Joohyun grunted as she vigorously moved her arm back and forth, making sure to get just the right spot. Despite how much it wore her out, she had to admit that she felt ecstatic by the end, so Seulgi always ended up joining her to chime in on the euphoric high. It was definitely better as a couple’s activity, in her opinion.

“I still don’t understand...Jesus...why...oh gosh...we are doing this now?”

Joohyun panted lightly as she straightened her back. “Don’t you like it?”

“I have to...meet...a client tomorrow!” Seulgi bit her lip. “I’ll be...so sore.”

Joohyun frowned but didn’t stop. “You know you like it,” she said coyly, looking at Seulgi with a smirk.

“Um, no.” Seulgi stopped scrubbing the tiles of the balcony and looked down at the toothbrush in her hand. She could feel the cramping in her fingers and palm. Her arm had gone numb a while back. “Why can’t we just...ugh, can’t breathe...hire someone to clean this?”

“It’s not the same.” Joohyun watched as her wife inhaled deeply to compensate for the intense cleaning combined with dizziness from the smell of bleach. “Spring cleaning isn’t complete without scrubbing all the tiles until they’re sparkling.” She booped Seulgi’s nose. “You’re supposed to be the athletic one. Getting old already?”

Seulgi swatted Joohyun’s hand away. “Yeah, yeah. Too old to do exercises with you in the bedroom too.”

Joohyun shuddered at the forced abstinence she was made to endure for the past month. “Oh, Seul, you know that’s not what I mean,” she answered sweetly. “I know people in their seventies who are as fit as a kite. Remember good ole Mr. Choi? He used to hurl rocks at any couples who made out in front of his lawn. Pretty far distance. If I remember correctly, he was eighty-three when I was graduating high school.” Joohyun smiled widely at her wife. “I wonder if he’s still alive.”

“His mother lived to a hundred and fourteen.”

“So he should be alive.” Joohyun dropped her toothbrush, scooting closer to the younger girl and slinging her arms around Seulgi’s neck (albeit a bit awkwardly due to their squatting positions). “He was very tidy.”

Seulgi eyed her suspiciously but didn’t remove her arms. “Okay...so?”

“That’s why spring cleaning is important.” Joohyun smiled, planted a kiss on Seulgi’s lips, and got up. “People who clean well live longer. I’ll be organizing some of our old stuff.”

“Wait, Joohyun, that makes absolutely no sense—”

Joohyun didn’t let Seulgi finish as she scurried back into the living room.

-------

“I can’t believe you left me alone back there. I almost passed out from the fumes.”

Joohyun hummed nonchalantly and sifted through the boxes she had pulled from their storage. She was sure there were some things they could throw out.

“Can you take my babies back to the balcony now? The smell will disappear soon.”

Seulgi stared at her wife in disbelief. “Sometimes I wonder if I should have just set up camp in the hospital and paid to live there instead.”

Joohyun frowned. “Don’t say that. I need you here.”

Seulgi felt her heart tickle in happiness as she opened to respond. Joohyun cut her off.

“Who else will help me move my children around to get enough sunlight?”

“That’s it, I’m filing for a divorce.” Seulgi pouted as she crossed her arms across her chest. “I read