The elderly saleslady looked up from her paperwork when you walked into the shop.

“Good morning dear! How may I help you today?”

“Good morning, ahjumma. I saw the sign on your door last night and I was wondering if you are still hiring…”

“Oh yes,  you are the first to ask about the job offer!” she interrupted you. “My late husband opened this shop and the two of us took care of everything in the store, but now it’s more and more difficult for me to keep up with the paperwork and cleaning and managing. Are you interested in doing the sales and maintenance in the store as a full time position?”

You glanced around the store. At first the store seemed to look very tidy, but as you looked closer, you noticed the thin layer of dust on an empty shelf, a purple plaid shirt among the other navy ones, a thin cobweb in the corner. A young couple was looking through a hanger with plaid ties.

“I came here with the intention to work together with my husband. He loves plaid and wears it really well, most of the time. He has a full time job already, so I was wondering if we could work part time on weekends?”

“Saturdays are the busiest days in here and I would really appreciate you two to help out during your free time. And my customers are mostly young people, so they would enjoy the company of a young couple much more than that of an old woman like me!”

“I will discuss this with my husband tonight, but I doubt that he will disagree to an offer like this. When can we come in for an interview and for completing other legal procedures?”

“Come in whenever you are free, I am here all day before the store closes. As for interview, there is no need. I will pay you two the minimum hourly wage, as is the law for part time jobs. I can already tell that you are a neat and responsible girl. I wasn’t born yesterday, after all!” She smiled at you and continued, “Just bring your identification documents and banking information and we will get this settled in less than five minutes.”

You felt relieved that this lady was so trusting. You didn’t want to waste a lot of time on formal procedures just for a part time job. But you knew that Myungsoo would be happy to occupy his weekends with this kind of job. Lots of plaid and little stress - that is what your dear husband calls paradise.

You said goodbye to the lady and left the shop with a smile. You were thinking of Myungsoo’s reaction. Would he jump around in joy? Would he not want to work on the weekends? He always wanted to go out somewhere with you on those days.

“I’ll just wait till tonight. There is no use in guessing and stressing myself out over something like that. If he doesn’t want to work in a plaid clothing shop, it’s not a big deal. No loss for me.”

The rest of the day passed by quickly. Shortly before Myungsoo came home from work, you prepared dinner and set up the table. You had already prepared the necessary identification and banking documents to take to the plaid shop. You tried your best to control your excitement. You couldn’t help it, Myungsoo would be very happy to see that place. Right after dinner, you would ask him to come with you to visit a new store that you found, but you would not tell him right away what the store sells. The image of his surprised face made you giggle.

Right at that moment, you saw his car pull up on the driveway. You greeted him at the door, as usual, and took his jacket and bag away from him. He went to the bedroom to change and you put away his shoes, keeping the house neat and clean at all times.

At the dinner table, you managed to keep a straight face and acted very natural. Myungsoo did not suspect anything, to your relief. But when you suggested that you two should go out for some fresh air and take a look at a new shop that you saw, he immediately asked you if you’re feeling sick and felt your forehead for a fever.

“Myungsoo, aren’t you overreacting a bit? I know that you’re always the one suggesting to go out, but what’s wrong with me wanting to go for a walk with my husband?”

“Yah, yah, let’s go quickly before I wake up. My wife is really the one asking go out?”

With round eyes and shocked expression, Myungsoo quickly left the kitchen. You almost burst out laughing at his reaction.

In less than a minute, Myungsoo was waiting for you near the front door. He was wearing a bright green tshirt with black jeans. He obviously grabbed the first shirt without checking its colour or style. You shook your head but you didn’t mind the change, it was better than the usual plaid shirt. Linking your arm through his, the two of you left the house and headed towards the downtown.