＜Episode 105＞ Happy New Year
A year is 365 days. In a leap year, there are more days. And in any case, the last day is December 31st.
Today was that day.
December 31, 2021. The last day of the year has come.
Why is the end of the year so important? The date itself does not contain any unusual value, is it? On the other side of the earth, the day would change a few hours earlier or later. After all, December 31st is only 1/365.
Until last year, I thought so, but this year was different.
It has been a year of great change in my life. Even at the beginning of this year, I could not have even imagined that I would become a married man. It may have been the most precious year of my life.
It was a strange feeling to think that 2021 would pass like that.
I was staring into the air far away from the middle of the living room, and Si-eun pushed her face away.
“Why are you doing this?”
He turned around and faced Si-eun. Today, Si-eun was wearing my cardigan. I think they’re taking away the coat and the cardigan too, but, well, all of my clothes are now Si-eun’s clothes as well.
He said, locking the buttons one by one.
“I feel complicated because I think the new year is coming.”
“What’s complicated? I’ve already experienced it more than twenty times.”
“There has never been a special year like this one.”
After meeting Si-eun, they fall in love and promise to get married. After the wedding, they go on their honeymoon. This time, the last day of the year was greeted after spending 200 days and Christmas at a nice restaurant.
It was an unforgettable day.
“… … but.”
Si-eun immediately nodded her head.
“It’s special to me too.”
“right?”
“yes. It’s been a very special year… … .”
As she recalled the past, Si-eun’s voice gradually faded.
Soon, smiles fell on both of our faces. Si-eun also seemed to have gone through a similar thought process with me.
Si-eun lets out a mischievous laugh.
“But now I have to start with a new heart.”
“Well, after finishing the cleaning, it really feels like a new year.”
“You still have 15 minutes left.”
“That will be enough soon.”
After giving a rough answer, I looked around.
Thanks to the neat Si-eun, our house is always clean. But today it looked even cleaner. Not even a speck of dust on the furniture.
It was thanks to the continued cleaning after lunch.
I run a vacuum cleaner everywhere, and I mop. Separate garbage is also thrown away. After putting the fall clothes in, I took out all the remaining winter clothes. They touched each other’s hands and finished washing the dishes.
All that’s left is to get out a thick blanket for the winter. For that, I stood in the living room and lost my mind for a moment.
“Shall I take out the blanket?”
Si-eun answered my question, “Yes.” Then he headed to the balcony.
As I followed, there were two duvets that had been washed softly.
“Can I move both of these to my room?”
“ah.”
Si-eun let out a short sound at the quiet question.
“Let’s put it in the living room for a second. It will be warm if we cover it together while watching TV.”
“Um, okay.”
That’s a good idea. I decided to obey Si-eun’s orders and lifted the blanket with both hands.
As soon as she put the blanket down in the living room outside the balcony, Si-eun immediately sat down on it.
“Um, it’s so soft that it feels good.”
Si-eun said with a happy tone. He also had a happy smile on his face.
Seeing this scene reminds me of the past. It was the last day of the year, so it was appropriate to relive old memories.
He sat next to him and opened his mouth.
“That’s how I see it.”
“yes.”
“Have you never slept on a blanket in the living room before?”
“Uh huh. It did.”
It was lukewarm speech. Si-eun’s cheeks were dyed pale pink. It didn’t look like it was very pleasant to mention the incident at that time.
So, I decided to mention more.
“What did you say? Did you say you fell asleep when you moved it to your room?”
“… … I’m sorry, can’t we talk about something else?”
“why?”
“Because I’m embarrassed for some reason.”
“If you don’t know something, I won’t tell you anything else.”
Fierce eyes fly His eyes were as sharp as knives.
Of course, I pretended not to see him and avoided his gaze.
“I think he said that he had trouble sleeping because of some kind of worry at the time.”
“… … right.”
It seems that Si-eun, who was grumpy, finally decided to fit in with the story.
I am fortunate to have a good, kind wife. When I reached out and touched the opposite shoulder, Si-eun leaned against me.
“therefore? What were you thinking about?”
“What is your concern? You still haven’t noticed?”
“I didn’t notice.”
Si-eun sighed and said, “Fuuuuuuuuuu”.
“What is it? I was worried about our relationship.”
“Our relationship?”
“okay. I don’t know what… … Because she has strange feelings. I would never like it, but if I liked it, I would never… … . That said, I fell asleep.”
“Did you?”
“Ask without notice.”
