I’m A Assistant Hairstylist , Cut Messy Lady`s Hair, My Boss Threatens To Fire,and Later…
Unfair Consequences
I was satisfied that I could bring out that smile, and I tidied up the shop before heading home. The next day during work, the manager called me to the back room. Apparently, a senior employee had seen me cutting the woman’s hair while passing by the shop the previous night.
“Don’t do whatever you want. Do it again and you’re fired,” he warned.
From that day, I wasn’t allowed to assist with clients anymore and was relegated to doing chores only. Even practicing haircuts after closing was prohibited. The confrontations from the manager and the seniors became stronger than before, and I felt like they were pushing me to quit.
Even I began to lose the sense of purpose of working at this shop. While carrying out the mundane tasks every day, I was considering leaving. As I walked into the shop with a heavy heart one day, the manager and staff were buzzing about something.
A Sudden Turn of Events
It seemed a young female researcher featured on TV was being talked about for being excessively beautiful. One of the staff showed me a picture of the woman on his smartphone and came up to me.
“You know her, right?”
It was the senior who had told on me for cutting the woman’s hair. When I responded:
“Indeed, she’s the woman I cut the other day.”
The room erupted. Especially the manager, who was so excited that he was almost dancing, smiled broadly at me. Apparently, the woman had briefly mentioned the hairstylist who cut her hair during an interview, and people were buzzing about which salon she had gone to.
Seeing it as perfect publicity, the manager, changing his attitude completely, praised me for my work and asked if there was any way to get in touch with the woman. Baffled by his quick change, I could only give a vague reply, to which the manager cheerfully patted my shoulder. He told me to do my best and said I could practice cuts as much as I liked from now on.
He also said that I might become the poster stylist for the shop, so I should start learning to assist and take charge of haircuts as soon as possible. After closing, while practicing cuts, I was contemplating my future. Despite the elated manager, the seniors were cold; I had been acknowledged, but it seemed like it would become harder to work at this shop.
The Reunion
Even during practice, I couldn’t focus due to these thoughts, and just as I was trying to switch my mood, the shop’s door was knocked. There she was. I was surprised and went to open the door.
The woman in a suit was so beautiful it was hard to recognize her. I was also happy that she had styled her hair just as I had advised.
“Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you,” I blurted out in confusion.
The woman chuckled and said:
“I was worried because I hadn’t seen you recently. I wanted to thank you again, so I arranged to pass by here at this time.”
When I explained what had happened since I cut her hair, the woman apologized repeatedly, feeling sorry for causing me trouble.
“It’s all right. Thanks to you, I got to do the customer haircuts I’ve always wanted to do. If I hadn’t cut your hair that day, I might have given up my dream.”
That was my honest feeling. I was stuck doing chores and dealing with sarcastic remarks every day, and I didn’t know if I could muster up the strength to try again at another salon if I ran away from this. Hearing this, the woman seemed relieved.
“I know this is my way of saying sorry, but could I please request a proper haircut as a customer next time?”
The Truth Revealed
I quietly furrowed my eyebrows at her offer. I had no intention of contacting the woman in the first place, and I was planning to keep it a secret from the manager that she came to the shop today.
“The salon told me to do so, right?” I asked. “Well, that would help, but our shop will use you for publicity. You don’t like to stand out too much, do you?”
I knew from the little conversation we had while cutting her hair that day that she didn’t want that. I aspired to be a hairstylist who was close to the customers and could draw their smiles. I didn’t cut the woman’s hair to force her to do something against her will.
“Besides, I’ve received enough thanks already. You responded to my haircut with a big smile. As a hairstylist, we don’t ask our customers for more than that.”
I thought I might be showing off a bit, but that was my true intention as a hairstylist without any lies or deceit.
“But I still want to help you,” the woman leaned in as she said this, looking into my eyes.
I asked her, a bit confused, why she was going to such lengths. Actually, apparently, the woman had known about me for a long time. She was encouraged by seeing me diligently practicing my haircuts whenever she passed by here after late nights of research. She even said that the reason her research results started getting attention was thanks to me.
“It kind of feels like I’m a stalker, which is creepy, isn’t it?” the woman concluded with a hint of self-deprecation.
But I was glad to know that someone had been watching my hard work in that way.
“That’s not true at all. I’m very encouraged by your story.”
When I honestly said that, the woman smiled as if relieved.
“That’s good, then. Can I request a haircut again? I have an important research presentation coming up, and I’d like you to cut my hair for that.”
