seungcheol chuckled. “Oh, I understand that. My boss constantly checks in with me at work.”
“Where do you work? If you don’t mind me asking.”
They fell into a comfortable, casual conversation, covering their work, their last vacation, and even their siblings. Jeonghan recalled his younger sister’s last antics with a sweet tone, and Seungcheol, a bit sheepishly, replied with one time he’d embarrassed his older brother in front of their parents. It was a great deal more personal than any conversation Jeonghan had shared with a client, but he enjoyed it, his curiosity spurring him on to ask more and more questions. Seungcheol was easy to talk to, non-judgemental, laughing easily and seemed just as interested in Jeonghan as he was in him.
Jeonghan finished the haircut in fifteen minutes. He wanted to extend his time with Seungcheol, but cutting off one centimetre of the same style wasn’t exactly time-consuming. He couldn’t pretend to snip nonexistent hair forever, no matter how much he wanted to. Their conversation had given him a small look into the other’s life, but it made him even more curious, rather than satisfied.
He couldn’t help sighing slightly as Seungcheol paid. The man gave him an inquisitive look.
“I hope we’ll see you again.” Jeonghan said.
Seungcheol gave him a warm smile, the look in his eyes so fond that Jeonghan froze for a moment. “You will.”
Jeonghan waved professionally as he left. Inside, his heart skipped erratically.
**********************
One week later, someone named Choi Seungcheol called in, specifically asked for Jeonghan, and scheduled an appointment for Saturday at 4:30pm.
There’s no way. Jeonghan thought. One week?
Despite his disbelief, Seungcheol did walk into the salon, on-time, and with the same sweet smile. Jeonghan found himself nervous, gripping the cart with more force than necessary as he wheeled it to the side of a chair.
“Back again so soon?” Jeonghan teased as Seungcheol sat down.
“I’ve changed my mind about my hairstyle.” Seungcheol brushed his hand over Jeonghan’s, where it rested on the chair’s armrest. It was so quick and casual that it could have been a mistake, but from the sparkle in Seungcheol’s eyes, Jeonghan guessed it wasn’t.
“You did a great job last time, but I want to have a daring haircut. Something completely different.”
Jeonghan let out a small breath. Seungcheol was acting the exact same as before, warm and friendly and easy, their instant connection persevering even after a week of separation. The tension went out of Jeonghan’s muscles, making his return smile steady.
“What do you have in mind?”
“What do you recommend?”
Jeonghan was momentarily speechless, surprised.
“Was there something you disliked about your old hairstyle?”
“No, no. I want to know what hairstyles you like.” Seungcheol said. “What do you think would look good on me?”
“I’m just...not sure what you’re looking for.” Jeonghan said. “I thought you said that 2cm was too much last time? This is a rather big change of heart.”
“Well...can you show me any ideas you have?” Seungcheol turned to him and gave him pleading eyes, something a man in his mid-20s shouldn’t be able to pull off so well, but had Jeonghan pulling out a photobook of haircuts as if under a spell. He sat down on a stool next to Seungcheol so that they could look together.
“Shaved haircuts are very popular right now.” Jeonghan flipped through a few pages. “A lot of men shave the sides. Then they can focus on styling the top.”
“How would that look on me?” Seungcheol had his face propped up in his hands, tilted to one side. The pose was altogether too cute. Jeonghan narrowed his eyes and imagined his hair shaved short over his ears, the hair on top gelled up and swept to the side. His current hair smoothed his cheeks and made his face appear rounder. Without it there to distract, Seungcheol’s cheekbones and jawline would stand out.
“You’d look...dangerous.” Jeonghan breathed. He saw a hint of a smirk on Seungcheol’s face.
“I mean, it would be striking.” Jeonghan remedied. “It would bring out your cheekbones and eyes since they are partially covered now.”
Seungcheol hummed in consideration. “That sounds good. Any other ideas?”
“You could get an anime-style haircut. They are heavily layered and popular among idols.” Jeonghan studied the picture in front of them. Side-swept bangs, layered back, an overall round shape. The bangs were notoriously difficult to manage, and Jeonghan laughed inwardly at the image of Seungcheol trying to blow hair out of his eyes.
