Yours Is Too Big
“Aaaaaah!! Semester’s finally over!!”
The endless final exams had at last come to an end. And with their conclusion, winter break arrived.
How long I had waited for this moment.
Unlike summer vacation, winter break lasted much longer, which meant I could enjoy myself to the fullest while preparing for my second year.
The second the test ended, I left campus and immediately called Chae-yeon.
“Jung-woo, are your exams over?”
“Yeah!! Mine are done too!!”
“Good job. So you’re on break now too?”
“Wow, it feels amazing!! I’m finally free!!”
Chae-yeon had finished her exams three days before me.
She never bragged or teased me about it, but watching her enjoy that freedom had made me insanely jealous. Now I could have it too. I could hang out with her whenever I wanted!
“Are you home right now, Yeoni?”
“Yeah, I’m at home. Oh, right. Remember the friend I told you about last time?”
“Her name was Ju-hee, right?”
“That’s her. She says she’s coming to Gwangju next week. She wants to meet you.”
“Sure, I’m down!!”
“She might ask some weird questions, though. Just brush them off, okay?”
“Got it. Yeoni, want to meet up later?”
“Sounds good!! Let’s go on a date for the first time in forever!!”
After making plans with Chae-yeon, I raced home, tossed my bag on the floor, and got ready to head out again.
I’d only slept three hours while preparing for finals, yet I felt as refreshed as if I’d slept for seven.
Even though winter had begun, this outfit seemed warm enough, so I set off to meet her.
When I reached downtown where we’d agreed to meet, Chae-yeon was nowhere in sight. Looked like today was my turn to wait.
It was the first time I’d ever waited for her, and I wanted to stand there with my heart fluttering… but the wind slicing straight through my bones refused to let me stay still.
Maybe I should have worn a padded jacket.
In the end I couldn’t take it anymore and slipped inside the nearest department store.
—Weeeing!!
“Yeah, Yeoni.”
“Jung-woo. I’m here—where are you?”
“Huh? I see you!! Can you turn around?”
Chae-yeon spun at my words, and we waved happily at each other with the department store doors between us.
“Yeoni!!”
“Jung-woo… you came dressed like that?”
“Yeah!! Why?”
“Are you out of your mind?! A shearling coat in this cold?! And your pants are so thin!”
“I’m not cold at all. It’s fine.”
“The guy who says he’s not cold is hiding inside a department store.”
“Still, it’s nicer to be somewhere warm, right?”
“I can’t with you. What did you wear under the shearling?”
“A sweatshirt!!”
“Hey!! Are you trying to catch a cold?! What kind of outfit is that in the middle of winter?!”
I’d wanted to greet her with a happy heart, but I ended up standing there taking her scolding.
My own mom didn’t nag me this much. Chae-yeon was even worse than Mom.
“And those socks are ankle-length. This is driving me crazy. Do you want your ankles to freeze off?”
“Yeoni, we haven’t seen each other in so long…”
“And you think I’d be happy to see you dressed like this after so long?”
“S-sorry.”
“Haah, this won’t do. Come with me.”
“Uh, where are we going?”
“Where do you think?! To buy you clothes. I can’t walk around outside with you looking like that.”
In the end I got dragged around the department store by my collar.
Couldn’t she at least hold my hand? Everyone was staring at us strangely.
“Yeoni.”
“What?!”
“Want to… hold hands?”
Only after the words left my mouth did she seem to realize what she was doing. She scratched her head once, then took my hand.
It was warm. The temperature felt completely opposite to my own hands, which always ran cold from poor circulation.
“Why are your hands so cold again?”
“I have poor circulation.”
“Sometimes I wonder how you’re even still alive, Jung-woo.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Well… I guess it counts as one. For someone with such a weak body, you barely even go to the hospital.”
The place Chae-yeon dragged me to was a store packed with winter clothes.
She seemed to have already decided what to buy. Without hesitation she walked in and started picking out items.
“What are you looking for?”
“A knit sweater. A turtleneck would be even better.”
“Turtlenecks are uncomfortable. They feel stuffy around my neck.”
“What did you wear under that sweatshirt?”
“I did wear heattech underneath.”
“Then let’s go with a regular knit. If you’d been wearing just a short-sleeve shirt, I would’ve picked a turtleneck immediately.”
“Phew, thank goodness.”
After holding several options up to my body, the one Chae-yeon chose was a knit sweater mixed with black and white.
She told me to put it on, so I went into the fitting room and came back out.
“It looks good on you. Is the size okay?”
“Yeah!! It’s not too big or too small.”
“You’re probably the only person who would wear a shearling coat and skinny jeans in the middle of winter.”
“I’m really not c—”
“Tsk!!”
“Yes ma’am, sorry. I’ll stay quiet.”
While I was straightening my clothes, I spotted Chae-yeon heading to the counter and pulling out her card.
I sprinted over to stop her before she could pay, but I was already too late.
“Yeoni!! I was going to buy it.”
