This is not a story.

Once upon a time, a 13-year-old American boy, Griffin, brimming with adolescence courage and budding romantic feelings, decided to visit a nook of the city where he had never been before - a mysterious Korean hair salon named "Lily Bud," its reputation spreading amongst his peers for their avant-garde haircuts. Griffin's heart raced as he thought of his golden chance to impress his 11 years old friend, Hayley, who had confessed her fondness for him. He was determined to top up his charm and boost his confidence with his new haircut before their upcoming date. As he walked into Lily Bud, Griffin was greeted by five Korean women, their ages ranging from 52 to 57. Leading the charge was Lin-Ju, the oldest of the crew at 57. Dressed in a short skirt and a pink blouse, she was a short woman but not the shortest, her brown pixie cut bobbing as she moved and her red polished nails shone under the salon's lights, perfectly coordinated with her earrings, bracelet, and wedding ring. Jin-Hi, the next by age, stood slightly shorter than Lin-Ju. At 55, she donned knee-length leggings and a sky-blue blouse that complemented her wavy brown hair. Her platform sandals added a touch of funkiness to her mature attire. With the same red nails as Lin-Ju, she too, wore earrings, a necklace, and a wedding ring. Lu-Jao, the third in the hierarchy at 54, stood barely taller than Jin-Hi. She was dressed to impress in a short skirt and a red blouse, complemented with red platform sandals. Her choppy bob gave her an air of edginess as did her the jewelry - earrings, and a matching wedding band on her red polished finger. Just a year younger, Ann-Ma at 53, stood tallest amongst them all. She had an air of minimalistic elegance about her, dressed in red leggings, a gray blouse with a chic black blazer. A pair of high heels added to her tall stature and the bob cut framed her brown eyes elegantly. Her look was complemented with earrings, a necklace, a bracelet on her right arm, and of course, one could hardly miss her red nails. Min-Ru, the youngest of them all at 52, stood as the second tallest. She wore a black tank top with short shorts, and her leather wedges shone under the salon's light next to the sound of her heels tapping on the salon floor. Her brown hair waved down to her shoulders, and her attire paired nicely with her earrings, necklace, and wedding ring. As Griffin stepped in, Min-Ru was the first to approach, her wedges thumping on the hard tile floor, "Oh hello there young man. Welcome to here. Haircut? You want haircut?" She asked with a slight hint of mirth in her eyes. "Uh yes please. Just need something real quick. I just got invited over to a girl's house and she said she likes me so I wanna impress her," Griffin blurted, revealing the cause of his visit. "Oh girl huh? Very handsome young boy. I give good haircut for you," Min-Ru assured with a collegial smirk, guiding him to a salon chair. She draped a barber quilt around him, speaking rapid-fire Korean to her partners-in-crime before initiating the haircut. The mystique of it all gave Griffin an uneasy sensation of unfamiliar anticipation, a far hitch from his regular salon experience. Griffin watched in nervous fascination as Min-Ru stopped her meticulous cutting and moved towards her fellow stylists. The women began a fervored Korean session, pointing at Griffin and laughing, furthering his unsettled feeling. Min-Ru pointed at Griffin before Jin-Hi stepped forward and motioned towards her body with comical exaggeration and kicked out her platform-heeled foot with a melodious laugh. Lu-Jao followed suit mimicking Jin-Hi's performance, adding her own touch of comedy. Walking back to Griffin, her eyes twinkling with mischief, Min-Ru said, "Come back in back of shop finish up," before Jin-Hi walked to the back of the shop, beckoning him to follow. Griffin, compelled and confused, walked and sat in the salon's backroom. Upon his arrival, Min-Ru produced an unexpected proposition, "You want job here? First you must be two things. Female and Korean. No worry we swap body so you get job here." Griffin balked at her words, "What? Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I just want a haircut and I wanna get out of here. I don't want a job!" However, before he could even stand up to leave, Min-Ru uttered something in Korean, and the world went black for Griffin. Griffin slowly came to his senses, noticing the ceiling above wasn't the familiar patterned ceiling of his bedroom, but the ceiling of the salon shop. He realized he was seated where Jin-Hi was previously. As he glanced about the room, Griffin's heart jolted in shock when he spotted his reflection in the room's mirror. Instead of his reflection, Jin-Hi's face gazed back at him - her brown eyes, her brown wavy hair, and the glow of her earrings against her skin reflecting what was him just moments ago. His sight descended from the mirror and landed on the body his brain struggled to recognize as his own - knee-length leggings wrapped around his now slender legs, a soft blue blouse draped over his new female form. A chill ran down his spine as he locked eyes on the wedding ring on his hand, catching the light with its polish matching his nail paint. Wide-eyed in disbelief, Griffin tried to stand up but teetered in the new platform sandals, "Uh uh uh what 내가 왜 이 몸에 갇혀 있는 거지? 난 여자가 아니야," he stammered, a terrified whisper escaping his lips in a stranger's mature voice. His brain tried to force out his native English sentences, but the only language that seemed to pour out was Korean. "Silly American. You fell for trap. We all swap body with American boys soon. We no like get old. Want youth back. Have fun being old woman cause you're never getting body back," Min-Ru raved, a triumphant laugh echoed along with her words as Griffin was pushed out onto the streets. With a struggle, he managed to stand up, wrestling with his balance on platform sandals, and walking down the road barefoot, trying to hide beneath the brim of his panic. He saw his reflection staring back at him from a parked car window - a mature, petite Korean woman replacing the young boy he was just moments ago. He sat down on the curb, the sandals removed from his feet, trying to hold back his tears. As the day's light waned, he managed to slip the platform sandals back on and taught himself to walk again. With nowhere to go, he sought refuge in an alleyway. The night's silence amplified his chaotic thoughts as he crouched down and broke into a silent cry, "엄마보다 나이가 많으면 집에 가지 마." Wrapping his arms around himself, his painted nails tracing patterns on the wedding ring, his heart ached for his former, youthful self, his new, fuller chest blunting the pain as he glanced a last time on his unfamiliar platform sandals. With a futile squeeze of his eyes, he hoped against hope to wake up from this unbelievable dream, only to fathom the permanence of his situation – forever trapped in Jin-Hi's body, now bereft of his own.