Boy Number Eight: The Satellite Boy

By:Kevin Tsai/Tsai Kang Yong/Cai Kang Yong 蔡康永

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Satellite Boy was my hairstylist.

I was flipping through a Japanese magazine and saw a haircut in it that I wanted to get. When I passed by a Japanese owned building, I saw a sign on the second floor, indicating that it was a hair salon, so I went in for a haircut.

In the hair salon, all the staff there slid around on chairs with wheels. To a new customer like me, who is coming in for the first time, it seemed as if I was standing in the middle of a skating rink.

The boy appeared, sliding towards me on a chair with wheels, greeting me cheerfully. The level of his cheerfulness didn’t make him seem like someone who cuts hair for a living, but more like a ski instructor.

He worked on my hair for half an hour. During this half an hour, he kept on sliding around. He was on my left side for a while, then slid over to my right, he’d slide very far away, far enough to comb the hair of the client next to us, and then “swoosh” back to me, sliding in close, so close that he’s almost touching my ear.

The scissor in his hand snipped and flashed before my eyes. His blow-dryer buzzed and danced around me while his fingers ran through my hair and brushed against the tip of my ear. One moment he’d be aiming it at my forehead, and the next it’s behind my neck, blowing off bits of hair.

He revolved around me again and again. Out of all the boys I’ve met, he’s the one most like a satellite.

Translator’s Notes:

 

Hey guys, I can’t really say that I’ve learned anything from this story but it certainly did remind me of a feeling I had.

I’m not sure about you guys, but sometimes, when you go and get haircuts, the hairstylist you get might be someone very “captivating”.

Now, I don’t mean that they are particularly good looking (though that didn’t hurt), I mean that they approach what they do in such a way that’s so filled with passion, dedication, and attention to detail, that you can’t help but be captivated by them.

And so when they are cutting your hair, you are so fascinated by everything they do and would pay so much attention to them that you watch every little move that they make. Especially when they lean in, sometimes your heart beats a little faster. Anyway, that’s my experience, but was this why the author remembered this particular boy?

Who knows, only Kevin Tsai holds the answers. But share your thoughts with me if you’d like!

As always, please like, comment, and follow if you’ve enjoyed reading!~ Ciao!