Work Text:
THE PROPOSAL
Saturday, 6:38 pm
"Will you marry me?" He asks. With clammy hands, the man flips the lid of a gray, velvety box. It opens, facing the woman waiting expectantly in front of him, but there's no ring inside.
"Seunghyo-ssi…" No-eul smiles calmly, showing him the empty box.
The knot in Seung-hyo's stomach tightens and he fights to keep his hands from visibly shaking. Are my eyes fooling me? Andwae!
His girlfriend reaches out to comfort him, but—
"I ruined it."
*** *** ***
The day before, 7:04 pm
A can of energy drink and two pieces of triangle kimbap keep Mr. Choi awake when he's on standby for his boss. He's had his fill and burps when he receives a call from Ms. Kang.
"Be ready in 15 minutes. Mr. Gu's wrapping up his meeting."
"Got it." Mr. Choi crosses the street from the convenience store back to Global Plant Engineering's main building, bowing politely to the security personnel after presenting his ID. "Will he stop by the headquarters?"
"He didn't say," Ms. Kang answers. "Anyway, I think he'll finally do it this weekend," she adds excitedly.
"Really?"
"My hunches are almost always spot-on," she says confidently. "I heard him finalizing a reservation with a cottage owner somewhere in—"
"That doesn't automatically mean he's proposing, Ms. Kang." Mr. Choi laughs.
"Shall we have another bet? Do you wanna lose again?"
"Sure, he's proposing if you say so…"
"Can you believe how far he's come since—" Ms. Kang stops mid-sentence. "He's here— I'm hanging up."
***
Gu Seung-hyo's focus is back on his phone as soon as his driver leaves the front lobby.
Mr. Choi as usual remains silent unless he's spoken to, though the urge to speak up increases as they near Seung-hyo's home. If Ms. Kang did guess correctly then he might as well say what he wanted to. Recalling how he had asked his girlfriend to marry him remains a fond memory; only Seung-hyo's driver wishes he had been calmer then, like his boss is now.
"Good luck, sajangnim! Hwaiting," the younger man says, pumping his fists awkwardly after he opens the car door.
Strange way to bid me goodbye. "Hwaiting?" He raises an inquisitive eyebrow, not yet understanding the context in which his driver had spoken.
"Well, speaking humbly from my experience…" Mr. Choi keeps his eyes lowered, suddenly regretting the trust he had placed on Ms. Kang's hunch. "Forget I said anything, sir—"
You already started. "Say it."
"Proposing to somebody can be really unnerving, and—"
I don't think I've ever said anything. But of course— Ms. Kang. "Who's proposing?"
Mr. Choi looks as though he had stubbed his toe. "I-I’ll get going then—”
"Wait." Seung-hyo taps him on the shoulder. "How are things between you and your fiancée?"
He had invited his boss to the wedding two years ago, and although the latter couldn't attend the ceremony, he had made sure to send a hefty cash gift. Mr. Choi smiles, but not to mock his boss for not remembering.
"Actually, I'm already married to her," he says proudly.
"Hmm… good to hear." Seung-hyo nods, deep in thought. "I don't know what Ms. Kang has been telling you but…"
"I apologize, sajangnim. I'll see you on Monday," Mr. Choi responds immediately. Their brief conversation is the confirmation that indeed, a proposal is going to take place that weekend. Mr. Choi may have lost the bet with Ms. Kang but he'll gladly buy her dinner, if it means they'll be celebrating their boss's upcoming marriage.
***
Saturday, 5:29 pm
Seung-hyo picks No-eul up from Gangneung Hospital with Nighty in tow. Dr. Lee places the dog on her lap as she talks about her hectic shift that had just ended, while their furry baby eagerly welcomes the cool breeze that hits his face through the open window.
They arrive at a private beach house lesser known to tourists, so there isn't much of a crowd to make noise around them. An evening to be unbothered— the way Seung-hyo had planned it.
He double-checks the items he'd purchased at the market earlier, most of them freshly caught seafood for them to grill for dinner. The portable stove provided in the cottage, however, isn't working.
"Aish," he sighs. "This was working earlier." Seung-hyo replaces the gas canister and tries turning the knob again, but nothing happens.
"I'll have the owner change it," No-eul volunteers. "Mrs. Park, right?"
"I'll do it—"
She hurriedly takes the stove and is already out the door before Seung-hyo could do anything. "She hasn't met me yet," No-eul tells him. "It won't take long, so don't miss me too much."
"Ha, as if." Seung-hyo grumbles, but he breaks out into a grin after No-eul disappears. He checks everything else in their one-bedroom abode, ensuring nothing else would go wrong during their weekend together.
The most important thing would be the engagement ring he had gotten her; the box was wrapped carefully in one of his shirts and tucked at the bottom of his backpack. Seung-hyo checks the ring, simple and exquisite, and exhales loudly. "This is it."
Nighty sniffs at the box and jumps around his owner, seemingly sensing that tonight is going to be a special one.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Seung-hyo ruffles the back of the dog's head. "We'll be asking her soon so keep it a secret till then, okay?"
“Talking to Nighty about something?” No-eul returns unannounced, beaming at the startled Seung-hyo. He drops the box, and unable to slip it subtly into his pocket, he kicks it lightly, disappearing under the bed.
"That was fast. Is the stove working now?" Nighty dives underneath the bed but Seung-hyo pulls him out.
"Of course." No-eul starts changing out of her work clothes in front of Seung-hyo, not bothering to do it inside the bathroom. "Should I wear shorts or a skirt? Or a dress, maybe?"
