Chapter 142: Pre-enlistment Trip (1)

 

Only about a week remains until my enlistment.

 

I had meals with Eun-ha’s family to say goodbye, and shared a casual drink with friends.

 

Eun-ha and I continued spending time together as usual, eating and sleeping by each other’s side, without letting any sense of obligation weigh us down, just like she insisted.

 

Now, we were finally standing on the brink of our last trip together before my enlistment.

 

We chose Busan as our destination, planning to stay for seven days and six nights. The first and last nights, we’d spend at my parents’ house in Busan.

 

On the day of enlistment, we decided Eun-ha would ride with me and my parents to the training center.

 

For the first time in a while, Eun-ha would be seeing my parents, and she seemed quite nervous, fretting over what to wear a few days in advance.

 

The thought of her putting so much thought into her outfit for our dates too made the corners of my mouth lift naturally.

 

“Han-gyeol! How do I look today?! Is this okay?! Do I look tidy?”

 

“You look so beautiful I could die~ Eun-ha, you look amazing no matter what you wear!”

 

“Be extra critical today, okay~? I’ll be meeting your parents, after all. I need to make a good impression.”

 

Honestly, although I knew the address, I’d never actually been to my parents’ house in Busan.

 

Thinking about it now… I must be a terrible son, huh…?

 

“Han-gyeol?”

 

“Oh—uh, yeah, you look so tidy. You could wear that exactly as is, no need to be nervous~ My parents already love you!”

 

“Thanks for saying that, but I’m still so nervous…!”

 

“You’ll be fine~ Let’s go. We don’t want to miss the train.”

 

“Yep! Got it. Let’s head out!”

 

I reached out, and Eun-ha took my hand firmly. Knowing we wouldn’t be able to hold hands for a whole month after my enlistment, I squeezed tightly.

 

“Can’t wait for our trip to Busan!”

 

“Let’s eat lots of good food while we’re there~”

 

“Yeah, yeah! And we can feed shrimp crackers to the seagulls.”

 

“Absolutely~ That’s a must!”

 

Hand in hand, we stepped out the door. We held on tight, not letting go even once until we reached Cheongnyangni Station by bus.

 

Whenever our eyes met, Eun-ha would smile brightly, and I’d return her smile.

 

I thought Eun-ha might be feeling sad because of my upcoming enlistment, but she was the same as always, putting me at ease.

 

Seeing her like that, I wanted to show her more of my happy side rather than a gloomy face.

 

On the train, I lifted Eun-ha’s bag up onto the luggage rack for her.

 

While I was doing that, she quickly claimed the window seat.

 

“Hey, that’s cheating!”

 

“Whoever sits down first gets the spot~”

 

Her playful tone only made her more endearing.

 

“Fine. Eun-ha, you can do whatever you want~”

 

“If you want the window seat, you could always sit on my lap?”

 

“I’m good~”

 

Eun-ha leaned her face against my arm, taking my arm in hers.

 

“Before we go to your place, let’s stop at a mart and grab a fruit basket.”

 

“Hm? I’m sure it’ll be fine without one. No need to feel pressured.”

 

“Oh, really? Well, when you first came to my house, what did you bring?”

 

“Did I bring something that time?”

 

“Yup! You brought a roll cake, remember?”

 

I only remembered when she mentioned it.

 

“Oh, right! That’s right! You remember everything.”

 

“I remember everything with you~ And so, I’m bringing something too.”

 

“Alright. Once we’re in Busan, we’ll stop by the mart on our way.”

 

“This time, I’m going to earn major points!”

 

“They already like you~”

 

“Right now, they probably only like me as their son’s girlfriend! I want to earn some points as their future daughter-in-law!”

 

Eun-ha clenched her fist with determination.

 

“How are you planning to score points?”

 

“Maybe if I politely say, ‘Please give me your son’s hand in marriage’?”

 

“They might just hand me over right then.”

 

“That sounds more like something my parents would do.”

 

“I’m grateful they think so highly of me.”

 

“It’s because you’re a good person, Han-gyeol~”

 

“And you’re pretty great yourself, Eun-ha.”

 

“I’m only great for you~”

 

She rubbed her face against my arm like a cat.

 

“You’re like a little cat.”

 

“So… you’re my owner, then?”

 

“W-wait, what?!”

 

Eun-ha looked at me intently, clearly waiting for my response.

 

“So… is that how it is?”

 

“Hehe, look at you getting all flustered, Han-gyeol. You’re so cute.”

 

“Eun-ha, sometimes I think you don’t have a brake pedal.”

 

“When it comes to you, Han-gyeol, it’s full speed ahead~ Who has time to brake?”

 

“Don’t go too fast, or you’ll get a ticket.”

 

“I’ll go with the sirens blaring.”

 

“Pfft—!” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

 

“Oh?! Han-gyeol, you laughed~”

 

“Lucky I wasn’t drinking anything, or I’d be in trouble.”

 

“I figured you’d laugh at that! By now, I totally know what gets you going.”

 

“That’s a problem—I still don’t fully understand what makes you laugh, Eun-ha.”

 

“For me, just looking at you makes me smile. See?! Even now, I can’t stop grinning~”

 

With a beaming smile, Eun-ha gazed at me.

 

“Same here~ When I look at you, my lips just naturally curl up.”

 

“Really?! Let’s see how far they go up.”

 

She grabbed my face and tilted it to check out my big grin.

 

Seeing me with my cheeks raised, she smiled happily.

 

“It’s true~ Your smile could practically touch your ears~”

 

“You’re the same way, you know~?”

 

“Hehe. You’re right!”

