Chapter 13

“He’s the only one who never talks back to me.”

Seo-ha misunderstood Jun-hyeok’s reaction.

Feeling awkward, she unnecessarily rubbed Dodam’s back with her hand as the dog stood beside her.

For some reason, Han Jun-hyeok’s words, the only one on my side, felt as though they would linger in her heart for a long time.

At least, that was how she felt until she heard what he said next.

“So, will my future wife become completely and perfectly on my side?”

Han Jun-hyeok’s face came close enough that his breath brushed against her cheek. Startled, Seo-ha slowly asked,

She found herself wondering whether her own breath would reach him if she spoke.

“It seems you have someone who’s on your side, but no one who’s completely on your side yet.”

“Unfortunately, there isn’t a human being who is.”

The answer came in less than 0.1 seconds, and Seo-ha nearly laughed without realizing it.

It was because she had found one thing they had in common, despite having a personality completely different from Han Jun-hyeok’s.

“Actually, I’m the same.”

“At least we have that in common.”

Jun-hyeok’s face moved away from Seo-ha’s body. For some reason, she felt strangely disappointed by the distance and moistened her lips with her tongue.

“What?”

“We’re both human, after all. Wouldn’t it be nice if, at least between the two of us, we took each other’s side?”

Seo-ha quietly nodded, thinking that there was no way she could keep up with him when it came to words.

“Yes. If that’s what you want, I can do that for you too.”

“What kind of kid says she’ll do everything whenever someone asks? You’ll end up having your liver, gallbladder, and even your soul stripped from you. I’m a little greedy, you know.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to get along than to bite, tear, and fight each other?”

“Well, there are more than enough people around who are eager to bite and tear each other apart.”

As though he had thought of someone in particular, Jun-hyeok let out a hollow sigh before lightly pressing down on the crown of Seo-ha’s head with his large hand.

Startled by the unexpected touch, she accidentally bit her lower lip.

“You should get rid of habits like that, too. You’re getting married soon.”

Jun-hyeok’s long fingers touched Seo-ha’s lips.

His hand, which had released her crushed lower lip, felt unusually cold.

Or perhaps it was simply that her lips were unusually hot.

Seo-ha slowly ran her tongue over her lips again before speaking.

She deliberately kept her words slow because she felt that if she spoke too quickly, he would notice how flustered she was.

Her reason warned her to be careful around Han Jun-hyeok, but her heart continued to stir in an entirely different direction.

Even though she told herself that it might all be a misunderstanding, Seo-ha lowered her head when she felt as though his gaze was fixed on her.

“I feel like I’ve told you this over and over. I’m already an adult.”

“Just because you’ve gotten a little older doesn’t mean you’re automatically an adult.”

His words sounded strangely meaningful.

While Seo-ha was trying to figure out what he meant, another member of the medical staff approached Jun-hyeok.

“You’re Karon’s guardian, correct? It looks like he should be able to be discharged in about a week. His vitals are stable now, as well.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Before Seo-ha could figure out what Jun-hyeok had meant, his tone had returned to its businesslike manner.

The medical staff member answered kindly.

“You’re welcome. We’ll take good care of him, so you can go home and get some rest. We’ll contact you immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes. Please take good care of him.”

At last, Seo-ha heard Jun-hyeok let out a sigh of relief. Her own tightly constricted chest seemed to loosen a little as well.

Feeling that she had unintentionally inserted herself into this situation, Seo-ha cautiously spoke to Jun-hyeok.

“Since they said he’s fine, you don’t have to worry and can go home. I can go back with Dodam by myself. Or I can call someone if I need to…”

Before she could finish, Jun-hyeok caught her words.

“Go where?”

Perhaps something else she had said had irritated him. Jun-hyeok responded indifferently and suddenly took Seo-ha’s hand.

Seo-ha was flustered because Jun-hyeok’s touch no longer felt awkward.

She had never become accustomed to another person this quickly, and the boundaries she had repeatedly reminded herself to maintain kept crumbling.

“You said we should register our marriage.”

“Right now…?”

At Seo-ha’s bewildered question, Jun-hyeok scolded her again.

“I thought it was strange that you kept making excuses about Karon. You were planning to run away, weren’t you?”

The area beneath Seo-ha’s ears grew hot in an instant, and she quickly shook her head.

“No. The roads are congested, and it’s almost time for the offices to close…”

“If that’s all, then it’s fine. It’s Thursday.”

Seo-ha couldn’t understand what the closing hours of the government office had to do with the fact that today was Thursday.

