“Hair dye…?”
“Yes, I’ve already thought about the color.”
“No, suddenly what…?”
I couldn’t help but be taken aback by Han Si-woo’s sudden hair dye proposal.
But I had no choice.
By the time I heard that, I was already standing in front of the shop.
“I’ve… never dyed my hair in my entire life…”
I had never dyed my hair in either my past or present life.
The first reason being, I didn’t have the money to waste until before my idol debut.
Next…
“And I like my hair as it is…”
I liked my current black hair.
This body’s—Ha Ye-rin’s—figure had no imperfections.
That includes my hair.
My hair was so shiny, it felt like touching silk.
But if I dyed it, wouldn’t all that softness and shine fade away?
As if peering into my heart, Han Si-woo lightly tapped my shoulder and began his persuasion.
“Of course, I think Ye-rin looks great with black hair. But as an idol, dyeing is essential.”
“But…”
“And these days, there are good products, and if you manage it well after dyeing, your hair can return to its previous condition.”
“……”
As I contemplated Han Si-woo’s continued persuasion, he struck with a final blow.
“Especially, the fans want to see Ye-rin with dyed hair.”
“…!”
Bringing up fans like that was low blow.
Reluctantly, I nodded my head.
“Sigh… then fine, let’s do it.”
“Good choice!”
Han Si-woo led me into the shop with a meaningful smile.
“You’ll love it once it’s done.”
Thus, my dyeing began.
Or rather, it wasn’t just dyeing.
“First, we’ll do bleaching.”
“Bleaching? But I came to dye my hair…”
When the designer said she would bleach, I tilted my head, and she giggled as she began applying the substance to my hair.
“Hehe, so cute. To get the original color to show nicely, we need to bleach it~ We’ll do it two or three times.”
Not long after, I began to feel that something was wrong.
My hair began to feel as hot as if a boiling pot were placed on my head.
“Um… ma’am, this…”
“Everything’s going well~”
“Oh… okay…”
After a few hours, I finally faced the results of all the bleaching and dyeing.
“Tada, it’s done.”
“Oh……”
Han Si-woo and the designer said I would be dyed platinum blonde.
Not exactly knowing what platinum blonde was, I pictured a tanned blonde delinquent from a Japanese manga…
“It’s beautiful…”
“Right?”
The result was not like that at all.
It was actually closer to white than blonde, resembling an elf from a fantasy world.
“……”
Seeing my reflection in the mirror with the different hair color felt strange.
I felt like I had become a completely different person from when I was black-haired Ye-rin.
But that feeling wasn’t entirely bad.
‘Is this what a change of mood feels like?’
Having exhausted myself from practice, my body was tired, and my heart was still heavy…
But seeing my new hair made me feel a little of that fatigue lift.
Noticing that I liked the color, the designer smiled happily and said,
“The color turned out great; but as it fades a bit in the future, it’ll look even prettier.”
“…Thank you.”
Thus, my hair dyeing operation concluded successfully.
I could tell how well my new hair suited me by my manager oppa’s reaction when he came to pick me up.
“Ye-rin, hurry to the car… wow…”
For reference, my manager oppa was a veteran road manager who had previously overseen two idol groups before Rookies.
He was kind but maintained strict boundaries and never engaged in personal conversations with us.
But the usually stoic manager oppa gazed at me with wide eyes in awe.
“…Ye-rin, you’re really pretty.”
“Really…? The hair color isn’t weird?”
“No, it suits you perfectly. Of course, the black hair suited you, but this new look is also great.”
He genuinely gave me a thumbs up.
My manager oppa’s admiration wasn’t the end of it.
Today was a rare day with no schedules, so the Rookies members were resting at the dormitory.
Ding ding.
Thud.
As soon as I entered, the members rushed out upon hearing about my new dye.
“I’m back…”
“Sister-!!”
The first to go wild was Seo Yoo-jin.
Seo Yoo-jin loved my hair a lot.
“I heard! You dyed your hair! But sister looks amazing with black hair, why…!”
And then…
“……!”
Seo Yoo-jin, who had rushed to the entrance, covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed when she saw my hair color.
“……”
“Is it… weird?”
It was the first time Seo Yoo-jin looked so serious without throwing compliments.
As I felt nervous…
“…Absolutely gorgeous.”
“……”
“…Or perhaps a goddess?”
Seo Yoo-jin’s serious expression was just to make an even bigger compliment.
“Wowww-! Sister! You’re beautiful! How can you be this pretty?!”
Seo Yoo-jin yelped and dove into my embrace while the other members started chiming in with their praises.
“Oh…, it suits you so well!”
“The color turned out great~”
“Really? I’m relieved, hehe.”
With Seo Yoo-jin and everyone else praising the outcome, I finally felt at ease.
Moreover…
Whoosh.
