When I hear the three words “front hair,” I usually respond with, “What’s wrong with my front hair?” and don’t pay much attention. Even if I do care, no one immediately attributes meaning to the phrase “front hair.”
I’m no different. Being far from the type who fusses over appearances, I don’t often think about front hair. It’s only when it gets too long and bothers my eyes that I feel it needs to change.
But the front hair of girlfriends, women, is different. Even men who pay attention to their grooming focus most on their front hair when styling their hair.
Even though I wasn’t particularly interested, seeing my girlfriends in group chats with their front hair styled or occasionally adjusting it in front of mirrors made me realize they cared deeply about it.
In a household where minor squabbles were common but serious incidents rare, an unprecedented event occurred.
“Why?! What happened?”
Galvanized by Milky Way’s scream, Yubin—who had shown no interest in the bathroom—and SuA, who was playing games in the living room, rushed over. They thought something dire had happened, given Milky Way’s unusual scream. Upon seeing her reflection in the mirror, they froze.
“Green. Your front hair…”
“What can we do?”
Even SuA, whose reaction wasn’t big, covered her mouth, clearly shocked. Hayang, Yura, and I stood there, unable to do anything, paralyzed by Milky Way’s scream.
All eyes turned to us, and Milky Way snapped out of her daze as if trying to run away.
The first person she saw was me.
Her neatly arranged front hair was cleanly cut at a diagonal, as if done with scissors.
Already having seen herself in the mirror, Milky Way disliked showing me this new look. Or perhaps she felt embarrassed. She abruptly left her seat and ran out of the bathroom.
“Milky Way!”
I urgently called after her, but she didn’t stop. She sprinted down the hallway to her room and slammed the door shut. The bathroom was silent, and I noticed her fallen hair on the floor.
And here we are now.
Yura, who cut Milky Way’s front hair short, sighed deeply while looking at the collected strands.
My girlfriends’ expressions were equally troubled.
Amidst this, I wondered how significant front hair really is.
I already knew front hair was important and that everyone paid close attention to it.
But couldn’t a slightly shorter haircut be fixed with some adjustments? I thought.
Of course, I couldn’t voice this.
The atmosphere was tense, and even though Yura cut Milky Way’s hair, I was the one who caused it.
Accidentally nudging Yura’s elbow while fiddling with Hayang’s hair, the scissors plunged deeper than intended while she was cutting Milky Way’s front hair.
Thankfully, Milky Way’s face wasn’t injured, but saying it was just fortunate seemed inappropriate.
“What should we do?”
No one answered Yubin’s question. While it might seem like a simple issue of someone’s front hair being cut too much, the fact that it’s Milky Way makes it crucial.
Since dating my girlfriends, I’ve only seen Milky Way change her hairstyle once. She got a perm on Yura’s advice to change her look. That time, she changed her hairstyle to please me.
After that, Milky Way’s hairstyle remained unchanged.
While others had occasional major changes, Milky Way barely altered her hairstyle, even going to the salon for minimal trims.
Knowing this, my girlfriends were worried too.
“We need to apologize first.”
Yura, who had a troubled expression, glanced at Milky Way’s room.
“I don’t have the courage to face her right now.”
We all heard Milky Way’s first scream. I could understand, but my girlfriends, who had been with me for years, had never heard her scream before.
None of us could predict her mood now.
She might be furious or shocked enough to cry.
The problem was predicting which side she’d be on and hoping it wouldn’t be either.
Though not saying it directly, everyone wished she wasn’t angry.
But wishing for any particular emotion was impossible. Ultimately, changing her front hair was something only Milky Way could decide.
Yura’s usually calm eyes visibly trembled.
“What if Green thinks he doesn’t want to see me anymore?”
“No matter what, he wouldn’t say such a thing.”
Despite trying to comfort Yura, who lost confidence quickly, it seemed my words weren’t getting through.
“Let’s go apologize together. After all, it was my fault for bumping into Yura’s arm. Even if there’s blame, it lies with me.”
“Oh, why did I suggest cutting her hair? I should have just taken her to a shop.”
Yura enjoys having her hair touched and is skilled, but she isn’t a professional. We trusted her abilities despite not being a professional, and now I felt responsible for the outcome.
“Let’s go together. We can’t leave Milky Way alone like this.”
“Yeah.”
With all our anxious gazes behind us, Yura took my hand and we stood in front of Milky Way’s room.
Promising not to panic if we found her crying, I knocked carefully.
“Milky Way, may I come in?”
“Kyaaa!”
A short scream followed by rustling sounds. Without a direct answer, I thought we needed to enter to talk, so I opened the door.
The brightly lit room revealed Milky Way under the covers, hiding herself completely on the bed.
Noticing our presence, she shifted uncomfortably under the covers.
“Milky Way.”
“Yes, yes.”
Her trembling voice suggested she had completely lost confidence.
“Can I pull back the covers?”
Her response was immediate.
“Green, I’m sorry. I offered to cut your front hair, but I messed it up.”
“Sorry, Yura. You were focused, but I bumped your elbow.”
Milky Way remained silent. However, she wasn’t entirely still.
She seemed to be pulling back the covers, and soon her face appeared.
Though her front hair was messy, the clean-cut lines remained.
“…”
I pondered what to say about her front hair.
After apologizing, I thought I would respond based on her reaction, but Milky Way neither got angry nor cried.
She simply looked at me with uneasy eyes, as if waiting for me to say something.
Yura, who had apologized earlier, also looked at me.
Regardless of whether I was right or wrong, I realized I was the one influencing Milky Way’s mood at this moment.
“How about considering it a new style? You’ve kept the same style for a while. Maybe it will help change your mood…”
Realizing my words were inadequate, I tried to think of something appropriate.
