Cheat day

Celebrity (3)

Saturday, September 16, 2023.

A few days before the first filming of Season 2 of Baek Banchan, I picked up kitchen scissors to cut my hair.

As I was looking in the mirror and cutting my hair, I caught a glimpse of Muk-ji.

She looked shocked, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“What’s wrong?”

“What are you doing?”

“I think my hair is a bit long, so I’m cutting it.”

“Now I understand why Chan-yong’s hair always looked like it had been eaten by a rat.”

Muk-ji approached and took the kitchen scissors from me.

“Go to a hair salon.”

“Uh…”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to spend money on it. Why pay 5,000 won just for a haircut?”

“5,000 won?”

“Isn’t it 5,000 won?”

“When did you ever say that?”

I shrugged, not remembering clearly, and Muk-ji sighed.

“Anyway, please don’t do this alone anymore. Go to a hair salon.”

“I find this convenient.”

“It doesn’t look good.”

“We decided not to care about other people’s opinions.”

“Not caring about others and looking messy are two different things. Please go get a haircut.”

“…It’s not easy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Going to a hair salon. That whole vibe of being social is tough for me.”

“Like what?”

“People ask too many personal questions like ‘What do you do?’ and ‘Where do you live?’ It feels odd, especially when you’re meeting someone for the first time.”

“I see.”

Muk-ji pulled out her phone and sent a message somewhere.

She then sent me a link.

“Where is this?”

“It’s a hair salon run by a YouTuber I used to manage when I was at Hongdangmu.”

“Adam Smith?”

“He got that name because his hands move so quickly that you can’t see them.”

“…Isn’t that dangerous? What if he moves so fast that he cuts your ear or something?”

“That won’t happen.”

“But it could!”

“If you think like that, how do you ride on planes, buses, or subways? Accidents can happen there too.”

“…So I absolutely have to go, huh?”

“Yes.”

“But I’ve been fine living like this without any issues.”

“Your rat-eaten hair has always been a problem. You were just the only one who didn’t think so.”

“As long as I’m okay, it doesn’t matter.”

“Now that I’ll always be next to you, it’s my problem too.”

I couldn’t argue back.

“I don’t even know how to ask for what I want.”

“I’ve already mentioned it. Since you don’t like small talk, I told them not to say anything. Now stop talking back and go already. While you’re at it, get some skin care done too.”

She was so firm that I had no choice but to drive to the salon she introduced me to.

After parking and carefully opening the door, I noticed the staff’s eyes widen in surprise as they looked around.

“Hello.”

The staff bowed and called out to the back.

“Boss! Ban Chan-yong is here!”

Everyone in the salon turned to look at me.

While it had become more common for me to attract attention this way lately, I still wasn’t quite used to it.

In the past, people would ask if they recognized me first, but now it felt burdensome even without anyone speaking to me.

The beauty YouTuber Adam Smith walked out, saying absolutely nothing, and just guided me to my seat.

He didn’t ask what style I wanted or what I did; he just started cutting my hair.

I must have dozed off for a moment.

When I woke up, my hair was mostly done.

“…”

It looked like a hairstyle only celebrities have, which felt awkward, but it was hard to say I didn’t like the effort he had put into it.

Even if I wanted to say something, I didn’t know how to ask him to adjust it, so I just received a shampoo instead.

“Is there any discomfort?”

Adam Smith was the first to speak to me.

“No, it’s comfortable.”

“You were surprised when the staff shouted earlier, right?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine.”

“I’ll tell Chan-yong to be careful next time he comes.”

“Ah, yes. I’m really fine.”

I was surprised at the attention but didn’t mind it too much.

“We often talk about the banchan store. They were probably excited to see you. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. Really, it’s okay. Please don’t say anything.”

“Hehe. Okay.”

After that, there was silence again.

As my hair was being styled, it looked good even to me. The problem was that I couldn’t imagine replicating it at home.

After paying, I left the store.

It wasn’t as bad as I expected, so it seemed alright to stop by when absolutely necessary.

“Chan-yong!”

As I was about to get into my car, I was startled by a sudden call and turned around.

A person I’d never seen before was holding a phone.

“Yes?”

“Could you take a picture with me?”

“Me?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, sure. Okay.”

“Is it okay if I post it on Instagram?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you! I’m a real fan.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t look fat at all in person.”

“Really?”

“Yes! You look so cool.”

I never know how to respond in these situations.

“Ah, please don’t say that. I thought you were saying something nice.”

“Really! You’re really cool.”

“Cough. What do you want?”

“Huh?”

“I can’t give you much money.”

“Hahaha! That’s hilarious. Well, fighting!”

As they bowed their head to greet me, I returned the gesture.

I felt good.

***

Sunday morning, September 24, 2023.

“Ah, Mom. I’m telling you, it’s not like that. Yes, really. Eun-ji is still having a hard time eating. She just wanted to make a good impression on you. If she was picky about food on the first meeting, it might create a bad impression, you know? Yes, it’s true.”

