SELA - 75

Ji-hyuk and Sa-hee glared fiercely at each other. Somehow, the atmosphere seemed to be heading in an unexpected direction.

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then that’s settled. You chose a good wine. You got it from the wine cellar, right? My taste is indeed excellent.”

“I really shouldn’t say anything.”

“Why not? I’m your puppy, I’m ready to listen to anything.”

“You only say that! When have you ever...!”

“Woof woof.”

“Seriously! Don’t joke around!”

Unlike Sa-hee, whose cheeks were red, Ji-hyuk simply looked at her with a relaxed expression. He picked up a piece of the appetizer Sa-hee had made and nodded.

“You have good skills.”

“Thank you.”

“You think so too, don’t you?”

“Well... it doesn’t seem bad.”

“But why aren’t you eating at all?”

“Huh?”

“And the wine too.”

Ji-hyuk lightly flicked Sa-hee’s untouched glass with his finger. A light ting sound was heard.

“You’re not drinking. Are you not feeling well?”

Was now the time to say it? Sa-hee, feeling nervous inside, took a small sip of water to moisten her lips. Ji-hyuk meticulously followed Sa-hee’s every move with his eyes, watching her intently.

“Can you close your eyes for a moment?”

“Are you going to kiss me? I prefer to start with my eyes open.”

“It’s not that. Don’t you dislike surprises?”

“Yeah. I dislike surprises. You’re acting suspicious anyway.”

“Suspicious how?”

“You have a face full of things to say, but you’re just talking around it.”

He was quick on the uptake as always. She thought she had diverted his attention with the Seo-won story, but she hadn’t. Then there was no choice but to go straight to the point.

“I have something I want to give you.”

He raised his eyebrows as if telling her to continue.

“It won’t be fun if I give it to you directly, so look for it. The hint is, it’s somewhere nearby.”

As soon as Sa-hee finished speaking, Ji-hyuk suddenly chuckled. Sa-hee, not knowing why, asked him back, puzzled.

“Why are you laughing?”

“How am I supposed to know where to search?”

“There’s a bookshelf behind you, and a table, and curtains too.”

“You’re here too. How am I supposed to know if it’s under your skirt or between your breasts?”

“......Why are you getting like this?”

He shrugged. His expression was completely indifferent, as if nothing was wrong. If she got angry or annoyed here, she would be the only one looking sensitive. Sa-hee took another deep breath and said with a smile, “It’s not under my skirt, and it’s not between my breasts either. It’s somewhere unrelated to my body, so look for it.”

“Alright.”

Ji-hyuk, holding his wine glass, got up from his seat and began to slowly look around. There were more things in the room than when they first started living together, but since they were still in the process of decorating, there wasn’t much. After quickly looking around once, he took sips of his wine and looked at Sa-hee, tilting his head. She couldn’t tell if he really didn’t know or if he was teasing her.

Sa-hee didn’t move her body but only shifted her eyes to glance at the window right next to her. A small jewelry box was placed right in front of the windowsill. It was a dark navy blue, but how could he not find it when it was this close?

Just then, a hand suddenly came into her view and snatched the jewelry box. Sa-hee flinched, surprised.

“Found it.”

He smiled slyly, placed his wine glass on the table, and sat down with his legs crossed.

“What should I do with this? Should I open it myself?”

“Give it to me.”

At Sa-hee’s serious voice, Ji-hyuk looked at her for a moment and then handed over the box. The jewelry box was now in Sa-hee’s hands. What had seemed like just a toy in his hands felt quite heavy in Sa-hee’s.

“Ji-hyuk-ssi.”

“Yeah.”

“Other words are too long and difficult. Besides, if I say them, it strangely becomes childish. So I’ll keep it simple.”

He smiled, leaned back in his chair, and gazed steadily at Sa-hee.

Sa-hee placed the jewelry box on her palm and opened it in front of Ji-hyuk. A pair of rings inside came into view.

“Shin Ji-hyuk-ssi. I hope you’ll marry me.”

At her words, Ji-hyuk’s raised lips relaxed slightly.

“You did it to me in the past life, so I want to do it this time.”

Haha. Ji-hyuk laughed out loud and tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling for a moment. Then he looked back at Sa-hee after a while. Countless emotions were flooding into his eyes like a tide.

“Marry me. Huh?”

