When All Else Fails

Tiny Owners of a Dry Eden

Seungwan had always thought that she had lived as a decent person.

 

The worst thing she had done in her twenty-six years of breathing was probably breaking Yerim’s nose. Accidentally, she swore. In her defence, it wasn’t like the younger girl didn’t deserve it. They were watching a horror movie in Sooyoung’s apartment, and Yerim, being the cheeky little bastard that she was, decided that it was the perfect moment to scare her older friends. Joohyun, the ultimate scaredy-cat, immediately jumped in her place and went ballistic and Seungwan, who was a protective and responsible girlfriend, instinctively did the first thing that came to her mind to eradicate the source of the love of her life’s horror. (No, Seungwan didn’t punch Yerim out of her own fear; It was all for Joohyun, she promised.)

 

They all ended up in the emergency room. Seungwan paid for all the medical expenses, and Yerim demanded compensation for what she called ‘an emotional trauma from being betrayed by one’s own friend’ so she bought Yerim the latest gaming keyboard and two brand new games. The last part wasn’t exactly voluntary, as Yerim threatened that she was going to go to the police station and press charges if Seungwan didn’t fulfil her demands. Although ridiculous, she was honestly scared that the broken nose girl would actually follow her threat. Yerim could be a little unpredictable oftentimes, and Seungwan didn’t plan to have a record on her name.

 

This time, however, that particular plan might change, and she might actually end up in the police station.

 

“I can’t believe you planned for the colours of the balloons, but you didn’t think this one through.”

 

Sooyoung sighed in frustration, staring at Seungwan, whose mind had overheated after trying to come up with a countless combination of numbers. They had been standing in front of her girlfriend apartment’s door for probably twenty minutes, with two big suitcases filled with props, trying to get in so they could set up for the surprise, but Seungwan apparently forgot the fact that she didn’t know the door’s password.

 

Yerim, her helpful and loving friend, had searched up on the internet and told Seungwan that she got ten chances to input the door’s password before the automatic security system would inform the guards about a possible break-in into the property. Seungwan was now on her seventh try, which minimised the chance of getting in Joohyun’s unit because she still had no idea what the four digits number could be. It was only a matter of time before they: give up, turn the security alarm on, or be caught by one of Joohyun’s neighbour and be reported for doing suspicious stuff.

 

“I tried everything,” Seungwan tried to explain herself to her friends, “her birthday, our first day of dating, her favourite number, our first night having s-” Sooyoung raised her eyebrows, “-serious conversations,” she cleared . “I don’t know what else to try honestly.”

 

“If only it were a traditional door with a key lock, then I only need a hairpin,” Yerim murmured. Seungwan turned to the young girl who was sitting down on the corridor’s floor with a questioning look. “What? A girl needs to learn means to survive, you know.”

 

“Joohyun unnie is like my grandma,” Sooyoung muttered. “She wouldn’t have any complicated password. She can’t even remember her own Netflix password.”

 

“That’s what I thought too,” Seungwan agreed before she clarified herself, “not the grandma part. Because it would be weird to think of her like that when she’s my girlfriend but the other part.”

 

“How about proposing to her in this corridor?” Yerim suggested. Seungwan wasn’t sure if the girl was saying it as a joke or seriously.

 

“I’m not proposing to Joohyun in her apartment’s corridor, Yerim-ah.”

 

Yerim shrugged, turning her attention back to her phone. Before Yerim could offer other questionable ideas, a familiar tune of a correctly entered password rang through the corridor. Seungwan quickly turned her head to find Seulgi turning Joohyun’s door handle, successfully opening it.

 

“Wha-how did you do that?”

 

“I entered your birthday,” Seulgi simply explained, pointing at Seungwan. The girl herself still didn’t believe that she managed to open the door.

 

“You didn’t try that ?” Sooyoung asked with great disbelief and slight annoyance. “Unnie, you’re beyond help. I can’t believe you could think of your first night having but not your birthday.”

 

Seungwan had nothing to reply, so she chose to ignore Sooyoung and dragged the suitcases inside her girlfriend’s apartment.

 

“You know, we can still do the corridor plan if you want,” Yerim whispered to Seungwan. “I might help you convince Sooyoung and Seulgi unnie for that plan.”

 

Seungwan sighed. It’s going to be a very long night.

 

[•••••]

 

Seungwan met Joohyun when she was a freshman.

 

It wasn’t exactly the moment Seungwan was the proudest of herself. She was running through her university’s lawn with her laptop in one hand and a bottled coffee in the other, late for her first class in college. (She slept in after worrying all night long that she would not be on time for her class. Simply ironic.)

