A month.
Unlike me, who was dumbfounded by an unimaginable answer, Seo-ha noona smiled and looked over here. It seemed I wasn’t the only one surprised; our parents exhibited similar shocked reactions.
“A, a month…? You plan to have the wedding that quickly?”
“Yes, mother.”
“There must be a lot to prepare, isn’t it a bit rushed?”
“Don’t worry, father. I’ve checked in advance, and a month is sufficient.”
Had she consulted with wedding planners and experts without us knowing? As Mom and Dad continued to ask questions, Seo-ha noona answered calmly and nodded.
“What does your son-in-law think?”
“I also share Father’s concerns that time might be too tight, that’s something I’m a little worried about.”
“Hmm, don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure to use my connections to get everything ready as soon as possible.”
Though it wasn’t intended in that way, my father-in-law seemed to be easing my worries by showing he was willing to accept noona’s opinion.
But a month later… It sounds fleeting, as if it’ll pass in the blink of an eye.
“Is there a specific reason you’re in such a hurry?”
“Well, if time passes, I’ll start showing, since I’ll be pregnant. I want to have the wedding while I’m still somewhat pretty.”
“That makes sense. Of course, our future sister-in-law wouldn’t be any less beautiful even with a little bump.”
I could guess the reason behind noona’s question by watching Seo-ha noona respond.
After all, a wedding is a day when a woman wants to be remembered as her most beautiful self, and it’s also the day she should be most blessed.
In that sense, I don’t think Seo-ha noona’s desire is selfish. No, I actually want to protect that desire.
“Of course, this is just my opinion, and if it differs from Uju’s thoughts, I’m more than willing to adjust.”
“Seo-ha says that, but what about our future son-in-law?”
As both women turned their gazes toward me, I set down the chopsticks I was holding and adjusted my posture with a serious look.
“Yes, I’m okay with it. Though it might be tight, we can manage that with good preparation… above all, I want to respect noona’s wishes.”
As I conveyed my feelings by glancing at Seo-ha noona across the table, she merely blushed and smiled, while my mother-in-law showed an even bigger reaction.
“Oh my, our son-in-law is quite eloquent.”
“Haha… you flatter me.”
It wasn’t just lip service; it was a sincere compliment, yet that somehow made my mother-in-law’s praise feel a little awkward.
Anyway, what I wanted to convey was that rather than being constrained by time, I wish to follow my girlfriend’s wishes as much as possible.
“Alright. We’ll handle the venue and other expenses, so don’t worry and just make it as beautiful as possible.”
“Ah, you really don’t need to, father-in-law.”
As I hastily shook my hands in refusal to my father-in-law’s suggestion, he nodded quietly, seeming to insist otherwise.
If we were struggling financially as newlyweds, I would’ve gladly accepted the help, but neither noona nor I was in that position.
Thus, my father-in-law shook his head firmly and added,
“This is the moment I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. If my daughter leaves for the arms of a man she loves, I want to at least prepare an extravagant wedding and dowry.”
“Ah…”
As a father of a daughter, that might be the most grand and pure dream he could have, and I couldn’t help but exhale softly.
It was enough to touch my heart to see Ryu Tae-jin the man, not just Chairman of Changseong Group, asking for this as the father of Ryu Seo-ha.
“Of course, I know you’ll feel bad about this, but for this once, just close your eyes and accept it.”
“…Understood. Although the wedding hasn’t happened yet, I promise to make her happy.”
“Thank you for saying that. Please do.”
Seeing my father-in-law tilt his glass with a gentle smile filled me with mixed emotions.
At the same time, my desire to ensure Seo-ha noona’s happiness surged even more.
Not merely as a husband, but as someone who will inherit the dreams of a father. I promised myself to never make this woman cry.
With that thought in mind, I quietly shifted my gaze to the side.
A vibrant flower bloomed on Seo-ha noona’s face as our eyes met.
*
After concluding the meeting with our parents, I returned home with noona.
Originally, we thought about having a simple drink together with both parents, but since it was our first day meeting, it seemed a bit awkward, and so we postponed that idea.
“Whew…”
Thud.
As soon as I entered the room, I let out a light sigh and flopped down onto the bed.