At Sa-hee’s coaxing, wrinkling her nose, Ji-hyuk held out one of his hands to Sa-hee. A large, straight, and neat hand was in front of her. Sa-hee smiled brightly, took out one of the rings, and put it on her fourth finger, where another ring was already worn. The two rings, which she had deliberately chosen in a design that was good for layering, blended well as if they were originally one product.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

Ji-hyuk, who had taken her hand and placed it on his knee, looking down at it, had an expression that even Sa-hee, who had known him for a long time, couldn’t decipher. It was subtle and very complex. But it was definitely close to happiness and joy. Sa-hee felt relieved.

“I have to put one on you too.”

Ji-hyuk took the jewelry box, took out the remaining ring, and put it on Sa-hee’s fourth finger. It suited her perfectly as well.

Ji-hyuk, holding her hand and looking down at it for a long time, raised one corner of his lips and smiled alluringly.

“I accept your proposal.”

Sa-hee nodded and smiled softly. Ji-hyuk reached out and stroked Sa-hee’s cheek. To contain the emotions that were bursting forth, the only method that worked was touching her. Just as the excitement she gave him originated from her, so did the solution. Ji-hyuk only looked at Sa-hee.

“And Ji-hyuk-ssi.”

“Yeah. Tell me.”

“I have another gift.”

“A gift?”

“You can think of it as a wedding gift.”

At Sa-hee’s somewhat hesitant attitude, Ji-hyuk withdrew his hand and looked at her silently. He wanted to allow Sa-hee to manage her emotions well and bring it out when the time was right.

Sa-hee, who had been looking at Ji-hyuk, pulled her chair back and slowly stood up. Then she went and stood beside him. As Ji-hyuk looked at her, puzzled, she took his hand and placed it on her belly, along with her own hand.

“We’re having a baby.”

A brief moment of silence. The candlelight flickered, and their shadows on the wall also swayed. The eyes of the two facing each other shone particularly brightly.

“A baby?”

“Yes.”

“Our baby?”

“Yes.”

Sa-hee was a little nervous. He should either shout with joy or get angry saying it couldn’t be, there should be some reaction, but Ji-hyuk was just looking at Sa-hee.

“When did you find out?”

“Today.”

“Did you go to the hospital alone?”

“Yeah. I felt a little strange.”

Screech, the chair was pushed back, and Ji-hyuk, who had stood up, hugged Sa-hee. He kissed her hair, forehead, cheeks, lips, constantly giving her butterfly kisses.

“Thank you.”

“......”

“Thank you, Sa-hee-yah.”

“......”

“And I’m sorry. I should have gone to the hospital with you.”

Sa-hee suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and she couldn’t hold back the tears that welled up. She hugged Ji-hyuk and uncontrollably shed tears. The possibility of him rejecting the baby had been pressing down on her heart like a crown of thorns all along. But he was rather grateful and apologetic.

Sa-hee burst into tears of sorrow and fear that she hadn’t even known were inside her. Ji-hyuk continued to kiss and caress her here and there, comforting Sa-hee.

“It’s five weeks.”

“Five weeks?”

“I saw the gestational sac too.”

“Let’s go together next time.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you finished crying?”

Sa-hee, whose nose and ears were red, nodded. Ji-hyuk held both her cheeks and looked into her eyes, wiping away the tears from Sa-hee’s eyes once more with his thumbs.

“We should name the baby ‘Gift,’ literally.”

“‘Gift’?”

“Don’t you understand? With the arrival of this child, our destiny has changed once again.”

That was what he said. A being that hadn’t existed before, a variable, had emerged, and a completely different destiny was unfolding anew. It was like replacing a movie film that was playing with a new one. That meant they could move even further away from the past where they had been constantly anxious about hurting each other, so far that it wouldn’t even be visible.

Since this child had brought about such a change, what else could it be but a gift?

“Then we’re completely free now, right?”

“I think so, probably.”

Sa-hee hugged Ji-hyuk again, bursting into tears that she had barely stopped. Ji-hyuk smiled helplessly and stroked her back.

In fact, it was something they could only know by living. They would only be able to confirm whether fate had truly let them go after experiencing it. But neither Ji-hyuk nor Sa-hee explicitly talked about this. They had decided to believe in and follow just that one word: hope.

Ji-hyuk would again be able to enjoy the pleasure of buying Sa-hee’s birthday cake, and Sa-hee would be able to enjoy the joy of choosing his ties. And their child would be raised with love, constantly affirmed that its existence was a gift itself.

Someone once said that to love is to glimpse heaven. Those who did not forget their broken heaven and searched for it again eventually saw a paradise more beautiful than before.

Ji-hyuk and Sa-hee hugged each other and were happy for a very long time.

<Such An Easy Love Affair> End.