“Ah!” Irene reached for her pockets then searched through her bags before looking around her area.

“What is it?” Wendy asked.

“I forgot my phone at the canteen!” she cried out.

“It’s probably stolen already.” The younger girl shrugged.

Tears flooded the poor girl’s eyes; her lips trembling with anxiety. The newly device was just recently given to her as a present from her mom and she kept it preciously close at all times, except for this.

She quickly stood up. “I-I’m gonna go look for it. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Someone might have been so nice to have picked it up or maybe looked after it.” She grabbed her bag and rushed towards the dining area. Wendy could only shake her head, having lost all confidence in the girl’s naivety.

“You know you’re not going to find it right?”

As they reached the food court, the place was left empty and cleaned out. Everyone had already left and the tables were clear. There were no signs any rubbish, let alone a mobile phone.

Defeated, Irene sat on the chair and laid her head her arms sobbing.

“Mom is going to be so mad at me. “

Wendy sighed, already used to seeing her clumsy friend being forgetful yet again.

“I don’t even understand why your mom would give you something that expensive in the first place.”

“You do! It’s so I can message you!”

Wendy chuckled. “Liar. It’s so that you can message your precious girlfriend.”

“Shut up!” She punched the girl on the arm.

“Alright, alright. I’m going to get you some water, okay? Don’t go anywhere. You’ll just end up getting lost.”

Irene didn’t have any motivation to go anywhere. All she wanted to do was stay here and cry so that she didn’t need to go home and face her mom who had worked so hard to get her the phone. A phone, mind you, that she had been asking about a year for. Plus, she had to work hard to raise her grades for it too.

Just the thoughts alone made her feel the hard tugging in her chest, pulling onto the guilt that she could not brush away.

“Irene, you found your phone?”

The girl looked up, her eyes puffed up from the tears. “What are you talking about?”

“Your phone,” Wendy shouted. “It’s right next to you.”

“Huh?” Irene looked to her side. Lying right there was her phone, appearing miraculously next to her side. “H-How?”

Wendy grinned. “It doesn’t matter does it? Let’s go!”

Like a switch, Irene’s emotions quickly transitioned into that of a bunny. “Thank God! I’m so happy!”

The girl jumped into her best friend’s embrace, holding onto her like life depended on it.

“L-Let go!”

Irene had no idea why her phone suddenly decided to appear, but she was glad that it did. Somehow God was watching over her. If not, someone must’ve been really nice. Her personal savior?

***

Oh my God, you have no idea what happened today.

What’s up?

Irene snickered as she looked at her phone, excited to tell her girlfriend the good news.

I lost my phone today at the canteen today!

W-What? But how are you texting me now then?

Wendy and I went to look for it and it wasn’t there. Then suddenly it reappeared right next to me!

That’s crazy! How did that happen?

I don’t know! Somehow it just got there!

You’re really lucky! Someone must be looking out for you.

I know! I really want to pay back that person. But I don’t know how.

Are you sure it wasn’t you who was just clumsy?

Shut up. Haha. Wendy was there too and she didn’t see it.

Really?

Yes! Don’t look down on my clumsiness, okay? Or up.

You’re a dork.

So are you!

Irene pouts at her girlfriend’s little tease, but her heart warmed up to the love she knew the other girl had for her. They had only been together for two months, but she knew. Her girlfriend would give anything for her. They were meant to be.

I love you.

You’re cheesy.

Isn’t that why you love me?

Haha, yes.

I love you too.

Irene turned off her phone and smiled, closing her eyes as she pulled her comforter closer to her. As the phone lay in her hand, blinking several times from the incoming messages, she rested her mind dozing off to the thoughts of sweet reminders. She was being taken care of.

***

(Ten years later)

“Yeah, I’m on the train on my way to see a client.”

“Are we still going for dinner later?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you after the meeting. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my bestie.”

Wendy chuckled from other side. “Yeah, we hardly see each other ever since we graduated and started work right?”

“It’s because you moved away!” Irene shouted before hiding behind her bag, embarrassed that she bothered the other passengers.

The intercom and announced the next train station.

“I gotta go!” She turned off her device. As she stormed out of the train, she received a text message.

You forgot your files.

Panicked she turned around and ran towards the train, only to watch it slowly drive away. She sighed deeply at her clumsiness. How is it possible that someone could be that forgetful?

She felt a tap on her shoulders, standing behind her was an old man in his 60s, holding onto a big she recognized immediately. “Excuse me, miss. Someone just gave me this. She told me that a clumsy girl would come back and pick this up.”

“Oh my God, thank you! Thank you so much! Do you know who that person was?”