Si-eun scolded him lightly.
However, I didn’t ask because I didn’t care. At that time, I too had a headache for a long time, so I guessed it to some extent.
I just didn’t think that Si-eun would have had a heart for me earlier.
Then our relationship developed into a couple.
If you look at the date, it’s been about half a year now. Because it has been covered and piled up by numerous incidents, it feels so far away.
This means that a lot of things have happened this year.
Si-eun let out a shuddering sound as she was about to nod silently.
“And, it looks so soft, so I slept for a while.”
There must have been a reason for that. Or maybe this was the main reason.
“I would. Honey, you like fluffy things. dolls as well. so is the bed. I also like to be hugged.”
“… … .”
After a moment, Si-eun looked dissatisfied.
“right. Because it’s cozy and warm. When I see a blanket like this, I want to cover it. Seeing the soft bed makes me want to lie down… … .”
“Do you want to hug me when you see me? Ouch.”
Eventually, he pinched his side. Of course, the century was weak and weak. With the meaning of reflection, “I’m sorry.” As soon as he apologized, Si-eun took his finger off.
Still, it was bittersweet to not deny it.
“I will hug you more often. honey.”
“… … You still hug me often.”
“So good?”
“I don’t hate it.”
“Then will you hug me now?”
“done. Now we have to prepare for the new year.”
“Well.”
That’s it. I glanced at my phone to see that the current time was 11:50. Slowly, it was time to get ready.
Si-eun got up from her seat and walked to the kitchen.
I got up and spread out the blanket. I decided to put the thicker one on the floor and put the relatively thin one inside out.
After a while, Si-eun returned to the living room, holding a mug in both hands. It smelled like sweet chocolate from before. The glass must contain hot cocoa.
Everything went as planned for the honeymoon.
I turned on the TV using the remote control. On the screen, a large crowd of people gathered near the bell on Bosingak New Year’s Eve.
“There are a lot of people.”
“Is it good that you didn’t go?”
“yes. I’m glad that the two of us welcomed the new year together.”
Si-eun raised the corners of her lips without saying a word and set the mugs down in front of each of them. Then, with a flowing motion, he flopped down on the blanket. It was a posture that brought her legs together and hugged her.
As we sat down next to him, Si-eun pulled up the blanket and placed it on our backs.
Si-eun, holding the cup with both hands, started sipping cocoa.
“Um, it’s warm and sweet.”
As if mimicking that figure, I grabbed a cup and drank cocoa.
“Oh, it’s delicious. Is it because you are good at cooking?”
“Did you boil water and add powder?”
“The proportions would not have been right.”
“what.”
Si-eun’s elbow poked my side.
If you think about it, it’s a really useless conversation, but I found it to be a lot of fun for this moment. Either way, we were both excited.
[Now, in about 5 minutes, it will be 2022. Viewers, how did you spend this year?]
The announcer in the TV asked this question in a voice that was reminded of him. Correspondingly, the camera shone as if scanning the faces of those waiting for the bell to ring. Everyone had smiles on their faces.
Actually, this may have been the norm.
Until last year, I didn’t care whether the new year came or not. There was a time when I looked at my watch while I was engrossed in coding and it was the dawn of January 1st. The only time I felt that the years had changed was when I wrote the year on the paperwork.
For me, the last moment of this year was the warmest.
The duvet is soft and the cocoa is sweet. The high-tone voice moistens the ears. The warmth radiates through Si-eun’s soft skin. Occasionally, when I move my body, the skin glides through my clothes and it tickles.
How many degrees did meeting Si-eun change the direction of my life?
It was as clear as the fact that it was so large that it was impossible to even guess.
“Thank you for a year.”
He expressed his gratitude by gathering many emotions together.
To a story without a single context, Si-eun answered, sipping cocoa.
“no. I was more grateful. It was very difficult before… … . I also started a new life thanks to Honey. I even met someone I love.”
“It’s all the same as me, huh?”
“Is it the same?”
He quietly shook his head up and down. Si-eun also let out a warm sigh without saying a word.
Now, there was no need to add to the story.
This happy heart is difficult to express in any words in the world.
[Okay, there are about 60 seconds left. You all have worked hard this year. Ready to let go of 2021 and welcome the hopeful 2022… … .]
“I think I’m going to count down.”
After the announcer, Si-eun’s voice was heard. Both were already in tones full of excitement.
Soon a number appeared on the screen. 30, 29, 28… … . The number, which was decreasing by one per second, reached a single digit after a while.
