The Night Before Our Trip
As always, time flies by in the blink of an eye. But when you're waiting for something special, those few days leading up to it crawl by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Take my army discharge, for example—days that normally zipped past suddenly dragged on forever once it was in sight. And here I was, reliving that exact torment.
"...Time just isn't passing."
Tomorrow—tomorrow—I'd be heading off on a trip with Na-eun. On any other day, I'd just game and the hours would melt away, or scroll through NewTube Shorts and lose track of time, or hit the gym or crash early and it'd all fly by. But today? Gaming didn't help, Shorts were endless torture, workouts dragged, and sleep was a no-show.
One simple reason: I was too excited for tomorrow. Too damn eager.
I idly kicked at my innocent suitcase, then dumped its contents out one more time for good measure. Not much in there—just basics like clothes, a towel, toiletries. If it'd been a 2-night, 3-day thing or longer, I'd have packed snacks too. Something to share with Na-eun. But this was just 1 night, 2 days. Barely enough time to scratch the surface of the place. So the packing stayed light.
"...Is this really enough?"
No one around to answer my half-hearted question. In the end, I had only one way to kill time.
Riiiing... Riiiing... Click!
The call connected before the second ringtone even finished, and her impossibly sweet voice poured through the phone straight into my ear.
"Hello? Oppa?"
"Na-eun-ah."
"Oppa! What's up?"
"Nothing, really."
Na-eun let out a weird little giggle at my words. "Were you just calling 'cause you missed my voice?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
I'm not one to back down from that kind of tease. I have no idea exactly how she sees me, but I'm not the type to dodge a flirt. Hell, if a drunk buddy slurred "I love you, babe," I'd fire back "Love you too, babe" without missing a beat. Of course, I wouldn't go that far now. Someone else gets to hear my "I love you"s these days.
Meanwhile, Na-eun seemed weak to my advances. "Ughhh...!"
I'd thought this before, but she had zero resistance to direct affection. Adorably so.
"Na-eun-ah, you all packed?"
"Ah... yeah! All packed! Clothes, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, makeup, shampoo, conditioner, soap... everything!"
Damn, she went all out. I hadn't packed near that much. Honestly, for stuff like shampoo, soap, or conditioner on a trip, I just grab the amenity kits en route or use whatever's in the room. They're clean enough these days anyway. And we pick spots where that's fine.
"Not too heavy?"
"Pfft~ This is nothing compared to my school bag!"
Typical Korean high schooler—tough as nails. Her shoulders were probably wrecked; I worried a bit.
"Oppa, tomorrow when we get there, can we drop our bags at the motel first?"
"Should be fine. Check-in's at 8 PM for the one I booked, but they said we can leave luggage early."
"Motel..."
She murmured the word softly. Probably picturing the usual seedy rep motels have. Honestly, I thought the same way before my first stay as an adult. But once you try one? They're not half bad.
"Na-eun-ah, don't freak when we get there."
"Why?"
"They've got more amenities than you'd think."
The one I booked? PC specs rivaling high-end rigs. Massive TV, all the OTT services on premium subs. Pricey, sure—a tad evil—but off-season rates kept it reasonable.
"Oppa, you didn't book somewhere crazy expensive, right?"
Predictable. She was fretting over the cost.
"Nah, no way. Don't worry."
"Really?"
"Really."
"For real?"
"For real real."
Only after I double-emphasized did she seem convinced and go quiet. I switched topics to keep chatting.
"Man, time really isn't moving."
"Right...? It's dragging so bad..."
She felt the same. Trapped in a prison of sluggish seconds.
"Bet tomorrow it'll fly by anyway."
"Probably."
"Ugh, hate that..."
Me too. Time with her always vanishes in a flash.
Then it hit me. "Oh yeah, Na-eun-ah. What do you wanna do for dinner tomorrow?"
"Dinner?"
"Yeah, I showed you those spots. Anything sound good?"
"Hmm... no seafood, okay?"
"Got it."
As expected—she nixed the seafood places. I'd thrown them in just in case, but nope.
"So meat, buffet, or pasta."
"Any of those work for me."
"Same here."
"Hmmm... buffet then?"
"Buffet? You sure?"
"Yeah! Gotta eat big!"
Her "eat hearty" line struck me as odd, but whatever. I let it slide. Overthink and lose.
We kept talking happily, and before I knew it, 8 became 9, then 10.
"Na-eun-ah, time to sleep?"
"Yeah, Oppa. Night."
"Night, Na-eun-ah. Sweet dreams."
"I'll dream of you then."
"Haha, thanks."
"You dream of me too!"
How was every word so lovable? I was one lucky guy.
After hanging up with Oppa, I unzipped my bag one more time. Inside the massive suitcase: clothes to change into, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, and emergency meds just in case. And buried even deeper...
"Ughhh... is... is this... okay...?"
It was the lingerie I'd agonized over and bought after we decided on the trip.
"Will he... like it...?"
No clue. Zero clue if he'd love it or hate it. But I had faith. Not in the design or my looks—faith that Seonwoo Oppa loved me. Whatever I wore, whatever style, he'd like it. I believed that.
Still, I wanted more. I wanted him to like this lingerie in a sexy way.
"Ughhh... maybe swap it... for something... else..."
I considered alternatives, but no. This felt right. Too bold? Maybe. But it felt best.
"It'll be fine... yeah... it has to be..."
I nodded, but regret suddenly flooded in.
"But... maybe I should've picked pasta...?"
Stuffing myself at a buffet—he might hate a girl who eats like that. Obvious worry, but maybe not. Oppa loved me; he'd find my big appetite cute too. I believed that.
Dating Oppa had turned my heart into total reeds in the wind, swaying every which way. And it was all his fault. All because he was so cool, because I loved him so much.
What if he prefers this choice? What if he hates it? But he'll love me anyway. These thoughts tore through my head.
Yet they all boiled down to one truth: Oppa loved me. With his love, any choice would make me happy.
So...
"Seonwoo Oppa, I love you."
So, he'd love this choice too. I'd cling to that solid fact as I prepped for tomorrow with him.
Excited, anxious, scared. I'd pour all those feelings on him, lean on his kindness—and that made me smile, feel a twinge of guilt. Knowing it was all love, I just smiled softly.
...I hope you like me. More than now. More than I even think.