Her eyes, though uneasy, weren’t filled with tears. Before I could signal for advice, someone grabbed my neck.
“Sorry, Green. Just a moment.”
Yubin, who had entered the room unnoticed, grabbed me and pulled me out of Milky Way’s room.
Hayang and SuA were also there. As soon as Yura and I entered, they approached closely to listen to our conversation.
A few seconds later, Yura also came out of Milky Way’s room.
“Brother, what are you saying?”
“Huh? What did I do wrong?”
If anything, bumping Yura’s arm while she was cutting hair was the biggest mistake. Although I sensed issues with my previous statement, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
“Considering it a style change? This wasn’t because Green wanted it this way.”
“…But since it’s already cut, what can we do?”
“Who asked you to find a solution?”
I was stunned by Yubin’s words. Shouldn’t we be figuring out a way to ease Milky Way’s mood? Since her front hair is cut, shouldn’t we accept the situation and adjust our mindset?
“If we were going to find a solution, I would have asked for the cell activator.”
“There’s no way we can use that now.”
“I know.”
I couldn’t grasp which part of Yubin’s forceful speech to understand.
This was the first time Milky Way had shown such intense emotional changes. Though I hadn’t noticed significant changes upon meeting, running out of the bathroom after screaming indicated the situation was overwhelming.
“Still, accepting it seems to be the only option.”
“Brother, how would you feel if someone suddenly changed your hairstyle without your consent?”
“Huh?”
“How do you think you’d feel? And it’s not even a style you like.”
“It would make me very upset, right?”
“That’s right. But then telling me ‘it’s a style change’?”
“Ah…”
Now I understood Yubin’s point. Demanding acceptance without understanding the issue appears abrupt and dismissive.
If this happened to me, I’d be hurt, and I’d prefer my girlfriend to comfort me rather than finding a solution.
“What should we do? It’s already done.”
“There’s no other choice but to apologize more.”
Especially since the person who caused Milky Way’s front hair to be cut suggested it was a style change, feeling no pain would be strange.
“Milky Way.”
Taking a deep breath, I cautiously opened the door and called her.
On the bed, Milky Way had pulled the covers back, showing only her face and sniffling.
“…What should we do? She looks angry.”
Unable to muster the courage to enter, I cautiously explained the situation to the girls behind me. Seeing Milky Way’s angry face startled me, and hearing about it startled the girls too.
“I don’t know.”
Unable to solve this situation, someone decided to escape.
Though SuA had often nagged Milky Way and argued with Yura, this was the first time she experienced Milky Way being upset due to such an issue.
“SuA.”
Hoping someone would stay, I called out to SuA with a trembling voice. Hearing my voice, SuA paused mid-step and slowly turned around.
“What should I do?”
Unlike her usual detached tone, her voice betrayed fear, as if unsure how to handle the current situation with Milky Way.
“I’ll try to fix it somehow.”
Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to resolve this. Yura shouldn’t bear the guilt.
Since I caused it, I must take the lead in solving it.
Looking back into the room, Milky Way was standing with her back to the door.
Though scared, I couldn’t just stand there.
“Milky Way.”
Using a cutesy voice, I approached and placed my hand on her shoulder, covered by the blanket.
“Aah.”
Milky Way shook off my touch as if rejecting it.
“Milky Way?”
Turning slightly, I called her name, trying to make eye contact. When our eyes met, she turned away from me.
“Sorry. I was too insensitive. I love how you look, regardless of your style.”
After trailing off, I watched her reaction, but there was none.
“I…”
“Hmm?”
Focusing intently, I approached Milky Way, who was turning away.
“I tried to maintain the style you liked most, but…”
I realized for the first time that Milky Way hadn’t made significant changes to her style since we first met.
Milky Way maintained the style she had when we first met and started dating.
“The front hair was suddenly cut, and I don’t know how to handle it. Saying it’s a style change…”
Milky Way’s voice began to tremble. The reason was me, but it wasn’t the main issue.
Milky Way was upset for a simpler reason.
Feeling hurt, a boyfriend dismissed it lightly.
It would be strange if she wasn’t upset, making me regret my actions just minutes ago.
As my voice trembled, my grip tightened on the blanket.
Before thinking of what to do, I reached into the blanket and held Milky Way’s tense hand.
“Sorry. I should have considered your feelings more.”
This wasn’t a frequent mistake. It was simply a result of complacency.
Unlike others, Milky Way rarely shows her emotions and has small mood swings.
Thus, I assumed she wouldn’t get angry over such things.
How foolish. Her personality and traits don’t matter. Milky Way is just a normal girl.
“…I’m still upset.”
Though her grip loosened, Milky Way still wore a sullen expression.
Unconsciously, I found her sullen face cute.
“Yes. I’ll stay by your side until you’re not upset. If you’re not, I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me.”
“Really? You won’t change your mind later?”
“Yes. No changing my mind. Promise.”
Holding Milky Way’s hand, I extended my pinky finger. She took her hand out from under the blanket and linked pinkies with me.
Though still upset, she seemed to relax slightly knowing I’d stay by her side until she felt better. She rested her head on my shoulder.
In a few months, it’ll be a year since Yubin and I started dating. We’ll gradually reach that milestone.
Even after a year, there’s still so much I don’t know. Despite living together, there’s still so much I don’t know.
Surely, I’ll learn more, but realizing the importance of another lesson struck me.
In daily life and relationships, don’t trivialize each other’s matters.
Something I consider trivial could be extremely important to my girlfriend.
There’s no change in that. Depending on how you react to the same result, it greatly affects your girlfriend’s mood.
Reflecting on this, I sat quietly on the bed, holding Milky Way’s hand until her mood improved.
