Like a Married Couple
"I sent the photo…."
"Heheh, I checked it~…."
The second I saw the picture Eunwoo had sent, I couldn't stop laughing.
We'd agreed to take ridiculous faces, so how had he managed to send something this adorable….
"Lee Yena, you're laughing way too hard…."
"Pffft… how am I supposed to look at that expression and not laugh?"
"Still, stop laughing…."
"Don't wanna! I'm gonna keep laughing forever!"
"Haa, do whatever you want…. By the way, I honestly had no idea you could cook this well. I feel kind of betrayed."
"Hmph… what are you talking about? I was good even back then! And flattering me like that isn't going to make me cancel the Wish Ticket bet."
"Tch. Looks like I'm about to lose a Wish Ticket. Just don't make me do anything too weird."
"Heheh. When have I ever made you do anything weird?"
This wasn't the first time we'd put Wish Tickets on the line. From elementary school until the day we broke up, we'd bet them dozens of times a day. The "wishes" themselves were usually harmless—hold me, or go outside and shout "I love Lee Yena!" at the top of your lungs. Mostly light, silly things.
If I ever said what I truly wanted, Eunwoo would short-circuit completely.
How am I supposed to just ask him to get me pregnant….
And something like that shouldn't be a Wish Ticket request anyway. It ought to be the natural fruit of the love we share, born from the same heart. Well, right now "meaning" and all that had gone out the window since I'd been dumped… I almost considered just going for it with this Wish Ticket, but I held back for fear he'd panic and run away.
"You must've forgotten. You made me do weird stuff all the time back then. Just thinking about what you made me do in front of the movie theater still…."
The memory must have hit him hard; Eunwoo's face flushed bright red.
"You were so embarrassed I ended up shouting it with you."
"…Which only made it more embarrassing, you know?"
"Heheh. Those kinds of mortifying memories are the ones that stick around the longest."
If it had been a normal date, Eunwoo probably wouldn't still be carrying that memory around. He must have agreed, because he simply sipped his black tea without a word.
"Hmm. You suddenly bringing up the movie theater made me want to watch one."
"Well… we've got time until dinner. We could put one on."
"Can I pick what we watch?"
"Sure."
"Yes!"
I'd done well to research a bunch of romance movies before going into the Tower, just in case something like this happened. Korean film ratings must have gotten looser lately; even the ones marked 15+ packed a surprising amount of heat. In particular, last month's release, Shouting Love at the End of the World, had earned rave reviews for its bold bedroom scenes. Hyeonju had been so cute covering her eyes every time one came on when we watched it together. Of course, that only meant she'd handled it better than I had. It was territory I'd never experienced myself, so the whole time my body had twisted itself into knots I could barely endure.
"Ugh, Eunwoo, have you seen this one?"
"…No. Have you?"
"I haven't either…. I saw the trailer a while back and it looked good, so I saved it…. Can we watch it?"
"Go ahead…."
At Eunwoo's okay, Yena clenched her fist in triumph.
Shouting Love at the End of the World
I hadn't seen the movie, but I knew exactly what kind it was. Kim Gayoung had gone with a friend and come back rattled by how explicit it was; I'd heard her review so many times I was sick of it. I worried it might be too much stimulation for Yena, but….
Once the film started, I realized the worry had been pointless. There she was, tongue peeking out, completely absorbed. She looked so cute I had to fight the urge to tease her. Instead I shifted my feet a little and scooted right up against her side. The moment our arms brushed, her shoulders gave a little jolt—yet her eyes never left the screen.
"Mmm… right there feels so good…."
"……."
But this movie…. It was way steamier than anything Kim Gayoung had described. I never imagined they'd show the bedroom scenes this bluntly. Every time something explicit came on, Yena's body gave a tiny shudder; she clearly had zero resistance to this sort of thing.
After about two hours the movie finally ended and the credits began to roll. A pleasant weight settled on my shoulder, along with the soft tickle of shampoo scent. When I turned my head slightly, Yena's adorable crown of hair greeted me.
"…Am I heavy?"
"No. You just smell really nice."
"Heheh. So how was the movie?"
"Well, it was pretty steamy, but the story was solid so I got pretty into it. You?"
"I… had fun too. Though I couldn't really concentrate because of a certain someone…."