 

The universe then decided that it was just the perfect moment for her to meet the love of her life. You know, with clichés like tripping and falling (literally) on them. And, spilling coffee.

 

“. I’m so so sorry. I- holy heavens, I ruined your shirt.”

 

The girl (Joohyun, her future girlfriend, but both of them hadn’t known yet at this point) stared at her own wrecked shirt and grimaced. Joohyun later told her that the smell of the coffee was her reason, but eighteen-years-old Seungwan thought that the older girl hated her already.

 

“I lived in that apartment complex over there,” Seungwan pointed at the buildings not far from where they were, “We could go there if you want to change. Only if you want to, of course.”

 

Joohyun stared at her for a while, before muttering a soft “okay.”

 

They had only walked less than ten steps (Joohyun following Seungwan from behind) when Seungwan suddenly halted her steps and took off her hoodie. Joohyun was looking at her with raised eyebrows before Seungwan handed her the garment. “You can wear this over your shirt.”

 

“It will reek of coffee. Your place is not that far too.”

 

“I can’t make you walk with a stained shirt after spilling coffee on you.”

 

Joohyun looked at Seungwan, who then had a white tee on her, and then at the hoodie on her hand. After pondering for a moment, she took and wore it over her shirt.

 

It took them about five minutes of walking to reach Seungwan’s apartment. Once they were inside, Seungwan quickly grabbed and handed a shirt and towel for Joohyun to change. “The bathroom is that way, you can use anything there. Please tell me if you need anything.”

 

Once Joohyun was inside her bathroom, Seungwan quickly opened her phone to do extensive research on how to get rid of coffee stains on clothes. She was concentrating on tab number four when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

 

Joohyun was standing next to her, awkwardly clearing . Seungwan’s attention swiftly changed to the stained shirt the girl was holding, quickly grabbing it. She then muttered how she had searched up the internet, and she was the one who should deal with the mess. The younger girl then dashed to her laundry room, applying every knowledge she had learned a few minutes before, trying to save the piece of clothing. She didn’t realise that Joohyun had followed her behind, and now had all her attention on her washing machine.

 

“They said we should let it soaked underwater for thirty minutes,” Seungwan explained, once she noticed the girl’s presence. “The internet, I mean. It’s said so on the web.”

 

It only dawned on her then that she hadn’t introduced herself. “I’m Seungwan,” she muttered, “I’m sorry for all of this.”

 

“I’m Joohyun.”

 

“…Right. Do you want something to drink?” Seungwan offered as they walked back to her living room. “Coffee? Probably not. Because… yeah. Tea, perhaps?”

 

“Just water is fine.”

 

Seungwan quickly grabbed a glass from her kitchen. “Just water. Here you go.”

 

They sat in another minute of silence.

 

“I’m sorry you have to miss your plan because of this,” Seungwan said.

 

“I don’t have any class at this time. You don’t have to worry.”

 

“How can I make it up to you? Can I get you a new shirt?”

 

“You don’t have too. It’s alright.”

 

Seungwan fidgeted on her seat. She was trying to come up with something else when Joohyun opened .

 

“Actually…” she started, eyes shifting between Seungwan and the floor. “Could I…take another look on your washing machine?”

 

It was an odd request. Seungwan blinked a few times before nodding eagerly. “Of course. You can take a look… for as long as you like. Please, feel free.”

 

Then was the first time Seungwan saw Joohyun smiled. The girl stood up from the sofa, shooting Seungwan a look for confirmation, then entered the laundry room after she saw Seungwan nodding.

 

The second time would be when Seungwan entered the laundry room with the appliance’s manual. That smile was even brighter than her first one. “Thank you. This one has a lot more features than the one back in my home. It’s very fascinating.”

 

Seungwan had never thought that she would later date this girl who was clearly more interested in her washing machine than herself. Let alone asking Joohyun to marry her eight years later.

 

It was a great turn of event, though. Gotta give it to the universe for the great twist.

 

[•••••]

 

“Are you trying to sabotage Seungwan’s unnie proposal?”

 

Sooyoung rolled her eyes at Yerim, who had popped the fifth balloon of the night. The younger two were assigned with the decorations while Seungwan and Seulgi were in charged with setting up the projector. Seungwan had made a video filled with footages of Joohyun and her relationship. At the end of the clips, she had also prepared a background instrument so she could serenade a romantic song for Joohyun before she then would go down on one knee. Everything was meticulously planned, except probably Kim Yerim.

 

“There is something wrong with these balloons,” Yerim mumbled. She sulkily took out another one, started to pump it.

 

Seungwan walked passed the young girl, patting her head as she went. Yerim’s pout was gone, replaced by a small eye roll and a suppressed smile.

