83 - My Girlfriend Is Too Demanding (2) |
TL: looloo
Schedule: 4/Week Mon-Thu
Illustrations: Here
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Driven by overwhelming curiosity, I couldn't help but ask.
"How do you plan to keep watch?"
"How? By joining you, of course~"
"Oh~"
She answered with a grin, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"What about the slippers? Which ones should we get?"
I changed the topic, fearing that continuing this conversation might lead to an uncontrollable situation down south. After all, all these assumptions were for after Heena's birthday. By then, I'd be more than ready to welcome her overtures.
Heena didn’t press the topic further and instead, went along with my diversion.
"Something cute?"
"I do like cute animals, but we don’t need such fancy slippers... I’m fine with anything, so I'll leave the slippers to you. You know my size, right?"
"Then how about these teddy bear ones!"
"Sure, sure."
Heena promptly added a set of cute teddy bear slippers to our basket – pink for men and mint for women. I wished they had hot pink, but sadly, I didn't see that color.
"Are we done with bathroom stuff?"
"I can't think of anything else we need right now, so let's come back if something comes up... Huh?"
Just as I thought we were done and about to move on, Heena’s gaze fixed on something. She was staring intently at a display between the bathroom and household goods sections. Curious about what caught her attention, I moved closer to see.
There were various small, square boxes gathered in one place – the kind used for nighttime activities.
I was momentarily speechless at the sight, but Heena, beside me, seemed to be seriously contemplating.
"Which one should we get?"
"Wait, are you planning to buy some?"
"We'll need them soon, won't we? Or should we... do it without?"
"No, we... need them."
Should I tell her? A few days ago, I had secretly ordered some online while doing some research, away from my family’s knowledge.
Not telling her seemed like she might add a few boxes to our basket, so I had no choice but to speak up.
"Heena."
"Yeah?"
"I already bought some, so we don’t need to get them here."
"......."
Following my words, Heena paused for a moment, then her eyes shaped like crescent moons as she clung to me.
"You already got them, huh? I see~"
While she seemed pleased, she also teased me in her response. I tried to maintain my composure.
"We can’t have a baby just yet."
"A baby? I wouldn't mind."
"How will you go to school?"
"I can take a year off! Do you prefer a daughter or a son? I'd like a son who looks like you~ He’d be so cute!"
"I'd obviously prefer a daughter who looks like you."
"I’d prefer a mini Yeonho..."
"A mini Heena would be better."
We left the spot, engaging in such light-hearted banter. Though we talked like this, Heena, who always plans ahead, probably wasn’t serious.
"I remember you telling me before. If we have a baby, I can do my military service as a full-time reservist, right?"
"......"
Maybe Heena was serious. Moreover, as the time for my military service was drawing near, her words were incredibly tempting.
Anyway, I decided to cut off this topic right there and didn't pursue it further. Heena, perhaps a little embarrassed, had her ears tinged red.
We continued shopping for various items. We didn't need ingredients right away as Heena's mother, or rather, her aunt, had already provided plenty. We also picked up items like lint rollers, often used but easily overlooked, and chose couple sets of cups for drinking, not just for brushing teeth.
I had to put a stop to Heena's enthusiasm when she wanted to buy entirely new couple sets of chopsticks and rice bowls. After all, we already had some from her home.
Heena looked momentarily sullen, but soon recovered and was back to hunting for new couple items. She really enjoyed matching things like this. I liked it too, but...
It seemed the main reason she called me was to choose these things together. After all, they were for my use too. But I felt a bit guilty using her mother's credit card.
"Is it okay to buy my stuff with that card?"
"She gave it to me for this, didn't she?"
"Even for my things?"
"Yes~ She said to take good care of her future son-in-law."
Wow.
If she gave her permission, then it should be fine. But I should thank her later.
Just as we were finishing our round and returning to the grocery section at the front, we heard a voice calling us.
"Try some bacon before you go! And you, the newlyweds over there!"
"Newlyweds? Us?"
"Oh? I thought you were~"
As if we were. At best, we looked like early twenty-somethings. But from the perspective of the salesperson at the tasting stand, the lady’s intuition was no joke. A simple "Couples, come and try!" would have sufficed, and we would have passed by with a smile. But she had to hit the nail on the head with the word 'newlyweds', something Heena would love.
Sure enough, Heena beamed and headed in that direction. Before even trying the bacon, she added a pack to our basket.
Isn't this too easy?
"It looks delicious~ Right?"
"Well... no, it does look good. Can we try one?"
"Of course!"
It's not expensive, and buying something like this is no big deal. I picked up a piece of bacon with a toothpick and fed it to Heena. She chewed it thoughtfully and then fed me one in return.
It was tasty. It’s hard for bacon to not be.
"You look so happy together~ Your husband seems so caring~"
The lady added more fuel to the fire, observing our response to the 'newlywed' comment and throwing in another delightful word.
"Heehee... Right? That’s what they say, honey!"
