Chapter 94: The First Official Date

My belly had grown significantly, now so prominent that anyone could tell I was pregnant at a single glance. It was around this time that Yeon-chae formally asked me out on a date.

“Hyung, are you free this weekend? Won’t you go on a date with me?”

His sudden, hesitant approach, and the careful way my young husband asked, made him utterly adorable. I couldn’t help but find him so.

Since Yoonwoo had more than enough time on weekends, not to mention weekdays, there was no reason to refuse. Yet, Yeon-chae’s anxious face was so cute that Yoonwoo playfully squeezed his cheeks with both hands.

Yeon-chae quickly pulled his face away.

“Please answer seriously.”

“……”

At first, Yoonwoo wondered why they needed a date out of the blue. It seemed Yeon-chae still regretted how their two confessions had been brushed aside, like a snake slithering over a wall.

Yeon-chae insisted that from now on, everything should follow proper procedure.

Truthfully, Yoonwoo understood Yeon-chae’s feelings. They had indeed gone through things backward, getting pregnant, then married, and only then starting to truly date.

It was true they hadn’t properly experienced dating. After tearfully confessing their mutual affection, they had gone out a few times. However, this was their first official ‘date.’

Even so, the date wasn’t anything extraordinary. It was merely a plan to shop at a nearby mall, eat out, and watch a movie. Yet, when Yeon-chae called it a ‘date,’ Yoonwoo suddenly felt a flutter of excitement.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t shopped, dined out, or watched movies before, but the feeling was entirely new. To heighten the mood, they even made sure to meet outside.

Later, Yoonwoo grabbed Seowoo, who had come over with his nephew, Eun-hyung, and began boasting.

“Hyung, Hyung! Guess what? Yeon-chae asked me out on a date! We’re going to…”

It had been a long time since Seowoo had seen Yoonwoo so excited. His expectant, thrilled face was endearing, but Seowoo couldn’t understand why he was suddenly so overjoyed.

So, he asked with a smile, “Are you suddenly that happy about going on a date?”

“No… It’s just, it’s been a while.”

“Still. You must have dated all the time before you got married.”

“Oh, well, that’s true. We did.”

Yoonwoo feigned indifference, fiddling with Eun-hyung’s plump, sausage-like limbs. Eun-hyung, annoyed by the touch, wriggled and then wailed loudly, trying to push Yoonwoo away.

Seowoo clicked his tongue. “I told you to hold the baby, and all you did was make them cry. You’re going to be great at raising kids, aren’t you?”

Yoonwoo retorted shamelessly, “Yeon-chae will raise them well.”

“Yeon-chae cooks, does laundry, cleans, and now he’s going to take care of the baby too? Then what do you do?”

“I… give birth to the baby.”

“Right, that’s a very good attitude.”

Even so, it was obvious Seowoo’s own life wasn’t much different.

“Hyung, but what should I wear?”

Yoonwoo’s casual question, after playing with Eun-hyung for a while longer, surprised Seowoo. Yoonwoo was acting exactly like someone about to go on their first date with a crush.

And with a baby already so big in his belly! Seowoo glanced at Yoonwoo’s round stomach, a frown creasing his brows.

“…What did you say?”

“Come here. Help me pick out an outfit. Quick, quick.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

Seowoo grumbled, as if asking if he hadn’t dated before, but Yoonwoo ignored him, grabbing Seowoo’s wrist and pulling him toward the closet. Seowoo reluctantly followed, pretending to be bothered.

He was curious to see how far Yoonwoo would take this.

“How about this? It’s pretty, right?”

“That looks like it would be uncomfortable for your belly.”

“Hmm… Then this one?”

“Wouldn’t that also be a bit constricting?”

However, a heavily pregnant woman’s clothing options were limited. Yoonwoo fussed for quite a while but ultimately had no choice but to pick an oversized hoodie and maternity black jeans.

The black jeans had an elastic band instead of a zipper and waistband. Yoonwoo’s expression, as he touched his waist, was utterly dejected.

“It’s pretty, it’s pretty.”

Still, as his elder, Seowoo tried to comfort him. Yoonwoo replied with a deflated look, “It’s just a date, though. I can wear anything. It’s fine.”

In truth, it was far from fine. He had wanted to look nice for Yeon-chae for once, but all he had was a hoodie.

When Yoonwoo woke up late in the morning, Yeon-chae was already out. So, he hadn’t been able to check what Yeon-chae was wearing beforehand. He merely vaguely assumed Yeon-chae would be dressed neatly and prettily, as he always was.

This was precisely why Yoonwoo, who was stuck with a hoodie and maternity black jeans, felt particularly downcast. He worried he might look shabby next to the bright and tidy Yeon-chae.

“Hyung! You’re here?”

“Oh! Yeon-chae!”

Despite sleeping and waking in the same bed every day, Yeon-chae greeted Yoonwoo with the face of someone reuniting with a long-lost family member after ten years. Yoonwoo, too, was secretly so excited he didn’t know what to do.

Yoonwoo kept glancing at Yeon-chae, who was smiling brightly as he wrapped an arm around Yoonwoo’s waist. His lips curled into a spontaneous smile that reached his ears.

‘What is this? Why is he so handsome?’

In conclusion, his worry about how he would look standing next to the dressed-up Yeon-chae was utterly needless. Yoonwoo didn’t even have time to care if his outfit was a hoodie or pajamas.

