Almost 100 Days. And Couple Items. (2)
Jihyeok's phone had been working overtime since early that morning. The day they had agreed to pick out matching couple items was finally here.
"Mmm…."
Woken by his phone alarm, Jihyeok unlocked the screen and checked all the messages that had piled up.
Even though Jihyeok had been the one to bring up the idea, Yuna somehow seemed even more excited about it. He had just woken up and his mind still felt foggy. He climbed out of bed, put on the pendant Yuna had given him, and stretched. Once he felt reasonably awake, he picked up his phone to reply.
"…Hello?"
Suddenly, his phone started ringing. The caller was, of course, Yuna. Jihyeok answered and exchanged morning greetings with her.
"Good morning…."
"Good morning~ Is my boyfriend still half-asleep?"
"Yeah… I literally just woke up…."
"Hehe… Really? I like hearing my boyfriend's voice right after he wakes up, you know?"
"…You do?"
"Yep! Most people have a lower voice for a while after waking up. Right now your voice is the perfect mid-low tone. It sounds so good!"
"Maybe I should practice this voice from now on…."
"It's good right now, but I like your normal speaking voice too!"
"Haha… Okay. I thought about where we should go today, but I'm not sure if my girlfriend will like it…."
"As long as I'm with my boyfriend, anywhere is fine~ We're going to pick out couple items, right?"
"Yeah."
"We're going to buy something that shows everyone we're a couple, so anything is fine~"
"Still, since it's just for the two of us, we should find something special."
"You think so? If that's what my boyfriend wants, then okay!"
After setting a time and place to meet, Jihyeok and Yuna ended the call.
"It might run late, so should we eat dinner out too? My parents don't seem to mind."
"Mine probably won't either, but I'll ask just to be sure and let you know when we meet."
"Okay! See you later~"
"Yeah. See you soon."
"I love you, boyfriend♡!"
"I love you more."
"Hehe♡ Then I'll check when we meet~"
"Yeah. I'll make sure you can't even catch your breath."
"Kyaa~ I feel like I'm going to get eaten again~"
"Eaten? What are you talking about. See you later."
"Got it~"
In truth, Jihyeok was the one worried about getting devoured, but he quickly pushed the thought aside. No matter how aggressively Yuna approached him, men naturally had the physical advantage. If she pounced on him, he was sure he could overpower her and escape.
"…That's what I tell myself, but that time… let's just call it an exception."
The memory of when he had been forcibly invited to Yuna's house, dragged straight into her room, and immediately pounced on flashed through his mind. He was endlessly grateful that Yuna loved him this much, but that day she had been like a lioness. Her eyes had been completely focused on him, determined not to let her prey escape. Just imagining it sent chills across his entire body.
But if he had been the one to initiate skinship instead of Yuna, they probably wouldn't have even shared a simple peck by now, let alone a kiss. Jihyeok had once pursued a purely platonic relationship, but thanks to his girlfriend, he had come to realize that expressing their love through actions rather than just words wasn't so bad.
"How many days are left until our 100th day?"
They had started dating on March 10th. He counted the days from then.
"June 17th? That's not far at all?"
The current date was May 28th—the last Saturday of the month. That meant exactly three weeks remained until their 100th day.
"Hmm… What should we do for our 100th day?"
No matter how much he thought about it, no good ideas came to mind. But he wasn't worried. There was someone who had told him that whenever he faced something difficult, he should ask for help without hesitation.
Jihyeok picked up his phone and reached out to Jiwook.
Through the conversation with his brother, Jihyeok decided what kind of 100th day he wanted. Just as Jiwook said, going all out from the beginning would definitely make it hard to keep Yuna satisfied later on. Jihyeok was determined not to let that happen. It would be good to talk with Yuna about what kind of day she wanted during today's date, but he also wanted to secretly create a meaningful 100th day for her.
But there was something even more important than that.
"…A cross kiss comes naturally now, but putting my tongue in… ugh."
Thinking back to the deep kiss they had shared last time, Jihyeok's face flushed red. He tried to erase the memory from his mind. …It was impossible, though. Still, when he imagined how happy Yuna would be to receive a deep kiss from him, it didn't seem so bad. In fact, it felt pretty good.
There were three weeks left until their 100th day. Rather than worrying about it already, it was better to enjoy the present and prepare for the upcoming milestone. Events were nice, but today's date was what mattered most right now.