My mother, curious about how my future bride was doing, called me early in the morning.

Even after I told her several times, she didn’t believe me until now, when she reluctantly accepted the truth.

“Is that so?”

“Why are you feeling sorry?”

My mother’s voice was filled with regret.

“Of course I’m feeling sorry. I just thought it would be that way.”

With her son getting married at this age, she must be thinking about grandchildren.

Someday we might have a child, but for now, both Muk-ji and I have a lot we want to do.

There’s a lot to adjust to after appearing on the show, and Muk-ji is also in a learning position regarding planning and editing, so there’s a mountain of things to keep in mind.

As we talk more, we’ll plan for children gradually.

“By the way, how was the broadcast yesterday? Did you watch it?”

“Yes. It was nice to see a place I had been to. You looked good, my son.”

“Good-looking?”

“You got a haircut, right?”

“Oh, Eun-ji recommended the salon.”

“Good for you. You used to walk around looking like a rat had eaten your hair.”

“…”

My mother said the same thing as Muk-ji. Was it really that bad?

“Did you pick up all that trash?”

“Of course. These days, you’ll get in big trouble if you lie about that. By the way, what’s going on at the hospital?”

“They said it’s okay.”

“They say it’s okay every time. Are they really fine?”

“If it were bad, they wouldn’t say it’s fine.”

My mother said this with a laugh. It seems like there’s really nothing wrong, which makes me feel good.

“I’m glad. Yes, rest well.”

I hung up and sank back into the couch.

“Are you awake?”

Muk-ji came out of the bedroom.

“Yes. Eun-ji seemed to be curious about you.”

“I heard a bit; it seems like the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”

“Yes. Yawn.”

I wanted to sleep a little longer, but after the phone call, I felt tired.

I stretched and was about to head back to the bedroom when I noticed the recycling bin.

Since moving in, I had accumulated a lot of cardboard boxes from deliveries.

I also drink bottled water, so empty water bottles were filling the plastic bin.

“I’m going to take out the trash.”

“Okay.”

I grabbed trash with both hands and headed to my designated recycling area.

As I put down the boxes and started sorting the cans and plastics, I sensed someone nearby.

Thinking I was blocking the way, I stepped back, and a fellow resident from the same apartment came up, carrying a bunch of trash.

“Is this the banchan store?”

“Pardon?”

He looked to be in his fifties, and I never imagined he would recognize me.

“Yeah, I thought I recognized you. You live in the same apartment.”

“Oh, yes. Hello.”

I hadn’t washed my face and was still in my pajamas, so I felt embarrassed.

“You don’t look fat at all in person. How’s your health these days?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you. It’s good.”

“Good. I have diabetes too, but as long as I exercise and manage it, I’m fine.”

I didn’t have much else to say, so I just smiled and hurriedly sorted the trash.

“That’s over here.”

“Oh, thank you.”

It seems that in this apartment, plastic must also be sorted for recycling. In my previous place, we only sorted plastics, paper, and cans, so I missed that part.

“Okay.”

“Right. Let’s do our best.”

“Thank you.”

***

While Chan-yong went to take out the trash, I prepared breakfast by pressing the cooking button on the rice cooker and pouring oil into the frying pan.

Chan-yong likes his eggs sunny-side up, so I need to be careful not to break the yolk, but it often ends up a mess when I flip them.

I heard the sound of the front door password being entered.

“I’m back.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Chan-yong went straight to the bathroom and didn’t come out even after I set the breakfast table.

The fried egg was getting cold.

“Phew.”

“Did you take a shower?”

It’s rare to take a shower early in the morning on a Sunday, so while it’s a good thing, it’s a bit strange that his behavior has suddenly changed.

He quietly explained the reason.

“I met some guy at the recycling station, and he recognized me.”

“Oh.”

“I hadn’t washed my face and was still in my pajamas, so I felt a bit embarrassed.”

“I see.”

“Wow, did you prepare breakfast?”

“I just pressed the cooking button and made a fried egg.”

“That’s something! You couldn’t do this before.”

“I still failed at the sunny-side up egg today.”

“I like it when it’s cooked more thoroughly too.”

After eating the fried egg, Chan-yong smiled, and it lifted my mood, so I took a bite too.

“Eun-ji, should we get a water purifier?”

“Didn’t you say bottled water is better?”

Chan-yong hesitated, nibbling his lips before responding.

“That’s true, but it creates a lot of waste.”

“I’m fine either way.”

“Okay, then let’s look at water purifiers together later.”

“Yes.”

After breakfast, I loaded the dishwasher and got ready to go out.

I changed into comfortable clothes and grabbed a trash bag, tongs, and a bottle of water before heading outside.

At first, I was just joining in on Chan-yong’s hobby, but now it felt satisfying both mentally and physically to do something good.

The only difference today was that Chan-yong was wearing a hat and a mask.

“…”

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”