The weather today was so sunny that it felt like I was being grilled alive. It’s still not even August, and if it feels like this now, who knows how much hotter it will get.
Thank goodness I bought a car; that was the best decision ever. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to step outside this summer at all.
As soon as I got out of the car, I quickly made my way to the meeting point to escape the relentless sunlight. Thoughts of wanting to jump into some refreshing ocean water crossed my mind without warning.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but recall Older Sister Seo-ha in her swimsuit, but I shook that thought off and entered a Japanese restaurant.
“I have a reservation under Park Jae-seong.”
“Yes, please follow me.”
As I spoke the name of the reservation, I followed the employee inside, revealing a room hidden behind a sliding door.
Slide, slide.
I took off my shoes and confidently pushed the sliding door open, revealing two familiar faces inside: none other than the couple Park Jae-seong and Yoo Na-yeon.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Wow, Uju, long time no see!”
“Uh-huh.”
I waved my hand in a casual greeting to the two, who welcomed me warmly, before taking a seat across from them. Yoo Na-yeon looked like she was in high spirits, smiling widely for some reason.
“You got here quickly, huh? I thought you just left.”
Did he check our chat history? Park Jae-seong said quizzically while glancing at his phone. I flexed my shoulders a bit and replied with an air of pride.
“I escaped from my walking life, so of course I got here quickly.”
“Right, you bought a car, didn’t you? What did you get? Now that you have a stable income, did you get a foreign car?”
“No, just a regular domestic car. I’m not really interested in such things.”
At the time I bought the car, my revenue hadn’t stabilized, so I wasn’t in a position to get a fancy foreign vehicle.
Plus, with a few more editors coming in, the money leaving had increased, so showing off a foreign car was out of the question. Maybe if I saved a bit more in the future.
“You’ve been doing really well with your broadcasts lately, huh? I’ve got quite a few people around me who watch your streams.”
“It’s still a bit surreal to me. Sometimes I even get asked for autographs while I’m walking down the street.”
“Wow, you’ve really become famous, huh?”
Even though Park Jae-seong was a bit rough around the edges, I could see he was genuinely happy for my success. I couldn’t help but be grateful to him for recommending streaming to me in the first place.
“I’ll treat you to a meal today, so order whatever you want.”
It wasn’t exactly a grand gesture, but I declared my intention to pay by slamming my wallet, which only had two ten-thousand won bills, onto the table. Not exactly glamorous.
“Ooh!”
“What? Our Uju is treating us now that he’s successful?”
“Hey, speak correctly. I often treated you when I was a small-time streamer too.”
As I listened, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
And who exactly calls me “our Uju”? That’s cringe. It’s not like I care when Older Sister Seo-ha says it, but when Yoo Na-yeon drops terms like that, I feel like I’m going to vomit.
“So why did you call me today? You two look all cozy.”
While munching on the potato salad that came out as a side dish, I subtly asked why they summoned me. They had called me without even giving a reason in our chat.
“Do you want to say it?”
“You should say it.”
“True.”
“…?”
Suddenly, they started jabbing each other with their elbows, as if to pass the buck on some conversation.
I felt a bit annoyed that they summoned me just to flaunt their relationship, but then—
Whoa.
I noticed a letter-like piece of paper suddenly appear on the table, and my eyes widened in surprise.
Wait a second. This shape looks familiar…
“We’re getting married this time.”
“What…!? Cough! Cough!”
As I looked at Park Jae-seong, my heart sank when I saw him smiling shyly like he was embarrassed. I almost choked.
Damn, I almost ended up in the afterlife.
“How do you feel? Surprised?”
“Dude, is that even a question? Not being surprised would be weird.”
Seeing how happy both of them were that they successfully startled me, I snorted in return to Yoo Na-yeon’s innocent face, asking for my reaction.
Do they have no shame? It’s only natural to be surprised when a close friend suddenly hands over an invitation to get married after ages. Didn’t they drop any hints or foreshadow at all?
“Well, I’ll congratulate you, but… why so suddenly?”
Since it was indeed a happy occasion, I casually offered my congratulations, but I had to wonder why they made such a sudden decision.
