IH Ch 116

Chapter 116

“……”

Jae-i looked at Ahn Yuna.

“Twenty minutes?”

“Do you want to leave earlier?”

There was nothing to do here anyway. Staying any longer felt pointless. When he simply stared at her in silent honesty, Yuna lifted her shoulders.

“Then you may go ahead. It’s the weekend—unless a gate appears, the guildmaster won’t be needed.”

Before the sentence even finished, Jae-i rose to his feet and looked down at Dohwa.

“Let’s go.”

Dohwa glanced at Ahn Yuna, as though asking Is it really okay? Yuna softened her expression.

“Yes, go home early and rest. All of us have worked hard this past week.”

“…I’ll see you next time.”

Dohwa bowed politely as he stood, but then Yuna spoke again, as if suddenly remembering something.

“Dohwa, are you cutting your hair today?”

Dohwa reached instinctively for the back of his head. He wasn’t sure whether to call it cut off or ripped off by the demonic beast, but either way, the damage had left his hair at an awkward length.

It now fell just below his shoulders—fine when tied back but uneven and choppy when left loose. The asymmetry bothered Jae-i so much that his expression had grown murderous every time he looked at Dohwa’s hair. During breaks in the shoot, he had even begun watching hairdressing videos. He had acquired a pair of professional shears and had been turning them between his fingers, trying to grow accustomed to the feel.

His “intent” was obvious.

If he set his mind to it, there was little he couldn’t do—but cutting someone else’s hair was an entirely different matter. What if he ruined Dohwa’s appearance?

Everyone—Dohwa included—turned to stare at him.

With that blunt face, Jae-i only said:

“I’ll handle it. Don’t concern yourself with useless things.”

Once inside the car, Dohwa buckled himself in, then looked at him.

“Should I drive?”

“No.”

“You’re tired.”

“……”

“You’ve been shooting nonstop the past few days.”

At that, Jae-i recalled the week behind him.

He was not the type to dwell on the past; a day ended when it ended. To him, most days were disposable. But this past week—no, this whole seven days—had been memorable. Because he had spent it doing things he would normally never do.

Truthfully, without Dohwa by his side, he would have quit by midday. Even if all of this was necessary for his plans, standing before cameras and facing crowds had been deeply uncomfortable.

All he really did was change into different clothes and stand before shifting backdrops. Could that be considered difficult? Day after day, he left at dawn and returned late at night, yet he felt no physical exhaustion. The ones truly suffering were those editing, adjusting, and designing the final product.

For hunters like him, being fussed over by others was unusual. Yet the seriousness in Dohwa’s expression—the concern in his eyes—made something quiet and warm stir within him. Worried that Jae-i might be struggling, Dohwa looked at him with such sincerity that it tightened something in his chest.

Gripping the steering wheel, then relaxing his hand, Jae-i subtly leaned toward him. Dohwa, who had yet to fasten his own belt properly, instantly wrapped his arms around him.

For Jae-i to rest his head on Dohwa’s shoulder, he needed to bend his large frame quite a bit. It was hardly a comfortable position, yet he pushed in closer, burrowing into Dohwa’s arms as if it were instinct.

He rubbed his cheek against Dohwa’s shoulder—an action foreign to him. He had never done something like this with anyone in his life. It felt awkward… but not unpleasant. Knowing that Dohwa welcomed him made it strangely easy.

He closed his eyes.

“Are you really cutting my hair today?”

“……”

Without lifting himself, he tilted his head slightly. His eyes narrowed at the strands resting on Dohwa’s shoulder.

Dohwa clearly disliked having long hair—it got in the way—but Jae-i liked the feeling of running his fingers through it. And that damn demonic beast—

The resentment toward the creature he had kept locked in a remote corner of his building surged again, but Jae-i forced his tone to be calm.

“You’re uncomfortable too. Leaving it as is isn’t an option.”

“It’s fine.”

“You keep flipping through haircut magazines.”

“……”

Ah. He’d noticed.

Dohwa looked away awkwardly.

There had been reasons for his interest. The set had been stocked with all kinds of things—wardrobe pieces, wigs, styling tools, props, fashion magazines. Dohwa had naturally picked up one such magazine—one filled exclusively with men’s hairstyles. At first, seeing Dohwa staring at full-page spreads of strange men’s faces had made Jae-i scowl in confusion… until he realized Dohwa was studying the haircuts, not the faces.

