Reminiscing the past

The rest of the day wasn't so different. It didn't help that my desk was in the corner of the room. However, Na-ra kept that serious expression, but tried to help me fit in there, asked for my opinions, asked me to draw a base of her ideas, made me feel part of the group. When the clock struck 7 pm, she was gone before I could notice and I couldn't thank her. Well, tomorrow I will do it.

Arriving home, I see Ji-hun's shoes in the hallway. It would be a surprise if it wasn't there. He, as usual, is in the office room, playing a game. With his headset on, he doesn't even notice that I have arrived. I am so used to this that it doesn't bother me anymore. Then I remember the CD that Won-shik gave me earlier. Unlike his sweet appearance, his voice is deep and a little husky. So the music must be that hard rock... No, he might not be the only vocalist... I can't help being curious. The CD, however, is best kept from Ji-hun, he gets jealous of silly things, like the photo cards. Besides, I don't have a CD player anyway, so I'll hide it and listen on the internet.

"Okay..." In my bed, I search for the album on the computer.

In addition to finding the album, the names of the members appear. It also says that Won-shik plays the guitar. Without realizing it, I click on his name.

Oh, he is two years younger than me and was born in Incheon.

Wait, why am I looking at his profile? I was going to listen to his album, that's all.

Surprised at myself, I put the laptop on the table away from me and looked up the album on my phone. This is all Seo-yoon's fault. I curse her, but my mood changes when the first track starts to play. The instruments, the lyrics, the voices, it all makes me smile. Won-shik's voice is unique, it's easy to recognize him. One has a soft voice and creates a balance. The lyrics are about a guy who fell in love at first sight, quite romantic. Some songs are the perfect kind to sing while taking a bath, even if it is a sad song about break up, the instruments don't let you listen without moving even a finger.

Suddenly I feel a hand touching my ankle. I open my eyes and find Ji-hun staring at me. Taking off my headset, I smile at him.

"When did you arrive?"

"A little while ago." I reply.

"Why didn't you call me? You haven't eaten yet, right? I made kimchi."

His words make me jump out of bed. Dinner is one of the best times of the day. Ji-hun keeps playing all day, but he always makes dinner for me. His skill is on another level, trust me.

While we eat, I tell him about what happened at work. It started with good news, and then the meeting, and then... He is happy for me, and worried at the same time.

"Be more confident, you'll be great in no time".

"I'm not changing departments, it's just this project."

"Is that so?"

At least, I hope so.

Ji-hun then starts talking about his day. It seems that one of his friends got sick and couldn't play. His role is quite important, so they had some problems. I watch him talk and a smile appears naturally. This moment, this mood, feels so good.

"What?"

"I was thinking how nice it is to come home and have someone to share your day with. Maybe I'm just too romantic." I give a small laugh.

"I like that too. When I cook, I always think about you, whether it will make you less tired, whether it will make you smile..."

His words only make me happy and happier. It reminds me of when we first started living together. Surprisingly, it was my idea.

We were having lunch at a restaurant when I brought up the topic. I wasn't sure how to say it, or even if I should.

"Ji-hun, I'm thinking of moving from my parents' house to somewhere closer to the company...".

"Really?" He was more interested in his food.

"I also thought... it would be nice if... we lived together..."

Upon hearing my words, Ji-hun froze. He looked at me, incredulous. Also, very confused.

"Are you asking me in marriage? Have you already chosen the ring?"

That is the normal reaction. Living together without getting married? My father will kill me if he finds out. Still, I didn't want to get married, but I wanted to live with him.

I laughed a little awkwardly. We never talked about such a thing, and I had no idea what he thought about cohabitation.

"No, marriage is not my intention." I tried to stop laughing. "It's just, we don't have much time to be together.

It's been 3 years since we started dating and things got pretty serious, although we never talked about marriage, and I don't think about it either. At the time, he started to participate in gaming competitions, I had my job, and on my day off, he wasn't always free. I missed the time he would walk me home, we would watch movies, or go on a picnic.

"My day is only good when I see you."

Ji-hun fixed his glasses, giving me a shy and troubled smile.

"I'll think about it..."

In two days he already asked me if I found a house, if not, we could schedule a day to look for it.

It took us almost a month to pack up everything, find the place, time to bring our things and buy some furniture we would need. Sometimes I did it alone, but it was okay, since I would be able to sleep and wake up next to him.

The first night we spent there, I came home from work and he was waiting for me with two bowls of kimchi – my favorite dish.

Ji-hun looked distraught, he kept fiddling with his glasses, barely able to look into my eyes.

"What's wrong?" I sat down in front of him after taking a shower. "Did something happen?"

"Actually..." He bit his lips. "I don't know how cook... so I bought this..."

I tried to hold back my laughter, but it was useless. I knew that. Whenever he brought food for us to eat, it was never handmade, I just pretended I didn't know. It's not a big deal anyway.

"I'm going to learn how to cook! You can give me a list of what you want to eat! I'll cook everything!" He was all motivated.

As he said, every day he cooked a different dish. In the beginning it was so-so, but as time went on, everything was just delicious. Basically, when he wasn't playing, or with me, he was cooking for me. As I wished, we spent more time together than when we lived apart.

Things were perfect, until he became more and more addicted to games, he started making streams, although he never missed dinner. Some days I would sleep in and he would keep playing. Still, every day he was there when I woke up. When he saw that I was not feeling well, he would find a way to come out and stay with me. It was the same with me; when he was angry, upset or sad, I would hold him until everything was okay.

Time has passed and more things have changed; when he is playing he is too distracted to see that I am not well, dinner is when we talk the most. On my days off, I hide all my problems to spend a day where we can laugh and enjoy. After all, he has made time to be with me, I can't afford to waste it. Despite all this, I still love him.