We read the numbers little by little together.
And 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… … .
Finally, the bell rang.
“happy new year. honey.”
As if Si-eun had been waiting, he handed the New Year’s greetings. Then he shrugged his shoulders and smiled softly.
Why are you doing this? Not knowing what he was trying to say, he asked with a wink of his eyes, and his elongated lips parted.
“New Year’s greetings, I did it first.”
“What do you like to do first?”
“I’m feeling good.”
is it. I don’t know. If so, I was happy to yield to Si-eun. Because it would have been better for Si-eun to hit the player than I, who doesn’t feel much utility.
In fact, the present Si-eun looked very excited.
He tapped Si-eun’s head and said.
“happy new year.”
“yes. But if Honey starts exercising a little, I think it will be winter in my stomach.”
“Uh, uh… … . I will try.”
“great. Let’s exercise together.”
“Uh… … .”
How does it feel to be scammed? It was as if he had cut his nose while sitting.
But hey, you’ll have to do the exercise itself. Si-eun wants it so much. I’d love to try it out.
In this way, we welcomed the new year.
It was time to start anew with a new heart.
I have changed in many ways after meeting Si-eun, but I still lack many things. There’s still only one or two people to name friends. It was unclear whether he would adapt well to the company he was going to attend this year.
You must be prepared in many ways.
With that thought in mind, I put down my mug… … She wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly.
Si-eun tilted in her arms.
“what are you doing?”
“Hold it.”
“why?”
“To make resolutions for the new year.”
“Do you need to hug me to make up your mind?”
“I’m just trying to get some strength from my wife.”
“huh.”
Si-eun snorts as if the answer was funny.
He looked down at his face and asked.
“What do you think? Isn’t it cozy and warm?”
Was it because of the teasing tone? Si-eun pursed her lips for a moment.
But it was also short-lived. Soon, Si-eun put the mug she was holding with both hands down in front of her.
Then he opens his arms and hugs me.
“… … yes.”
and spoke frankly.
Even if he hides it with a crooked reaction here and there, he seems to like to be hugged by me. She is still a shy wife. As soon as I smiled, Si-eun’s voice continued.
“therefore? What do you think?”
“what?”
“Do you think that holding your wife gives you some strength?”
ask the obvious replied vigorously.
“yes. It feels like the battery is full.”
“okay. Then, with that mindset, let’s work out hard starting tomorrow.”
“Uh, uh… … .”
So, there is no way to just lose.
Still, I liked how it looked like this. Eating jokes like this from the beginning of the new year was just as good as it was in our daily lives.
With a bitter smile, I held Si-eun more tightly in my arms.
Si-eun also hugged me snuggly without a single object of dislike.
While I was doing that, a weak vibration rang out from somewhere.
The interruption came at just the right time, as if to break the good mood.
Since it was cut short, it must have been a text message or KakaoTalk. Then it wouldn’t be my cell phone. It must have been that Si-eun was contacted.
“What did you see?”
“yes? isn’t it? I’ve silenced it now.”
“okay?”
Then the culprit would be no different. When I loosened the arm that was holding Si-eun and checked it, to my surprise, a KakaoTalk message arrived on my phone.
it’s going to be shit I checked the message for someone else… … That person was a friend.
[Happy New Year.]
Thank you for sending me a nice message on a good day, but now my personal resentment takes precedence. He replied with a quick finger gesture.
[I just ran away because of you.]
[yes? why?]
[I was hugging my wife, but I was interrupted.]
[Gosh. Sorry.]
I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like I’m sorry. It would have been nice if he wasn’t laughing out loud.
[Anyway, Happy New Year to you too.]
[Uh, yes. I was the first to congratulate you except for your wife, right?]
[Except for Si-eun, you will be the first to send it at 23:59.]
[Was it Sohye? He is there too.]
That’s it. Either way, the boss or parents will send a message to me today.
I don’t want to ruin the mood any longer. I wrote a rough message.
[I do. I get it. See you next time you have a chance.]
Send like this and put your phone down… … Just as I was about to go, my phone rang again.
what else? He frowned slightly and checked the contents.
[Hey, I have one suggestion.]
proposal?
[What?]
[I’m sorry to disturb the newlyweds.]
[uh.]
[And if you are busy, of course you can say no.]
This and that, I put a condition on it and put it on steam. It wasn’t like a friend.
What are you trying to propose? Around the time I had this question, the following message arrived.
[The day after tomorrow, do you want a short double date?]