The man looked around.

“I’m sorry. I don’t see her anymore. I think she has left.”

Disappointed Irene bowed her gratitude towards the man and left the station, heading for the opposite office building, her mind never forgetting about the mystery person.

***

Irene had always been a ditz. Even before they got together, Seulgi had always known this. From high school when she first asked the younger girl out to today. Nothing had changed over the years. To balance out the silliness of the girl, Seulgi had always needed to overcompensate. Like that time when the girl just walked away chatting to her best friend after lunch at school.

Seulgi always had an eye looking out for the girl, but knowing her lover had always rather chosen never to reveal herself. It made her smile knowing her girl was going to be okay because of her. But sometimes emotions made her weak, feeling like the lack of recognition didn’t seem right. And there was no need to. After all, they had been happily in a relationship, so why still does she need to be that masked hero?

She looked at the girl from a distance and sighed. Not again.

She pulled out the phone from her pocket.

You forgot your files.

Strangely, the girl never bothered calling the strange number that had been texting her hints. Perhaps it’s because her knowledge pole Wendy hadn’t been around. What would she do on her own? Seulgi scratched her head. Not like it was something she didn’t know about before stepping into this relationship.

She grabbed the file from the seat and quickly ran out the train, handing it to a kind-looking man, giving him the instructions and running back in before she end up being late herself. Or was it that she didn’t want to be found out?

It started as a thing during high school. Being able to help the girl and yet seeing her that happy… it made everything better. Seulgi wasn’t the type of person to shine under the spotlight. She preferred to be the person on the background. Just. Once in a while, she too liked to be appreciated, but not in a broad way. Never. It just wasn’t her kind of thing.

As the train pulled away, she saw her girlfriend between the crowds of people gratefully bowing to the old man.

At least the girl was sincere in everything she did.

***

It was time. They had been together for as long as she can remember. Seulgi had booked the table, set the instructions, bought the roses and prepared the ring. Tonight was it. Tonight was the night she was going to propose. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Never did she figure that she could take a big step like this, but she knew. Irene was the one. Always had been, always will be.

As she listened to her girlfriend talk about her night out with the girls (which she carefully prepared too to set everything else in motion), she was looking around subtly, hinting for the waiter to come, her feet nervously tapping on the carpet floor.

As if it had been carefully practiced a million times before, the music went silent and the waiter slowly approached the table with a bottle of champagne.

“B-But we didn’t ord-“

Seulgi pulled the box from her pocket and leaned to the side preparing to kneel down.

A hand pulled the girl hard on her sleeves, causing her to lose her balance.

“You’re not going to do this.”

Confused and slightly embarrassed, Seulgi looked at the waiter, turning her head around to the other audience before blushing red and sitting back down. She was not prepared for this. Her eyes were b with tears and all she could think about was how much she messed up.

Irene rummaged through her handbag and pulled out a box of her own.

Seulgi watched as the younger girl replicated her motions from before and knelt down on the floor.

“Seulgi. For years you have watched over me and not spoken a single word about it. From the day I lost my mind thinking that I had my first mobile phone stolen, to the daily klutziness that is me. I didn’t know about it until that day I forgot my files and begged the security guy to show me the tapes. It had shocked me but only to the best way possible that you and only you were the always my guardian angel and my lover.”

Seulgi covered with her hands, her tears falling down her cheeks freely.

“I did not think I could’ve been any luckier having met you, but knowing that you were always by my side, taking care of me, looking out for me, thinking about me. I wanted you to know that I knew too. As I followed you as you did me, I understood the effort it must have taken to have done what you did for as long as you did.”

“It was then that I knew that you were the right one. That you were the one who was meant for me and I want you to know that it’s okay, that you don’t need to feel alone anymore, that you don’t have to take care of me anymore. I’m a big girl now and I can take care of you too. And I want to do that from this day onwards for you. For the rest of our lives.”

She opened the box, presenting a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. A ring that Seulgi recognized. The ring that she had bought!

“Y-You took my ring.”

The younger girl grinned from ear to ear.

“Seulgi Kang. Would you be willing to marry this ditz of a girlfriend and let yourself be taken care of for the rest of your life?”

Seulgi dropped down to the floor and embraced the other girl, showering her with loving kisses and wet tears.

“Yes. You silly. Of course I do.” She held onto the girl tightly, not intending to ever let go.

The crowd stood up and applauded.

“H-How could you… How did you plan all this?”

“It’s a girl’s secret.” The girl smiled cheekily, satisfied with her little achievement.

“Thank you.”

“I love you too, Seulgi.”