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Chaewon opened her eyes once she heard the sound of morning birds chirping. Truth be told, she had not gotten much sleep. The daunting idea of a proposal happening today made her stomach turn inside out. More than anything, it was a proposal towards Myoui Mina: the elegant, intimidating, and genius medical student (who also had a bit of a princess attitude) Regardless, Chaewon could understand why Nayeon had the shakes for the past month. 

Clearing the blurriness in her eyes, Chaewon was startled when she saw Yena was already awake. The other girl had been laying across and staring at Chaewon for some time. 

“Good morning Wonnie,” Yena said with a soft smile. 

Chaewon yawned into the back of her palm. When she was done, she used the same hand to bring Yena in for a hug. 

“Didn’t sleep well?” Chaewon asked.

Yena wedged her face upwards so she wasn’t stuck under Chaewon’s neck

 “Nooo,” she said in a sulking tone. 

Chaewon grinned at how cute she thought Yena was being right now. She always found her girlfriend immensely adorable but something about the slight pout in Yena’s lips just did it for Chaewon.

She grabbed onto Yena’s cheek and squished it.

The girl in return stared at her unamused but none of the less let Chaewon continue pulling. 

 “Let’s get ready.” Chaewon patted the back of Yena’s .

The two took turns hopping into the shower for a quick rinse. They then got changed into the pre-arranged outfits they had planned last night. Neither of them had much experience attending a proposal so figuring out what to wear caused some frustration.

Yena wanted to take the opportunity to dress up nicely for a change and wore a sleeveless sweater over a white dress shirt, and a plaid red skirt. She tied her hair into a high ponytail and topped her look with a red ribbon.

 Chaewon on the other hand, grabbed the first pair of jeans she knew were clean and wore the same white t-shirt she had on last night. This proposal was not for her, so she thought dressing up to look pretty was bothersome, and besides, her face was pretty enough anyway. 

It was around 9:00 A.M when both girls were ready and headed downstairs. Mina tended to wake up and feed Minhyun from anywhere from 9:30-to 10:30 A.M. this left them with just enough time to eat some morning cereal before having to rush for the park. 

As they were munching on corn flakes at the kitchen counter, Chaewon eyes floated towards the window leading into the backyard. She caught the faintest sight of a small grey smoke floating into the blue morning sky. She focused her vision and followed the beginning of the smoke trail until she could see the outline of Nayeon’s fat body huddled in a crouched position behind a bush on the far side of the yard.

Chaewon tapped the end of her spoon against her chin as she thought intently. Her bedroom was closest to the staircase, meaning she could hear whenever somebody walked up or down. She paid special attention this morning to any sound in the hallways.

Chaewon turned to face her girlfriend. 

Yena had long forsaken her spoon and was eating her cereal by holding the bowl deep into her face. 

“Did you hear anybody go through the hallway while I was showering ?” Chaewon asked.

Yena inhaled deeply through her nostrils until her chest puffed out. She then let out all the air with a strong blow. Placing the now-empty bowl onto the countertop, she answered back, “Nope. I had my ears pinned to the bedroom door just in case Mina woke up early.”

“Thought so.” Chaewon mused with a slight nod. This meant that either Nayeon had been outside behind the bush for more than an hour before they had woken up, or that she possibly jumped down from the second story and into the backyard. Chaewon shrugged her shoulders indifferently. It was probably best to allow Nayeon to indulge in the momentary relaxation that nicotine often provided. Maybe with this, the older girl wouldn’t shake so much during the actual proposal.

They did a quick work of cleaning and putting away their dishes, and with that, it was finally time to leave 

On their way out the front door, Yena said in a small voice, “I didn’t realize how foggy it would be this morning.” She wrinkled her nose and then sniffed twice. Her face contorted as she did not inhale the familiar smell of morning dew, “Why does it smell like something is burning?” She faced Chaewon for an answer.

Chaewon rolled her eyes knowing that the fog was a product of Nayeon chain-smoking in the backyard. She realized though Yena was still waiting for an answer, and so she fibbed out, “Could be someone burning their breakfast.” 

“Ahh, someone like you?” Yena ran her shoulder blade into Chaewon---causing the other girl to stumble a few steps down the driveway.

“More like you.” Chaewon snorted back. She opened the door for her girlfriend before returning to the driver's seat and buckling herself up.

As she backed the car out of the driveway, Chaewon felt her phone shake from a text message. She unlocked her phone and saw that Jihyo had texted her saying how long it would be until they arrived.

