Gaeul's Unlikely Adventure

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It was Gaeul’s turn to have a day off, and unlike Liz, she didn’t plan to lounge around. Gaeul had a grand mission, that was fixing the washing machine that had been causing chaos in the dorm for weeks. 

“It’s clunking,” Rei had explained. 
“It eats socks,” Liz had grumbled. 
“It’s possessed,” Leeseo had whispered dramatically. 

But Gaeul was determined to conquer it. Armed with a toolset she had borrowed from the manager and a questionable amount of YouTube knowledge, she crouched in front of the machine like a warrior about to face a dragon. 

Just as she removed the first screw, Yujin peeked into the laundry room. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” 

“Relax,” Gaeul said confidently. “I watched three tutorial videos. I’ve got this.” 

“Should I call a professional just in case?” Yujin asked, clearly unconvinced. 

“Trust me,” Gaeul said, waving her off. 

Not five minutes later, there was a loud clang from the machine. 

“I think it’s worse now,” Wonyoung said, appearing in the doorway with her arms crossed. 

Gaeul scowled. “It’s not worse! It’s just… resisting my help.” 

“You’re talking like it’s alive,” Rei said, munching on a bag of chips as she leaned against the wall. “Honestly, I’m rooting for the washing machine.” 

Gaeul glared at her. “Very helpful, Rei.” 

“I try,” Rei said with a wink. 

Determined not to lose face, Gaeul dove back into the machine, twisting screws and pulling out mysterious parts. At one point, she held up a small, mangled piece of fabric. “Aha! This must be what caused the clunking.” 

“That’s my missing sock!” Leeseo cried, snatching it from Gaeul’s hand. 

“It’s barely a sock anymore,” Wonyoung commented, wrinkling her nose. 

“It’s a survivor,” Leeseo said solemnly, clutching it to her chest. 

“Okay, everyone out,” Gaeul said, shooing them away. “If you’re not going to help, at least let me work in peace.” 

Yujin raised an eyebrow. “You sure you don’t need backup?” 

“I’m fine,” Gaeul insisted. “Just go. Trust your unnie.” 

The other members reluctantly left, but not before Wonyoung whispered, “Take cover if she starts yelling.” 

•••

An hour later, Gaeul emerged from the laundry room, looking triumphant but slightly disheveled. The rest of the group was gathered in the living room, waiting for her verdict. 

“Well?” Liz asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I fixed it!” Gaeul announced proudly. 

“Really?” Yujin asked, narrowing her eyes. “You’re sure it works?” 

“Of course! Watch this.” Gaeul marched back into the laundry room and loaded a few towels into the machine. She pressed the start button, and for a moment, everything seemed fine. 

Then came the BANG.

The machine started shaking violently, making a sound that could only be described as a mix between a blender and an angry robot. 

“Gaeul!” Wonyoung yelled, running into the room. “What did you do?!” 

“I… I don’t know!” Gaeul stammered, frantically pressing buttons. 

Rei poked her head in, grinning. “It’s possessed. Told you.” 

“Not helping, Rei!” 

Liz walked in next, arms crossed. “I knew this would happen. I’m calling a repairman.” 

“No!” Gaeul said, stepping in front of her. “I can still fix it!” 

“You’ve already made it worse!” Liz snapped. 

“It’s just... a minor adjustment,” Gaeul insisted, looking at the machine like it had personally betrayed her. 

Yujin groaned, rubbing her temples. “Gaeul, step away from the washing machine before it explodes.” 

“It’s not going to explode,” Gaeul said, rolling her eyes. 

At that moment, there was a loud pop, followed by smoke billowing out of the machine. 

The entire group screamed and scrambled out of the room. 

•••

Later that evening, after a repairman had come and gone, the group sat around the dining table, eating takeout in awkward silence. 

“So,” Rei said, breaking the quiet. “Are we going to talk about how Gaeul almost burned the dorm down?” 

“I didn’t almost burn it down!” Gaeul protested. 

“You smoked it out,” Leeseo muttered under her breath. 

“Let’s focus on the positive,” Yujin said diplomatically. “At least the washing machine works now.” 

“Thanks to the professional I called,” Liz added pointedly. 

Gaeul sighed, poking at her food. “Fine, I admit it. Maybe I’m not as handy as I thought.” 

“Understatement of the year,” Wonyoung teased. 

Rei grinned. “Don’t feel bad, Gaeul-unnie. You gave us great entertainment today.” 

“I wasn’t trying to be entertaining!” 

“That’s what made it so funny,” Leeseo said with a giggle. 

Despite herself, Gaeul couldn’t help but laugh along with them. Sure, her washing machine adventure had been a disaster, but at least it brought the group closer together in the most chaotic way possible. 

The End.

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