“Something funny?”
“I can’t imagine you with these bangs. Idols are always going to salons to fix their hair–I wonder if you’d be able to manage.”
“Maybe I should come to the salon more often, then.” Seungcheol grinned cheekily.
Jeonghan shook his head, but he smiled to himself. He was beginning to suspect that Seungcheol had come to talk with him, rather than get a haircut. That wasn’t good for the salon, but it made Jeonghan feel very pleased.
“What else is there?” Seungcheol took the book to flip through some pages himself.
“You’re reaching the length of a short bob with your current hair. You could flip it in, out, get waves or curls.” Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at him.
“A perm? Um...”
“Reaching the limits of your adventurousness?” Jeonghan challenged.
“Well, I don’t know if my hair’s in good enough health. Isn’t it already quite dry?” Seungcheol lifted a piece of hair, inviting Jeonghan to touch.
“It is rather dry.” Jeonghan fingered the edges, which were especially brittle. “We have a conditioner and leave-in conditioner that would help.”
“Oh, that’s awesome. Could you show me?”
Jeonghan gestured toward the shelf at the back wall, ignoring the disapproving looks of his coworkers. He was supposed to be guiding Seungcheol into buying a service or product, but he was enjoying their chat too much to care whether Seungcheol actually bought anything.
Seungcheol followed him closely as they walked over, standing directly behind Jeonghan’s shoulder.
“I’d recommend this one for your hair type–”
“I’ll take it!” Seungcheol scoured the rest of the shelf, plucking another bottle from the same brand. “Is this shampoo? I’ll take this too.”
Jeonghan paused in surprise. Is he an impulsive buyer or does he really want to follow my recommendation?
“Seungcheol, are you sure?”
“Yeah, my hair’s really dry. I might as well use something high quality from now on.” Seungcheol nodded determinedly. “I’ll buy three of each.”
Jeonghan gaped at him. That would certainly assuage his boss, considering no actual haircut had taken place, but that was no small amount of money.
“Wow. Um, alright…”
“I think I’ve taken up enough of your time.” Seungcheol glanced around, seemingly catching on to the unfavourable atmosphere from Jeonghan’s coworkers. “Thank you for all your ideas. I’ll spend some more time considering what haircut I should get.”
“You’re welcome.” Jeonghan led him back to the counter, and rang up the cost of the hair products. He bit his lip, silent now that they weren’t talking about hair.
How do I tell him I enjoy his company? Jeonghan wondered. I want to get to know him better, somehow.
“I really enjoyed talking with you.” Seungcheol said.
Jeonghan’s heart fluttered. Direct is certainly one way.
“I might come back to, um...get my hair dyed.” Seungcheol continued, a bit bashfully.
“After the stunt you just pulled here?” Jeonghan laughed, then laughed harder at the confusion on Seungcheol’s face. “I mean, you better actually get it dyed. My boss won’t forgive you a second time.”
Seungcheol flushed.
“Rather than make an appointment for something you don’t really want done, how about you ask for my recommendations separately?” Jeonghan handed him his purchases.
“I-I can?” Seungcheol asked, flustered.
“If you want to dye your hair, I recommend that you try some wigs on to get a feel for different colours. Bring a friend for a second opinion.”
“Oh.” Seungcheol’s face fell at his professional tone.
“I know a few places you could go. And I’m free next Saturday when I get off work. How does that sound?”
Seungcheol’s face froze in an expression of surprise. Then he lit up, beaming. “I’d love that!”
Inadvertently, Jeonghan smiled. He wrote out his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. Seungcheol stared at it in disbelief, as if he’d been handed the greatest treasure in the world.
“I’ll see you on Saturday.” Jeonghan said.
“I’ll look forward to it!” Seungcheol folded the paper carefully and tucked it inside his pocket. He gave Jeonghan a cheerful wave before leaving.
Jeonghan knew that Seungcheol’s smile would be popping up in his head all week. He couldn’t wait to see it again the next weekend.