Chaewon handed her phone to Yena and told her to tell Jihyo they’ll be there in around fifteen minutes.

“Got it.” Yena finished typing the text and placed Chaewon’s phone into her own pocket. “I'm going to take a nap now,” Yena exclaimed as she rested her head against her seatbelt. Today was going to be a long day and she needed to conserve all the energy she could.

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By the time Yena re-opened her eyes, they had just driven over the last speedbump that led into a small parking lot. She rolled down the window and let her face rest onto the passenger door---in an attempt to clear her grogginess. 

Naturally, she looked yonder into the park and saw that there were surprisingly few people around for a Sunday morning. This was her favorite meeting spot around campus. During her freshman year, when she felt lonely, she would often take strolls through the park by herself. 

Nature always had that uncanny effect on her. A sense of relaxation but by the same measure an unsettling anxiousness. She had felt the same way during the winter trip to the ski lodge and during the previous days with Nayeon at the mountain. Yena realized both times of which, something unwelcoming had occurred, and so she prayed desperately that nothing would go wrong today. 

Shaking her head, Yena decided to focus on the landscape. To one side of the park was a large wooden pavilion that shaded rows of picnic tables and had a large stone grill. A few yards off there had been set up a single volleyball net on sand-- in which the girls had often attempted to “play” on the weekends. Lastly, a decently sized pond---roughly the size of two football fields--laid just behind the pavilion and volleyball net.

 Yena could remember one particular memory when Wonyoung had attempted to kick the volleyball to save it in a rally. The young giant swung her leg upwards with such raw power that she ended up booting the ball some fifteen yards away until it exploded into the pond with a splash. 

Yena chuckled remembering the following failed attempts of reclaiming the ball as it floated deeper into the water---one of which was Nayeon borrowing an old man’s fishing rod. 

Chaewon must have heard her laugh because when Yena tilted her head sideways, she saw her girlfriend had an amused look on her face. 

“In a good mood now?” Chaewon asked. 

Yena responded back,” Just remembering the time we lost Hitomi’s volleyball into the pond.”

Chaewon smirked, “The same time Nayeon accidentally threw that poor man's fishing rod into the pond?” 

They shared an ugly laugh together-- which was a good feeling because Yena felt the drowsiness leave her bones.

“Mina was not happy about opening her wallet to pay for a replacement rod,” Chaewon added with an eye roll.

“And to think they are getting married.” Yena sighed. 

A sudden wave of nerves ran up Yena’s body. She felt queasy again, the same feeling she had when being face to face with Yujin spiking a volleyball at her.

 Her hand drifted to the back of her neck as she tested to see if she had any cold sweats or not. When she looked back up, Chaewon had parked her car.

Yena had become anxious to get on her feet and so the moment Chaeown turned off the ignition, she swung her door open and hopped out of the car. She thought being out of a moving vehicle would quell the sinking feeling in her stomach, but it seemed to only worsen. She couldn’t explain why she felt so anxious. Everything was planned and it was all going to work out perfectly right? 

“Everything is going to be okay right?” Yena asked herself out loud for perhaps the hundredth time.

Thankfully, her girlfriend didn’t hear her remark. She didn’t feel like having to burden Chaewon with her silly worries. 

Chaewon jogged over to the other side of the car to walk Yena towards the meeting area. They would usually entangle their hands into each other and walk, but Yena did not want Chaewon to be suspicious of her sweaty palms and so she linked arms with her girlfriend.

They walked deeper into the park, passed the volleyball net and picnic area until they arrived at a small playground. 

“Did you guys bring the ring?” Park Jihyo waved a greeting towards the two younger girls. 

“Right here.” Chaewon dug deep into her back pocket and held the ring box in her palm. 

Yena could tell from the slight twitch from Jihyo’s smile that she knew Chaewon had opened the box and therefore saw the ring.

“I guess I'll just retie it again myself," Jihyo claimed the ring box with a quick swipe. This way Chaewon could deliberate about seeing the ring again.

Chaewon scrunched her nose high into the air with a hmf, “I thought I did a good job putting it back together last night.”

“Sure you did.” Jihyo nodded. 

“What time are Mina and Nayeon supposed to show up again?”

Yena recognized the approaching voice to be Jeongyeon. She followed the sound of rough boots crunching on gravel until she spotted the older girl.

Jeongyeon, like always, had her iconic black leather jacket on with a tucked-in white blouse underneath. Her short hair stuck up in a few directions, but it was in how old Jeongyeon seemed to age that caught Yena by surprise.

