Even though I saw Eun-ha every day, today it felt unusually difficult to look at her.
Her white jeogori and yellow skirt suited her so well that if I kept staring, I might lose myself completely.
I was sure that if our eyes met, my face would heat up for sure.
The small comfort in this awkwardness was knowing that I wasn’t the only one feeling it.
Eun-ha also seemed unable to meet my gaze; she didn't look at my face either.
To an outsider, it might’ve seemed like we were in the middle of a fight, given how silent we were.
We simply walked forward, passing through Gwanghwamun, then Heungnyemun, and finally arriving at Gyeongbokgung without a word.
The silence felt so awkward that I decided to break it first.
“There are more people here than I thought…!”
“Yeah. Hey… Han-gyeol. There are so many people, can I hold your hand?”“You usually just take it. Why are you asking now?”
“Well, that’s because…!”
Eun-ha stopped walking and turned to face me.
Seeing her still flushed cheeks made my heart race.
“That’s because?”
“Sorry-! I still can’t look at your face right now…!”
Not long after, Eun-ha lowered her head, hiding her expression.
“You picked this outfit for me, so you have to take responsibility. Come on, look…!”
“It’s too much-! Today, you feel untouchable…!”
“What are you talking about…! If anything, you’re the one who seems untouchable today…!”
“But-! Han-gyeol, you look so handsome today! So handsome that I can’t even meet your eyes-! How could I possibly look straight at you?”
Eun-ha shouted, tightly shutting her eyes.
I could feel the gazes of the people around us, but it seemed like Eun-ha, with her eyes closed, didn’t notice.
“Honestly, I thought you were a dignified scholar, but seeing you now, you look like you’d revel in the attention of women, indulging in pleasures like a playboy…! You look like someone who would wander the streets, spreading your charm! That’s how handsome you are! I’ve realized that you suit the bad boy look better than I thought! This version of you is so unfamiliar to me that I can’t even look you in the eye!”
Eun-ha, dressed in her beautiful hanbok, spoke in a sharp voice.
But playboy? Was that a compliment or an insult?
“I love it! I love it so much! I love you the most! You’re so handsome that it makes me glad you were born! Now I understand what it means to feast your eyes!”
“Eun-ha? There are people around, so maybe you could tone it down a bit…”
The people’s gazes shifted from Eun-ha to me.
Some walked by with a satisfied smile, while others looked at us curiously.
“Eun-ha, this is embarrassing, so could you just-”
“I’m saying that I want to snatch you up right now and hold a wedding ceremony-!”
Now she's not just pressing the accelerator—she's completely ditched the brake.
"Shh—! People are watching!"
"If this were the old days, we’d probably have two kids by now at twenty, so maybe we should get married quickly?! What do you think, Han-gyeol?! We should consider Hanbyul, Eunbyul, and Saetbyul too! Maybe they’re eager to come into the world—! We already picked out their names! I’m ready! Let’s get married!”
Eun-ha lifted her head and shouted.
Standing in front of Gyeongbokgung in a hanbok, Eun-ha's call for marriage drew all eyes to her.
Before I knew it, a crowd had formed a circle around us.
There were people marveling with “Oh…!” and I could faintly hear the sound of applause.
“Th-That’s—!”
But Eun-ha still seemed oblivious to her surroundings.
—How could he refuse when she’s saying all that?
—Come on~ He’ll accept, right?
—You never know until they’re at the altar…
—Why is he hesitating? Is this one-sided? Poor girl…
The people around us were looking at me, eagerly waiting for my response, and Eun-ha was no different.
I didn’t want to say anything irresponsible, but... truth be told, I wanted to get married right after graduating from college too.
“L-Let’s get married as soon as we graduate…”
“Yes! As soon as we graduate, let’s get married right away!”
As soon as I accepted Eun-ha's proposal, everyone around us broke into happy smiles and applause.
“Huh?”
Finally, Eun-ha looked around and realized what was happening, her face flushing red.
“N-No…! Why are all these people… looking at us…!”
“Eun-ha. Can you run?”
“I can run, but…!”
“Let’s run—!”
I quickly grabbed Eun-ha’s wrist and we dashed away from the crowd’s gazes.
“I’m seriously going to die because of you, Eun-ha—!”
“Sorry—! But you’re just that handsome today?!”
“Even now, you’re still complimenting me?!”
“But you’re so handsome?!”
****
We ran all the way past Gyeongbokgung and near Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.
Only when we reached a less crowded area did we finally stop, panting heavily.
“Haah…! Han-gyeol, I can’t run anymore—!”
