Ch.198198. July Already

July 3rd, the wedding was really just around the corner. Only three days left, no, not even two full days? The wedding starts at 11 AM on the 5th, and it’s now 1 PM on the 3rd, so not even 48 hours remain.

To be more precise, 45 hours and 48 minutes. After that time passes, we’ll have our wedding ceremony and then go to the district office to submit our marriage registration. And after completing the moving-in registration for our newlywed home, Hwa Nabi and I will officially become husband and wife, both on paper and in reality.

Well, even if we officially become a married couple, not much will change. We’ve been living under the same roof before marriage anyway.

If I had to find something that’s different, maybe it’s that when we need to print our family register, it will only show our names instead of my parents’ names?

And once our baby, Woo-ah, is safely born, we’ll be able to see the three family members’ names neatly aligned.

“Family, huh…”

Imagining it gives me such a strange feeling. It’s like my chest is tingling and my hands and feet feel like they’re floating. Having three names lined up on a family register shouldn’t be a big deal. I don’t know why I’m feeling this way.

Hmm, seeing how restless I am in broad daylight, I guess I really am getting married. I heard they give out Korean flags as a token of patriotism when you register your marriage these days. I wonder if we’ll get one too?

It’s probably nothing special, but it would feel nice to receive one, so I hope they still have some left. Where would we keep it if we got one? While I was lost in such trivial thoughts…

-Creeak.

“Siwoo, are you here?”

The bedroom door opened, and Hwa Nabi walked into the living room wearing flowy clothes. She said she was going to take a nap, but she came out in less than thirty minutes.

“Yeah, I’m on the sofa.”

I reflexively stood up as I answered, but Hwa Nabi gestured for me to stay seated. She meant I didn’t need to get up.

Understanding, I sat back down, and Hwa Nabi approached without saying much and nestled herself between my thighs.

After spending the last few months sitting close together under the pretext of prenatal bonding, at some point this seating arrangement had become our unspoken rule.

“Still sleepy?”

“A little. I wasn’t like this before, but lately I’ve been feeling this way sometimes.”

“With the baby, it can’t be helped.”

I heard pregnant women can feel fine until the night before, then suddenly feel worse the next morning. With the wedding just two days away, she needs to manage her condition well.

Thinking about what I could do for her, I gently wrapped my arms around her lower abdomen.

Holding her from behind with my hands on her belly is apparently a popular prenatal bonding method these days. Since I didn’t hear it from a doctor, I’m a bit skeptical about its credibility, but the time spent embracing her is so happy that I follow along without complaint.

It must be comfortable for her too, as Hwa Nabi, with her eyes closed, smiles and leans back against me.

“Yes, this feels better.”

“Just tell me whenever you need anything.”

“Heh, just hearing that makes me feel secure. Thank you.”

Chu. Hwa Nabi turned sideways and kissed my cheek. Feeling it would be impolite to just receive, I leaned in and gently kissed her lips.

“Your mouth smells like mint. Did you eat something without me knowing?”

“I haven’t eaten anything since lunch. It’s probably not food but the new toothpaste we bought.”

Hwa Nabi brought her nose to my mouth as if to sniff, then leaned back into me again.

“Ah, smelling the mint suddenly makes me want mint ice cream.”

“Really? Should I go buy some?”

“We need to go grocery shopping this afternoon anyway, so I’ll buy and eat it then. It’s annoying to go out twice.”

“No, it’s not annoying at all if I’m going out to buy something for you.”

“Our Siwoo, aren’t you saying things too sweetly? There are no more points you can earn from me.”

I was about to reply that I wasn’t trying to score points but was being sincere, but I couldn’t. That’s because Hwa Nabi patted my head as if I’d done something admirable, gave me a light kiss, and pulled away.

“If we continue, I might want to do other things too, so let’s stop here.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing more.”

I said cheekily as I rested my chin on Hwa Nabi’s shoulder, and she tapped my head with a knowing look. She was telling me not to say such things when I didn’t really mean it.

