Easy Ways

Easy Ways

by Jaewon

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I came home from work to the sound of clattering pans and Ha-young humming off-key in the kitchen. She had her hair up in a messy bun, one of my old shirts hanging off one shoulder, and flour on her cheek. The entire counter looked like a war zone.

“Babe, what happened?” I asked, setting my bag down and trying not to laugh.

She turned around with a bright smile, holding up a slightly lopsided cake. “I found this ‘easy 10-minute cake’ recipe online. Thought I’d surprise you. Easy ways to be a better wife, right?”

The cake leaned dangerously to one side and had a suspicious crack down the middle. I walked over and kissed the flour off her cheek. “It looks… unique. I love it already.”

“You’re lying,” she said, poking my chest, “but I appreciate the effort. Sit down. I’ll try to save it with frosting.”

That was our life lately. Ever since we got married, Ha-young had been obsessed with “easy ways” — easy recipes, easy home organization hacks, easy date ideas she saw on social media. Most of them ended in comedy, but I wouldn’t trade the chaos for anything.

I sat at the counter and watched her attempt to frost the cake. Half the frosting ended up on her fingers, which she then wiped on my shirt with a mischievous grin. “Now we match,” she declared.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” I said, pulling her between my legs for a proper kiss. She tasted like vanilla and laughter. When we pulled apart, the cake had tilted even more.

“Okay, Plan B,” she announced. “We eat it anyway and pretend it’s modern art.”

We ended up ordering takeout because the cake tasted like sweet sadness, but we laughed about it the whole dinner. She told me about her day on set — the co-star who kept forgetting lines and the director who kept calling everyone by the wrong name. I shared my own stories from the office, the ridiculous email chains that could have been one message.

Later that night, we tried another “easy way” — a five-minute couples meditation video she found. We sat cross-legged on the bed facing each other, eyes closed, holding hands. Within thirty seconds, Ha-young started giggling.

“What?” I asked, cracking one eye open.

“Your serious face is too funny,” she whispered, trying to stay calm. “You look like you’re concentrating on world peace.”

I opened both eyes. “You’re supposed to be meditating.”

“I am! I’m meditating on how cute you look when you’re pretending to meditate.” She burst out laughing and fell backward onto the pillows, pulling me down with her. The meditation video kept playing peaceful music while we wrestled and tickled each other like kids.

“Best easy way ever,” she declared, breathless and smiling up at me. “Failed meditation leads to this.”

I kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips. “You make every failed plan better.”

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The next weekend, she decided we needed an “easy outdoor date.” No fancy restaurants or complicated plans — just a simple picnic in the park near our place. She packed everything herself while I was in the shower.

When we got to the park, the sky looked a little cloudy, but Ha-young was optimistic. “It’ll be fine. Easy dates are supposed to be relaxing.”

Ten minutes after we spread the blanket, it started drizzling. Not a full rain, just that annoying light sprinkle that soaks everything slowly. We tried to tough it out under a tree, but the sandwiches got soggy and the juice boxes leaked.

Ha-young looked at the mess and started laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach. “Of course. Easy way to picnic equals rain. Why didn’t I check the weather?”

I pulled her under my jacket, both of us huddled together. “At least we’re together. Could be worse.”

“Worse would be if I forgot the food,” she said, still giggling. “Wait… did I pack the dessert?”

She had not. We ended up running through the drizzle to the nearest convenience store, soaked and laughing the whole way. We bought ice cream and ate it sitting on the curb outside, watching people rush by with umbrellas.

“You know,” she said, licking chocolate off her thumb, “this is better than any perfect picnic. I like our messy version of easy.”

I leaned over and kissed her cold lips. “Me too. As long as it’s with you, any plan works.”

We walked home hand in hand, clothes sticking to us, but neither of us minded. Back at the apartment, we took a long hot shower together, stealing kisses under the water and laughing when soap got in our eyes. Simple moments like these always felt like the best part of our marriage.

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A few days later, she tried the “easy morning routine” trend. She set her alarm early to make us breakfast smoothies. I woke up to the sound of the blender and her quiet cursing.

“Everything okay?” I called from the bedroom.

“Totally fine! Just… learning,” she replied.

When I walked into the kitchen, the counter was covered in green sludge and fruit peels. Ha-young had spinach in her hair and a defeated look on her face.

“It was supposed to be a healthy green smoothie,” she explained. “But I think I added too much kale. Or maybe the blender hates me.”

I wrapped my arms around her from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder. “It looks like a science experiment. Want me to help?”

We ended up making toast and eggs instead, but she insisted on adding the smoothie as a “side dish.” We both took one sip and immediately made the same disgusted face. The laughter that followed was loud and uncontrollable.

“You’re never living this down,” I told her, wiping tears from my eyes.

“Good. I want you to remember how hard I try to be the perfect wife and how I fail spectacularly every time,” she said, leaning into me with a grin.

“You don’t have to try so hard,” I said softly, turning her to face me. “I married you because I love the real you. The one who makes disasters fun. The one who makes every day an adventure.”

Her eyes got a little misty. She hugged me tight, face buried in my chest. “I love you. Even when my easy ways explode in our faces.”

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One evening, she came home from a long photoshoot looking exhausted. I had tried to do something nice — I cleaned the apartment and ordered her favorite food. When she walked in, she saw the clean space and the takeout bags and immediately teared up.

“You did all this?” she asked, voice small.

“Easy way to make my wife smile after a hard day,” I said, repeating her favorite phrase back to her.

She laughed through the tears and tackled me onto the couch. “You’re stealing my lines now? Copycat.”

We ate dinner on the couch, her feet in my lap while we watched a silly comedy show. She kept feeding me bites from her plate and laughing at my bad impressions of the characters. When the show ended, she cuddled closer.

“These are my favorite nights,” she murmured. “No pressure to be perfect. Just us being silly and in love.”

I played with her hair, twirling strands around my finger. “We don’t need easy ways or complicated plans. We just need this.”

She looked up at me, eyes shining. “You’re right. But I’m still going to try the five-minute makeup hack tomorrow. For science.”

I groaned playfully. “As long as I get to take pictures of the results.”

“Deal.”

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Months passed like this — full of small disasters and big laughs. Ha-young tried an “easy yoga date” that ended with both of us tangled on the floor in ridiculous positions. I attempted an “easy surprise anniversary dinner” and set off the smoke alarm. Every time something went wrong, we ended up closer, laughing until our stomachs hurt.

One quiet Sunday afternoon, we were lying on the balcony couch watching the sunset. Ha-young had her head on my chest, fingers tracing lazy patterns on my arm.

“You know what the easiest way to be happy is?” she asked softly.

“What?”

“Just loving you. No recipes, no trends, no perfect plans. Just this.”

I tightened my arms around her. “That’s the only easy way I need.”

She tilted her head up and kissed me slowly, the kind of kiss that made time stop. When we pulled apart, she rested her forehead against mine.

“Thank you for laughing with me through all my crazy ideas,” she whispered.

“Thank you for making ordinary days the best ones,” I replied.

We stayed there until the sky turned dark, talking about nothing and everything. No big gestures needed. No perfect moments required. Just us, our silly failed easy ways, and the love that turned every mess into something beautiful.

In the end, the easiest way to love Ha-young was the way we already did — completely, messily, and with endless laughter.

(Hope this light, funny, and loving story made you smile. - Jaewon)