“Think of it as a gift since it’s been so long since we saw each other.”
“Still…”
“It’s been almost a whole month. Let me do at least this much.”
“Okay, I understand.”
With no choice but to accept her gift, we wandered around the department store a little more.
As we walked, I noticed the way she kept glancing at my shearling coat, so I took it off and handed it to her.
“Want to try it on?”
“Yeah!! I’ve never worn a shearling before, so I was curious.”
When she put on my coat, she looked exactly like a child who had stolen her father’s clothes.
“Yours is too big. Still, it’s pretty.”
“It would look better if it actually fit you.”
“Should I buy one too? Same design as yours.”
“I’d love that!!”
“I’ll look around. If I see one, I’ll get it.”
Inside the department store, all kinds of Christmas decorations caught the eye.
Today was the twenty-second, so Christmas was only three days away.
This would be my first Christmas with a girlfriend. I wanted to make it a memory as big as possible.
“Yeoni, are we meeting on Christmas?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Oh, I guess so. I was just wondering if you had other plans.”
“I don’t. I kept the day open to spend it with you.”
“Thanks to you, Yeoni, this will be the first time I don’t spend Christmas with my family.”
“First time? What about middle school? You were dating back then.”
“We dated for a long time, but she was sick on Christmas so we couldn’t meet.”
“Then I’m the first?”
“Yeah, you are!!”
At those words, a small smile spread across Chae-yeon’s face.
It was my second relationship, but it didn’t feel any different from a first one. Even though I’d dated a girl I’d known since elementary school back in middle school, it had never felt like this.
After all, adult dating and student dating were completely different things.
“Jung-woo, look at that. It’s so cute.”
“It’s a white rabbit doll. They must be selling them because it’s Christmas.”
“I’m getting this one.”
The moment she spoke, Chae-yeon dashed over and grabbed the doll.
This time I was faster. I pulled out my card before she could reach the counter and paid for it.
“I was going to buy it.”
“Let me buy something like this at least. But there are so many other kinds of dolls. Why’d you pick the rabbit?”
“Your character is a rabbit. I’m going to put it on my bed.”
“Oh, so I’ll be on Chae-yeon’s bed.”
“…What are you even saying!!”
Her fist flew into my side with terrifying speed. I clutched my ribs and crumpled to the floor.
I always thought this, but when Chae-yeon hit someone, it felt like getting punched by a trained fighter. How could she be so fast and accurate?
“I was… just making conversation.”
“That didn’t sound like conversation at all?!”
“You’ve had me on your bed before anyway.”
“When?!”
“When I came over to your house to hang out. I sat on your bed that time, remember?”
“That was… Ah, forget it!! I’m not talking to you anymore.”
But I was just stating facts. Why wouldn’t she even let me state facts? In a twenty-first-century democratic country, no less.
I trailed after a very sulky Chae-yeon. Even then, she never let go of my hand.
“From now on, every time you mess up, this rabbit’s going to get squished.”
“That’s animal abuse, Yeoni.”
“If the rabbit’s squished when you come to my house, just assume you’ve done that many things wrong.”
“So it’s basically a voodoo doll?”
Chae-yeon whipped around, glared at me, then turned forward again and kept walking.
Her eyes looked exactly like her uncle’s when he stared at me. She really was his daughter. The glare was downright terrifying.
“I’m going to run to the bathroom real quick.”
“Give me the rabbit. I’ll hold it for you.”
“Okay, here.”
While waiting for her outside the restroom, I looked around. That was when an accessory shop caught my eye.
Come to think of it, we didn’t even have couple rings.
“Hello.”
“Welcome. Are you looking for something specific?”
“I want to match rings with my girlfriend.”
“Is there a design that catches your eye?”
I scanned the display case and spotted a simple silver ring.
Neither of us liked flashy designs, so this seemed like a perfect choice.
“I’ll try this one.”
“Certainly.”
I slipped the ring the clerk handed me onto my finger.
If we engraved initials on the inside, it would look really nice.
“I’d like this one. Can you engrave initials on the inside?”
“Yes, we can do that.”
“Great. Then please engrave both. One with J.U and the other with L.C.Y.”
“Do you know your girlfriend’s ring size?”
“It’s the same as mine.”
“Understood. You can pick them up on the twenty-fourth.”
“Perfect, that’s Christmas Eve. Thank you. Please take good care of them!!”
“Of course. Thank you!!”
After ordering the rings, I returned to our original spot. Chae-yeon came out of the bathroom at the perfect moment.
“Shall we head outside now?”
“Yeah. It’s afternoon, so it should be warmer.”
“How about a bet for the first time in a while?”
“What kind of bet did you have in mind?”
“Pool!! Do you know how to play?”
“Of course I do!! I’m confident I can beat you at that, Yeoni.”
“Oh really? Then the loser pays for the table.”
“You’re on!! I’ll win fair and square.”
Three days left.
In three days, I’ll make some proper memories with you, Yeoni.