𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 ; 𝙝𝙨𝙬 ✔️

085

"I have a surprise for you." Seungwoo leaned in and kissed me, thumbs stroking my cheeks.

"What is it?" I asked, all ears. I loved surprised.

"Get in the car and I'll take you there." He kissed my bangs.

I took a quick nap while Seungwoo drove to our destination. He gently shook me awake some time later, a small smile playing about his lips.

"We're here." He whispered, tousling my hair. "Wipe your drool and come on."

I stepped out into the spring sunshine and found that we were in a neighbourhood in Hongdae. I'd often dragged Seungwoo here before whatever concert we were seeing to check out the murals. I loved Hongdae, with its underground artsy vibe and its garish neon nightlife. Ever since I moved to Seoul, I wanted to live there, but Seungwoo had never been about that life.

Seungwoo took my hand and led me down the street, admiring the street art. I silently wondered where we were headed, and then he dragged me into an apartment building decorated with mirrored mosaics.

I followed quietly as we walked up the stairs. He stopped outside of a wooden door and pulled out a key, a wide smile curving across his face as the door swung open.

The inside of the apartment was roomy and smelled a bit stale, like it hadn't been lived in for a while. A huge bay window lit up the living room, where a braided rug lay on the floor. The kitchen walls were painted plain white and a long wooden table with burgundy chairs stood in the middle. The appliances were outdated, but they lent the room a certain charm.

Seungwoo excitedly pulled me down a narrow hallway and let go of my hand, running down the hallway to fling open four doors. I spied a bathroom and three bedrooms. Each of them boasted a bright shade of pastel paint.

"Seungwoo, what's going on?" I watched him as he ran back to me, grinning hugely.

"What do you think of it?" He asked, hope shining in his eyes.

"It reminds me of an indie movie." I answered honestly.

"Doesn't it? And listen..." He cupped his ear and pointed towards the bay window in the living room. I could hear the soft strains of a piano and guitar mingling together. "Street musicians."

"Why are we here?" I had my suspicions, but I wanted to hear him say them out loud.

Seungwoo cocked his head and smiled at me. "You wanna live here?"

"Live here?" I repeated, looking around as if for the first time. "You wanna move? To Hongdae? I thought you said you didn't want our baby becoming a baby delinquent."

He brushed aside this worry. "She'll be fine."

"She's an infant, Seungwoo. She's gonna cry all the time."

"I thought you'd be pleased." Seungwoo said softly, crestfallen.

"I'm pleased! I'm super pleased!" I exclaimed, grabbing his hand. He looked up at me hopefully; I could almost see his puppy dog tail wagging. "This place is amazing! I love the paint and the location. And the building is super pretty. I'm just a little shocked, that's all. I thought you would never want to move here."

"Well, I was thinking about what you said." Seungwoo scratched the back of his neck, swinging our clasped hands. "About how you wanted to live in a garret in Rome. And how you wished you had got to travel more. I thought this could be our garret."

I laughed. "It certainly is a downgrade from our current apartment, but I love it. It's got so much charm. And three bedrooms."

"Yeah, three bedrooms." Seungwoo smiled tentatively. "Are you sure you like it?"

"I love it." I kissed his nose. "And I love you, you super sweet, thoughtful boy."

"Let me show you around some more." He took my hand and brought me through each of the bedrooms, pointing out electrical sockets and walk-in closets with enthusiasm.

"Of course, we can get the rooms updated. I don't want it to be too flashy, though. I want it to look like a twenties apartment. I want you to feel like you're still living in your twenties."

"I've always felt that our current apartment was too fancy for us." I agreed. "Although I've always loved that kitchen island."

"Yeah, when the baby's old enough, she can color at that table in our new kitchen. She doesn't need a high chair with those chairs. And Chika can beg for foods and the baby can crawl under there. We can make blanket forts and play hide-and-seek under a table like that."

I impulsively kissed his cheek. "Yeah, we can do all those things."

"And Haneul can grow up cool. I mean, I think she's pretty cool already, but this will just be an added bonus." Seungwoo squeezed the back of my bun.

"I love you." I pulled him close and kissed him. "Seungwoo, you're the sweetest, most wonderful, loveliest person I know. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." Seungwoo murmured, pulling me into the living room. He sat down on the window ledge and pulled me into his lap. I could already imagine the pillows I would place here and possibly some of Haneul's stuffed animals. I'd put a bookshelf in the corner, the bottom two shelves filled with her and her Daddy's books and the top two with my books. It was going to be perfect.

"So...when can we move in?"

Seungwoo grinned. "I'll have to hire people to work on the kitchen and update the bathroom, but hopefully less than two months."

"Oh, jeez. I'll be so pregnant by then."

"Seven months, baby girl." He rubbed my belly with both of his hands. "God, I'm so excited."

"Me too! Dream home, dream family, dream husband. What else do I need in life?"

"Nothing." Seungwoo kissed my cheek. "You don't need anything else."

"Which bedroom's gonna be our bedroom?" I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"Whichever one you want, sweetheart."

"I can't wait to decorate the baby's bedroom."

"I can't wait, either."

I turned around and kissed him. His fingers curled in my hair and we rubbed noses. We kissed for a long time. Seungwoo liked to make out whenever we moved someplace new. He called it "christening our home in kisses." I thought I would probably let our baby join in and add in hugs.

We left the apartment hand in hand, our fingers linked, wedding rings clinking together.