Yena's finger poked the back of my hand in protest, as if to say, Why'd you keep bothering me?
"For someone who says that, you seemed awfully focused during the bedroom scenes."
"What are you talking about… You're the one who was focused. That actress had an amazing figure—was she your type or something?"
"Th-there's no way. To my eyes, you're way better looking?"
"……Even though you've never properly seen me," Yena muttered, then sat up.
"I'm going to the market now… You're coming with me, right?"
"Yeah…. So what are you planning to make?"
"Hmm, maybe we should just grill some pork belly?"
"Is pork belly even cooking, though? You just throw it on the grill."
"Grilling is a skill too, you know! And we never set detailed rules for the bet, so the chef picks the menu and you just have to follow along."
"……."
It had been a long time since I'd run headfirst into Yena-style steamroller logic; it left me speechless. Well… was it fine? It was true we hadn't set any rules. And there really wasn't anything better for a grown-up celebration than pork belly. Even so, I couldn't help feeling a little cheated. That mischievous side of her was one of her lovable points, though.
Honestly, watching the movie had been a little dangerous. I already wasn't used to bedroom scenes, and every time I moved, Eunwoo's arm brushed my side and made everything twice as intense. Especially during the final love scene—when the heroine, drowning in pleasure, was pulled into the hero's arms—I nearly went crazy with envy. So when the credits started rolling, I rested my head on Eunwoo's shoulder to soothe both body and mind. If I hadn't done at least that much, I felt like I might lose all reason and tackle him right there.
"How long to the market?"
"About five minutes? Why? Thinking of taking the car?"
"I was going to if it was far. Five minutes is fine to walk. By the way, it feels a little windy out. You'll get cold in just short sleeves—put something on."
"Hmm, should I?"
Following Eunwoo's suggestion, Yena stepped into the closet and came back wearing a white cardigan.
"Better?"
"Heheh. Yeah. You look pretty."
"…Thanks."
The grocery market was only five minutes from Yena's apartment. It was far cheaper than a regular big-box store and the quality was better, so whenever we needed ingredients we always stopped here. Yena headed straight for the meat section and dropped one kilo of Iberico pork belly and one kilo of pork picnic into the cart. It was a lot for two people, but Eunwoo had eaten the spicy stir-fried pork at lunch with such gusto that she planned to marinate the picnic cut for him later. From the way he'd talked, it sounded like he mostly lived on delivery food.
"Eunwoo, you're having soju, right?"
"Ah, yeah. Pork belly without soju just feels wrong. Wait—Yena, you drink too?"
"I'm twenty-seven. Of course I have a drink every now and then…."
Of course, Yena, who hated company dinners with a passion, mostly enjoyed drinking alone while staring at photos of Eunwoo. More often than not the night ended with a slurred, "Eunwoo… I miss you."
"Being with you keeps making me forget we're actual adults. Wait—Yena! A lettuce-and-perilla set for only fifteen hundred won?! That's insane! Look, the water dropwort's on sale too!"
Eunwoo, face pure and bright, started loading everything that would go well with pork belly into the cart. He looked so cute I couldn't hold back my laugh.
"Heheh. You can put expensive stuff in too. If there's anything you want, just grab it."
"Aye-aye!"
Wandering around the market like this… it really does feel like we're a married couple.
Most of the people around us were actual couples with babies riding in their carts, out buying dinner. I wonder if we look like that to everyone else too…. I hoped we did.
"W-wait for me…!"
On the way home from the market, it was barely past five, but the sky had already darkened as if rain was coming.
"I can carry that…."
"I'm fine. It's right in front of us anyway, and without releasing your mana you're a total weakling."
"Pffft. In this whole world, the only person who'd call me a weakling is you, Eunwoo…."
"Of course. Everyone else only knows Hunter Lee Yena. If they found out our Yena is a huge crybaby, they'd all be shocked."
"Yeah…."
Yena never wanted anyone to see her weak side. Most people, the moment they spotted vulnerability, rushed in to take advantage. That was exactly why she needed Eunwoo so badly. Without mana, both her body and her heart were frail, and the only person in the world who looked at that version of her and still stayed was him.
And then, as if answering her heart, raindrops began to fall from the sky. In that same instant, Eunwoo's large hand covered her small one.
"Lee Yena! We run?!"
"Y-yeah…!"