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A hand slams against the dining table, interrupting Sooyoung’s train of thoughts—she’d been preparing notes for an exam. She lifts her glasses, perching them atop her head. Her gaze travels from the hand, up the arm and finally to the face of the hand’s owner.
Jinsol. Her roommate and girlfriend.
“May I help you?”
A scoff leaves Jinsol’s lips, eyes rolling at the tone of Sooyoung’s voice. “ May I help you? ” she mocks, repeating Sooyoung’s question.
Sooyoung raises her brow, a little disturbed by Jinsol’s behaviour. “If you have nothing to say, please leave. I still have five more chapters to cover.”
Jinsol lifts her hand, revealing a small piece of blue-coloured paper. With her finger, she pushes it towards Sooyoung. A smirk forms on her face. “I would like to cash in this coupon please,” she says, her voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness.
The blue construction paper sparks a memory within Sooyoung. No, it’s not that. Is it? She picks the paper up and staring back at her, familiar-looking squiggles written on it. Her handwriting.
On it, it reads:
This coupon allows the user, Jeong Jinsol, to have anything* she wants to be granted for a whole week. Ha Sooyoung, her loving girlfriend, will do whatever it takes to have the user’s wishes met.
*nothing illegal!
Expiry date: When our love expires. (Hopefully never)
It had been one part of Sooyoung’s gift to Jinsol for her birthday. A few weeks before that, Jinsol had taken Sooyoung to Jeju Island on a short weekend getaway to celebrate the latter’s birthday. The trip was perfect.
There was some pressure on Sooyoung to give Jinsol something just as good but as a broke university student, her budget was tight. She found a Star Wars LEGO set which thankfully was one of the cheaper sets but it still burned a hole in her pocket.
While she was wrapping up the gift, she felt that it wasn’t enough, so she wrote the coupon. Thinking back, she thinks it wasn’t the best idea of hers—she was drunk on love…
and two bottles of soju.
Jinsol loved it, though, peppering kisses all over Sooyoung’s face when she saw the Star Wars logo peeking underneath the wrapping paper. Strangely enough, she was even happier about the coupon which surprised Sooyoung.
Anyway, Sooyoung thought that Jinsol had forgotten about the coupon since she hadn't brought it up or used it for over a year. But it seems that she does.
Sooyoung looks back up from the coupon to Jinsol. Her girlfriend sports a coy smile and leans across the table. She takes hold of Sooyoung’s shirt and pulls her close.
Jinsol’s breath tickles her ear as she whispers, “Let’s start tomorrow.” She draws back, giggles at Sooyoung gaping back at her.
“But I—” Sooyoung gestures back down to all her notes scattered across the table.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have time to study.” Jinsol reassures Sooyoung. She blows a kiss and turns to leave.
Sooyoung watches Jinsol retreat back into their bedroom in stunned silence. Before she can return to her notes, Jinsol’s head sticks through the doorway. “It’s been a while since I’ve had breakfast in bed.”
A wink and she’s gone.
“Oh lord, help me.”
Saturday
It should be illegal to be up early on a weekend morning. Sooyoung groans, feeling the vibrations from her phone’s alarm, buzzing under her pillow.
After a long week of school, they’d usually sleep in on the weekends. It’s what they deserve. Not for Sooyoung this Saturday.
The things she does for her one true love—Jinsol.
Quickly shutting off the alarm, she stretches her limbs, stiff from sleep. Jinsol shifts beside her but remains asleep. As expected from a heavy sleeper.
Sooyoung carefully removes herself from the bed with much reluctance. She presses her lips against Jinsol’s forehead. Somehow, in her state of slumber, the corners of Jinsol’s mouth twitches upwards.
Cute, Sooyoung thinks.
Normally on Saturdays, the two of them would wake up in the late morning. Cuddle in bed for a while; Sooyoung would try to kiss Jinsol but get pushed away.
Just spending time pressed up against each other and enjoying the company.
And as much as she wants to snuggle herself back in bed and cuddle with Jinsol, she has an important task at hand—make the best breakfast for Jinsol.
On her way out of the bedroom, Sooyoung grabs a scrunchie off the dresser and pulls her hair into a ponytail. With her hair out of the wau, she’s ready to cook.
Sooyoung may have overestimated herself.
There had been a plan to cook up the most extravagant breakfast (that she could think of) for Jinsol. Things were not going as planned, though.
The first sign of trouble was when the coffee maker broke down.
(“No no no.” Sooyoung smacks the coffee maker, shakes it even. “Please don’t be dead, please.”
Despite her best efforts to revive the machine, it remained dead. Rather strange as it was working well the day before.
Fortunately, there’s a box of instant coffee stashed away at the back of the kitchen shelf. Long forgotten after they’d purchased the coffee maker.
Jinsol is going to have to settle for a cup of instant three-in-one coffee.)
The smell of burnt bacon fills the kitchen. Sooyoung frantically fans her hands above the pan, trying to clear the smoke.
