Pick Up the Rejected Pure Love

For the remainder of the trip, I stayed glued to Han-gyeol at the lodge.

I still didn’t want to let him go; I wanted to keep him here with me.

But, as Han-gyeol had said, we decided to look at the bigger picture.

Once Han-gyeol finishes his military service and graduates from college, we might get married right away.

We might spend our first night as newlyweds making love and end up having a child right after.

Just like Han-gyeol said, I was curious whether Eunbyul or Hanbyul would come first.

Or maybe they’ll come together? Since we’re having four, twins wouldn’t be so bad.

“Hmm…

The future father of my children had fallen into a deep sleep, probably exhausted from all the love we’d shared.

Even in his sleep, he muttered my name as part of his dream.

“Eun-ha… salmon…”

What could he possibly be dreaming about?

Even so, just knowing he was dreaming about me made me incredibly happy.

What am I supposed to do? He’s so adorable that I can’t even handle my emotions.

Seriously… I’m so grateful that Han-gyeol came into my life.

I think I could divide my life into two parts: before and after meeting him.

“I love you, Han-gyeol.”

When I confessed my love, he turned over toward me.

“Mm…”

It was one of those nights where I felt sleepy but didn’t want to fall asleep.

I wanted to look at his face a little longer.

As I leaned in closer, he pulled me into his arms.

With my ear pressed against his chest, I could hear his heart racing like crazy.

“Han-gyeol, you’re awake, aren’t you?”

“Mmm… no, I’m not…”

“Then how are you answering me~?”

I pinched his cheek, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Then, he placed a soft kiss on my forehead and murmured,

“I love you too…”

“What?! You’ve been awake this whole time?”

“I’ve been awake for a while now.”

“What were you dreaming about? It sounded like you were dreaming about me.”

“Oh, Eun-ha… you were rolling up your sleeves and catching salmon with your bare hands.”

“What?! That’s ridiculous~”

“It was cute, though. Waking up to see you right in front of me made me happy.”

Han-gyeol hugged me tightly.

The pressure was comforting, but I had a hard time breathing.

“I can’t breathe~ Can you loosen up a little?”

“I don’t want to let go. Just for a bit longer.”

“Alright…”

Really… he doesn’t want to let go.

Hearing that makes me not want to let go either.

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With a mischievous grin, I hugged him tightly around the waist.

“Argh! Eun-ha, you’re going to break my waist…”

“I don’t want to let go~ Let’s stay like this for a bit longer.”

“Your love is overwhelming…”

“Enjoy it, Han-gyeol.”

In the end, I didn’t let him go and held him tightly for a long time.

Pressed against each other with nothing between us, I felt completely at peace.

I never knew sharing body warmth could feel this blissful until I met Han-gyeol.

It was so comforting that I wanted to feel it every day.

After a while, I gently loosened my grip and let him go.

“Han-gyeol.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

The way he answered my call right away made my face flush bright red.

Even though I was the one who called him, I instinctively looked down.

“Eun-ha called me, but why is Eun-ha the one avoiding eye contact?”

“I just felt like calling you, that’s all.”

“Don’t just brush it off. Why’d you call me?”

Han-gyeol pulled me close, locking eyes with me.

Sigh… How could I explain that the expression he wears when teasing me is incredibly sexy?

Honestly… I kind of like that expression.

It’s so different from the kind and gentle Han-gyeol I usually know.

I adore mature Han-gyeol, but… sometimes, I also really love this mischievous side of him.

He didn’t seem to realize how I felt, though, as he continued to stare at me with that teasing expression.

“It’s, it’s nothing!”

“Eun-ha, your face says otherwise. Tell me.”

“I-I’m just sleepy! Let’s go to sleep!”

“You’re the one who woke me up.”

“Ugh…”

I had no good comeback for that.

“Come on, tell me. Why’s your face all red right now?”

“I don’t know!”

“Don’t try to dodge the question—mph!”

Not wanting to answer, I pressed my lips against his.

If I said anything, he’d tease me about it endlessly, for sure.

And besides… moves like this only work when used sparingly.

“Eun-ha… wait a second…!”

“It’s all your fault, Han-gyeol…!”

Apparently, just kissing wasn’t enough.

I grabbed the back of his head and deepened the kiss, letting my tongue slip into his mouth.

***

After spending the final night together, we returned to his house.

Han-gyeol looked a bit tired, with dark circles under his eyes.

Maybe we shouldn’t have done it this morning…

But knowing I wouldn’t see him for a long time after today, I wanted to make the most of every moment.

“Did you enjoy the trip? You look a little worn out, son,” his mother remarked.

