Ch.270270. A Brilliantly Colorful Summer Night

“This? Your birthday present.”

“Birthday present? Today is definitely… ah, ah… that’s right.”

Hwa Nabi, responding to the word “present,” mumbles to herself before letting out a small exclamation. She seems to have realized that tonight is the night of July 7th, her birthday.

“…Hmm, I was so busy I forgot for a moment. So, what is this present you’re talking about?”

She asks, pretending to be aloof as if embarrassed, slightly turning her head and glancing this way. I gently touch her left hand and whisper quietly.

“I thought a lot about what to give you, but this was all I could think of.”

I clicked open the ring case and showed her the pair of rings inside. Her eyes widened like saucers when she saw the softly gleaming emerald rings.

“…Could it be, rings?”

“Yes, couple rings. What do you think, is the design okay?”

“Yes, yes. It’s fine. No, not just fine… wow, it’s so beautiful! Are you sure I can accept this?”

“I bought it for you, so of course you can accept it.”

I held out my palm to Hwa Nabi, who was surprised like a child. It meant to give me her finger so I could put the ring on her. Without words, she understood and quickly extended her left hand.

Her face was filled with a beautiful smile, as if she couldn’t contain her excitement. Seeing her so happy gives me confidence and makes me feel proud about giving the gift.

“Princess. If you tense your fingers like that, the ring won’t go on.”

“Huh, why suddenly call me princess?”

When I teasingly tickled the back of her hand, her stiff fingers relaxed, allowing me to put the ring on.

I slightly raised my head to meet her eyes and slid the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand. The ring found its place, fitting snugly at the end of her finger joint, as if it were made exactly for her.

“There, it’s not uncomfortable, is it?”

“No. It’s fine. It’s fine, but… wow, wow, wow… it’s really so beautiful.”

Hwa Nabi seemed enchanted by the emerald’s brilliant appearance, examining it from all angles by flipping her palm and looking at it from the front, then suddenly raised her head to look at me.

Then abruptly, she pulled me in for an embrace and tried to kiss me without saying a word. Having anticipated this, I slightly tilted my head to avoid it.

“…Ah, darling. Why are you avoiding me?”

“We still have something left to do.”

“Something left? What do you… oh.”

As I directed her gaze toward the ring case, Hwa Nabi seemed to understand what I meant. Yes, as I just mentioned, these are couple rings. A pair for each of us, for me and Hwa Nabi, stored together.

I just put hers on, so now it’s time to wear my share of the rings. I took out just the ring and placed the remaining case on the balcony table. As I was about to put the ring on, Hwa Nabi quickly grabbed both my hands to stop me.

“Oh, wait. Let me put yours on, darling.”

“Really? Then please do.”

There’s no need to decline when she offers. When I willingly handed it over, Hwa Nabi took the ring and examined it from all angles.

She looked as if she were appraising it, so I stayed still. Soon, after finishing her observation, she briefly commented.

“Is it because your fingers are thick? Your ring is huge. It seems like twice the size of mine.”

“Well, yeah. Maybe not twice as big, but men’s rings are usually larger, right?”

“Oh, they say men with thick fingers have thick lower parts too. I wonder if that’s true?”

“…Who on earth says such things?”

We were talking normally, and suddenly she says something like this. Dumbfounded, I retorted briefly.

“Just kidding. Come on, give me your hand, darling. That’s right, good boy.”

“……”

Her attitude was like handling a pet, so I almost didn’t give her my hand, but I did anyway. Hwa Nabi seemed pleased with my compliant attitude and, rising slightly on her tiptoes, patted my head before putting the ring on me.

“Heh, nice. But darling, why couple rings all of a sudden? We just got wedding rings recently.”

“Nabi, you don’t wear the ring I proposed with, right? You said you’re afraid of losing it because it’s too expensive.”

“That’s right, isn’t it? It’s too expensive to wear as an accessory. It’s not just a few pennies.”

