Grace sighs deeply as she makes the first part to her hair, getting ready to braid it back. She'd been quite bored of her natural look as of lately and wanted to have something easy to maintain for a little bit. Not to mention she needed to give her hair a chance to breathe without being managed so much.
She was sat at her dressing table in she and Hoseok's bedroom, her hair was freshly washed and smelling faintly of coconut. She had music playing in the background, starting to part the thoroughly moisturized section of her hair to braid it back.
She'd decided to do her hair without Hoseok home, he was still not too accustomed to her hair type nor the things that his girlfriend had to do in order to maintain it. He was quite awkward about it at times, always looking curious but never asking any questions about it. Not to mention they'd only just moved in together a couple of months before and she didn't want to overwhelm him with the world of black hair just yet.
Grace hums as she neatly makes another part into her hair, not hearing the thud of footsteps up the staircase and into their shared bedroom. Hoseok froze in the doorway upon seeing his girlfriend there, not having expected her to presence. Grace jumped when she noticed his figure in the mirror, still keeping a grip on the strands she was weaving.
"Jagiya, why didn't you call me when you got home?" He asked in a light, scolding manner, bringing his shouldered bag in and setting it in their walk-in closet. Grace heard him pushing hangers around on his side of the closet.
"Sorry, guess I was in a rush to get home." She admitted as she started another section.
"Why is that?" He replied, having missed what she was doing at her dressing table.
Grace sighed, "It's Wash Day, and I've been meaning to try a new hairstyle." He hummed from where he stood in the closet, poking his head out to see that she was in fact weaving cornrows into her hair. Not to mention the packets of burgundy and dark brown hair she had sitting neatly on the counter. Hoseok had no clue how she'd make use of it, and was quite fascinated by it. But he didn't want to be a bother and bombard his already-tired girlfriend with questions.
Grace looked up into her reflection, the bright ring of light surrounding it danced in her eyes and made her face look bright. She noticed Hoseok eyeing all the materials she was using. A smile spreads on her face, he had a question on his lips but he pressed them closed.
Before he could retreat like he always does, Grace called for him. "Hobi, could you get my hair clip for me? I can't let this part go." Of course, she could easily manage on her own, she has for years. But she wanted to invite her boyfriend in on it, he had expressed his curiosity discreetly ever since he'd first seen her natural hair years ago when they first met. He's just been to afraid to ask much about it. All he knows, really, is that she doesn't wash her hair everyday, though he'd learned that from Jin's fiancé, Ingrid.
He approaches slowly, glancing at the counter before her at all the supplies she had laid across. He fixes his cap on his head, grabbing the green clip for her. "Could you pin this large part of my hair back? It keeps getting in the way." Grace asked sweetly, biting her bottom lip as she watched for his reaction.
Hoseok blinked, "You want me to...?" Grace nodded stiffly, and Hoseok moved around her to the other side, where he awkwardly collected the larger part of her hair and placed the clip on it. At first it hadn't stayed in place, so he opened it again and brought the teeth of it closer to her scalp, seeming relieved when it held in place. Grace suppresses a giggle at his little discovery.
Hobi rubbed his fingers, the moisture and oils from his girlfriend's hair having surprised him due to it's abundance. "How come your hair is so moist?" He wondered aloud, though Grace happened to hear him this time.
"It helps when I detangle it." She informed, giving him a short, simple answer. Surely, they'd have more time together to give him more reason as to why her hair had to be so moist.
He hummed, clearly fascinated, seeming entranced by her hair's natural soft and kinky texture. He studied the wavy patterns in it. "It looks shorter," he noted, sounding awkward. "...did you cut it?"
Grace giggles, "My hair shrinks when there's moisture, it's like a sponge." He literally tilted his head like a confused puppy at that explanation, and leaned on the counter of her dressing table to get further insight.
"Watch." Grace simply said, taking a loose and kinky strand of her hair, which fell to the nape of her neck. She pulled it down and Hoseok gawked as it extended to her shoulder. She let it go and the strand bounced like a spring, shrinking back to it's short length. His jaw literally dropped.
"Wah, that's cool!" He exclaimed, not having realized his girlfriend had super powers. "What else can your hair do?"
"Are you busy? You can help me and have all your questions answered." Not to mention it would make the process go by much quicker, and her arms were already tired from washing her hair.
Hoseok eagerly sits on the ottoman, placed at the foot of their bed, watching with intrigue as she braided her hair to the back of her head without even looking. Not to mention the fact that she didn't need any hair-ties in order for it to hold.
He looked quite excited, glad to finally have an opportunity to approach this with her. He's been curious for so long and sometimes the internet can be so overwhelming with all kinds of terms he doesn't know and the fact that it was entirely different; a culture on it's own.
Grace pinned the coil-y ends of her dark braids together at the back of her head, starting to open one of the hair packs she'd gotten. Hoseok hummed, and Grace just knew he was dying to ask what she'd be doing with it.
"You wanna see the look I'm going for?" She asked him, and he nodded, taking her phone and studying the screenshot of another young black woman with brown dreadlocks, weaved into them were golden jewelry that he always found quite cute.
Grace snips the band holding the strand together, the loop for the crochet needle already made. "They're called Boho locs, I've been thinking of getting them for a while." She informed.
Hoseok hummed, staring wondrously as she hooked the loop of hair onto the needle and slipped it beneath one of her braids. Her fingers worked quickly and diligently, pulling the strand into a knot twice. "What are you doing with the needle?" He asked, adorably concerned by the quick and seamless action.
She couldn't help giggling at his cute reaction, "This is a crochet needle, it pulls the hair through," she spoke as she demonstrated, barely having to look at what she was doing. Hoseok was still a little confused, but he nodded as though he understood, waving off her short explanation. "If you want, you could save me a lot of time by snipping off the bands of each strand and laying them out for me." She offered, as he seemed antsy to observe further.
Less than an hour passes and Hoseok had witnessed his girlfriend finish her entire head. He couldn't believe the kind of effort it took for her to complete it. It was baffling just as much as it was entertaining to watch her.
Grace leans up and kisses his cheek, "Thanks for helping me, Hobi. Now my arms can finally get a break."
"Yeah, no problem, jagiya. And if you want anymore help in the future don't be afraid to ask." He advised, it was fun, watching her do her thing and look great doing it. He liked learning more about Grace, especially if it was something as deep, personal, and cultural as her hair and how she wore it. It added to her personality and gave him more insight about her sprightly character. He wouldn't say it aloud, but he looked forward to learning and contributing more. Maybe he'd ask her to show him how to braid or crochet. He didn't care which, so long as he got to feel closer to her.