“I just wanted to stay up and enjoy my time as a civilian a little longer.”

As he finished his sentence, he glanced sideways at me.

Sure, like he wasn’t the one enjoying it just as much as I did.

Blaming me, huh? How sneaky.

Since he had to spend the last night at his parents’ house, there wasn’t much we could do about it.

Even though part of me wanted to keep going, I knew it was something we’d have to put on hold.

“By the way, aren’t you shaving your head?” his mom asked.

“I’ll go out after lunch to take care of it…”

I had suggested he shave it earlier, but he refused.

It seemed like he didn’t want to show me his shaved head, and I couldn’t help but find that endearing.

Sometimes, I think Han-gyeol gets embarrassed more easily than he lets on.

“Alright then, come in. Let’s have lunch.”

“Yes, let’s go, Eun-ha.”

“We’re back!”

“Welcome back!”

After stepping into the house, we immediately sat down to eat.

Since it was the day before his enlistment, the table was covered with an impressive spread, and for once, Han-gyeol ate more than usual.

Even after finishing dessert, we spent time chatting and laughing with his family.

Though it was bittersweet, I think I’m finally ready to accept that he’s leaving for the military.

It’ll be lonely and sad, but when I think about the lifetime we’ll spend together, I can endure it.

We laughed and talked brightly.

We stole kisses when we were briefly alone in his room.

We held hands secretly when his parents weren’t looking.

In the evening, we went out so he could shave his head before returning home.

His parents laughed and teased him when they saw his new haircut.

Han-gyeol, on the other hand, seemed too embarrassed to look at me directly.

But honestly, I found this shy side of him just as adorable and lovable.

When I tried to gently pat his newly shaved head, he jumped in surprise and grabbed my wrist.

Seeing him react like that made me want to tease him even more, so I playfully reached out again, darting my hands this way and that.

For dinner, we indulged in plates of salmon sushi—Han-gyeol’s last meal of choice before enlistment.

The smile on his face as he declared himself satisfied after the meal felt like a memory I would cherish for a long time.

Seeing him offer to clean up since he ate the most made me feel so proud of him.

Though he told me to rest on the living room sofa, I couldn’t bear to be apart and helped him tidy up instead.

Eventually, night fell, and after exchanging brief goodbyes with his parents, we returned to his room.

Han-gyeol climbed into bed first, pulling the blanket over himself.

I stood by the light switch, turning off the lights before making my way to lie beside him.

“Han-gyeol.”

“Yeah?”

“Let me touch your head.”

“No way~ It’s embarrassing.”

“Just once~ Please?”

With a playful pout and a bit of a cute act, I finally convinced him to let me.

“Fine—here you go.”

“Hehe…”

I slowly reached out and ran my hand over his head.

The unfamiliar texture fascinated me, though I also felt a twinge of sadness.

“Your hair feels so prickly. I like it!”

“You shouldn’t like it…”

“But it’s ‘your’ hair, so I like it~”

When I grinned at him, he let out a small chuckle.

“Han-gyeol~”

His soft smile was so endearing that I couldn’t help but nuzzle my face into his chest.

“Yeah, Eun-ha.”

“I love you~ So much, I love you too much.”

“Thank you for loving me.”

This time, he reached out to stroke my hair.

“When you do that, I feel so happy,” I said.

“Really? Then I’ll do it all night.”

“You can’t~ You’re enlisting tomorrow.”

“Maybe I should’ve done it more; I feel a little regretful.”

“No, it’s fine. You’ve already done it plenty. It’s just that I can’t get enough of it… It’s so comforting and exciting that I always want more. But you have to promise to do it every time you come home on leave!”

“Of course. I promise.”

He pulled me into a tighter embrace, leaning close to my ear to whisper:

“I’ll stroke your hair every time I come home. After I’m discharged, I’ll do it every day. I’ll hold your hand every day, hug you every day, and kiss you every day.”

“Hmm… but it feels like you left out something important~?”

“Well, I thought it’d ruin the mood to mention that now~”

“Will you make love to me every day too~?”

“If that’s what you want, every day it is~”

Looking into his eyes, I answered:

“Hehe… I like that. I love you, Han-gyeol.”

“I love you too.”

After my confession, he pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.

“What’s this~? You’re making me want to kiss you more now.”

“Well, kissing is fine, isn’t it?”

“Do you think so? Because I think so too~”

“Come here.”

“No, I’ll come to you.”

I leaned in slowly, letting my lips meet his.

A kiss is harmless, right? Though, of course, it wasn’t just a kiss—our tongues met too.

Wrapped in the blanket together, we cuddled and kissed for a long time before drifting off to sleep.

--- The End OF The Chapter --

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