Pick Up the Rejected Pure Love

On the fourth day of our trip, which was Friday, we booked a place near Haeundae. During the day, we wandered around the beach, and as the sun set, we found ourselves at a seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean, savoring freshly caught parrot fish.

Since I’d been told not to come back until I’d drained my funds, I splurged a little. Yet, despite being on day four of the trip, my balance hadn’t run out, which meant I must have been given more than enough. It made me wonder if I’d even run out by the end of the trip.

“Eun-ha, say ah~”

“Ah~”

I dipped two slices of fish in the sauce and carefully brought them to Eun-ha’s lips. She looked absolutely adorable, chewing the sashimi with a little munch.

“Is it good?”

Eun-ha nodded happily with a smile. Ah… she’s too cute. Makes me not want to enlist. Then again, I never really wanted to in the first place.

After swallowing her fish with a soft gulp, Eun-ha beamed up at me.

“You’re giving me two pieces at once~ Isn’t that a bit too much love?”

“Then I’ll feed you too, come here.”

Eun-ha picked up three pieces and placed them into my mouth. As the fresh taste of the fish spread across my tongue, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Wow, Han-gyeol, you’re a good eater~”

“It’s my first time having freshly caught parrot fish. It’s definitely something special.”

“You know you have a certain look when you eat something you like, right?”

“Huh? Do I?”

“Yeah, you do.”

Eun-ha grinned brightly.

“Whenever you eat something delicious, the corners of your mouth lift just a bit. Especially at barbecue places, when the server grills the meat, you look so cute with that expression.” 𝘙ã

Her comment made me feel a bit shy.

“Now I feel a little embarrassed.”

I took a small sip of water, trying to avoid her gaze.

“Even the way you’re shyly glancing away is adorable~”

“You know me too well, don’t you?”

“We’ve spent years together, Han-gyeol~ Of course I know you well. And you know me well too, right?”

“Yeah, I definitely know more about you than most people.”

Since long before we came here, I’d already known a lot. But there were so many new things I’d learned from living together.

“Oh really~? Is there something you know about me that I haven’t told you?”

“Of course.”

“Like what?”

“You can’t eat eggplant.”

Eun-ha’s eyes widened, and she blushed a little, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Did I ever tell you that I don’t eat eggplant?!”

“Nope~”

“I thought you might hesitate a little, but you answered right away... How did you know?”

“Easy—I’ve eaten with you enough times. You’re someone who usually eats everything, but you never touch the eggplant side dishes, not even once. That’s how I figured it out.”

Eun-ha looked at me with amazement.

“Han-gyeol, you really do know a lot about me...”

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“Well, we’ve been living together, so it’s only natural~”

“Somehow, it makes my heart flutter a bit to know you understand things about me without me saying anything…!”

“Oh yeah? Why?”

“It just means you’ve been paying attention to me all this time, right? That makes me happy.”

“I feel the same way~ You’re always watching me, too.”

“Yup, I only have eyes for you, Han-gyeol~ Got any other guesses?”

Every time she sleep somewhere new, she snore, which is embarrassing, so I won’t tell her that.

“It feels like everything’s so natural now that nothing specific comes to mind. How about you, Eun-ha?”

“Nothing really comes to mind for me either. But I still want to know more.”

“Me too. I’m still curious about you, Eun-ha.”

“Stop saying things that make my heart flutter~ It’s bad for my health.”

“I meant it.”

Eun-ha smiled warmly, her eyes fixed on my face. Neither of us had brought up the topic of my enlistment, but we both felt the same way.

We didn’t want to be apart, and we wanted to stay close like this.

“Where should we go after finishing the sashimi?”

“Hm~ I don’t know. What do you feel like doing, Han-gyeol?”

“For me, as long as I’m with you, I’m good with anything~”

“Same here. But tell me what you’d like to do~”

“Hmm… We’ve been out and about a lot. How about we go back to the place, watch a movie, and drink some beer?”

“Yes, that sounds good~”

Eun-ha’s cheerful response, even though she must be feeling sad, made me feel so grateful.

****

After leaving the seafood restaurant, we bought some beer and returned to our lodging.

“Han-gyeol, I’ll go wash up first~”

“Oh, sure. I’ll set things up and pick out a movie. Any genre you feel like watching?”

“Huh? I kind of want a comedy, but if you don’t find one, anything is fine~”

“Got it.”

Eun-ha grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom. As the sound of the shower started, I put the beer in the fridge and searched for a movie.

Luckily, I found a well-rated comedy and waited in the chair until Eun-ha came out.

“Han-gyeol~ I’m all done.”

Eun-ha walked out, drying her damp hair with a towel.

“Alright, I’ll go wash up too.”

I stepped into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the warm water wash over me. After a quick rinse, I headed back outside.

“You’re here, Han-gyeol? Hurry up and come over.”

Eun-ha was sitting on the bed in her bathrobe, patting the bed beside her. Her gesture was so cute that I hurried to sit next to her.

“Did you know you’re adorable when you pat the bed like that, Eun-ha?”

“What~? You think that’s cute?”

“Everything you do is cute in my eyes.”

“Thank you. By the way, sorry for asking now, but could you grab the beer from the fridge?”