This was because Yeon-chae, who had swept his bangs up to reveal a neat forehead and was perfectly dressed in a clean shirt and jacket, looked so incredibly handsome that Yoonwoo couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“Yeon-chae, your outfit is so nice today.”

Ultimately, he couldn’t hold back the gasp of admiration that burst out like a sneeze. What he really wanted to say wasn’t that the clothes were nice, but that Yeon-chae was handsome, but he held back out of embarrassment.

Yeon-chae’s eyes crinkled as he smiled brightly. “Hyung is much prettier.”

And, as always, Yeon-chae said exactly what he wanted to. Yoonwoo, who had praised Yeon-chae’s clothes instead of Yeon-chae himself, felt a little awkward. He blushed and averted his gaze.

Yeon-chae hesitated, then opened his lips and spoke with a shy expression. “It was originally the suit I wore for our wedding, but I changed. I felt like I was the only one… getting too excited.”

“……”

As always, Yeon-chae was one step ahead of Yoonwoo. No matter that it was a date, a twenty-one-year-old wearing a suit to a mall and a movie theater was a bit much. Besides, Yoonwoo was in a hoodie and comfortable pants.

Standing side by side, they would have looked like a truly awkward couple. It was a relief Yeon-chae had held back.

“Hyung, did you buy a new hoodie?”

Yeon-chae grasped the hem of Yoonwoo’s clothes and tilted his head. Yoonwoo wished he had put a little more thought into his outfit. Only then did his attire bother him, and he nodded with an awkward expression.

“Buy me one of these too…”

But an unexpected reply came. Yoonwoo looked up in surprise, seeing Yeon-chae with a slightly sulky face, his cheeks puffed out. His red, plump lips continuously grumbled.

“I don’t have any clothes that are the same as Hyung’s. Buy me a hoodie like this. Let’s wear couple outfits on our next date, okay?”

“Huh? C-couple outfits?”

“You don’t want to?”

There was no way Yoonwoo could say no to that handsome face, tilting its head as it asked. Yoonwoo swallowed the words he had meant to say—that Yeon-chae’s clothes were much prettier—his face captivated.

“Okay, let’s do that. Shall we buy them at the mall today?”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course.”

Yeon-chae’s cheeks flushed crimson as he smiled brightly.

Yoonwoo’s heart was beating too loudly for him to add anything, so he just smiled along with Yeon-chae. There had been no need to fuss and drag Seowoo into it just to look good for Yeon-chae.

Yoonwoo walked silently towards the mall. With every step, their hands brushed, and then Yeon-chae subtly intertwined their fingers. Yoonwoo glanced sideways, and when their eyes met, Yeon-chae’s eyes crinkled as he smiled.

It felt like soap bubbles bursting inside his chest, a delightful tickle.

It was at the third clothing store they entered after wandering around the mall. Yoonwoo spotted a hoodie the color of a bright yellow chick.

Hoodie designs are generally quite similar. This hoodie wasn’t significantly different from the one Yoonwoo was wearing. However, Yoonwoo’s hoodie was a plain white, while this one was a strikingly bright lemon yellow.

Yoonwoo instantly loved this one. “Yeon-chae, Yeon-chae. Come here.”

He went to find Yeon-chae, who was browsing the next corner, and called out, pulling his arm. Yeon-chae’s face, turning to ask, “Why, Hyung?” was radiant. Perhaps he was in a good mood, for a waft of fluttering cherry blossom scent reached Yoonwoo’s nose.

“The color of this is so pretty, isn’t it? Should I buy one?”

“Oh.”

When Yoonwoo excitedly held up the yellow hoodie to him, Yeon-chae’s expression brightened. Yeon-chae nodded repeatedly, taking the hoodie. Yoonwoo was relieved that he seemed to like it.

“It’s so pretty. You’ll look like a little chick.”

“Oh, exactly!”

Yoonwoo felt pleased that they were on the same wavelength. He reached out to take the hoodie back and bring it to the counter, but Yeon-chae unfolded it and furrowed his brow.

“But this is too big, isn’t it?”

“Huh? No, it’s not?”

Yoonwoo looked at the hoodie Yeon-chae was holding, then at Yeon-chae’s shoulders. By eye, it looked like a perfect fit for Yeon-chae. He even wondered if they should buy a size larger if Yeon-chae wanted a looser fit.

Yeon-chae, noticing where Yoonwoo’s gaze was going, flinched and stiffened. Yoonwoo, oblivious to Yeon-chae’s rigid expression, nodded to himself with a satisfied look.

“It looks like it’ll fit well.”

“…Hyung, what are you looking at?”

Yeon-chae’s frown didn’t ease. Yoonwoo looked up at Yeon-chae with an inquisitive gaze. As their eyes met in the air, Yeon-chae’s cheeks quickly puffed out.

Only then did Yoonwoo realize Yeon-chae’s intention and jumped. “Hey! This would only look like a cute chick if you wore it! This color doesn’t suit me!”

“What are you talking about? Have you ever seen such a giant chick?!”

“I’ve never seen a chick that looks like me either!”

It was a color chosen for Yeon-chae, far removed from Yoonwoo’s taste. While it would suit Yeon-chae’s innocent face, it clearly wouldn’t suit Yoonwoo.

As Yoonwoo shook his head in disgust, Yeon-chae pouted, his long eyelashes fluttering. Yoonwoo took a step back. He could clearly see what was coming next.

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