"You look your best with no clothes on. I keep telling you that." He smirks.
"I was asking a serious question!" No-eul throws her socks at him, laughing. She opts to wear a pastel blue shirt and white shorts, pretending to nag Seung-hyo for not helping her decide.
He plays along and chuckles, but as soon as No-eul turns her back on him to put her used clothes in a separate bag, he slips his arm under the bed and hurriedly puts the box in his pocket.
The ring is good to go. I'm ready. "I'll put Nighty on a leash and meet you outside," Seung-hyo tells her.
The mood's all set and the timing is just right. They take a stroll along the beach while he plans to propose to her before the sun fully sets. Even Nighty knows that he ought to behave and doesn't stray too far when No-eul begins to walk him.
“Such a beautiful view. And there aren't many people around too. I'd gladly live like this forever,” she sighs. "What do you think?"
"What about it?"
"Are you worried about something?"
"No."
"Your lips are giving you away,” No-eul teases Seung-hyo, copying the pout on his face.
He shrugs. "Are you happy?"
"You mean today?" No-eul nods. "Very much so."
Seung-hyo takes Nighty's leash from her. "Are you happy… being with me?"
"Of course I am."
"I am too." He stops walking. "The past eight months we spent together have been the happiest days of my life."
Their faces glow yellow against the retreating sun. The sky boasts a masterful mix of pinks, oranges, and purples, a majestic painting.
“I’ve never been more sure about anyone else before,” he adds. "Never serious enough to consider marriage... yet look at me now."
Seung-hyo’s ears are burning red, but he inhales deeply and strives to keep his composure as he takes the box from his pocket.
"Wait…"
"Lee Noeul-ssi." He gets down on one knee and instructs Nighty to sit next to him. "Will you marry me?" With clammy hands, Seung-hyo flips the lid of the box, presenting it to her.
"Seunghyo-ssi…" No-eul smiles calmly, showing him the empty box.
The knot in Seung-hyo's stomach tightens and he fights to keep his hands from visibly shaking. Are my eyes fooling me? Andwae—
His girlfriend reaches out to comfort him but he avoids her touch. "I ruined it."
"You didn't," No-eul tells him. "I—"
He examines Nighty's face, worried and exasperated. "You didn't swallow it, did you?" He mutters more to himself than to their dog.
No—there's a chance the ring could just be under the bed— I could run back and look for it now, but the romance will have lost its momentum and the sky will have become dark by then—
Either way, it's ruined.
"Don't you have a plan B, sajangnim?" No-eul pulls Seung-hyo up, dusting the sand off his pants. "You once told me that a businessman deals with unexpected variables and should respond to changes quickly." She squeezes his hand to stop him from moving away. "Didn't you foresee this?"
Right. I had told her that the evening we had visited Lee Jeong-seon's wake. When both of us had still worked at Sangkook University Hospital….
"No, I didn't think this kind of thing would happen." Seung-hyo's frustrated at himself for not being more careful, for not anticipating a situation like this to mess everything up. His eyes struggle to focus on their feet, half-buried in the sand.
"Your appa thinks you swallowed the ring, huh?" No-eul takes Nighty from Seung-hyo's arms and sets him back on the ground. Oblivious to what's happening, the dog begins jumping back and forth near the waves that sweep the shoreline, unrestrained.
"Let me return to the cottage quickly—"
"It's all right." No-eul smiles, assuring Seung-hyo that no blunders— not even one as grand as a failed attempt to propose— can make this day any less perfect.
"But the ring…"
The sun continues to dip closer into the distant mountains; overhead, the pale, nearly invisible moon presents itself for the takeover.
She opens the palm of his sweating hand, and taking a glinting piece of jewelry from her knitted sling bag, gives the engagement ring back to him.
"How did you—"
"My earrings fell when I was fixing my hair. It went under our bed, and that's when I saw that sparkling beauty you left behind…"
"Oh." Seung-hyo's relieved that the ring wasn't lost, and that Nighty hadn't gotten to it like he'd imagined.
"Ask me one more time, then." No-eul urges him. "Things can't possibly get worse, can it?"
"Only if you say no."
"Like I would…" She squints at him. "Ppali, before the sun disappears!"
Seung-hyo nods and promptly kneels again. "Lee No-eul seonsaeng?"
"Yes?"
"It would be an honor to become your husband. I'd be the luckiest man in the world if I can tell people I'm yours." He places the ring back in its box and lifts it up to her. "So will you please be my wife? Will you marry me?"
"Yes, I would love to be your wife, and yes— I will marry you!" No-eul answers, her round eyes filled with tears. She holds out her hand to him and Seung-hyo smoothly slips the diamond ring onto her finger.
He makes a move to get up but she throws herself at him, sealing his lips in a deep kiss. They fall back on the sand, pressed against each other; her hands cup his face, while his rest contentedly on her lower back.
Nighty skips back to them, craving their attention too. No-eul, laughing through her tears, untangles the leash from his short legs.
"You owe our little Nighty an apology," she chuckles. "He didn't eat the ring."
"I panicked." Seung-hyo admits. He sits up, brushing off the sand in his hair and arms. "Mianhae," he coos softly to the innocent dog.
The sun, witness to No-eul and Seung-hyo's engagement, finally takes its leave for the day. No stars are visible in the dull, maroon sky.
With her stomach suddenly grumbling, No-eul looks at her watch. "I'm hungry."
"Let's head back." Seung-hyo tugs on Nighty's leash and links his other hand with his fiancée's. "I have more surprises in store for you tonight."