“Will you pay for this in cash or card?” The pretty store attendant asks Jeongyeon with a smile. 

She’s been staring at the princess cut diamond ring for a whole minute thinking if what she’s doing is right. The ring costs a fortune after all.

Just four months worth of her salary as an office worker.

“Ah. Yes. I’ll be paying for it in cash. Please choose the prettiest box you have too. Thank you.” Jeongyeon softly tells the jewelry attendant. 

This is it. She’s proposing to her girlfriend before she leaves for a job opportunity in the US.

Her girlfriend hates long distance but Jeongyeon is so sure of their relationship that she knows they can make it work.

She only needs to work abroad for three years and they can plan everything after.

While waiting for the attendant she checks her phone for any messages from her girlfriend, Mina. It’s six pm now and that means Mina is off from work. Before Jeongyeon can give her a call she receives a text message.

Love (Mina): dont come for me at work today. Mark will take me home.

Mark is Mina’s coworker who she talks about since he’s somewhat her office friend. He's been nice to her according to her girlfriend, she's seen Mark in some office photos but Jeongyeon has never seen him in person. She's seen his car a few times before when he brings Mina home whenever they had to do overtimes though.

Oh well. "I can save gas for tonight" she thinks, trying to push away the fear and doubt she feels for Mina and her coworker. The two of them have been pretty close lately. Jeongyeon sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night to see Mina chatting with Mark and if Jeongyeon asks about it, her girlfriend would just say they’re discussing about work. Jeongyeon is never the jealous type so she lets it go and goes back to sleep.

But lately some of Jeongyeon’s friends have been telling her about seeing Mina with a guy they don’t know, everywhere like the two of them are on dates.

Jeongyeon ignores it, tries to make excuses for it in her head and chooses to believe in Mina. Jeongyeon is happy Mina is starting to make friends outside their shared circle of friends.

The couple have known each other since middle school, started dating when they were in their senior year and until now, seven years later and working, they are still together. Jeongyeon thinks their relationship is too strong for her to start having doubts now.

Jeongyeon is so sure that Mina is the one.

She had everything planned for their future. They talked about what kind of place they wanted, how Mina will have a dedicated space for her paintings while Jeongyeon will have a spacious kitchen where she can bake cookies for them and their dogs, Nanan and Ray.

Jeongyeon has been saving up for three years but she still has to support her family so her savings for her own future isn’t enough that’s why when her long time best friend, Nayeon who works as a pastry chef in one of the prestigious chain of hotels in Washington has asked her to apply as a pastry chef at her work place, Jeongyeon didnt hesitate to apply. She successfully got in all thanks to Nayeon’s good word for her and of course her own passion and food portfolio despite having no proper hotel or restaurant experience.

She can’t pursue her dreams in their home town since pastry and the food industry don’t really compensate well that’s why she was stuck working an eight to six job, six days a week inside a small cubicle where she’s just one of hundreds of dispensable office employees.

Mina is very understanding and they’ve talked about the possibility of Jeongyeon leaving for an opportunity abroad before and Mina was nothing but supportive of Jeongyeon’s dreams to be a chef. They have been together for years, another three years of waiting before they finally tie the knot is nothing but them preparing and securing their future together.

Jeongyeon was humming along to the soft tunes from the radio speaker of her old and rusty car when she spots Mina’s coworker’s car pulling at the driveway of their shared apartment just a few feet away from her car.

Good thing we both arrived together. I can invite her coworker over for dinner so I can know him and get rid of the weird feelings that all their friends have been giving her based on their gossips. She thinks as she parks her car on the si