She looked like a walking zombie, her cheeks and forehead sagged low on her face. Yena thought Jeongyeon had a black eye but she realized that those were bags hanging underneath her eyelids.

Jihyo held up her wristwatch, “In about an hour and a half, maybe two depending on how long Nayeon stalls.”

Jeongyeon sniffled before rubbing her index finger under her nose “I guess I'll take a nap in the car then.”

“Did you bring the nerf gun though?” Sakura asked as she approached the group as well. Yena had seen Sakura earlier on their walk through the park. She and a few others were hanging various decorations for the after-party near the pavilion.

“nerf gun?” Jeongyeon sneered, “Why would I carry around a plastic toy gun?”

Jihyo scolded the other girl, “You were supposed to bring the nerf gun so that way we can tie the ring on the end of a balloon and shoot it.” 

Jeongyeon waved her hand dismissively, “Yeah I know all that, but my question was why a Nerf gun?”

Jihyo and Sakura paused to look at each other with the same confused expression. 

“What else would we use?” Sakura followed up with a blank stare. 

“This of course.”

Yena flinched and took a step backward as she watched Jeongyeon lift the side of her leather coat, then took a heavy pistol out of her belt holster. She had always been a fan of playing shooting games, especially with Hyewon, but seeing a gun in person made dry.

“That's not a toy.” Sakura made sure to clarify. 

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes as if to say of course it isn’t.

“It’s so dangerous to use a real gun, is it loaded? Chaewon's voice stuttered. 

Yena gripped onto her girlfriend's hand tighter and they both took an additional step backward.

“Come on guys, I may be a detective rookie, and without 32 hours of sleep, but I am the ACE rookie. I know the difference between a loaded gun and an empty one.” Jeongyeon pointed her gun upwards into the sky and held it close to her ear. She then waved it around, which to Yena seemed to be an act of testing its weight.

None of the girls looked with any confidence at Jeongyeon which annoyed her. She blew her front bangs with the corner of . Eyeing the surrounding area, Jeongyeon found a suitable target, a lean oak tree about 10 yards off into the distance. She flicked the safety pin down on her gun, stuck out her tongue in the bottom left corner of , and clicked on the trigger.

It wasn’t the impact of the live bullet hitting the tree that made Yena scream in fright, but really was the sound of the bullet leaving the chamber. It reminded her closely of the sound of fireworks exploding into the air and by the time she had finished screaming and opened her eyes, she found herself hugging the concrete. 

Jeongyeon used her gun to clear the smokey air around her face. She coughed a few times from inhaling burnt gunpowder through her nostrils. A visible frown had creased on her forehead. She once again held the gun close to her ear and jiggled it. “Did I really get that much stronger? Why does it feel so light today?”

Jihyo rolled up her sleeve and took a small jab into Jeongyeon's side. “You must be the dumbest person alive next to Nayeon ”

“I swear I unloaded it before I left the station this morning.” Jeongyeon groaned as she rubbed her new bruise.

Yena was still on the ground mumbling some panicked words under her breath. It took her at least a minute to regain her composure and only then did she realize there was another body over her. Yena cleared the few strands of hair covering her face and saw that Chaewon had been hovering over her with eyes clenched close.

“Wonnieee~ your impulse to protect me?” Yena asked in awe. She threw herself into Chaewons stiff arms and left a large kiss on her cheek.

“Don’t touch me,” Chaewon responded meekly. “I’m not sure if I am dead or not.” 

“You can get up now.” Sakura tapped her fingers onto Chaewon’s head. 

This was enough assurance for her, and Chaewon heaved a huge sigh before jumping onto her feet.

Jeongyeon was still scratching her head with the of the gun-- trying to figure out how she could have possibly left any bullets in her gun. “Maybe, it was only one bullet that was left in the magazine.” She pointed her gun at the same tree she shot earlier, let’s just see if-”

“Hell no.” Jihyo took a larger jab into the same area she hit Jeongyeon earlier. 

The rookie detective hunched over and gasped for air. She then looked up towards Jihyo who had a harsh gaze in her stare, “You hit harder than some of the mafia members I've run into.” Jeongyeon squeaked out.

Jihyo shook her head at Jeongyeon then turned to face the remaining girls. “Well, it seems like we are scratching that idea.” She dusted her hands, “What do we do now?”

Yena felt her legs wanting to cave in and sink into the ground again. Her proposal idea for her two favorite unnies fizzed away like a balloon, or should she say a gunshot. 