Maybe it’s because we’ve been together for so long, but she’s getting better at seeing through my thoughts. I wonder if I’ll soon be unable to tell lies in front of Hwa Nabi.

“Siwoo, it shows when you lie.”

“…”

She’s really like a mind reader. While thinking that to myself, I tried to appear nonchalant and asked:

“How does it show?”

“It gets bigger.”

“…What gets bigger?”

Did I mishear something? For a moment, I seriously doubted my hearing, but then Hwa Nabi burst into laughter.

“Your pupils. Your pupils get bigger.”

“Ah… pupils.”

Right, I’m not Pinocchio—it’s not like a certain body part would grow when I tell a lie. Just imagining that made me shudder involuntarily.

“Siwoo, you weren’t thinking of something inappropriate just now, were you?”

Hwa Nabi glanced at me with exaggerated surprise. And the slight smile she had while doing so made it clear she was just trying to tease me.

She really hasn’t changed, even though she’s about to become a mother. She loves making people uncomfortable with her strange comments and enjoys watching my reactions after deliberately teasing me.

I should teach her a lesson someday, but not now. I pretended to give in and hugged her.

“Fine, I’m a pervert who had some inappropriate thoughts. So what? A man can have some naughty thoughts.”

“Wow, who admits that with their own mouth? Siwoo, you really are a pervert.”

“Yes, I am a pervert.”

“Pervert, pervert. Siwoo is the king of perverts.”

“…”

Just wait until our honeymoon.

When I didn’t respond, she seemed to lose interest in teasing me and stopped with a cute click of her tongue. Soon after, she let out a long yawn while looking straight ahead.

“Haaaam…”

“Sleepy? Want to go back in and sleep some more?”

“I’d like to, but if I sleep too much during the day, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

That’s true. I’ve heard that too much napping can reduce the quality of nighttime sleep.

“So Siwoo, tell me an interesting story to help me stay awake.”

“An interesting story?”

“Yes. An interesting story.”

It’s confusing when she suddenly makes such a request, but I can’t refuse my pregnant girlfriend.

An interesting story, what could there be? While thinking as I held Hwa Nabi, I brought up the first story that came to mind.

“Nabi, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“I still can’t legally get married without my parents’ consent.”

This was something even I didn’t know until recently. When I called the district office to inquire, they said that if you haven’t reached your twentieth birthday, meaning you’re not yet 19 years old in Korean age, you’re not legally considered an adult and can’t submit a marriage registration without parental consent.

And my birthday is in early September. At this point, with about 3 months left until my birthday, I can’t register our marriage without legal consent!

Hearing my explanation, Hwa Nabi was shocked and grabbed my hand.

“Really? Does that mean we can’t register our marriage right away?”

“No, that’s not it. They said if you’re over 18, you can register with a consenter’s signature.”

I explained that we would need to use section 8 of the marriage registration form, which is rarely used—the consenter section below the marriage witnesses. With the signature or seal of both sets of parents, we could register our marriage normally. Only then did she sigh in relief.

“Oh, is that so? You should have said that earlier. I was shocked thinking we couldn’t get married.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Anyway, how about it? Are you fully awake after hearing my story?”

“I asked for an interesting story, not a shocking one.”

“As long as the goal is achieved, right? You’re awake now.”

“There are limits to that. My heart is pounding so hard right now from the shock.”

Hwa Nabi didn’t just express it in words; she took my hand and placed it on her chest.

Thump, thump. Through her soft skin, I could feel her heartbeat. As she said, it was beating very fast.

“There, can you feel it?”

“It is beating really fast. But why are you so surprised about this? Didn’t you already know?”

“Look at your size and face. No one outside would think you’re only 18, right?”

“Is that what you thought too? Wait, you’re not saying I look old, are you?”

“Not old, but your features are so defined that you don’t look young at all. At this rate, they probably wouldn’t even check your ID at a bar.”

“Ah. Right. Now that you mention it, I remember when I went to a bar with a friend, they didn’t check my ID—”

I realized my mistake too late. What did I just say? I belatedly realized my slip of the tongue, but the water was already spilled.

“…Siwoo, did you go to a bar without telling me?”