Chapter 126: Change (4)

 

Outside the window, pink cherry blossom petals were gently falling one by one.  

 

Just like last year, when we went to see the cherry blossoms together, I wanted to go to the cherry blossom festival this year as well.  

 

The thought of going to see the cherry blossoms with Han-gyeol every year until the day I die made me feel incredibly excited.

 

"Han-gyeol. We're going to see the cherry blossoms again this year, right?!"  

 

"Yeah, we have to. Want to go to Gyeongbokgung Palace instead of Yeouido?"  

 

"Huh? Isn't Yeouido the most famous place for the cherry blossom festival?"  

 

"That's exactly why it'll be crowded. But Gyeongbokgung should have beautiful cherry blossoms too."

 

Wouldn't it be tough to bring lunch to Gyeongbokgung?  

 

Ah— but if there are too many people, Yeouido might be tough too.  

 

I've never been to Gyeongbokgung, so I wasn’t really sure.

 

"Did you want to go to Yeouido?"  

 

"Well... I was thinking of packing lunch for the Yeouido cherry blossom festival."  

 

"Then how about this weekend we go to Yeouido, and next weekend we visit Gyeongbokgung?" 

 

"Oh—! Sounds great! But after the cherry blossom festival, we'll have to start preparing for midterms. Are you sure it's okay?"  

 

"I'm not planning to study as hard as I did in high school. I've got plenty of time."

 

Now that I'm in college, the study pressure is definitely less.  

 

There are a lot of assignments, but as long as I don't procrastinate, it's manageable.  

 

Sometimes I do end up sitting in front of the computer until dawn, though.

 

"I'm all for it—! I want to go to both places."  

 

"If we go to Gyeongbokgung, are you going to wear a hanbok?"  

 

"Hanbok?"

 

Even though I’ve never been there, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Gyeongbokgung is a hanbok...  

 

I imagined Han-gyeol wearing a hanbok in front of me.

 

Would he look like a flowery nobleman?  

 

Or maybe a dignified aristocrat?

 

What's this? I’m super curious now.  

 

I’ve got to see this as soon as possible.

 

"Han-gyeol-ah. Let’s go to Gyeongbokgung this weekend and then to the cherry blossom festival next weekend."  

 

"Why the sudden change?"  

 

"I want to see you in a hanbok—! Have you ever worn one, Han-gyeol?!"  

 

"I think I wore one when I was little, but I haven't worn one since I started school."  

 

"Right?! Let’s go wear hanboks! We’ll take tons of pictures—!"  

 

"You really like the idea. Alright~ Let’s go to Gyeongbokgung this weekend."  

 

"Yes, yes! Ah~ I wish the weekend would come sooner."

 

I started getting really excited.  

 

Anything Han-gyeol wears looks amazing on him.

 

****

 

Time passed slowly, and the weekend finally arrived.  

 

I can't express how much I’d been waiting for today.  

 

During the weekdays, I kept picturing Han-gyeol in a hanbok over and over in my mind.

 

Holding Han-gyeol's hand tightly, we got off at Gwanghwamun Station. 

 

We exited through Exit 2 and walked past the statue of King Sejong.  

 

Since starting college, it had been a while since we'd gone on a date far from campus, so I felt giddy with excitement.  

 

I swung our clasped hands up and down as we walked.

 

"Do you like it that much?"  

 

"Yeah! I love it!"  

 

"I like it too."  

 

"Right?! Let’s have fun today~ We’ll take pictures and put them in an album!"  

 

"Yeah, yeah."

 

When we arrived at the hanbok rental shop, we had to choose a skirt and jeogori.  

 

For some reason, I really wanted to wear whatever Han-gyeol picked out for me.

 

“Han-gyeol-ah, you pick something for me~!”  

 

“Me? I don’t have much fashion sense, though.”  

 

“Still~ I want to look pretty for you, so you should choose.”  

 

“Hmm… there are so many options. Can’t you narrow it down to a few choices?”  

 

“We’ve got plenty of time, so take it slow~ You pick for me, okay?! I’ll pick out something for you too, Han-gyeol.”

 

At my words, Han-gyeol started holding up skirts and jeogori* against me, carefully selecting the hanbok I should wear.

 

“Wouldn’t it look weird if both the top and bottom were white?”  

 

“Why? Are you worried I’d look like a ghost?”  

 

“That’s not what I was thinking…”

 

A funny thought crossed my mind, so I leaned in close to whisper in Han-gyeol’s ear.

 

“I’m not a virgin because of you, Han-gyeol.”  

 

“Ah—! You...! What if someone hears you…!”  

 

“What’s the big deal~ It’s true~ Now, pick the hanbok for me~”  

 

“You’re getting bold…”  

 

“It’s because of you, Han-gyeol.”

 

Blushing, Han-gyeol continued to pick out the hanbok for me.  

 

His ears even turned red. Han-gyeol’s embarrassed face is always amusing to see.  

 

That’s why I can’t resist teasing him every now and then.

 

“How about this one?”

 

After much deliberation, Han-gyeol finally chose a white jeogori paired with a navy skirt.  

 

It was a hanbok with beautiful patterns embroidered on the sleeves and skirt.  

 

It was a style I usually wore.

 

“Do you like this one?”  

 

“Yeah. I think it’ll look great on you, Eun-ha.”  

 

“It’s okay if you pick something flashier, you know? This is just like my usual style.”  