At the word 'husband', Heena’s smile seemed to reach her ears. Her laughter was especially frequent today. She really must be in a good mood.
But that term of endearment, 'honey', what was that about? It felt like it could pierce through my heart.
It was a simple term, but one I hadn't heard from Heena before. She usually called me by my name, and sometimes, in a playful mood, 'oppa'.
Her unfamiliar term of endearment made me unexpectedly happy, and I almost impulsively added another pack of bacon to our basket. A moment of rational thought intervened, reminding me we wouldn’t eat that much, and I put it back.
Wanting to hear more such words, Heena seemed reluctant to leave the spot, but I managed to steer her towards the checkout.
"You seem really happy today?"
"Uh-huh? Well, I've just started living on my own. Plus, ever since we entered─"
"Since then?"
"Like that lady said just now, it felt like we were a newlywed couple doing our grocery shopping."
"Ah~ I felt a bit like that too."
Not exactly newlyweds, more like a cohabiting couple.
"Right? Thinking like that suddenly made me really happy."
She said this with a cheerful smile, and I couldn’t help but chuckle along.
Yeah, what’s wrong with being an easy-going girl once in a while? Especially when she’s this pretty and cute.
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Raei Translations
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After a surprisingly extensive shopping spree at the supermarket, we finally arrived at Heena's studio. Excluding the time I came with that pleasant uncle, this was my first visit inside since then.
Entering behind Heena with a nervous excitement, as if it was my first visit, the place looked just as I remembered. The only changes were the previously under-construction flooring now neatly laid out and various items scattered around, making it feel lived in.
Heena's aunt and Heeseong Hyung came out of a room to greet us as we entered.
"It's been a while, kiddo!"
"I saw you a few days ago..."
"Oh my! If you haven't seen your son-in-law in a few days, it's been a while, hasn't it!"
"Yes, I suppose so."
What can I say if my future mother-in-law says so?
"What did you buy?"
"Stuff for the house."
"What's all this? Everything is in pairs. Han Yeonho, are you living here now?"
"Not living here."
"Not yet."
Heena immediately added 'not yet' to my response. Yet, her aunt and Hyung didn’t seem bothered and helped us with the unpacking. It seemed like they also thought it was just a matter of time.
While unpacking the purchased items in the living room, Heeseong Hyung began teasing us about each one.
"What's with these pink teddy bear slippers? Do you like this stuff?"
"Why not, oppa? They’re cute."
"Ugh... Hey. If you don’t like it, just say so!"
"They’re cute, why not."
"You're really under the thumb."
What does it matter? It's for the house.
Despite his verbal jabs, he carefully unwrapped each item one by one. It seemed rare to find someone who embodied the term 'tsundere' so well.
And Heena's aunt was there too, helping out and laughing along.
"I did tell you to buy some stuff, but it seems like our Heena really went all out, didn't she? Everything in pairs?"
"Mom, how about this? Isn’t the cup cute?"
"Is the cup pink for Yeonho too?"
"No, Yeonho’s is mint."
"Oh, that matches well~"
"Right?"
As we were unwrapping and chatting, the bacon, the only actual food item we bought besides snacks, caught her aunt’s attention.
"Why did you buy this? Wanted some bacon?"
"That? The lady at the tasting counter said Yeonho and I looked like a newlywed couple~ It made me so happy that I just bought it!"
"Not because you wanted to eat it?"
"No!"
"...Well, that can happen~"
It seemed even Heena's aunt was a bit taken aback by this explanation. Heeseong hyung looked at me incredulously.
Why is he looking at me?
"You didn’t stop her?"
"If hyung had been there, you wouldn’t have been able to say anything either."
"Ahem..."
I wonder why someone as astute as him would react like that.
Finally, after we had finished organizing everything, I could sneak a peek inside the room. We had been sitting in the living room unpacking since we arrived, so I hadn’t seen the room yet. Although Heena probably wouldn’t mind me looking around, I hesitated a bit.
Noticing my hesitation, Heena stood up and led me into the room. The room I finally saw, following her, was not much different from her original room, except that the bed and desk were now larger.
"How is it?"
"Well organized. But why such a big desk and bed?"
"The desk is for a computer I plan to get later."
"Oh? You're getting a computer?"
"Not for me, but you'll bring yours over eventually, right?"
Indeed. For when we started living together. Whether I should be happy about this generosity or not...
Surely, if I were to spend more time here, I would bring it over, whether for study or leisure.
"And there are too many picture frames now. I’m thinking of switching to wall-mounted ones."
"Yeah, we did take a lot of pictures."
Heena always liked to print photos and display them in frames on her desk, but now there were too many. Some were even placed in her family's living room. I remember being surprised the first time I noticed our couple photo next to the TV.
So, the desk made sense. As for the bed, well, it seemed quite obvious.
I didn't bring it up, but Heena took out another pillow from the closet, hugged it tightly, and said with a twinkle in her eyes,
"The bed, you know why, right? I've even prepared your pillow."
I know, I know.