Chapter 34
“Uh, wait a moment. Okay, I get it, so… you go shower first.”
Anyone could tell that Lee Seo was clearly nervous, and Tae-seok let out a soft chuckle at her expression.
As he stepped closer, a warm intensity emanated from him, his smile still on his lips.
“You’re moving into that house tomorrow. Haven’t you ever thought it might be good for us to act more like a real couple by now?”
“I’m the type to just deal with things when they come. Worrying in advance doesn’t change anything. I’ll handle it myself.”
Despite her confident words, her eyes were darting around, unsure where to land.
Tae-seok gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with his long fingers and spoke in a low voice.
“You looked overly flustered, so I thought I should tell you. This is a magic mirror. If you press the switch, the bathroom turns opaque.”
Just as she was calming her startled heart, Tae-seok began unbuttoning his shirt.
Lee Seo quickly turned her head, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.
“I’ll go shower. You just relax.”
Once Tae-seok entered the bathroom and the sound of running water could be heard, Lee Seo finally collapsed onto the bed.
Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up her phone and started searching for something rapidly.
A little while later…
Tae-seok stepped out of the shower, and his gaze stopped on Lee Seo.
“What’s with that outfit?”
She was wearing a flowing floral dress, looking pure and serene.
“We came here to see the ocean, right? So let’s go look at it.”
“Now?”
Outside the window, darkness had begun to fall.
“Sure, the sea is pretty during the day, but it’s more romantic at night. Let’s go before it gets any later.”
“Didn’t you say you were tired?”
“I rested a bit while you were showering, and now I’m totally fine.”
Lee Seo forced a smile, a small twitch at the corner of her lips betraying her nerves.
“Then shouldn’t we at least have dinner first…”
“Nope, I’ve already prepared everything, so let’s just head out first.”
Clearly eager to leave the room, she quickly grabbed her outerwear and stepped outside, eyes searching for something.
“What are you doing? Waiting for someone?”
“Found it.”
Spotting her target, Lee Seo briskly walked toward it, with Tae-seok following at a more relaxed pace.
“Let’s go camping.”
“Camping?”
Tae-seok fixed his gaze on her at the unexpected suggestion.
“I looked it up and found this great campsite near the hotel.”
Unlike earlier in the room, she looked genuinely excited, and Tae-seok let out a small laugh.
“It’d be too boring to just stay in the hotel on our honeymoon. I’m guessing you’ve never gone camping before, right?”
There was no trace of nervousness on her face now.
“So you’re saying we should spend the night here?”
“Why not? Tents are really nice these days.”
“Do you even know how to pitch one?”
“If hotels have magic mirrors, campsites have pop-up tents.”
Confidently, she tossed the tent, and in seconds, it popped open into a perfect circle.
Wait a minute. Why is there only one tent?
Rummaging through the large box, she began to panic and quickly made a call.
“Hello? I’m the person who ordered the camping supplies near the parasol earlier. I definitely ordered two one-person tents, but no matter how hard I look, there’s only one here.”
[Oh dear, I can’t take it. My husband must’ve misheard again. He’s a bit hard of hearing… But we’ve already closed for the day. The store won’t open again until around 10 a.m. tomorrow. I’m so sorry.]
Lee Seo’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly.
“Judging by your expression, something went wrong?”
Tae-seok tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow as he stepped closer.
“It’s not wrong exactly… there’s just only one tent.”
For a brief moment, her mind spun with thoughts.
Revving up her ultra-positive mindset, she forced a calm breath.
“One tent, one bed—what’s the difference, really?”
His blunt question hit her like a missile, and all she could do was nervously bite her lip.
“Still, seeing the sea up close is better than through a window. You can hear the waves too—it’s nice. Let’s eat dinner first.”
“I even arranged hotel room service for our honeymoon night. Are you sure about this?”
“I was really craving something warm. I saw a place with clam kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) on the way here—can we go?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Let’s stop by the mart first.”
“The mart? Why?”
“I need to change into something more comfortable.”
They entered a clothing shop located in a corner of the mart.
As the two of them stepped inside, the shop owner hurried over.
“Welcome!”
Her eyes darted between tall, handsome Tae-seok and Lee Seo.
“We’re looking for some jeans and a comfy T-shirt for him.”
“Are you two newlyweds, by any chance?”
