* * *

No matter how clueless Taeshin is, that can’t be true. I brushed away the uneasy thought.

Yesterday, my older brother and Jeonghee came to announce their engagement to our parents and family.

As expected, I just sat there, eating fruit and drinking juice. Mom was thrilled, and Dad was trying to hide how pleased he was.

My brothers congratulated my older brother and Jeonghee noona and jokingly asked if he had proposed.

My older brother said he did, and Jeonghee noona said she received a ring and flowers with a happy face but didn’t go into details.

Since clueless Taeshin won’t think about marriage, I’ll have to prepare the proposal.

Should I start by buying a ring?

Maybe at a department store?

By the way, what’s the size of Taeshin’s finger?

“Taeshin, give me your hand.”

I took hold of Taeshin’s hand and felt each of his fingers one by one.

His white skin and long, straight fingers were really impressive.

His palms and fingers were much bigger and longer than mine, so I got curious about just how big they were and compared them to mine.

They were almost a whole joint longer.

“Your hands are big, too?”

“They’re just average.”

“You’re tall, have big hands, and a great body.”

I’m jealous. I wish I were taller, had bigger hands, and a toned body.

But I have this soft flesh. I’d have to work out like crazy to get muscles like Taeshin’s.

“Sunwoo, I like that you’re soft.”

“What’s soft about me?”

It’s all just squishy flesh!

Taeshin touched my hand, feeling each finger again, and it tickled my whole body.

I curled my toes and tried to endure the ticklish sensation.

When I bit my lip, Taeshin gave me a soft smile.

“I’m so annoyed, Taeshin’s in a relationship. Is it nice dating Moon Sunwoo?”

“Wow, you’re startled. If you’re lonely, go play with your fiancé. Why are you picking on Taeshin?”

“How can I play with someone in Germany? If I call, she’ll scold me for disturbing her studies. But seriously, Moon Sun, do you really like Taeshin? You’ve seen him with snot running down his nose! Look at his face, it’s so gross. Maybe you should reconsider…”

“Taeshin never had a runny nose. That was you.”

Kangseop suddenly popped up from the back seat, whining.

I shoved the annoying Kangseop away as he kept pestering me.

As usual, he kept whining and picking fights, and Taeshin didn’t say a word.

I’ll have to teach Taeshin to say something harsh if Kangseop keeps provoking him like this.

Damn it, now I’m self-conscious because of Kangseop again.

Just thinking about marrying Taeshin makes my heart race and fills me with excitement.

Imagining a lifetime of ups and downs with this gentle guy…ugh, it tickles.

Realizing that this person is going to marry me makes him look even more handsome and endearing.

Anyway, I need to propose to Taeshin, which means I need a ring.

I thought about asking my mom about men’s rings but figured her taste wouldn’t match.

My brothers wouldn’t be any help either.

“I guess I’ll have to go by myself…”

“What?”

“Oh? Nothing.”

I muttered absentmindedly and shook my head at Taeshin’s question.

Instead of just worrying, I needed to check it out myself.

“Taeshin.”

“Sunwoo, I think I have to go somewhere today. Is that okay?”

“Oh? Yeah. What do you need to do?”

“I have something to take care of. Be safe and let me know when you’re home.”

“Okay. Take care.”

I was about to tell him I couldn’t go with him, but he beat me to it.

Watching him walk away after patting my head, Noeul teased me, asking if I was already feeling lonely.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Sure, you’re always glued together, even wearing matching watches. But don’t worry, I understand if Moon Sunwoo feels lonely.”

“Really, it’s not like that! Taeshin gave this to me as a gift…”

“So it is a couple’s watch! Moon Sunwoo is so oblivious.”

Realizing the watch Taeshin gave me was a couple’s item made me blush, and Noeul teased me even more.

How was I supposed to know!

I warned Noeul that I’d get back at him when he started dating and headed to the department store I sometimes went to with my mom.

The actual wedding rings were prettier than I thought.

In photos, they just looked like rings, but under the store lights, they sparkled and made me regret hesitating.

After looking around a few brands, I chose a simple gold ring with a small diamond in the center.

I’d promise Taeshin a bigger one when we could afford it, but for now, I needed to save money.

I bought the ring, thinking it would suit Taeshin’s hand perfectly, and returned home.

Seeing the ring again in my room made my heart race and tickled with excitement.

I planned to surprise him with a bouquet and the ring over the weekend.

I couldn’t wait to see Taeshin’s expression when he got the flowers and ring.

He probably wouldn’t even dream of a proposal, so he’d be really surprised.

I couldn’t wait to see his reaction.

Smiling at the thought, I imagined our future, from the proposal to our wedding anniversaries.

---

It was the school festival week. I thought there would be no lectures during the festival, but we still had them, so I had to put aside my plans to fully enjoy the event.

But in the afternoon, there was only one lecture right after lunch, so once that was over, I’d have complete free time.