When she dumps it into the sink and turns the tap on, even more smoke fills the kitchen. “Fuck! This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Frustration growing within her.
The smoke finally clears after a while. But now, the kitchen is in a state of disarray. The main star of the breakfast has been burnt to a crisp.
Well, at least there are still eggs.
Wrong.
The egg tray holder is empty. In front of the fridge, Sooyoung falls to her knees. “I just want to make my girl breakfast,” she cries.
Jinsol is still sound asleep when Sooyoung returns to their bedroom. Leaving the plate on the dresser, she approaches the bed quietly. With the cup of instant coffee in hand, she sits next to the slumbering Jinsol.
Using her free hand, Sooyoung gently shakes Jinsol awake. “Sol, wake up.” She brings the cup close to her hoping that the aroma of the coffee will wake her.
“That’s not coffee.” Jinsol peeks an eye open, her nose twitching. “Coffee doesn’t smell like that.”
Sooyoung sniffs the cup. “It’s coffee alright.”
Jinsol sits up and takes the cup from Sooyoung. Taking another whiff of it, she asks, “What is this?”
“I’ve got sad news.”
“Huh?”
“The coffee maker broke down.”
“It what?” Jinsol’s brows downturn. “It’s not working anymore?” she says with a pout.
Sooyoung nods, gently patting Jinsol’s back. She thinks she sees tears in Jinsol’s eyes. The coffee maker meant a lot to her.
“So this is…” Jinsol takes a sip. A frown forms on her face when the cheap taste of convenience hits her tongue. She eyes Sooyoung, who looks at her apologetically. Taking a bigger sip, she smacks her lips together and says, “This is wonderful. Thank you for making me coffee.”
Sooyoung smiles. Slowly standing from the bed, she goes to the dresser and picks the plate up. She rubs her neck, a little embarrassed.
“I was going to make you something grand,” she says, looking down at the plate, “but things weren’t really going my way. But I hope you still enjoy this. “
Taking the plate from Sooyoung, a grin grows on Jinsol’s face. On the plate sat two slices of toast with peanut butter spread over it. Strawberry jam was carefully squeezed on top to form “I ♡ U”.
Jinsol looks up at Sooyoung, eyes sparkling from the tears that welled up in her eyes. “This is so cute!” She takes a big bite of the toast. “Delicious too!”
Placing the plate next to her, Jinsol reaches out and tugs Sooyoung close. She presses her peanut butter-stained lips on Sooyoung’s cheek which elicits a tiny whine from her. “Thank you, babe. I love you so much.”
Sunday
It’s a quiet afternoon in their small apartment. Sooyoung is catching up with her readings on the couch. She’s alone; Jinsol went on a grocery run.
The beeps from the front door announce Jinsol’s return. “I’m back,” Jinsol says.
Sooyoung hears the crinkling of plastic. Head still buried in her textbook, she replies with a “hey”.
A box drops onto her lap. Putting her textbook aside, she gets a better look at the box. Ash grey hair dye.
With a questioning gaze, she looks back up at Jinsol who sports a smile. Not just any smile. The I-am-up-to-something smile.
“What’s this…?”
“Hair dye, of course!”
“You want me to help dye your hair?”
Jinsol giggles. “No silly. It’s for you. I wanna dye your hair.”
Sooyoung’s hand immediately shoots up to her hair. “My hair?” she shutters. “But—”
Out of Jinsol’s pocket comes the coupon. Not the coupon. She waves it around. “Please?”
Oh no. Not the puppy eyes too.
Soon enough, Sooyoung finds herself sitting in their bathroom. Jinsol stands behind her, a smile still stretched across her face. “You’re gonna look amazing!”
Sooyoung sighs. “Let’s get on with it I guess…” The things she would do for Jinsol.
As the dye was ash grey, Sooyoung’s hair needed to be bleached. According to Jinsol, she’s experienced and knows what she’s doing—she’s recently bleached her own hair as well.
When Jinsol begins bleaching her hair, regret starts creeping in. “I think too many chemicals have burned into your scalp for you to think this is a good idea,” Sooyoung complains.
“Don’t be a baby. We’re just getting started. You’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Fine. Nothing was fine.
Somehow, the bleach was too strong for Sooyoung’s poor hair. Her long dark locks had to be chopped off. Fortunately, her scalp was fine.
Sooyoung looks in the mirror. Her hair just touched her shoulders, now coloured ash grey. Behind her, Jinsol watches, eyes red from crying earlier.
“This…isn’t too bad.”
“Are you sure?” There’s still an apprehensive look in Jinsol’s eyes.
Sooyoung turns to face Jinsol. “I like it,” she says, hoping that it’ll make Jinsol feel better.
“But I ruined your hair.” Jinsol reaches out, running her fingers through Sooyoung’s hair.
Taking Jinsol’s hand, Sooyoung lightly presses a kiss onto her palm. “You didn’t ruin it. Plus I think I look hotter now. She winks at Jinsol who immediately brightens.