 

We chatted, laughing and enjoying ourselves all the way on the train.

 

Honestly, she was just so lovable.

 

****

 

Once we arrived at Busan Station, we stopped by a mart to pick up a fruit basket before heading to my parents’ place.

 

Since I didn’t know the door code, we rang the doorbell and waited at the front entrance.

 

When the door opened, there stood my parents, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

 

“We’re here—”

 

“Hello! How have you been?!”

 

Eun-ha, holding the fruit basket, gave a polite 90-degree bow.

 

My parents welcomed her warmly, smiling brightly.

 

“Eun-ha, you’re here! You’ve gotten even prettier~”

 

“Welcome~”

 

“Thank you so much! And, um… here!”

 

Eun-ha handed over the fruit basket, and my mom smiled contentedly.

 

“Oh, you didn’t need to bring anything~”

 

“N-no, I felt it’d be rude to come empty-handed.”

 

“Alright then, come in. You haven’t had dinner, right?”

 

“No! Not yet—!”

 

“Good~ Let’s eat first.”

 

“Yes~!”

 

Eun-ha stepped inside first, and I followed after.

 

As soon as we entered, the delicious aroma filled the air, and the dining table was so laden with food it looked about ready to buckle under the weight.

 

After washing our hands, we sat down at the table.

 

“Wow~ Everything looks amazing!”

 

“It’s all for you two~ Go ahead and eat. Let me know if you need more.”

 

“Yes, yes! Han-gyeol, let’s dig in.”

 

“Alright. Thank you for the meal.”

 

“Thank you for the meal~”

 

“Enjoy~”

 

Though Eun-ha is always well-mannered while eating, today she was extra careful.

 

She kept her back straight and followed every dining etiquette rule meticulously.

 

She didn’t need to be this formal, but I found her thoughtfulness endearing and lovely.

 

When we finished eating, she rolled up her sleeves, insisting on doing the dishes.

 

“I’ll handle the dishes!”

 

“We’ve got a dishwasher, so it’s alright~”

 

“Oh! Then I’ll at least load the dishes into the dishwasher and tidy up a bit!”

 

“It’s really fine~ Why don’t you relax in the living room?”

 

Though Mom politely declined, I wanted Eun-ha’s kindness to shine through, so I lent a hand.

 

“I’ll help with Eun-ha to tidy up. You go ahead and relax in the living room, Mom.”

 

“Hm… should I?”

 

“Yes! At home, we’re a great cleaning team~!”

 

“Really? It’s nice to hear you’re living so well~ I’ll leave it to you, then.”

 

“Of course!”

 

My parents went to the living room, leaving Eun-ha and me to finish tidying up together.

 

“Thanks for helping out, Han-gyeol.”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing~ Let’s finish up quickly so we can have some fruit.”

 

“Yep, yep!”

 

After clearing the dishes from the table, we joined my parents in the living room to enjoy some fruit.

 

Eun-ha proudly announced that she had actually practiced her fruit-peeling skills for this moment, then showed off by peeling an apple in one long, unbroken strip.

 

Seeing this, my parents beamed and even clapped in admiration. After neatly arranging the fruit on a plate, the conversation shifted to my enlistment.

 

“So, Eun-ha, you’ll be by yourself when Han-gyeol goes to the military. Do you think you’ll be okay?”

 

“Oh—yes, yes! During the college term, I’ll stay at the dorm, and on breaks, I’ll go back to my parents’ house.”

 

“True, it’s good to keep the apartment since he’ll need a place to come back to on leave. Good thing you got it on lease.”

 

“Yes, I’m grateful for that! I also plan to go over occasionally to clean.”

 

Eun-ha answered confidently, her voice bright and cheerful.

 

My parents then turned to me.

 

“Han-gyeol, make sure you take good care of Eun-ha. Understand?”

 

“Yes, treat her well.”

 

Even my father, who rarely spoke up, encouraged me to be good to Eun-ha.

 

“Yes, I’ll do even better.”

 

“Han-gyeol’s already doing a great job.”

 

“That’s right~ You two need to support each other~ By the way, Han-gyeol, when are you shaving your head?”

 

“I’ll shave it the day before enlistment. But they’ll just shave it again at the training center anyway.”

 

I took a bite of the apple Eun-ha had peeled.

 

“Make sure you write lots of letters to Eun-ha, alright?”

 

“I will. Plus, I heard we’ll get an hour to use our phones every weekend at the training center.”

 

“Oh, really? That’s a relief~”

 

“What do you plan to do to pass the time in the military?”

 

“I’ll exercise and maybe study for the tax accountant exam.”

 

“Good to have a plan.”

 

“It’s all thanks to Eun-ha. I want to marry her as soon as possible.”

 

I brought up marriage first, knowing it would be a tough subject for Eun-ha to start on her own.

 

“Well, it’s important to know Eun-ha’s feelings too. What do you think, Eun-ha?”

 

“M-me?! I’m all for it! If possible, I’d like to marry Han-gyeol as soon as I can! Please give me your son’s hand in marriage! I’ll make him the happiest man in the world!”

 

Seizing the moment, Eun-ha placed her hand over her heart and declared her intent with all her might.

 

My parents, holding their forks mid-air, stared at her before bursting into laughter.

 

“Alright then—get married already!”

 

“Yes! I’ll also make sure you have grandkids soon!”

 

“Oh? And how many do you plan to give us?”

 

At this, my mom asked, and Eun-ha beamed brightly.

 

“Four!”

 

For a moment, my parents seemed surprised by Eun-ha’s answer.

 

Their faces mirrored my own the first time she mentioned that two wouldn’t be enough.

--- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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