“Noeul and Jonghoon are in the pub. On the way, there’s a reincarnation test by the Philosophy Department. They say it’s fun.”

“They’ll probably just say something nice like you were a king in a past life.”

“It’s just for fun. Let’s go.”

Right after the lecture, I told Taeshin about the festival information I’d gotten from Noeul and headed outside.

We marveled at the festival parade taking over the main street of the school and grabbed a hotdog before heading to the Philosophy Department’s reincarnation test tent.

The test on a tablet, where you select answers to questions, didn’t give the usual pleasant results.

I thought it would be something nice, but it turned out I was a hungry beggar in my past life, while Taeshin was a king who ruined his country.

The conclusion was that I had to work hard, and Taeshin had to live kindly, which made me pout.

“Why do I have to be a beggar? There are so many options like nobles, merchants, commoners.”

“From now on, Sunwoo has to work hard, and I’ll live kindly.”

“Ugh, I want to live an easy life. And you’re already kind enough, don’t be too nice. It’ll be a problem.”

It was just for fun, but the unsatisfactory result bothered me.

My future goal is to work less and live comfortably, so being told to work hard was annoying.

And Taeshin was already too kind, almost to the point of being a pushover. If he got any kinder, it would make my life harder.

If Taeshin became any nicer, I’d have a hard time living with him. Watching him get taken advantage of every day would break my heart. I’d probably get seriously ill from the stress.

“Sunwoo! Taeshin! Hurry up! I was starving waiting for you.”

“How much did you eat while waiting?”

“I just ordered the basics! Now that Sunwoo is here, we can order properly. Hey, senior!”

Noeul whined about starving while waiting.

We ordered from the pub menu and enjoyed a rare drinking atmosphere, even though it was non-alcoholic beer and beverages due to the alcohol ban.

It started with me, Taeshin, Noeul, and Jonghoon, and as we kept adding more people, the group grew larger.

Even though we were from the same department, we naturally mingled with people we only knew by face.

Soon it was time for the evening performances.

With a text from Cheolmin to come and fill the seats for his club’s performance, we got up and headed to the venue.

As if to mock the urgent text from Go Cheolmin, the venue was already packed to capacity with the arrival of a famous celebrity host and an idol.

Pushed to the corner by the throng of idol fans, we found a spot and stuck out our tongues in amazement.

“Sunwoo, be careful.”

“Yeah. There are so many people. It’s probably because of the idol.”

Every evening, our school festival had performances and fireworks.

Because of this, a lot of outsiders came, and it seemed we would have to stand until the fireworks were over.

“We’ll be standing for three hours.”

“Yeah, Sunwoo.”

Checking the schedule, the performances alone exceeded three hours.

I was calculating how long we’d have to endure this to watch the fireworks when Taeshin called me.

“Shall we go somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else? Cheolmin asked us to watch the performance.”

“But there are no seats. Standing for so long isn’t good for you either, Sunwoo.”

Automatically, I looked at my belly at Taeshin’s words.

Even though the early stages of pregnancy had passed, the doctor advised avoiding strenuous activities.

As I rubbed my now slightly rounded belly, Taeshin leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“We can go home now. Want to?”

“Already? Didn’t they say it would take longer?”

“The major work is done, so they finished early. Shall we go?”

“…Okay. Let’s go.”

Though I felt sorry for Cheolmin, the crowd was so large that our absence wouldn’t be noticeable.

If asked later, I’d say we left early due to personal reasons.

Having thought up a rough excuse, we headed to the new house, and I mentioned to Taeshin that we would need a car.

Previously, a driver used to take us places, but as university students with erratic schedules, we relied on taxis.

Once our baby, Haeju, was born, having a car would become essential. Taeshin nodded in agreement.

“Sunwoo, you go in first.”

When we arrived, I entered the house to find a long, dark hallway.

Wanting to turn on the light, I fumbled for the switch on the wall, but Taeshin grabbed my hand.

“Taeshin, can you turn on the light? I can’t see…”

Click.

Just as I was asking him to turn on the light, small lights flickered on from the floor, lining the hallway.

My heart started to race as I looked at the lights leading down the corridor.

“Oh…”

It felt strange. I didn’t know what it was yet, but I had a peculiar feeling.

“Sunwoo, are you just going to stand there?”

“No…”

What is this? Why am I suddenly nervous?

My heart was pounding, and my body was trembling.

Clenching my hands, I followed the lights down the hallway to find a spacious living room dimly lit.

In the center of the room, on the sofa table, was a basket of flowers with a ribbon-wrapped box.

I noticed a card stuck in the flower basket.

“Read it, Sunwoo.”

Taeshin spoke from behind me. With trembling hands, I picked up the card and opened it to find a short message written inside.

[To my eternal partner, Sunwoo.]

Oh my.

My heart, which had been pounding, now felt like it was about to burst.

* * *