When his parents called him out for breakfast, Jihyeok left his room.
"I'm going out with Yuna today."
"You'll be back for dinner, right?"
"Probably. We don't have any couple items besides the pendant, so we're going to get some matching ones."
After finishing breakfast and a quick wash-up, as the appointed time drew near, Jihyeok dressed as neatly as possible and told his parents he was going on a date to pick out couple items. His parents scanned him from head to toe.
"Ah~ Now that I think about it, our second son hasn't gotten couple rings yet, has he?"
"Couple rings… I was planning to get them as a surprise for our 100th day."
At Jihyeok's answer, Jiwook laughed.
"Pfft. What? Are you already proposing to Yuna at your age?"
"…It's not a proposal. They're couple rings, not wedding rings."
"Sure, sure~ Anyway, have fun. Be careful and call if you need anything."
"I will."
There were still thirty minutes left until their meeting time, but the thought that today he could finally create the moment he had always dreamed of made Jihyeok's excitement rise.
"I'll be going now."
"You have the allowance card, right?"
"Yes. I don't really use it unless it's something I really need or an emergency."
"…I gave it to you so you could spend freely."
"It's money you worked hard to earn. How could I just spend it however I want?"
"Your dad's a company president… You can use it comfortably…."
To cheer up his dejected father, Jihyeok knew there was only one thing to say.
"Okay. I'll use it comfortably, but only when I need to."
"Good. That's my son. Have fun."
"Yes. I'm off, Dad."
"Send our regards to Yuna~"
"I will. See you later."
Jihyeok headed to the meeting place for his date with Yuna. With summer approaching, the temperature was already high even in the morning. Since it was a date with his girlfriend, he didn't want to be sweaty the moment they met, so he waited in a shaded spot. After about ten minutes, someone emerged from the apartment building where Yuna lived.
"Huh? What? Why are you already out here~!"
"There are days like this too."
She was wearing a cool-looking blue short-sleeved top paired with matching shorts that had a small pocket, and of course, her usual eco bag. To an ordinary person, it would have just looked neat and tidy, but this was his girlfriend. No matter what Yuna wore, Jihyeok found her adorable.
"I'm not even that late… I came out twenty minutes early!"
"I wanted to come out first and wait. There was something I wanted to try."
"Something you wanted to try?"
"Yeah. But I'll need my girlfriend's help."
"Huh? …Ah. You don't mean…?"
"Probably exactly what you're thinking."
Yuna gave him a knowing look and pointed at her building.
"Should I go back inside and come out again?"
"It's fine. We can do it right here."
"Hmm… But you've been waiting a long time…."
Even as she said that, Yuna glanced at him with a meaningful look in her eyes. Seeing her like that, Jihyeok was finally able to do what he had wanted.
"No. I just came out too. The waiting time was enjoyable."
"Really? Then I'm glad!"
Jihyeok smiled as if he had finally accomplished something he had long wanted to do. Seeing that smile, Yuna let out a small laugh.
"So you really wanted to say that, huh? Boyfriend?"
"Of course. It was on my bucket list."
"That much?"
"Do you know this is the happiest moment for me?"
"Hehe. I'm happy too~"
Yuna had been so charmed by how cute her boyfriend was that she had slipped into formal speech, but Jihyeok matched her by responding in kind. It felt nice—like they were respecting and caring for each other.
"Speaking formally like this once in a while isn't bad."
"I thought the same. It worked, right?"
"It did~ Alright! Shall we go?"
"Wait, aren't we still missing something?"
"Huh? Oh~ We haven't done our 'morning greeting' yet?"
"Forgetting that? Your boyfriend might be a little disappointed."
"Pfft… Where did you learn to talk like that?"
"It just happened while talking with my classmates…."
Thanks to Yuna, Jihyeok had gone from only knowing people's names to actually having conversations with quite a few friends. Most of it was about school schedules or asking what they were doing next, but that wasn't important right now. What mattered was their 'morning greeting' with Yuna.
Jihyeok and Yuna glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then gazed at each other. If anyone saw them, the whole neighborhood would be buzzing with gossip in no time.
"…Let's do it."
"…Yeah."
Before starting their date, they shared the cross kiss that had become their daily ritual—except on holidays. It was a kiss that let them fully savor each other's lips, and with every one, their affection for each other only grew stronger.