The Way I Loved You

Wedding Anniversary

"I had made a reservation and prepared a surprise two years ago. But you got upset and told me not to make a scene."

"So?"

"So I didn't prepare anything last year. But you still got mad that I actually listened and asked if I would die if you told me too."

2 years ago...

Hyunwoo was excited. This was their first wedding anniversary and he wanted to make it special. After all, you only get all your firsts once.

He'd started planning six months into their marriage as the forward-thinking person he was and  spent the longest time debating what he should do.

Aquarium date? Done.

Amusement park date? Done.

Romantic visit to his childhood home with cherry blossom petals raining down on them? Done.

What else was there that would blow Hong Haein - the girl who had everything away? What could he give that she couldn't just buy herself? There wasn't anything that she needed, so something practical was out of the question. Jewellery? She could open her own jewellery store with how much she had.

A trip overseas? He wasn't sure if she had the space in her schedule for that. And she'd lived overseas in the US throughout high school and university, not to mention the countless family trips that her grandfather had brought them on. What was something that would take her breath away and make her love him even more?

Earnestly, he searched to find the answer to his questions. He even enlisted the help of his friends including Yangki who had a wife of his own. He needed all the romantic advice he could get and even turned to watching romcoms for inspiration.

On the day of their anniversary, he woke up bright and early, way before his wife. He wanted to make sure that he could prepare breakfast before she woke up and still have time to be back in bed for her to wake up with him by her side.

Although not quite as good as the many professional chefs that prepared their breakfast on a daily basis, he was still a decent chef. He decided to make waffles, a treat she'd enjoyed often in the States but was unable to back in Korea because her grandfather would have a fit about how much sugar there was in them. Today was the perfect day to have a special treat.

He even took the effort to cut the strawberries and arrange them in a heart. For good measure, he also made a smiley face for her out of grapes and blueberries. He was sure she would get a good laugh out of that one.

Slightly afraid that he would accidentally burn the house down, the chefs hovered around him while he cooked, armed with fire extinguishers to catch even the slightest spark. To everyone's relief, he succeeded uneventfully, and he was left to his own devices once heat was no longer involved. After tasking them to ensure that the waffles remained warm and crisp, he snuck back into bed with his wife who was still blissfully asleep, ten minutes before he knew her body clock would automatically wake her up.

"Good morning yeobo."

He said softly, his voice muffled by her neck. His breath tickled her cheek from their proximity and she could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke.

"Morning." Haein smiled softly. Now this was heaven. Waking up in her loving husband's arms while the morning sun streamed in through the windows. The bed was warm and so was her heart.

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Mhmm. Happy anniversary my love."

Of course, Haein would never forget. Before the start of each year, she made sure to save all the important dates in her calendar which included birthdays and anniversaries. Their anniversary was one of the most crucial dates that she would never forget, along with his birthday of course. She too had put in great effort to get him a gift.