“Of course~”

I brought the cans of beer over and sat down next to Eun-ha on the bed. With a crisp pop, we opened the cans and clinked them together.

“Cheers~”

The movie began, and we watched it while holding hands. I was a bit worried it might not suit Eun-ha’s taste or mine, but fortunately, it turned out to be a lighthearted, funny movie with a few laugh-out-loud moments.

“It’s funnier than I expected, right?”

Just as I turned to check if Eun-ha was enjoying it, I saw her profile, and I froze.

“Yes..! It’s funny..!”

She said it was funny, but tears the size of raindrops were falling from her eyes as she stared at the screen.

“Eun-ha, why are you crying all of a sudden?!”

“It’s just so funny I’m crying…!”

“Yeah, right. Who’d believe that? What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Look at me.”

I set my beer down on the side table and gently turned her face toward me. The moment our eyes met, her tears started falling even faster, soaking the bedsheet beneath her.

“It hurts…”

“Where? What hurts?!”

Her expression twisted, and then she broke into sobs, her voice cracking as if she’d held back her sadness for too long.

“It hurts in my heart…! My heart hurts…! I’m sorry… I wanted to let you go with a smile, but… I can’t hold it in anymore…!”

I thought she’d be okay.

Since we left the house, she’d been smiling for me all this time.

We’d talked about everything, and I thought she’d come to terms with my decision after thinking it through.

“Can’t you stay? Or… can’t you leave just a little later? I don’t want to be apart from you, Han-gyeol… I want to stay with you longer. I’m sorry. I don’t want to let you go… It’s just too hard…”

In trying to hide my own sadness and reluctance, I’d nearly forgotten what was most important.

“Eun-ha…”

I gently pulled her into my arms. As soon as she settled in my embrace, she clung to my bathrobe and began to cry.

“Hwaaah—! I’m sorry…!”

Watching her sob so heartbreakingly, not wanting to let go of me, made my own heart ache. The saddest part was that the only comfort I could offer was softly stroking her head.

“What are you sorry for~”

Eun-ha’s shoulders shook as she poured out her feelings.

“I wanted to send you off with a smile…! I didn’t want you to worry about anything…!”

“Oh, silly. Why try to hold back? If you’re sad, you should cry. Cry as much as you need to.”

“Han-gyeol…”

“Yes?”

Eun-ha slowly lifted her head.

“I love you… more than anything in this world…”

Her tear-streaked face was beautiful, even in sadness. Even when she cried, she looked so pretty. Gently, I wiped her tears away.

“I love you too, Eun-ha, more than anything. I can’t imagine life without you.”

“Me too… I can’t live without you, Han-gyeol. I’d be lost without you.”

“Yeah. We’re that important to each other. One day, we’ll get married, have kids, and make a happy life together.”

“Yeah… we will…”

“Let’s look even further ahead.”

“Further…?” she repeated softly, her gaze fixed on mine. I spoke carefully, hoping my words might bring her even a little bit of comfort.

“When I finish my service, you’ll be in your third year. I’ll be in my first-year, second semester. That means we’ll get to go to college together for about a year and a half. I’ll aim to graduate early, but I’ll probably be in college by myself for a year or so. I might feel a bit lonely then, but at least I’ll be able to see you whenever I want.”

I kept talking, not letting the silence settle in.

“After we graduate, we’ll get married, just like we promised. We probably won’t have much saved, so we won’t be able to live in a fancy place. Especially in Seoul, where rent is high, we’ll likely start out in a rented place. But as we save, we’ll eventually find a small place to call our own.”

Eun-ha’s eyes were glued to my face.

“By then, we might have kids too. I wonder if Eunbyul will be our first, or maybe Hanbyul? Or who knows, maybe we’ll have twins. As we raise our kids, maybe we’ll start thinking about having one more. I’ve thought about a name for our youngest… How about Gumbyul? That way, if Eunbyul is the oldest, it’ll be Eunbyul and then Gumbyul as the youngest. Feels nice, doesn’t it?”

Eun-ha gave a small nod, her voice soft.

“I like it…”

“When we’re working, there’ll be days when we’re scolded, when we’re exhausted and don’t feel like doing anything. But with you beside me, none of that will matter. Just seeing you will give me happiness and strength.”

“Me too… just seeing you makes me happy.”

Her voice had calmed, the storm of sadness starting to fade.

“Eun-ha, this is only a short separation. But when I come back, we’ll make up for it by being together even more. We’ll go to Jeju Island, your favorite place~ and I’ll watch you tie your hair up every day.”

I smiled, placing my hand on her cheek. The warmth of her skin spread through me, wrapping my heart in comfort.

“I love you.”

“I… I love you too…”

“All done crying now?”

She nodded.

“Han-gyeol…”

“Yeah?”

“Um…”

I replied with a smile.

“Give me all the skinship we’ll miss while you’re gone… in advance…”

“Hmm?”

“Give me a month’s worth in advance… holding hands… hugging… kissing… everything…”

I couldn’t help but grin.

“Okay. Let’s get in a month’s worth.”

“Good… because I’m not letting you sleep tonight…”

Eun-ha slowly leaned in, covering my lips with hers.

Looks like there’s no sleeping tonight.

--- The End OF The Chapter --

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