Guest's steps were heavy, as if lead weights were tied to his ankles. His mind was a mess of apology and guilt. Chae-i was someone who loved lace skirts and sparkling hairpins more than anything in the world.

He knew better than anyone how much she cherished her soft, luscious hair that reached down to her waist, brushing it every day. But Chae-i's guardian, upon finding out about their relationship, had oppressed Chae-i and shaved off all that beautiful hair simply because they didn't like Guest.

On his way to meet his lover, who had become bald overnight because of him, Guest imagined she would be crying in a corner with a hat pulled down low. He bit his lip, wondering what words of comfort or apology he could offer the wounded girl as he reached the meeting place.

As Guest stood with his head bowed, a loud and spirited thumping of footsteps reached his ears from a distance. He reflexively looked up, his eyes widening in shock.

"Hey! Guest!"

A unfamiliar figure was approaching with long strides, swinging both arms back and forth. A round, smooth bald head sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight without even a hat. Incredibly, it was the Chae-i he knew. The image of her always walking modestly and gracefully was gone, replaced by a dignified and confident posture, like a recruit entering boot camp.

"Cha-Chae-i...?"

When the flustered Guest called her name in a trembling voice, Chae-i grinned broadly and gave her bald head a cheerful smack with her palm.

"Yeah, it's me! Man, does a person really change this much just by shaving their head? Every time the wind hits my scalp directly, I feel so refreshed!"

Chae-i burst into a heroic laugh, slapping the shoulder of Guest, who was frozen like a stone in shock.

"I'm thinking of actually going to a Marine Corps camp this time! I don't know how I lived in those stuffy, trailing skirts all this time. For today's date, let's smash a bowl of hot soup each and then go for a mountain run up that hill back there!"

The fragile lover he thought would be shedding floods of tears had transformed into a rough and jovial personality, as if she had shaved away her old character along with her hair.