“Let’s rest here for a bit, then move on…”
“Hehe… Still, it was kinda fun.”
“How could you confess your love so loudly in front of all those people? What if someone recorded it and uploaded it? Do you want to become the ‘Gyeongbokgung Proposal Girl’ on social media?”
“If that happens, maybe it’ll speed up our wedding plans?!”
“Calm down a little.”
Seeing Eun-ha’s bright smile, I couldn’t help but gently pinch her cheeks.
“Uwaaah… I’m sowwy…! Thih won’t happen aghain…”
“Still, it was kinda fun like you said. I never imagined running around Gyeongbokgung like this.”
I let go of Eun-ha’s cheeks.
“But Han-gyeol, you really do look amazing today…!”
“You’re beautiful too. It’s not that I didn’t want to say it; it’s just that I’m having a hard time looking at you directly right now.”
“Then tell me more. Where exactly do I look beautiful? Be specific.”
“I can’t…”
I averted my gaze slightly.
“What?! Why?! Tell me I’m beautiful! I told you exactly how I feel about you! Look at me!”
Eun-ha grabbed my face and turned it towards her.
“Tell me quickly! Where exactly am I beautiful? Point out every single detail! Am I your type right now?!”
“Don’t make me say something so obvious! It’s embarrassing—!”
“Why not?! Tell me! If you don’t, I’ll never wear a hanbok for you again!”
So that’s how she wants to play it, huh?
“Come on—quick! Be specific!”
“You’re so beautiful that I don’t even know where to start—! Your braided hair is beautiful, the ribbon in it is beautiful, and the moment I saw you in that hanbok, my mind was completely filled with thoughts of you! We’re at Gyeongbokgung, but I haven’t even looked at the palace; I’m just looking at you—!”
At my words, Eun-ha blushed and took a step back.
“Well, you could’ve just said it like that…!”
“How am I supposed to say it when I’m this embarrassed… I’m not used to how you look right now.”
“Am I really that pretty…?”
Eun-ha, still blushing, kept some distance between us.
Maybe it was from running, but her face was even more flushed than before.
At this rate, she’s going to burst.
“Stay just that far away. Any closer, and it’ll be bad for my heart.”
“Does your heart race more when I’m close?”
But suddenly Eun-ha started closing the distance between us again.
“Why are you coming closer?”
“Because I want your heart to race more—!”
“I’m telling you, it’s bad for my heart—!”
“I’ll give you CPR—!”
I was at a loss for how to respond to Eun-ha’s words.
“I give up… I give up…”
“Can I hug you?”
“Quick, while no one’s around.”
“Yay~”
Eun-ha closed the distance completely, resting her head against my chest.
“It feels so good to be complimented by you, Han-gyeol.”
Eun-ha looked up at me with a bright smile.
Seeing her grinning so sweetly, I couldn’t help but smile back.
“You must be happy too, Han-gyeol. You’re smiling so brightly.”
“That’s because you’re smiling the brightest right now.”
“Well, that’s because I’m in your arms~”
“I’m not sure if this is okay in a cultural space…! Let’s pull away now.”
“Oh, come on~ We’re going to have four kids, so we’re patriots. They’ll understand.”
I tried to pull away, but Eun-ha only hugged me tighter.
“No escaping~ I’m wearing a hanbok today, so at least let me hug you~ Isn’t that fair? Don’t you want to hug me when I’m in a hanbok?”
“Eun-ha, you seem… unusually happy today. This isn’t your usual vibe.”
“Well, today’s the first time you’ve seen me in a hanbok~ and you even complimented me on it! Of course, I’m in a better mood than usual~”
“In high school, you used to get embarrassed at everything I did.”
“That’s because I’ve changed thanks to you~ And I like who I am now more than who I was before. You’ve changed too, Han-gyeol. You used to make me blush every day~ But now, don’t you realize you’re the one getting embarrassed more often?”
Eun-ha was right.
I used to tease her more often, but now…
“You agree, don’t you? Look at you, not even denying it because you know it’s true. So cute I could—”
Before she could finish, I leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
I watched as her cheeks slowly turned red.
“Wh-Where did that come from—! That’s not fair—! You were just saying we shouldn’t be doing this in a cultural space—!”
“But you said it’s okay since we’re going to be patriots. I love you.”
Eun-ha quickly glanced around, checking if anyone was nearby.
After confirming we were alone, she grabbed my face, stood on her tiptoes, and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
Then she smiled brightly and said,
“I love you too.”
--- The End OF The Chapter --
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