* * *

Jeongseo’s mouth slowly fell open, unable to close.

Pyo Yoontae wondered internally if what he said had been that shocking.

Did Jeongseo seriously think the hat was nice and wear it sincerely?

Although the vibrant, bright colors looked somewhat cute because Jeongseo wore them, they were something almost impossible for anyone else to pull off.

As Pyo Yoontae reconsidered Jeongseo’s sense of fashion, Jeongseo spoke gloomily.

“…My grandma knitted it for me. Is it… really that weird?”

Pyo Yoontae’s eyelids twitched slightly.

Oh, crap.

Lee Hyunsoo swallowed hard and glanced at Pyo Yoontae.

The hand that was about to rest on Jeongseo’s shoulder froze awkwardly midair, and Yoontae’s yellow eyes were filled with unease.

Even someone like Yoontae seemed utterly thrown off.

It made sense—he was the gentlest toward Jeongseo among everyone.

In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere turned icy.

Lee Hyunsoo quietly stepped back and then scurried away, grateful he hadn’t said anything himself.

Meanwhile, Pyo Yoontae, fidgeting with the knitted hat, felt his mouth dry up as he looked at Jeongseo, who had grown visibly dejected.

His grandma had made it?

Pyo Yoontae desperately wished he could rewind time and slap his own mouth shut before that terrible comment escaped.

He had to fix this fast.

Faster than solving a practice test problem, his brain scrambled for a solution.

“…I want to wear it, so take it off. Where’d you find such an adorable hat?”

It sounded forced even to him.

Naturally, Jeongseo wasn’t naive enough to fall for it.

He glanced at Yoontae with a sulky look and strode toward the classroom.

“Hey, Jeongseo! It’s adorable! Seo Jeongseo!”

Dripping with cold sweat, Pyo Yoontae could only trail behind him.

Although Jeongseo kept pouting, he stubbornly refused to take off the hat, as if he were hiding something underneath.

During class, seated behind Jeongseo, Pyo Yoontae couldn’t stop staring at the back of his head.

---

On the first Saturday of December, Jeongseo’s hair turned completely white.

It happened every year, but this time, his attention was unusually drawn to it, and his pale hair didn’t look all that appealing to him.

Staring at himself in the mirror, Jeongseo realized that during this “shedding” phase, not only did his hair lighten, but his eyelashes and eyebrows also subtly faded.

It was something he hadn’t noticed before, having never scrutinized himself closely.

He really needed to start wearing hats again.

“Where’d you get such a ridiculous hat, Jeongseo? Take it off. Do you want to be a clown?”

Pyo Yoontae’s cutting words and the stares of other kids replayed in his mind.

Last year, none of this had bothered him, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Jeongseo touched the treasured hat his grandmother had knitted, hanging on the wall hook.

“Jeongseo, always wear a warm hat when you go out in the winter, or else naughty kids might snatch all your hair away!”

Since he was little, his grandmother had emphasized the importance of wool hats.

Jeongseo had grown used to wearing one whenever he went out, except when hiking behind his house.

Looking back, it seemed like it was meant to conceal his uniqueness.

As much as he cherished his grandmother’s hat, Jeongseo also felt it was too flashy to wear to school. Perhaps it was time to find another solution.

While fiddling with his phone, Jeongseo’s white-tipped ears perked up.

“That’s it!”

He’d found a perfect way to hide both his hair and ear color.

Jeongseo prepared to head out. When he returned from town, he was holding hair dye.

He had planned to go to a salon but found them all crowded, being the weekend.

Looking online, he saw that dyeing didn’t require bleaching and seemed simple enough to do at home.

Jeongseo chose a dark chocolate shade resembling his natural hair color and decided to try dyeing it himself for the first time.

Equipped with black clothing to avoid stains, he opened the box containing a foam hair dye.

Inside were the dye bottle, plastic gloves, a plastic gown, a comb, and conditioner.

After thoroughly reading the instructions, Jeongseo donned the gloves with determination and picked up the bottle.

“This should be easy enough!”

Carefully applying the foam dye to every strand of his hair and even the outer edges of his ears, Jeongseo laughed at his reflection.

The white foam gradually turned the color of mocha cream, making his appearance oddly amusing. He snapped a selfie with a grin.

“I should send this to Hyung later.”

Pocketing his phone, Jeongseo wrapped his hair in the provided plastic cover and stepped out of the bathroom.

With 20 minutes to spare, he decided to watch a gameplay video he hadn’t finished.

But soon, his scalp began to tingle.