To the still-bewildered Seo-ha, he casually explained,

“It’s a day when the evening civil service desk stays open until eight.”

“Oh…”

It was information Seo-ha had no way of knowing, since she had never gone to a government office by herself before.

Her small lips parted slightly in surprise at how thoroughly prepared he was.

Perhaps her rambling had at least worked, because Jun-hyeok seemed somewhat less worried about Karon now.

“Let’s go. We’re getting the stamp.”

Instead of answering, Seo-ha quietly clenched her fingertips.

She didn’t want Han Jun-hyeok to realize that this was a moment she had been waiting for after thinking about it so much.

As expected, her prediction had come true.

She probably wouldn’t be returning to Cha Mi-yeon’s house today.

The district office was so crowded with people from the entrance that traffic had already begun to back up.

While everyone else seemed to have information far ahead of her, Seo-ha suddenly felt strangely sad, as though she alone had remained standing in the same place.

The past few years she had spent quietly waiting for an opportunity and holding her breath had made her feel like a slow-moving tortoise.

Filling out the marriage registration form, preparing the necessary documents, and submitting everything was so easy that it almost felt anticlimactic.

“Is that really everything?”

“Congratulations. You’re a married woman now.”

At a title she had never once imagined would be attached to her, Seo-ha’s expression stiffened awkwardly.

Not knowing what she should say, Seo-ha merely moved her dry lips before finally managing to form a sentence.

“Congratulations on becoming a married man…”

Despite her hesitation, all she had done was throw Jun-hyeok’s own words right back at him.

He let out a hollow laugh and handed Seo-ha a square-shaped panel.

“…What is this?”

“Hold it properly. Look toward two o’clock.”

With a puzzled expression, Seo-ha raised the square panel as he instructed.

At that moment, Jun-hyeok whispered quietly into her ear.

His hot breath suddenly touched her sensitive skin without warning, making Seo-ha feel ticklish enough to draw her neck back like a turtle.

“If anyone saw us, they’d think you were being sold off. Smile.”

As the hand resting on her shoulder applied a gentle pressure, Seo-ha moved closer to Jun-hyeok’s embrace.

She was embarrassed that she seemed to be the only one startled by the natural physical contact.

“Come on. Smile.”

At Jun-hyeok’s words, Seo-ha instinctively lifted the corners of her lips.

A moment later, the shutter of a cellphone camera sounded twice.

“Came out well.”

Jun-hyeok’s satisfied voice made it clear that he liked the picture.

Seo-ha was still the only one frustrated by the situation.

“What is it, anyway?”

Jun-hyeok moved the panel out of Seo-ha’s hands and asked mysteriously,

“Curious?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a secret.”

For a moment, Seo-ha nearly let out a shrill cry without realizing it.

Being teased was one thing, but having no idea what was going on while she was the only one left in the dark was making her impatient.

Her desire to see what was ahead had never burned more strongly.

Perhaps he noticed her flushed cheeks, because Jun-hyeok handed another object to her and said,

“This is a wedding present.”

It was something long and flat, resembling a tube for art supplies, along with a folded card.

Her heart inexplicably thumped at the thought that perhaps he had prepared it himself.

But that excitement lasted only a few seconds.

“They gave it to us at the district office. Give it here. I’ll read it for you.”

Jun-hyeok took the paper from Seo-ha’s hand.

She hadn’t expected anything in particular, but the disappointment that passed through her at his casual words still carried a hint of embarrassment.

Whether he knew how she felt or not, a deep resonance soon flowed from Jun-hyeok’s lips.

“You who have begun a new life under the name of husband and wife. May you build a married life filled with more happiness than anyone else.”

Unlike Jun-hyeok’s calm voice, Seo-ha felt strangely uncomfortable upon hearing those words.

It was because words like husband and wife and happy marriage bothered her for some reason.

“The thing inside the tube is a Taegeukgi.”

“…It’s a meaningful gift, in its own way.”

“Hang it up next Liberation Day.”

Next summer.

She couldn’t be certain that she would still be by this man’s side by then, but Seo-ha casually nodded and answered,

“Okay.”

As though he felt relieved now that everything he needed to do was finished, Jun-hyeok took Seo-ha’s hand again.

“Then let’s go get the other stamp we said we’d put down.”

Han Jun-hyeok was like a rhinoceros.

No matter the situation, he never let himself be swayed and simply charged ahead however he pleased.

“Yes? Where are we going to put another stamp…?”

With Seo-ha and Dodam walking ahead of him, he added,

“The contract we talked about.”

Was that already finished?