Tugging Sooyoung towards her, she brushes a stray hair away from Sooyoung’s face. “Yeah. You do,” she says softly before tilting her head forward, catching Sooyoung in a kiss.
Monday
The week starts again. That morning, Jinsol only had one simple wish—to walk her to class.
Normally, they’d go to school together and part ways before heading to class. Their classes are on the opposite sides of the university campus.
Swinging their clasped hands between them, they stroll toward the Life Sciences building. “This is nice isn’t it?” Even though it is really early, Jinsol’s bright energy is enough for Sooyoung to feel energized as well.
Having taken a hidden path that only seniors are familiar with, the two of them enjoy the quiet stroll away from the crowd of students.
“I wouldn’t mind being a little late for class if we could do this every morning,” Sooyoung says.
Tuesday
Sooyoung knocks on the bedroom door frame, alerting Jinsol of her presence. She steps in, pulls out a piece of paper and clears her throat.
Back when they were still in high school, early on into their relationship, there was something that Sooyoung used to do for Jinsol.
Write poems.
Ever since they started attending university, Sooyoung had found herself swamped with school work and projects. There wasn’t any spare time to write poems.
Jinsol had casually mentioned it the previous night. It wasn’t a request but it’s been so long, Sooyoung wanted to write something for her.
Taking a deep breath, she begins:
Her eyes sparkle like the fireworks on the Fourth of July.
She is, my love.
Her nose, high as Mount Everest.
She is, my love.
Her lips are pink as the glow in the horizon of the setting sun.
She is, my love.
Her hair is crisp as uncooked ramyun noodles.
She is, my love.
Her name is Jeong Jinsol.
She is, my love.
She looks up to see Jinsol, biting her lower lip, struggling to contain her laugh. Face slowly turning red.
Unable to hold back anymore, she lets out a laugh. Tears run down her cheeks. “That was…so beautiful,” she says, wiping away the tears from her eyes.
“I wrote that in five minutes,” Sooyoung states proudly. Seeing Jinsol’s reaction, she’s extremely satisfied with her work.
“I love it. Poe could never write something as profound as that.” Jinsol takes the paper on which the poem was written on. “This needs to be professionally printed and put into a frame.”
Sooyoung puffs her chest out hearing that. Jinsol laughs, pulls her into a hug. “I love you.”
Wednesday
Thankfully for Sooyoung, Jinsol was too busy to ask for a wish.
Thursday
Sooyoung is shaken awake. She’d just been about to kiss dream-Jinsol but someone had shaken her whole body. “Wha—” Her voice still hoarse from sleep.
Hovering above her, Jinsol with her hair pulled into a tight ponytail, smiles. “Rise and shine!”
In her drowsy state, Sooyoung still isn’t able to comprehend what is going on. “Huh? What is going on?”
Jinsol flips the blanket off Sooyoung’s body. A groan leaves Sooyoung when the warmth disappears. “Come on! Let’s go. The gym awaits us.”
The what?
“Gym?” Sooyoung pulls her phone from under her pillow. Her eyes widen when she sees the time. “It’s 6:30 in the morning…do we really have to.”
Jinsol pouts. “Just today? Please? I’m wearing those leggings that you like me in.”
Sooyoung’s ears perk up when she hears that. Sitting up at the speed of light, she pulls herself off the bed. “Help me find my shoes while I go change.”
Hurrying off to the bathroom, the sound of Jinsol’s laugh follows her.
Friday
After a week of doing small wishes for Jinsol—getting coffee while she’s in class, picking up her LEGO set from the post office and among many others—it was the last day of wishes.
Jinsol’s last wish was simple.
(“Can we just skip class and spend the day together?”)
Now, Sooyoung would prefer not to miss her classes. But if Jinsol—also someone whose attendance is 100% wanted to skip, how could she deny the request?
They’d started the day a little late—if they’re going to skip class, it would only make sense to sleep in a little. This time, Sooyoung wakes up before Jinsol.
To make up for last Saturday, she carefully prepares the extravagant breakfast she wasn’t able to. Eggs, toast, bacon, waffles, pancakes. Safe to say, the both of them ate to their heart's content.
Clearing away the trays, Sooyoung is dragged back into bed. Jinsol pounces on top of her. She traces her finger down Sooyoung’s chest. “You’re so good to me.”
Sooyoung leans up, draws Jinsol close. Eyes flutter shut, lips brush up against each other lightly. Curling her hand around Jinsol’s nape, she closes the distance between them.
Before Sooyoung can move her lips, Jinsol pulls back. Hand shoots up to her mouth, shielding away the large burp that erupts from her throat.
“Gross,” Sooyoung laughs.
Pink. The colour of Jinsol’s cheeks as she slaps Sooyoung’s shoulder. “Stop it,” she whines, “why did you feed me so much?”
Still snickering, Sooyoung pulls Jinsol into her embrace. “I love you.”
“Thank you. And I love you too.”
Just like that, they spend the rest of the day, wrapped up in each other’s embrace.