 

“Okay. The projector is all set up,” Seulgi grinned at Seungwan. “You just need to press this button, and then this one to get the video playing, Wannie.”

 

Seungwan took the remote and side hugged Seulgi. “Thank you, Seul.”

 

“Are you nervous?”

 

“Kinda. It’s more like my mind is dazed. I still don’t believe that I’m doing this.” Seungwan sighed into her friend’s shoulder. “Am I doing this right? Is this too over the top? Maybe I shouldn’t sing and—”

 

“Seungwan. Everything is great. It will be meaningful and wonderful because however you do it, it still will be you asking Joohyun unnie to spend the rest of her life with you. You are offering her your forever. Joohyun unnie will be ecstatic.”

 

Seungwan chuckled. “She’s my girlfriend, but you know better than me.”

 

“You know it too, Wannie. It’s just that-” Seulgi grinned, tapping Seungwan’s forehead with her two fingers, “-your tiny brain is too busy right now to remember it.”

 

Seungwan laughed, letting her hold off of Seulgi. “I better help them with the balloons before Sooyoung nag me for slacking off.”

 

It took them another while to blow up all the balloons. Yerim, fortunately, got the hang of it and managed not too popped more balloon. Everything slowly went into place. She started to think that probably she could do it, that she could do the grand and romantic proposal she planned for weeks. That confidence didn’t last long, though.

 

Suddenly, the tune of someone entering the front door password rung across the room.

 

The four of them exchanged glances. Seungwan had checked her girlfriend’s schedule, and Joohyun wasn’t supposed to come back for another hour. The balloons were still lying on the floor. They hadn’t light up the candles, Seungwan hadn’t warmed up . Seulgi, Sooyoung, and Yerim were not supposed to be there.

 

But she had to make it work. Somehow.

 

Getting Seungwan’s telepathy sign, Sooyoung quickly grabbed Seulgi and Yerim’s hand, dragging them to the bedroom. Seungwan ran to the front of the door so she could block Joohyun’s view of her decorated living room when she came in. When her girlfriend opened the door, she immediately flinched when she saw the younger woman right in front of her.

 

“Wh-Seungwan?”

 

“…Hi.”

 

“Hi.”

 

“Umm… you’re early.”

 

“The meeting was cancelled.”

 

“Oh… so that’s why.”

 

“…what are you doing here?”

 

Right. “Can you do something for me? Can you close your eyes?”

 

Joohyun looked extremely confused, but she followed the younger woman’s request.

 

Seungwan breathed in, trying to compose herself a bit. She went behind Joohyun, putting one hand over the woman’s eyes to make sure Joohyun couldn’t see a thing and another hand on her shoulder.

 

She led the older to their living room, carefully avoiding the balloons on the floor. She positioned Joohyun where the woman would have a good view of the video. She took another breath before she took her hand off Joohyun’s eyes and grab the projector’s remote controller to play the video.

 

Okay. She could do this.

 

The background music started playing. A picture of the two of them was on Joohyun’s walls. Seungwan was about to be able to breathe when it was only two seconds into the video and the projector went off. As well as all the lights inside the apartment.

 

“…well, this isn’t supposed to happen.”

 

“I kinda figured.”

 

Seungwan was busy with her mind, trying to come up with a solution when a noise that oddly sounded like a loud sneeze came from the bedroom. Seungwan could identify it as Yerim’s, but her girlfriend probably couldn’t. Since she didn’t know that Yerim was in her apartment. Or Seulgi and Sooyoung, hiding in her room.

 

“Se…Seungwan….what was that?” Joohyun mumbled fearfully.

 

Seungwan was walking to her girlfriend’s side, wanted to calm her down when she foolishly step on one of the balloons, popping it.

 

It was chaos, really.

 

That noise obviously terrified the hell out of the already scared girl. Joohyun screamed, running towards Seungwan’s direction to cling on her girlfriend, making the younger lost her balance and fell. Her girlfriend was shaking in her arms, probably already in the brink of tears. “That was just a balloon, Joohyun. It’s okay. We’re alright,” Seungwan murmured softly, holding the woman close to calm her down.

 

It was not okay, they were not alright. The whole plan was going to the gutter, and Seungwan was trying not to lose it.

 

She took a deep breath, getting Joohyun and herself up from the floor. Her eyes kind of adjusted to the lack of lights, allowing her to catch glimpses of her girlfriend’s face. Joohyun had seemed to calm down a bit.

 

At this rate, she should just take out the ring from her pant’s back pocket and pop out the question in the middle of a blackout. After almost laughing at herself for such a stupid idea, Seungwan realised something very wrong. She reached for her back pocket, only to find that the tiny box that had her ring was not there.

