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Every idol has their own charms. Spark is known for their insane visuals, where each member sparkles like glitter in each appearance. Lee Cheonghyeon takes the throne for looks, sure, but it’s not as if the other members are any less pretty.
Kim Iwol especially looks bland when put beside her members. Sparklers came to realize how gorgeous she is when she began appearing solo in personal projects, where her face shone amongst squids.
But of course, it’s not the only notable thing about her.
See, she’s always been… eye-catching. Even on her first day as a trainee, it’s fairly easy to recognize her.
It is all thanks to her hair.
Her long… long hair.
Like, knee-length hair.
Silky blank strands that are let loose and reach down to the back of Iwol’s knees. Sure to make an impression.
Iwol always had long hair. She didn’t remember a time when her hair didn’t cascade down her back like a curtain.
It never bothered her. It’s annoying, sure. But it’s just an everyday inconvenience, something never too annoying to do. If her parents don’t even spare money for food, how could she spend it on her hair?
She could cut it herself, sure.
But her brother loves her hair. Loves braiding it. When things are hard, he would quietly tug her head to his direction by pulling at her hair.
Harsh. But then his fingers would gently card her head, a comforting and safe touch that Iwol is so deprived of.
So she didn’t.
It was long when she was a kid. It was long when she’s in high school. It was still long when she’s under the torment of Director Nam.
Her director seems to be one of those traditional women who’s terribly convinced hair is the greatest weapon for women, so it was never a problem. A good point, even.
When she woke up as a trainee, her hair was still long.
It’s one of the things she instantly realized because of how heavy her head felt. Her hair was waist-length when she was twenty-nine, and the system is weirdly meticulous because she remembers having this knee-length hair during her twenties.
She didn’t bother doing anything to it. Even as a member of Spark now, her hair still brushes the back of her knees.
It became something unique of herself. Knee-length hair isn’t rare, but it’s not everyday you see someone with it in real life.
“Is it not hot for you?” Cheonghyeon asks aloud. Her blonde hair is tied up, baby hairs framing her face cutely. Iwol already had a hundred pictures of her working on their upcoming debut song with the piano she’d moved into the living room.
“It is.” She simply responded, tapping away at Spark’s shared laptop to arrange a proposal for their next concept. Her hair, as always, is let loose, spilling into the floor.
With her pale skin and perpetually dead face, does she not realize she looks like a ghost? Cheonghyeon let her eyes linger at the surprisingly neat hair before focusing on the drop of sweat sliding down Iwol’s cheek.
With a hum, she stood up.
“Where are you going…?” The dark haired woman looks up from the laptop. Her eyes look slightly red from irritation. How is her eyesight so good when she spends hours on their laptop?
“Seongbin-unnie bought an electric fan, remember? It’s for you. I’ll bring it here.”
“Ah…?” Iwol looked at her leaving figure in wonder.
A few seconds later, the long bangs that shadow her face get blown away by the sudden wind coming from the left.
When she looked, Cheonghyeon gave her a grin, sitting behind the fan.
“Not so hot anymore?”
“...no.” It’s a bit cold, actually.
Iwol didn’t say anything when Cheonghyeon went back to her piano with a happy hum.
It happened again during practice.
Spark’s practice room isn’t hot, per se, more that it’s just slightly colder than average room temperature. It wasn’t a bother, so nobody said anything.
Then came Kim Iwol-unnie with her Rapunzel-like hair.
Spark’s eldest always had great stamina. She would be the only one standing when everyone else is laid limp on the floor, but she would also sweat the most.
Somehow, the other five members convinced their manager that it would be very beneficial to have their practice room get two air conditioners.
“It’s cold.” Kim Iwol notes, entering the newly renovated room for the first time.
“It won’t be after we start.” Kang Kiyeon scoffs. Her still cyan hair had a nice bounce as she walked over to the edge where they usually put their bags.
It was a great idea for Kiyeon to have a bob cut. Iwol briefly considers if they should take pictures before practicing. They’re wearing their matching black practice outfit, so that counts for some harmony points maybe.
Her thoughts are cut when someone gathers her hair into one by her neck. Looking behind her shoulder, it was Spark’s leader, Jeong Seongbin.
The teen gave a smile. “Unnie, shall I tie your hair for you?”
Iwol blinks. “Do what you want.”
“Should I put it into a bun?”
Somehow, it turns into a semi-hair styling session where Iwol sat in front of the mirror-for-walls in their practice room. She could see Seongbin behind her and the other four members behind their leader, looking down to Iwol’s hair.
‘Why are they not warming up?’ Iwol ponders. ‘This won’t take that long.’
“Can she even have a bun?” Choi Jeho critically eyed her hair.
“Won’t it be this big minimal?” Cheonghyeon makes a circular motion. It’s definitely too big for the usual bun, considering her hair.
“Just braid it.” Iwol sighs.
“You always put it into a braid…” Park Joowoo notes, eyeing with interest as Seongbin dutifully separates Iwol’s hair into three sections. “Does it not stick to your neck?”
“Of course it does.”
“Why don’t you buy something to keep this much hair up?” Jeho tugs at the ends of her hair on the floor.
“Maybe later.”
Seongbin hums in thought. “Maybe after braiding it we can put it into a proper bun?”
‘We?’
“It definitely won’t be comfortable practicing with that much hair down your back anyway.” Kiyeon comments. “Hurry up, we have a new choreography to memorize.”
Cheonghyeon groaned.
.
.
.
During the surgery, the doctors had cut her hair to shoulder-length.
It’s not like she’s angry. It felt odd to have her hair short like this. She’s pretty sure the only time she ever experienced this much hair is when she was a baby. It just kept growing since.
She kept doing habits she never realized she did. Like flipping her hair behind, fiddling with the hair on the front, or gathering her hair as if she’s about to tie them into a ponytail.
It’s odd.
There’s a mirror in the hospital room. Iwol for the first time in her life stares at the reflection where she has short hair. Rubbing the ends of her now short hair, she made a decision.
The time Kim Iwol made her surprise appearance on IDC, she had her hair cut short to her ears.
A new memory for a new life. Isn’t it only fair?
[▶️: ‘Ms. Kim, don’t you know? A woman’s greatest weapon is her hair. What to do now if you don’t even have that? Ah, it must mean you were free to have time to cut it, yes? Why not work on this and make a great example to your new juniors?]