Word Count: 1220

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“Oh no… no, no NO!” You searched your purse frantically, your eyes wide in desperation as you pushed aside the many “necessary” items you carried.  You attracted the attention of the passing pedestrians as you awkwardly searched for the item allowing access to your very own, new house. “I forgot my keys! Or did I lose them? I thought I put them in my bag this morning…” Your panicky tone increased the more you went through the contents of your handbag. 

“You’re lucky you have a husband who got home early today.” Seungri was leaning on the doorframe, dangling a set of keys in front of your face. You breathed a sigh of relief as you reached up to take them from him. “What, no kiss? I just saved you from being stuck outside our own house!” He exclaimed. You gave a light laugh and planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving a faint smudge of red lipstick. High heels made everything easier. 

The entire house had cardboard boxes scattered throughout, even making it difficult for you and your husband to even see each other when in the same room. It had already been about three weeks since moving into your new home—a small Victorian style close to the city’s financial center—and barely any progress had been made on unpacking and the plans for renovation. 

You released your purse and laptop case onto the small green couch you received along with the house and followed by slumping yourself down onto it. “So jagiya, how was your day?” Seungri said with a smile as he sat down next to you, slipping an arm around your shoulders. As exhausted as you were, you tried to put a smile on your face as you answered his posed question. “Absolutely lovely.” The sarcastic tone of your voice was enhanced as you pulled off your shoes, revealing several blisters. 

You groaned loudly as you buried your face in your hands. You slipped your arms around Seungri’s waist, placing your head on his shoulder. “Well that doesn’t really sound like absolutely lovely.” He replied, raising an eyebrow. You shook your head. “No…” You got up and faced him. “Jagiya, today I messed up on my presentation, we have a project due in three days and I have another presentation tomorrow! My boss didn’t look too happy with me when I accidentally knocked over the presentation screen and spilled his coffee…” Seungri leaned forward, his face wearing the “are you serious?” look.

“Yah! It’s not funny!” You exclaimed. “Tomorrow I have to present in front of the board of directors, and I’m still not finished my slides!” You felt a drop of water fall onto your head. “And now something is leaking from the bathroom upstairs! I can’t walk anywhere without bumping into a stack of boxes, and that…” You stuck out your arm. “… is the ugliest couch I’ve ever seen!” Seungri placed the couch into his embrace. “Hey… I actually kind of like this couch…” You stared at him with crossed arms and shook your head. 

Seungri left the couch and pulled you into his chest. “It’s okay. Calm down.” He tried to reassure you that everything would be alright. Another drop of water fell onto your head, making you cringe. “I’ll put a bowl under that.” He gritted his teeth at the sight of his wife about to crack. You pushed him away. “Where are the bowls in this sea of boxes?!” You through your arms up into the air as you exited the room and went upstairs to change out of your uncomfortable pencil skirt and blouse. 

It was around six o’clock when you opened your laptop to begin working on your presentation. The pressure was on. There were many tasks that you had to complete that evening alongside your powerpoint: approve your coworkers’ databases for the project, cook dinner for you and your husband, and once and for all, stop living in a sea of big brown boxes. Your so called “office” was the rickety wood coffee table sitting in the corner of the bedroom, since the space for a proper office had not been set up yet. You were now dressed in a comfortable hoodie and sweatpants, and sat on the carpeted floor. 

Your eyes were burned and were slightly blood-shot from staring at the computer screen, your fingers shook after typing hundreds of words and organizing many sheets of information. You were so close to being finished, and even closer to not being able to continue working from fatigue. You slammed your arms down on the coffee table beside your laptop. “Seunghyun! The WiFi is down again!” You yelled in disbelief. His footsteps were heard running up the stairs. “I just fixed it this morning! Okay,” He sighed, “Give me two minutes.” He ran back downstairs and began checking the connections of the system. 

Having nothing to do at the moment, you glanced over at the small digital clock which decorated the top right corner of the menu bar on your computer screen. Your eyes widened in shock at the numbers you saw. You got up and sprinted down the stairs. “Jagiya! I’m so sorry! I was so focused that I forgot to…” You suddenly stopped. The aroma of food filled your nose. Slightly confused, you walked towards the small kitchen where you saw a fold up table set up for two covered in a red and white checkered tablecloth. 

For the first time, the kitchen was brightly lit and no dishes piled up in the sink. You noticed that the large boxes of the room also disappeared, so you checked the cabinets to see if they contained the dishes. They were all there, stacked neatly and arranged by type. A large smile appeared on your face. You could have not been happier. “I think I fixed the Wi-” Seungri was cut off by you placing your lips against his. “Jagiya, I can’t believe you did all of this!” You hugged him tightly. 

You directed your attention to the dish on the table. “Did you cook as well?” You sat down on one end of the table, your husband following and sitting on the other end. “I can’t cook very well, but here’s what I made.” He took off the lid of the dish, steam escaping as he did so. “Kimchi fried rice!” You exclaimed at the sight one of your favourite foods. “Seunghyun, how did you do all this?” He shrugged. “I couldn’t stand seeing you so stressed, and well, I just tried to take some stuff off of your plate with all of the things you need to do for work.” 

A laugh escaped your lips. “Trust me, being a kindergarten teacher is a much better job than being a manager in the financial sector.” Seungri raised an eyebrow. “Oh so now you’re telling me you want to trade occupations?” You both laughed. “How about we just eat the food you made jagiya. I’m starving.” You suggested. 

After eating, the two of you sat down in the living room to watch a late night program on television. You snuggled up to your husband as you enjoyed a nice hot cup of lemon-ginger tea. “You know what Seunghyun? Maybe this couch isn’t the ugliest I’ve ever seen…”