“…I haven’t had short hair since I was really young.”

“……”

“Short hair looks clean and cool and… well… anyway, I really don’t mind how it is now.”

As he rambled, almost as if making excuses, Jae-i pulled him tighter. Dohwa patted the arms wrapped firmly around him.

Though he had watched the videos, he had not practiced. He had simply spun the scissors between his fingers—so much so that one guild member had asked if it was a new weapon.

If he messed up, what then? He should have asked the stylist on set—but he didn’t want anyone else touching Dohwa.

He didn’t understand why he felt that way, only that it was unavoidable.

The risk of failure was high, but he wanted to try.

“If anything feels uncomfortable, tell me.”

“Mm.”

Dohwa answered obediently. He sat cross-legged on a large sheet of plastic spread across the living room floor, wrapped in an oversized drape with only his face exposed, looking ridiculous—but not at all uneasy.

Meanwhile, crouched before him with two pairs of shears in hand, Jae-i looked intensely serious.

“……”

Was this right?

He had never hesitated when trying something new—yet now was different. And it was Dohwa’s gentle encouragement that pushed him forward. Dohwa tapped his leg twice with his toe.

“I’m really fine. Just do it.”

“If I mess up—”

“Then I’ll just let it grow out again.”

Closing his eyes, Dohwa tilted his head forward slightly, silently urging him to begin.

Seeing the strands falling past his eyebrows, Jae-i moved in front of him and sat.

“…Alright.”

He would try once—if it went poorly, he’d stop immediately. He could always take Dohwa to his usual salon afterward.

Jae-i grasped the metal shears, letting their coldness fade against his palm before sliding his fingers through the rings and lifting them.

The hair slid naturally between the parted blades. Adjusting the length to just above the eyebrows, he pressed down.

Snip.

With that crisp sound, strands fell across Dohwa’s cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Without thinking, Jae-i brushed them away.

After evening out the fringe, he gently combed it, then switched to thinning shears to soften the lower layers. Moving around Dohwa slowly, he trimmed with meticulous patience.

“……”

Only the sound of cutting filled the room. Sometimes Jae-i forgot to breathe.

As he grew more accustomed to the scissors, he lifted sections of longer outer hair and carefully trimmed the inside layers too. Ah—so this is where those clips are useful. If he pinned the hair, cutting would be easier. Keeping his head down, he focused on shaping the nape, repeatedly warming the cold shears in his hand so they wouldn’t shock Dohwa’s skin.

Though Dohwa’s eyes were closed, he felt it all—the warmth of his hands, the rhythm of the scissors. It relaxed him so deeply he felt he might fall asleep. Blinking away drowsiness, he slowly opened his eyes.

Without his noticing, Jae-i had positioned himself directly in front of him, one knee up, brushing his fingertips through Dohwa’s fringe to check the length. He swept a lock behind Dohwa’s ear, paused, and then snipped a little more.

Snip. Dohwa’s shoulder twitched at the sensation.

“Does it hurt?”

Dohwa, about to shake his head, steadied himself and answered softly.

“Not at all.”

If anything, Jae-i was the one working harder.

Dohwa blinked as the scissoring continued. When Jae-i lowered the shears, he brushed away the tiny hairs clinging to his cheeks with slow precision. No matter how much he swept, more remained. Lifting Dohwa’s chin, he blew gently across his neck—fuu—but scarcely half fell away. Washing might be easier.

Under the cape, Dohwa raised his hand and scratched at his jaw curiously.

“Should I wash my hair?”

Seems they had the same thought. But before that, he wanted Dohwa to see what he had done. Despite his hesitation, the result wasn’t bad. Not by a professional’s standards—but nothing catastrophic. Definitely not bad enough to require an emergency trip to the salon.

Just as he was about to speak—

“Should we shower together?”

“……”

Jae-i froze.

He had been about to ask if Dohwa wanted a hand mirror to check the back—

but instead, Dohwa had just said something unbelievable.

There was no mishearing it.

Expression soft and terribly calm, Dohwa waited.

Without a moment of hesitation, Jae-i nodded—deep and firm.