HAIR DYE → MEANIE

15

After Seungcheol lost his wig at the basketball game, Mingyu was unable to locate Wonwoo. He saw him at school after the weekend of the game, but he was so disheartened that he couldn't even bring himself to say hi. He had been sulking for several days.

"Gyu, nothing is going to happen if you keep sulking. You gotta make something happen!" Chan cheered him on. "Sure, Wonwoo is impossible to read, but you can't just give up so easily. You still need to hang out with him."

"He's right," Jeonghan agreed. "For all you know, maybe you won't like him after you hang out with him one time."

"I guess..." Mingyu sighed.

He sat in silence as his other two friends wracked their brain to figure out how to get Mingyu out of his depression hole— he had holed up in his room and only played video games and watched films or shows for the past week.

"Let's go outside, Mingyu. Get some air," Jeonghan stood up and pulled the distraught boy to his feet.

And so, Mingyu, Jeonghan, and Chan all went out. They walked through the city aimlessly, and finally, Jeonghan decided to steer them in direction of the coffee shop that their friends' worked at. Joshua was the only one at the front counter that day. Because Jeonghan was pushing both Chan and Mingyu into the store, Mingyu's tall stature blocked both Jeonghan and Joshua's views.

"Hey, Joshua," Mingyu greeted the boy sadly.

"Geez, Mingyu. What's got you down, buddy?"

"I still haven't made any progress with my crush..."

"That's rough, buddy. Did you try the thing I told you to do? And another iced Americano for you today?" Joshua asked as he put in the order.

"Yes to the iced Americano, no to the thing you told me to do," Mingyu answered with a heavy sigh.

"What'd he tell you to do?" Chan, who was standing right next to Mingyu, asked.

"Oh, I told him that he should try to do something to stand out. Grab his attention," the barista explained. "I'm Joshua, by the way."

"Chan," Chan said as he stuck out his hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you, and Gyu, he's totally right. You gotta be bold! Just rock the world!"

"You seriously did not just quote Red Velvet," Jeonghan piped up from behind the two boys.

Both Mingyu and Chan stepped aside, giving way for Jeonghan to step forward. The second he laid eyes on Joshua, he froze. Jeonghan blinked, then Joshua blinked, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, and if you're actually reading all of this then you're legendary, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, and can you believe I've been writing this book for five years, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Mingyu, then Joshua, then Chan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan, then Joshua, then Jeonghan's face turned red. Joshua's face subsequently turned red as well.

Thinking back to the advice Joshua originally gave him, he was able to connect the dots: the guy that he had a crush on was Jeonghan, and from the looks of it, it seemed like Jeonghan had a crush on Joshua as well. Before Mingyu could even say anything, Seungcheol emerged from the back with snapback on his head, covering his still-pretty-bald head. Chan took a look at Seungcheol before tearing up— he still had yet to come to terms with the fact that Seungcheol went completely bald once again.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Seungcheol greeted the three boys.

"Oh, we were in the area and decided to stop by. We're trying to cheer Mingyu up," Jeonghan's red face immediately subdued as he answered Seungcheol.

"Why is he sad?" Seungcheol asked as if Mingyu wasn't right there to answer his question.

"He's sulking about the fact that he hasn't made any progress with Wonwoo," Chan explained. "Joshua and I said that he should stand out and grab his attention."

"That's not a bad approach, but just don't get too overwhelming, or you could end up scaring him away. What're the orders?"

The boys each told Seungcheol what they wanted, Joshua rang them up, and they took a seat. Jeonghan decided to remain at the register to talk to both Joshua and Seungcheol. Chan and Mingyu were sitting at their table, and Chan was trying to converse with Mingyu, but Mingyu's mind was reeling.

"Gyu? Mingyu! Hey!" Chan waved his hand in front of the tall boy's face, finally grabbing his attention.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking you if you knew about Wonwoo's affinity for guy with dyed hair."

"Wonwoo likes guys with dyed hair?"

"Well, he only really started showing interest in Soonyoung when he bleached his hair. Maybe you should do that, too."

Chan continued to talk, but Mingyu returned to his own world again. He silently resolved to bleaching his hair and dyeing it a color that Wonwoo would not be able to miss— not even from a mile away.