“Sorry?”
“You just look like a newlywed couple. That’s all.”
“Right you are. We got married today—still hot off the altar.”
Tae-seok casually draped his arm around Lee Seo’s shoulder, making her blush.
“Oh my, the groom can’t take his eyes off his bride.”
“How could he? There’s not a single thing about her that’s not beautiful.”
Lee Seo flushed even more and awkwardly opened her mouth, but the shop owner kept chatting.
“Though I wonder if anything here will suit your tastes. Even in this small town, I’ve got a keen eye—your clothes all look like luxury brands. You might be picky.”
“Oh, these? All knock-offs. Total fakes.”
“What? What are you saying all of a sudden?”
Lee Seo nudged him in the ribs.
“Knock-offs? Well, I guess the real luxury is your face. Even fakes look high-end on someone like you.”
Grinning ear to ear, the owner brought over several outfits for Tae-seok.
“You’re tall, so these pants should fit without alterations. Hmm… maybe they’ll be a bit short though.”
“It’s summer. Short is fine.”
They picked out jeans, a shirt, and a hat. At the counter, Lee Seo handed over her card.
“Whoa. Isn’t that a black card? The legendary one?”
The owner’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“In one payment, please.”
Tae-seok watched her smiling face as she waved the card—it etched itself in his memory.
* * *
“Now that’s better.”
“It’s still not really my style.”
“Why not? It suits you well. Honestly, your usual fashion is too eye-catching. This way, you look more natural. Oh, and here.”
She handed him the card he had kept in his office drawer.
“You should take it back. I used it for your clothes, but I don’t need it anymore.”
“I gave it to you to use. Why give it back?”
“Did you forget I got a job? I’ll get paid. I don’t need it.”
“Keep it anyway. You never know when you’ll need it.”
He handed the card back and gently took her hand, his warm touch spreading through her fingers.
Tae-seok smiled faintly as he played with her soft, small hand that fit perfectly in his own.
Leaving the mart, the two walked side by side to a restaurant ten minutes away.
The summer vacation crowd made the place so packed there was barely room to stand.
Before long, a large bowl, enough for five or six people, was placed in front of them.
“This is for two?”
“Well, I was starving, so great timing.”
Lee Seo filled Tae-seok’s bowl with clams, noodles, and broth.
“Try it. It says the clams are freshly caught right here—it should be super refreshing.”
“This really does feel like we’re a married couple.”
“Be honest. This is your first time somewhere like this, right? First time seeing the sea up close, eating kalguksu like this?”
After his mother died, Tae-seok had gone abroad to study as a child.
As the heir to Kang-ha Group, he had undergone strict training since elementary school and never had a real vacation.
Those stifling days left him with no good memories. Nothing happy.
“How is it? Good?”
“Tastes great.”
Later, when Tae-seok finished every drop of soup, a gentle smile spread across Lee Seo’s lips.
“Let’s go to the sea now, for digestion.”
They walked out of the restaurant and toward the ocean, just like that.
Time had passed so quickly—it was hard to believe they’d gotten married today.
The sea breeze carried a salty scent, ruffling their hair.
“It’s beautiful.”
Lee Seo’s eyes lingered on the waves as they crashed and receded.
“Are you really okay with all this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Starting tomorrow, you’ll suddenly have a grandmother-in-law, a mother-in-law, and a brother-in-law. Are you ready for that?”
“My life motto is: think about tomorrow when it comes. Let’s just focus on right now.”
Tae-seok silently watched her profile as she stood quietly, gazing out at the sea.
Her delicate features glowed softly under the streetlights, and her lips—tinged with red—looked moist and tender.
“I’ve been wondering… Why did you make our marriage contract two years long? Even one year is already a long time.”
Avoiding the question, Tae-seok simply took her wrist.
“You look tired. Let’s go back.”
“Huh? Al—Already?”
Before she could even finish, he had already begun walking toward the tent, hand in hand.
“Guess I missed the signs.”
Inside the tent, Tae-seok glanced around and smiled faintly.
“I reserved an absurdly big hotel bed. I didn’t realize you wanted to be this close in a tiny space.”
His teasing words made her eyes widen, and his gaze dropped to her lips.
“Can I?”
“Can you… what?”
With a soft laugh, Tae-seok’s warm lips gently pressed against Lee Seo’s.