 

No.

 

.

 

Seungwan took a deep breath and tried to recheck her pocket, hoping that it would magically appear.

 

Nope. Still not there.

 

Her hand was busy patting all possible pockets on her clothes, trying without avail to find the missing item. Did she drop it?

 

She crouched down, squinted her eyes, trying to scan the room’s floor with only the help of lights from other buildings that were able to go into their living room’s window.

 

“Seungwan, what are you doing? Are you looking for something?”

 

“N-No! It’s okay! You don’t have to get down as well!” In a panic, Seungwan swept her hands over the floor, desperately searching for the lost item. This was probably the moment she crawled the most in her life after learning how to walk. Her mind was going haywire that she only noticed her silent girlfriend much later when she raised her head up to the older woman’s direction.

 

Joohyun’s silhouette was not moving, she didn’t even seem to be breathing. The woman’s eyes were fixed on a particular item on her palm. Wait, isn’t that…

 

Yup. Of course, Joohyun would have the ring box in her hand. Right in track for the most messed up proposal of the century.

 

There was nothing left to go wrong.

 

“Joohyun.”

 

Her girlfriend was still frozen in place until she felt Wendy’s pat on her shoulder.

 

Screw the plans.

 

“Can I have that so I can at least get down on one knee ask you properly?” She asked. She shot a small smile to her still astounded girlfriend. Joohyun quickly handed her the box once she got back some of her senses.

 

Seungwan took a deep breath then kneeled down.

 

“This is clearly not how I planned the night to go. But meeting and spilling a drink on you wasn’t in my plan as well, and it turned out to be the best thing that happened in my life. Life throws me unpredictable messes and puts me in random chaos, but I don’t feel scared when I have you. Because with you by my side, I can’t ever be lost.”

 

That wasn’t the grand romantic speech she prepared for her proposal. Hell, she didn’t even remember a word of what it should be. But it's Joohyun. In the dark without any lights on. No video playing. No serenading. But still Joohyun. And Seungwan had never felt right about something as much as she currently did.

 

“My hand will be forever yours to hold if you’ll have me. Joohyun, will you marry me?”

 

It was like one of those cliché scenes in movies. The lights went back on as soon as she uttered the question. The sudden brightness made her squinted her eyes, but once she was adjusted to it, she saw Joohyun, tears rolling down her cheek but wearing the most beautiful smile Seungwan had ever seen in her life.

 

Much brighter than when she showed her the manual of her washing machine.

 

Joohyun went down on her knees as well to be in level with Seungwan before putting her arms around Seungwan and leaning forward to kiss her. When Joohyun murmured her answer against Seungwan’s lips, repeating yes on , Seungwan’s knees decided to fail her, making both she and Joohyun fell on the floor.

 

“Sorry,” Seungwan muttered, and her girlfriend-fiancé chuckled.

 

“Don’t be,” Joohyun’s eyes turned to the ring that was still in the box on Seungwan’s hand. Seungwan got the clue, quickly taking the accessory out and place them on Joohyun’s finger. Her girlfriend grinned, “everything that happened tonight is perfect.”

 

Before Seungwan could retort, the door of Joohyun’s bedroom banged open. Joohyun flinched and yelped, pulling Seungwan as close as she could when the two of them already lying on the floor, burying her face into Seungwan’s neck. Yerim then appeared with her hands covering her eyes, running past the both of them.

 

“Sorry, need to pee, can’t hold on any longer! You two can continue what you’re doing, I didn’t see anything. Oh, and congratulations!” The younger girl sputtered as she ran to the bathroom.

 

“…was that Yerim?” Joohyun mumbled against Seungwan’s neck.

 

Seungwan hummed. “…Still perfect?”

 

Joohyun pulled back from her neck, a grinned broke on her face at Seungwan’s question. “Still perfect.”

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kehee0704
Umm... happy wenrene day?

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Mustafina
1124 streak #1
Chapter 12: This is why is such a good promise, it's full of devotion
reveluv316 740 streak #2
congrats on the feature
purplejoch
#3
congrats!! on getting featured! author nim 🩵🩷
1609Andrea
2037 streak #4
Chapter 1: This is so sad
IceQueenChogiwa
1052 streak #5
Congrats on the feature!
1609Andrea
2037 streak #6
I love this
Pop0429
#7
Congratss!!!!
HeekuTheMarshmallow #8
Chapter 1: This is beautiful.
hyehye29
#9
congrats on getting featured 🎉
1609Andrea
2037 streak #10
Congrats on the feature!