“That’s why I bought these. So we can wear them together in our daily lives.”

“Ah, I see. Okay, I’ll wear it all the time except when I’m washing or sleeping.”

“No, I don’t mean you have to treasure it that much, so don’t misunderstand…”

If she only takes it off when washing or sleeping, she’ll be wearing it almost all her waking hours. That might leave marks on her pretty fingers.

I expressed my genuine concern, but Hwa Nabi stared at me and said seriously:

“What are you saying? You bought it for me, so of course I should treasure it. I’ll keep it well and pass it down when our child grows up and gets married.”

“Shouldn’t we buy a new one by then?”

“No. If you give them only nice things because they’re pretty, they’ll grow up spoiled. What if headlines like ‘Shocking Deviation of the Fourth Generation Chaebol’ appear in the news?”

“…Uh, well.”

Isn’t that too far in the future? It seemed like an unrealistic statement for now, so I was momentarily speechless.

Hwa Nabi added one more thing to me:

“Darling, I believe children’s misbehavior is the parents’ fault. So I’ll be gentle but strict when necessary. I’ll teach them right from wrong and emphasize proper manners. Please cooperate with me.”

So Hwa Nabi’s educational policy is to be a parent who is both gentle and strict. This seems similar to my thinking, which is reassuring.

Yes, you shouldn’t be too lenient just because they’re cute, right? Being stern when needed and teaching right from wrong is the true role of a parent.

“Yes, that’s right. Manners are important. So, what should I do?”

“First, turn around please.”

“Turn around? Why suddenly?”

I didn’t understand the reason, but I turned around as she asked. Immediately, I felt something soft against my back, and then Hwa Nabi’s arms appeared from under my armpits. She was embracing me from behind.

I tried to turn my head to see Hwa Nabi’s expression, but stopped and instead placed my hand over hers. The feeling of the protruding ring on her soft fingers felt somewhat strange.

“You know, darling, I think you might be too soft on the kids. So when you feel your resolve weakening, hug me like this.”

The word “kids” sounds somewhat significant, and I don’t think it’s just my imagination.

“What difference does hugging make?”

“Discipline needs love too. It means you can get love energy from me whenever you need it.”

“……”

I was truly curious about what this “love energy” was and what role it played… but I refrained from asking out loud. Doing so in this situation would be somewhat uncool.

Instead, I gently caressed the back of Hwa Nabi’s hand while looking outside. The fireworks had reached their peak, and colorful, brilliant explosions were lighting up all around us.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“Hmm, what’s amazing?”

“That you and I are like this.”

They say you can’t predict what will happen in life, and it seems that saying is true. Three years ago, when we first watched fireworks together, no one would have thought we’d become this close.

Neither I, nor she, nor even others… who could have imagined? That we would naturally kiss, share our love, and bear its fruit.

“Really? I don’t find it that amazing.”

But the words that came out of Hwa Nabi’s mouth were quite different from my thoughts. I was about to ask in more detail what she meant by that.

…That was my intention.

“Because I had a feeling back then.”

If Hwa Nabi hadn’t spoken first, that’s what I would have asked.

“Back then?”

“Yes. That day when you confessed to me, darling.”

“…Ah, really?”

It’s been over three years already, so the memory of that day is a bit hazy. Did I say something embarrassing when I confessed?

While pretending to be nonchalant on the outside, I was trying to recall internally when Hwa Nabi tapped my abdomen with her finger. It seemed like a signal for me to turn around.

“Do you remember coming to my house that night?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Do you also remember being on the same bed?”

“I remember…?”

What is she trying to say by asking these questions? I waited for her next words with an anxious yet secretly excited heart.

Hwa Nabi’s lips, which looked strangely seductive, slowly moved.

“Then, you must also remember how you couldn’t hold back and pounced on me that day? Like, pretending to kiss me while slipping your hand under my bathrobe, fondling inappropriate places, and eventually going all the way…”