I felt all the muscles in my body tense from being too nervous.
“Ha ha, you did well. Still, it’s a relaxing day today, so I can just sleep like this.”
“Right? You worked hard too, noona.”
“Eh, what did I do?”
Sitting at the edge of the bed, noona reached out, smoothing my sweaty hair. I always find her hands incredibly soft.
“By the way, I’m sorry for what I said today without consulting you… ”
“What do you mean? We had already talked about wanting to move things along quickly.”
“Still, you didn’t expect a month, right? You must’ve been surprised.”
“…I was a little shocked. I thought at least two months would be the fastest.”
Since lying would be pointless, I nodded with a light chuckle.
I knew noona didn’t have any brakes, but I never expected her to be this straightforward.
“In any case, I like that you’re honest. My husband.”
“Oh, the term ‘husband’ has definitely stuck now.”
“Do you dislike it?”
“It was meant as a compliment. Though it’s still a bit strange.”
I knew she wouldn’t hate it, but the coy smile and head tilt she gave was incredibly flirtatious. I often think she must be a sly fox without a tail.
“Speaking of which, we have a lot to do moving forward.”
“Right. We need to find a place to live too…”
“Can’t we just stay here?”
Given the spacious apartment we currently lived in—nearly 50 pyeong (approximately 1,650 sq ft)—I casually asked if that would suffice if we had kids.
Noona shook her head with an expression that showed it didn’t quite meet her expectations and added,
“I want to see our kids happily running around the yard, you know. Does my husband dislike houses?”
“Not at all. My family home is a house.”
“Oh, right.”
Of course, the house where I lived during high school was an apartment, but that was a house my parents bought after noona had some success. So, I don’t have strong preferences for or against houses.
Honestly, it may even be better since we wouldn’t have to deal with elevators going up and down!
“So, you mean you want a big house with a yard.”
“Yes, and I’d like to have a garden too. Growing flowers and vegetables…”
“Oh, that’s unexpected! Noona, you were interested in that?”
“Just a bit. I saw it on YouTube, and it seemed really cool.”
It seems she has a dream after all. I pondered, not having lived in the countryside, I had always yearned for a life closer to nature. But that doesn’t mean I want to go farming, of course.
“Doesn’t that sound fun? Picking vegetables from the garden with our kids, cooking delicious meals with them… and if we’re bored, we can play with dogs in the yard.”
“Just imagining it feels like a healing moment.”
“Heh, right?”
Isn’t that the kind of married life everyone dreams of at least once?
Before I knew it, noona came closer, lying next to me, placing her hand on my chest, so I gave her a pillow. Together, we began sketching out the future scenery on the ceiling.
“By the way, Uju, how many children do you want?”
“Hmm, maybe two? Ideally one boy and one girl.”
“Just like me.”
“I personally hope for a daughter who looks just like you.”
“I hope for a son who looks just like my husband.”
Oh wow. If that happens, it’ll mean I’ll have my little fish cake and noona’s little fish cake! That’ll be a delight to watch grow!
As we talked about daily life after getting married and having kids, time flew by quickly. I nearly forgot about needing to shower.
“Ah, noona. I’ll be right back…”
“…Huh?”
Flop.
Just as I remembered that I needed to shower, I started to get up.
But being so close, as soon as I moved, my hand accidentally landed on noona’s chest.
Of course, it wasn’t such a big deal that we’d be surprised by this level of skinship, but I hurriedly lowered my waist, ready to apologize,
“Uju has been patient, huh?”
“…What?”
Suddenly, noona pulled my hand back to her body, wearing a flirtatious smile.
Wait a second, something feels off.
“Okay, noona, I’ll shower quickly. Just wait a bit, alright?”
“Eh? No, once you start showering… what do you mean?”
“Ah, did you want to shower together?”
“……”
Only then did I realize I had pressed the trigger, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down my back, but it felt too late to turn back now.
“Uh, noona. We have kids now, so for the time being…”
“No, I checked, and it’s fine. So, you don’t need to worry.”
“Noonaaaaaaa!?”
I tried to put up a final barrier, but noona seemed determined, holding my hand as we headed toward the shower together.
At this rate, we’ll end up with a whole baseball team!
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