At Long Last

In Grocery We Trust

Se-ri walked ahead along aisles of dairy products with her hands tucked snugly in her jacket pockets, absentmindedly browsing for ingredients for dinner and breakfast for the next day.

After spending their late morning and the entire afternoon doing activities in Interlaken, including a tandem paragliding experience over the Swiss Alps, Se-ri and Jeong Hyeok were more than ready to relax in each other's company at the chalet which they had booked for the night.

Since the traditional Swiss chalet, Chalet Maria Interlaken, came with its own kitchen, what else was there to do but enjoy a homely cooking dinner date?

Truth be told, they could easily go to any fancy Michelin-starred restaurant out there with Se-ri's limitless credit cards.

But shopping for groceries together, planning for what to have, and subsequently preparing food together...

...that was very different, in a very nice way.

It was only because it was Ri Jeong Hyeok, that grocery shopping was so romantic on its own. One just simply does not go grocery shopping casually with a regular male friend.

It was not so much of the dinner that Se-ri craved, as much as she was famished, but rather, the taste of family life with Jeong Hyeok.

For tonight, it might be make-pretend, but still, it was nice.

She had never cooked at home with any of her ex-boyfriends before. Even if they were to have a meal at home, it would always be delivery.

It reminded her of her life back then in the military village in North Korea; they cooked, washed up and ate together.

However, back then their feelings had not officially been established, so it was not as exciting as it felt like right now in Switzerland.

Furthermore, there was always that nagging feeling of being scrutinized or targeted, back in North Korea.

Tonight, there would be nothing else to worry about.

Stopping in her tracks and turning around, Se-ri couldn't help but smile at the sight of her beloved pushing a grocery cart a few meters away, back from choosing a bottle of wine and some snacks.

Their eyes met.

Unsurprisingly, since he always had his eyes on her.

The sight of him with a filled grocery cart, walking in her direction, was driving her mind into obsessed-girlfriend mode.

Ahhh. Obsessed fiancée mode.

Only Ri Jeong Hyeok could look so handsome with a bunch of groceries.

They were just like family in this instant.

Wife walks ahead, browsing aisles, whereby husband manages the grocery cart and its contents.

Earlier on, he had asked her what she felt like eating for dinner.

Obviously being the more proficient one of the two of them at cooking, it had been assumed from the beginning that Jeong Hyeok would be the chef for the night, and Se-ri, his assistant.

"What's on your menu, Chef Ri?"

"Anything you fancy – Korean, Western, maybe...Chinese? I should be able to manage that."

It was a cold night; they were both wearing caps and wearing snug jackets.

"I would like to have janchi guksu. The same one that you made for me when we first met."

He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Just guksu?"

She nodded, looping her arms around one of his endearingly. "Yes, just that. I really miss your guksu after we parted. Hmm...okay, maybe a seafood pajeon too?"