 

“I like Eun-ha just the way you usually are.”

 

Hearing those words from Han-gyeol made me feel happy.

 

“Then it’s my turn to pick something for you, Han-gyeol~”

 

Though there weren’t as many options for men’s hanboks, everything we needed was there.  

 

There were even gonryongpo, and all the designs you see in historical dramas were available.

 

“Do you want to try wearing a gonryongpo*, Han-gyeol?”  

 

“I feel like that would attract too much attention. But if you want me to wear it, I will.”  

 

“Really? Then what should we go with…”

 

As I browsed through the men’s hanboks, one particular outfit caught my eye.  

 

It was a bright yellow hanbok with intricate, flashy designs.  

 

It was far from Han-gyeol’s usual image, which made it all the more interesting.

 

“Han-gyeol-ah, how about you try this one?!”  

 

“It’s yellow? I’ve never worn anything like this before.”  

 

“It’s the perfect chance to try it out~ I think it would look good on you.”  

 

“I wanted to match with you, though.”

 

When Han-gyeol looked a bit disappointed, my heart skipped a beat.  

 

What should I do… His pouty face is so adorable, I wish I could capture it in a photo.

 

“Then, Han-gyeol, why don’t you pick something that matches the yellow~!!”  

 

“Alright. I had something in mind earlier, so let’s go with that.”  

 

“Yes, yes! Perfect—! We should match since we’re a couple!”

 

We took the white jeogori and yellow skirt he picked and headed to the dressing room.

 

“See you in a bit, Han-gyeol.”  

 

“Take your time.”

 

Since I had to wear a hanbok today, I came prepared with a tank top under my shirt.  

 

The staff member helped me put on the underskirt and the hanbok.  

 

It was more challenging than I thought, so I needed quite a bit of assistance.  

 

After putting on the underskirt, skirt, and jeogori, I moved to the dressing table next to the dressing room.

 

“How would you like your hair done?”  

 

“Could you braid it for me?”  

 

“Yes, of course~ Would you like it like that?”  

 

“Yes—!”

 

Han-gyeol went to change into his hanbok at the same time as me, so he should be done by now, right?

 

“Do men get their hair done too?”  

 

“Yes, if they’re wearing a gat*, we need to style their hair up~ Most of them wear gats, so we usually do it that way.”

 

Just the thought of Han-gyeol wearing a gat made my heart race.

 

As I watched my hair being braided, I couldn’t help but feel happy.  

 

The thought of sharing this new experience with Han-gyeol filled me with joy.  

 

Time passed, and soon my hair was beautifully styled.

 

“You can choose your hair accessory from these~”  

 

“I’ll go with this one!”

 

After adding a pretty ribbon to my hair, I carefully stepped out of the dressing room.  

 

I was sure Han-gyeol had finished first, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.  

 

Then, I overheard the conversation of some women passing by.

 

“Did you see that just now?”  

 

“Right? He must be here with his girlfriend.”  

 

“Ugh, I’m so jealous of his girlfriend… Seriously…”

 

I started to feel uneasy, so I wandered around the shop looking for Han-gyeol.  

 

It didn’t take long to find him.

 

“…!”

 

The moment I saw Han-gyeol dressed in a hanbok with intricate patterns, I was left speechless.  

 

If this were the Joseon era, he would surely steal the hearts of every woman in the market with his noble appearance.  

 

The bright colors of his hanbok made him look even paler than usual.  

 

In his hand, he held an ornate floral fan, adding to his refined yet glamorous look.

 

“Oh my…!”

 

I clasped my hands over my mouth, staring at him from a distance.  

 

I’m supposed to be his girlfriend, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I even deserved to stand beside him.

 

What on earth… Why does he look so handsome? He’s literally the perfect flower scholar.  

 

I wanted to grab a random passerby and show them just how amazing he looked.

 

“Huh?”

 

Noticing my gaze, Han-gyeol looked in my direction.  

 

No, please don’t smile at me right now…!  

 

My heart feels like it’s going to explode.

 

“Eun-ha!”

 

As soon as Han-gyeol saw me, he walked over.  

 

The closer he got, the more wildly my heart pounded.  

 

I wished I could calm down, but Han-gyeol stopped right in front of me, taking in my appearance with his eyes.  

 

Not wanting him to see my flushed face, I lowered my head.

 

“You look so beautiful…!!”

 

As soon as I heard his voice, I felt my face heat up even more.  

 

Inside, I was torn between wanting to see his face and wanting to hide mine.  

 

But my curiosity got the better of me, and I slowly lifted my head to look at him.

 

“Wow…”

 

What do I do? He looks so good, I want him to wear hanbok every day.  

 

I stood there, captivated, trying to memorize every detail of his appearance.  

 

Han-gyeol, in turn, looked at me and showered me with praise.

 

“Eun-ha… you’re so beautiful. Really, so… beautiful.”

 

I didn’t even have time to be thankful or flattered by his compliment.

 

“Han-Han-gyeol, you look amazing too..! Really amazing...!”

 

I could barely get the words out.

 

“Shall we head out now?”  

 

“Yeah…”  

 

“Eun-ha?”  

 

“Huh?! Y-Yeah! Let’s go…!”

 

Oh no...  

 

I can’t even look at Han-gyeol’s face right now.

 

--- The End OF The Chapter --

 

 

[TL:

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