“This is all ruined.” She moped and threw her head into Chaewon’s shoulder.

“Awh don’t say that.” Sakura walked over and patted her head. ‘I’m sure your smart girlfriend will come up with an idea now.”

Chaewon shot lasers at Sakura as if to say Oh no you didn’t, but before Chaewon had the chance to open , Yena was already looking up towards her with pleading eyes.

“You can do this right?” Yena took slow blinks while staring deep into Chaewon. She always used this tactic when she wanted something from her girlfriend and usually, it never worked...but this time something must have been different.

 Chaewon threw her hands high into the sky, “I’ll think of something.” 

“Good job Yena.” Jihyo flashed a wink towards her.

Chaewon began to hum as she thought seriously about how to fix this mess. The sudden memory of training Hoo one day on how to sit and roll over crossed Chaewon’s mind, and then it hit her, “Let's tie the ring to a dog treat and have Hoo walk up and give it to Nayeon!”

Sakura and Jihyo gave their immediate praise to the idea. Even Jeongyeon eventually threw a thumbs up after taking a moment to absorb the idea.

 Then all eyes were onto Yena who had yet to make a reaction. The girl had in and she awfully was giving the impression of a toddler having to pee. 

“What do you think Yena?” Sakura urged the girl to give an answer. 

“I think it’s a good idea.” Yena nodded her head timidly.

Chaewon flashed a smug smile. Leave it to her Kim Chaewon, music prodigy and youtube star to create a bomb- proposal idea for Mina and Nayeon. She could never go wrong, Chaewon thought to herself, but of course, she was wrong.

“It’s a good idea and all but...isn’t it a little cliche?” Yena finished.

The smile on Chaewon’s face evaporated and turned into an angry scowl. “Never mind then.” She spat out and untangled Yena’s wrapped body from her own.

“No, no, Wonnie, I think we should do it but-”

“But-” Chaewon raised one eyebrow

“But..” Yena took a moment to gather her words. She ended up losing the energy to explain and so she sighed.

“What's wrong?” Jihyo opened her palm towards Yena. “I think it's a damn good idea. Mina and Nayeon both love Hoo, and Hoo is trained enough to carry the ring towards them without endangering anybody.” Jihyo made sure to side-eye Jeongyeon at the latter half of her sentence. 

Jeongyeon replied by flipping Jigyo off and mumbled out how she swore it was unloaded and somebody must have tampered with her gun at work.

“I don’t know,” Yena said with another sigh. She looked up towards all the other girls and saw they all had the same worried expression about her. Giving in, Yena answered truthfully, “Ever since last night I just have a really bad feeling about this proposal, like something is going to go wrong.” 

“You really think Mina won’t accept Nayeon proposing to her?” Jihyo said in a sarcastic tone. “That princess has been complaining to us in the group chat for months saying how every time she mentioned any serious talk about marriage to Nayeon, the other girl would flip at her and tell her that word was banned.” 

Chaewon rolled her eyes, she had been present more than once to that happening. She looked and saw the still defeated expression from Yena and decided to bring her in for another hug. “Mina and Nayeon are going to get married and it’s all gonna work out.”

Yena nodded her head into Chaewon’s shoulder. “I know they will, but like just, what if something goes wrong before that happens?”

“I’ll make sure it won’t.” Chaewon lifted Yena’s head and gave her the best smile she could. 

Once seeing this, Yena felt better. Trust your girlfriend, this is what relationships are meant for right? Yena told herself.

Chaewon wasn’t just a talker, she was a doer. Reclaiming her phone from Yena’s back pocket, she dialed a contact and put it on speaker. 

All the girls huddled closer to see who the contact was but the name was under some obscene nickname.

“Who is Furry ?” Sakura asked. Her answer came as the ringtone begun

“Hi this is Minju’s girlfriend, aka Ahn Yujin, I am definitely avoiding your phone call right now so please don’t try calling again, thanks, buh bye.” 

“Of course she is still asleep,” Chaewon said with an eye roll.

“Why were you calling Yujin?” Jihyo asked.

“She was sleeping on the couch back at the house before we left, I was thinking she could get Hoo ready and I’ll pick her up and take them both to the park before Mina and Nayeon notice.” 

“Wow, you can really think on your feet.” Sakura praised the other girl. She regretted doing so, because of course, Chaewon’s already inflated ego grew larger, and the spunky young adult just parted her hair with an annoying smile on her face.