Please don’t tell me it’s a shotgun wedding or something.
“You idiot, it’s not like that.”
“Uh… right?”
As I suspiciously scrutinized Yoo Na-yeon’s slightly rounded belly, Park Jae-seong interrupted, drawing a line that I shouldn’t cross.
Phew, guess not. I was worried for a moment.
“It’s not for any other reason; it’s just that we recently started living together.”
“Oh right. Has it been around half a year now?”
I recalled hearing they started cohabiting this year, so that made sense. I nodded as he confirmed it with a nod.
“But living together, we thought it would be better to just register our marriage and live together. We don’t have any conflicts.”
“Yeah, it’s hard to imagine you two fighting.”
They never even seem to argue like typical couples. I had seen them fight once, but it was pretty much a childish love spat, so I understood just how well they got along.
“In any case, as we talked, both our families suggested that we just get married.”
“That’s not a bad idea… but what about living expenses?”
“Uh-huh. I’ve got it, you know!”
Yoo Na-yeon shrugged while tapping her chest, which made me realize she’s actually working at Changseong Planning.
I completely forgot about that.
“The parents will help us with a house… and Na-yeon had been pestering me not to go to the military for a while now. I was considering having a kid and just doing a regular job instead.”
“Now that’s a good plan.”
Spending almost two years in the military, they were bound to get a little tired of each other. Rather than that, it might be better to have kids soon and just work the regular hours.
“I might need to borrow a bit from my parents while Na-yeon has the baby… but they said not to worry about that.”
“Right, your parents aren’t exactly struggling.”
I remembered that Park Jae-seong’s family is relatively well-off. His father is a promising university professor, and his mother works in finance, so they should be okay.
If both of them are already offering to help, I doubt they’ll have any worries about living expenses. It might feel a bit embarrassing to rely on their parents after becoming adults, but one can always pay them back slowly.
“So now we have to bring Older Sister Seo-ha along too.”
“Older Sister Seo-ha? Why?”
“Dude, you bring your love interest to get the marriage stamp!”
True, it’s practically a done deal already, but there’s some truth to it, and I nodded in agreement.
I’ll have to ask Older Sister Seo-ha if she’s free that day.
“Babe, you told me not to curse!”
“Yeah, I got it.”
Watching Park Jae-seong getting scolded was like watching a comedy skit. Burp.
Swaying.
I carefully picked up the invitation and looked inside.
Like any other invitation, it contained a simple map and dates along with details about the families attending the wedding.
Man, I expected this guy to get married first, but I didn’t think it would happen so fast.
A strange emotion surged up, making me involuntarily smile wryly.
*
When I returned home, Older Sister Seo-ha was waiting for me.
I called her over to share the news about the wedding invitation I received and to grab a meal together.
“So they’re getting married?”
“Yeah, apparently. I was shocked when I heard it for the first time…”
“Hehe, that’s interesting. I thought they were a perfect match, but they’re getting married already.”
Older Sister Seo-ha smiled happily, as if it were her own big day, especially since she was pretty close to Yoo Na-yeon.
I decided to ask her about her availability for the wedding day right away.
“By the way, Older Sister, if you’re free that day, would you like to come along?”
“Of course, I’d be thrilled to attend. I can’t wait to see Na-yeon in her wedding dress!”
Seeing Older Sister eagerly clap her hands in excitement made me internally yell, “Yes!” Of course, I only cheered in my heart and didn’t say it out loud.
“Wedding, wedding…”
She kept muttering the word “wedding” with a look of excitement, but then suddenly stopped and glanced at me with a frown.
Her expression grew uneasy, and I was a bit worried.
“Older Sister, do you have anything else planned for that day? If so, it’s fine; I can go alone…”
“No, it’s nothing! I can go anytime. It’s just…”
“…Just?”
Is there something bothering her?
“It’s just… I guess I got a bit carried away with the wedding talk. I’m sorry.”
“No, if it’s nothing, then that’s a relief…”
Even though she tried to smile, her hazy eyes gave away her unease, and I couldn’t help but feel concerned.
If there was a problem, it would be better for her to say it. I’d be ready to help with anything.
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