Recalling that mild irritation was normal, he ignored it—until the tingling turned to burning, accompanied by an unbearable itch.

Panicking, Jeongseo rushed back to the bathroom, instincts screaming at him to wash it off immediately.

After rinsing thoroughly, his hair remained unevenly dyed, with most of it still white.

But the uneven coloring wasn’t the issue.

Jeongseo’s rounded ears had turned red, swollen, and itchy. His neck was breaking out in hives.

Realizing the seriousness, Jeongseo paled.

The swelling seemed to have stopped, but the irritation persisted. He had to go to the hospital.

However, the bus he took earlier was the last one for the night.

“What do I do now?”

Unable to scratch the itchy, burning spots, Jeongseo gripped his collar in frustration.

Grasping his phone, he hesitated before dialing the “red-roofed uncle.”

After a few rings, a loud, boisterous voice answered amidst chaotic background noise.

“Jeongseo! What’s up?”

The uncle’s naturally loud voice made Jeongseo hold the phone away from his ear.

Amidst the noise of lively trot music, a sinking feeling overcame him.

“Are you outside right now?”

“Huh? What? Can’t hear ya! I’m out with the neighborhood folks having dinner!”

Figures. Jeongseo bit his lip.

“Never mind! Enjoy your meal!”

Hanging up, Jeongseo examined his ears and neck.

Thankfully, the swelling had stopped, but the itching and burning persisted.

Could it get better with time?

Though he wasn’t struggling to breathe—a sign of severe allergy—his nerves wouldn’t settle.

Unwilling to worry his mom or brother, Jeongseo tried to reassure himself.

As his thoughts wandered, Pyo Yoontae’s face came to mind.

But Jeongseo immediately dismissed the idea.

How could he ask for help from the person who had made him dye his hair in the first place?

“…It’ll be fine,” he murmured, trying to calm his racing heart.

Jeongseo avoided touching his head as much as possible, pacing restlessly on the floor.

He busied himself checking things like whether the water bucket was sufficiently filled or if the electric blanket was working properly.

Doing nothing made his thoughts drift into negativity, and his focus unconsciously shifted outward.

The cold air carried a faint moisture, hinting that rain—or perhaps snow—might fall.

As the damp chill brushed through his lungs, Jeongseo felt oddly reassured.

Sitting on the porch, he checked his ears and nape with a small hand mirror when his phone rang.

The name displayed on the screen was none other than Pyo Yoontae.

His chestnut-brown eyes trembled slightly.

He stared at the phone for a moment before finally answering.

“Hello?”

“Jeongseo, what are you doing?”

“Me… I’m just sitting on the porch.”

There was no immediate reply.

Wondering if the call had disconnected, Jeongseo checked his phone, but it was still connected.

“Yoontae?”

“Is something wrong? You don’t sound well, Jeongseo.”

Even after just a few words, Pyo Yoontae immediately sensed that something was off.

His perceptiveness was sharp as always.

When Jeongseo didn’t respond, Yoontae asked if he was feeling unwell.

Hearing his worried voice, Jeongseo unconsciously gave an honest answer.

“…Actually, I was dyeing my hair, and now my ears are swollen, and my neck’s all red with rashes.”

After a brief silence, Pyo Yoontae responded without asking any further questions.

“I’m coming over.”

---

Just over 20 minutes later, Jeongseo heard the unfamiliar sound of a car beyond the gate.

Seobok, who had been resting inside, barked loudly, and Jeongseo froze stiff by the gate.

He couldn’t wear a hat because of his aching ears, leaving his starkly white hair exposed.

Although he had prepared himself for Yoontae’s visit, facing him with this hair made him nervous.

What kind of reaction would Yoontae have?

“I’m here, Jeongseo.”

“Ah…!”

Opening the gate cautiously, Jeongseo met Yoontae’s eyes immediately.

Wearing a navy fleece hoodie, Yoontae moved his lips as if to speak but stopped when Jeongseo came fully into view.

Though his hair was patchily discolored in places, the overall effect was fluffy and stark white, with lighter-than-usual lashes to match.

Yoontae had expected something unusual from the mention of hair dye but seeing it in person felt entirely different.

It was unmistakable—it was him.

Yoontae stared at the anxious Jeongseo, his eyes darting nervously.

He reached out, causing Jeongseo to flinch noticeably when his wrist was grasped.

“Let’s go to the hospital first.”

Yoontae’s voice was calm as he started walking toward his car parked outside the alley.

Among all the reactions Jeongseo had anticipated, this composed demeanor hadn’t been one of them.

* * *