The following week was hectic to say the least. Yoongi's company tried their best to deflect the matters with their upcoming tour. 

During that time, I was busy with my own job.

I arrived at the salon and headed to the back lockers, meeting Seonmi there. 

"Yeonie! Oh my gosh, how are you feeling?" she asked, concern evident in her whisper. 

"I'm doing my best," I said with a sigh, tossing my bag into the locker and tying my hair up. 

"I can't believe Dispatch! They're such sh*tsticks!" she cursed. 

"I know..." 

"Don't worry about it, sweetie. I feel your struggle. I remember exactly when Dispatch caught Tae and I enjoying a peaceful coffee date. We were told we couldn't see each other for weeks until we threw off the cameras and everything. They're so...invasive," she huffed. 

I sighed. 

"It's such bullsh*t. We can't even enjoy being together without someone following us." 

"I know," she said, pulling me into a hug. 

I barely realised my own tears. 

I didn't even know what they were of.

Anger?

Sadness?

Frustration? 

Perhaps all three. 

All I knew, was that I was pretty scared. 

-----

Our co-workers arrived shortly  after us, our customers rolled into the store as usual. 

"Hey, Hyerin," I said to one of my regular customers. 

"Hiya, Yeona. How are you?" 

"I'm good, and you?" 

"I'm great! I got engaged on the weekend!" she exclaimed, waving her hand in the air, the diamond ring glistening in the light. 

"Oh my gosh! I'm so happy for you!" 

"Haha, thank you. So anyway, I was meaning to ask you...is that a wedding ring on your finger?" she said, looking down at my ring. 

"Oh...yeah. It is." 

"OMG! When did you get engaged?" 

"Actually," I started, scratching my head in nervousness. 

"I'm married." 

She gasped. 

"Wow, Yeona! Congratulations! How did you guys meet?" she asked, getting into the chair, fastening the black gown over her clothes. 

"We knew each other in high school." 

"Aww, that's so cute!" she squealed, looking up at me in the mirror.

"So what did you want done today?" 

"The usual - just a trim. And I was actually thinking of going for like...purple highlights? My engagement party is next week so I wanted to try something different." 

 "Sure, I can do that."

I ventured to the back and delved into the bag of hair dyes, showing her the different variations of purple. She eventually decided on a powdery lilac, so I began my work right away, starting with the haircut first.

"So how did you meet your fiancé?" I asked, while giving her hair a rough wash. 

"Well, I met him through a friend. He's my friend's boyfriend's brother. At first we all went out in a group just for fun. Then slowly we started spending more time together. I've known him for about six years now." 

"That's so sweet," I said, snipping away at her raven black tips.  

"Haha. The way he proposed was sweeter. He proposed during the cherry blossom festival, in Yeouido. The sakuras were in full bloom and it was so beautiful. It was like something out of an anime," she reminisced. 

"Aww, that's so romantic." 

"How did yours propose?" 

I chuckled. 

"It was Autumn. He was really busy with work, so I thought that maybe we wouldn't have a chance to be together that week. Then out of the blue, he called me up one day at noon, saying he had the rest of the day off. So, we took a train to the Bukhansan National Park to have some quiet time. And it was so pretty because all the leaves were red and orange. We went down this little path that led up to a little traditional shrine, like a gazebo sort of thing. We decided to go in there to pay our respects. And then he got on one knee and proposed." 

"Awww, how cute~," Hyerin squealed. 

I smiled. It was such a beautiful day and we had so much fun. 

I sighed, thinking about how long it had been since then. Time flies. 

I was about to start dying her tips, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I quickly dived into my jeans pocket and pulled out the device, reading a notification from Yoongi. 

'I talked to PD-nim. He told me I should move back into the dorm for a while until everything calms down. I'm heading to the house now to pick up some stuff, but until then I'll see you soon. 

I love you, babe. Please stay strong for me xx'