As I washed my hair, following the designer’s advice, it felt like the color was getting more beautiful, and I felt incredibly satisfied.
So, after a refreshing mood change and enjoying a long-awaited sweet break…
“Have you arrived?”
“Yes!”
We had dinner and headed to Han Si-woo’s practice room earlier than usual.
Since we had no schedule, we decided to start practice in the evening rather than late at night.
Today was particularly special…
“Alright, now I will reveal the Rookies’ third activity song as promised.”
Today was the day when Han Si-woo would play the third song he worked on for us.
Gulp.
Han Si-woo was arguably the best music producer in South Korea, and the songs he had given us—[Secret Girl] and [Breaking Bad!]—were truly masterpieces of the highest quality.
So what kind of song would he present us this time?
The members, including myself, waited for Han Si-woo with anxious expressions.
Seeing us, Han Si-woo smiled lightly before he spoke.
“The title of this song is [Meteor falling star].”
“Meteor… what?”
“Yes, it means shooting star,… meteor.”
Han Si-woo was smiling, but upon hearing the title, I couldn’t help but flinch.
For good reason…
‘Meteors don’t stay in the sky forever…’
Meteors draw a short arc in the sky before disappearing just like that.
Much like our doomed fate as a short-lived group, Rookies, when our promised period ends.
I felt bitter as I thought that the title Meteor seemed to reflect our Rookies’ situation.
It seemed like I wasn’t the only one thinking this; Yoo Seol and Lee Hye-jeong’s expressions darkened slightly after hearing the title.
‘…Producer Han Si-woo likely chose it wisely.’
Still, I shook off those thoughts and focused on Han Si-woo’s next words.
As everyone’s attention was on him, Han Si-woo took out his laptop and spoke in a slightly serious tone.
“Everyone, I think Rookies’ achievements this year have been extraordinary.”
“……?”
It was a bit surprising that he suddenly brought up achievements, but the members, including myself, quickly nodded.
After debuting through the popular program Na Ah Ah… in less than 24 hours, we had topped the music streaming sites, and during our debut album’s promotions, we also topped the music shows, among others.
Admittedly, we Rookies had broken some impressive records within just six months of our debut.
“It would be nice to aim for an award at the year-end awards ceremony.”
“Oh….”
At an award ceremony at the end of the year…, could he be talking about the Rookie of the Year award?
Indeed…, there was potential for us Rookies.
“This song will serve to further boost our chances for an award. I’ve poured my heart into it, and you all have worked really hard too.”
After a lengthy preamble, Han Si-woo flashed a playful smile again and hit the play button.
“Let’s give our fans a happy year-end. Here’s Rookies’ third song, [Meteor falling star].”
♩♩♩♬-!!
“……!”
Soon, the intro of [Meteor falling star] flowed from the laptop, and I could only widen my eyes.
Meanwhile, in the YW practice room.
“Alright, let’s take a short break.”
Uwaaa-!!
The members of Python, who had been enduring harsh times in practice preparing for their second album, collapsed into their seats during the break.
YW’s training was notoriously rigorous.
The intense training from YW was something that was hard to get used to, no matter how much time passed.
Maybe that’s why…
“Leader, do you know what’s for dinner tonight?”
“……”
“Leader?”
Python’s leader O Ah-ra seemed lost in thought, staring into space, not even hearing Kanna’s call.
“Leader! Ah-ra-chan!”
“Uh? Ah…, yeah.”
Eventually, O Ah-ra turned her head only after Kanna shouted her name.
Kanna thought that these days, O Ah-ra seemed really off.
She had always been a bit secretive, but these days her state had become concerning enough for the other members.
Over time, an anxious expression had emerged on her face, and she had become noticeably quieter.
But even when the members worryingly asked her…
“Ah-ra-chan, are you feeling unwell? You’ve been talking less lately…”
“…No, I’m okay.”
O Ah-ra just brushed it off while saying she was fine.
Kanna could only sigh in worry and think that there must be something she couldn’t talk about.
With that, Kanna sighed at her concern for O Ah-ra and pulled out her phone.
And then…
“Ahh! Ye-rin-chan dyed her hair?!”
Kanna blushed upon seeing a post on the Rookies’ fan account.
“Blondie is so cute! Ugh… I just want to sneak into the Rookie dorm for a day…”
“Someone’s not a pervert, huh?”
“Let her be; it’s not like this is the first time Kanna’s been like this.”
The other Python members, already aware of how much of a pervert Kanna was, just laughed at her antics.
However, even amid the cheerful atmosphere, one member’s expression remained stiff and silent…
“……”
Of course, it was O Ah-ra.
When the topic of Rookies and Ha Ye-rin came up, O Ah-ra flinched…
“…Why is Rookies still doing so well?”
“Huh? Ah-ra-chan, what do you mean by that?”
Then the other members murmured puzzledly, unable to grasp her words.
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