Chapter 91: A Real Honeymoon

For the past few days, Yeon-chae had consecutively skipped his classes. Yoonwoo initially felt a pang of worry, but soon, the thought of the wasted tuition fees began to sting.

Still, he bit back his nagging, reluctant to become an old-fashioned, scolding husband. Yet, on the fourth day, as he lay nestled in Yeon-chae’s arms, idly watching TV, his true feelings burst forth.

“You’re not just wasting money like this, are you?”

“…Suddenly?”

On the TV screen, a character who had suddenly come into a comfortable income was seen splurging on various items at a shopping mall. Yeon-chae gazed down at Yoonwoo with a puzzled expression, then his eyes crinkled as he let out a soft laugh.

He then playfully bit Yoonwoo’s lip. Caught entirely off guard, Yoonwoo yelped in surprise.

“When do I ever waste money?” Yeon-chae mumbled, their lips still pressed together. “I don’t even leave the house.”

With every word, a cherry blossom scent diffused with his breath. Yoonwoo retorted, his voice sharp. “That’s precisely the problem. What do you do if you don’t even go to class? Do you even know how much your tuition is?”

“No idea.”

“Hey, how can you not know that? You have absolutely no sense of economy.”

“Time is more precious,” Yeon-chae stated simply.

“What are you talking about?”

“Time keeps slipping away,” Yeon-chae explained. “It’s just too precious for me to go out.”

Yeon-chae pulled Yoonwoo into a tight embrace. This sudden display of affection was overwhelmingly ardent, leaving Yoonwoo to simply blink while nestled in his arms.

“I love being married so much,” Yeon-chae declared.

Then, out of the blue, he began to deliver a comprehensive review of their married life. Yoonwoo’s jaw dropped. Yet, having no particular retort, and deciding to just listen, he merely smiled.

“Oh? What about it do you like?”

Yeon-chae chattered excitedly. “When I open my eyes, you’re right beside me. And I can just reach out and touch you.”

“Yes, yes.”

“I don’t want to do anything,” Yeon-chae continued. “Can’t I just stay by your side forever?”

“Hmm…”

‘That’s a bit problematic,’ Yoonwoo thought, rolling his eyes as a troubled expression crossed his face. ‘The baby will be born soon. If both of us are unemployed, what will we eat?’

After a moment of contemplation, Yoonwoo sighed as if utterly resigned to fate.

“Alright, fine,” he conceded. “Do whatever you want.”

“Really?” Yeon-chae’s voice was hopeful.

“Yeah. Do you think I can’t support just one person? I’ll make sure we don’t starve, no matter what, so don’t worry.”

“…”

The arms wrapped around Yoonwoo trembled slightly, followed by a series of soft chuckles.

Yoonwoo embraced Yeon-chae in return. He was not unaware of Yeon-chae’s feelings, for he, too, felt a sense of regret as each day passed. Even with nothing pressing to do, the days seemed to fly by in an instant.

Just the day before yesterday, when Yoonwoo had gone to the cafe, he had told them he was quitting his part-time job. He simply didn’t want to be away from Yeon-chae’s side for even three hours.

Yoonwoo recalled that day, a crooked smile playing on his lips. ‘Hyung, I’m sorry. I can’t do the part-time job anymore. My baby at home cries too much.’

As he started with an embarrassed expression, Jungseo looked down at Yoonwoo’s belly with a puzzled gaze. ‘Your baby hasn’t come out yet, has it?’

‘Not *that* baby,’ Yoonwoo clarified, ‘the big baby.’

‘…’

At that moment, Jungseo’s face clearly conveyed, ‘Should I hit him?’ Yoonwoo had always wanted to try such a cheesy, cringe-worthy act at least once.

“Hyung, Hyung.”

Yoonwoo chuckled, thinking of Jungseo’s contorted face, until Yeon-chae’s voice snapped him back to reality. ‘Why?’ he mouthed, and Yeon-chae’s beautiful face simply broke into a shy smile.

“No reason,” Yeon-chae replied.

“What? Why call me for no reason?”

His lips kept twitching upwards, so Yoonwoo deliberately grumbled. Despite his grumbling, Yeon-chae’s long eyes crinkled like crescent moons as he rubbed his cheek against Yoonwoo’s, who was still in his arms. His thick eyelashes fluttered, tickling Yoonwoo’s cheek.

“Can’t I call for you?” Yeon-chae murmured. “You’re mine, after all.”

“No, you’ll wear me out.”

“You didn’t say I wasn’t yours, though?”

“Didn’t you know? Should I go get a marriage certificate for you?”

There was no real need to print a new marriage certificate. Several copies, freshly printed just yesterday, were already stacked on Yoonwoo’s desk. Nothing brightened Yeon-chae’s mood quite like a marriage certificate.

“Hyung, Hyung.”

Yoonwoo must have unconsciously smiled, recalling Yeon-chae’s beaming face as he pored over the marriage certificate. Turning his head at the sound of his name, he found Yeon-chae staring intently at him.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Give me the marriage certificate, quickly.”

“Haha…”

Yoonwoo reached out and playfully kneaded Yeon-chae’s cheek. He didn’t understand why Yeon-chae was so fixated on marriage certificates, especially when they were about to have a baby, but he found Yeon-chae’s consistent delight utterly adorable.

“Alright. Just wait right here.”

Yoonwoo quickly got up and moved away.

Yeon-chae watched Yoonwoo’s retreating back in silence. He felt as though he could gaze at Yoonwoo moving, speaking, and laughing like this for an eternity. He wanted to run outside and shout, ‘That’s my husband!’ but he held back, fearing Yoonwoo might call off the marriage.

Yoonwoo probably still had no idea of Yeon-chae’s true feelings. It was obvious he didn’t even understand Yeon-chae’s joy in collecting marriage certificates.

“Here you go. Your marriage certificate.”

Yoonwoo, who had returned swiftly, presented the certificate with a smug flourish. Yeon-chae took the paper, slowly reading the words he had seen so many times he could almost recite them by heart.

‘Party A: Eun Yoonwoo

Spouse: Oh Yeon-chae’

Yeon-chae’s lips trembled slightly at the corners. He couldn’t hold it in and burst into laughter once more. Yoonwoo chuckled along, asking, “You like it that much?”

“I love it so much.”

“What do you like about it so much?”

“Everything, I just love everything about it.”

“Even after the baby is born,” Yoonwoo asked, “are you still going to ask me to print marriage certificates every day?”

“Hmm…”

Yeon-chae stroked his chin with his fingertips, falling into a brief contemplation. While he would still adore the marriage certificate, he realized the baby’s name wouldn’t be on it.

After a moment of silence, Yeon-chae shook his head. Yoonwoo smiled, his eyebrows softening. “Right. With a baby, there’s no real need for a marriage certificate…”

‘…would there be?’ Yeon-chae cut off Yoonwoo’s unspoken words. “At that time, give me a family relations certificate instead.”

“…”

Yoonwoo responded with a sigh instead of words.

Soon, it would be Chuseok. As it was their first holiday after marriage, they had planned to visit Yeon-chae’s mother’s home and Yoonwoo’s parents, who had recently moved to Seoul. However, both sides responded with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

–Huh? It’s a rare long weekend, isn’t it? My husband and I are going to Europe.

“Husband…”

–Mom’s also a newlywed, you know.

Over the phone, his mother’s giggling could be heard. Feeling a little disheartened, Yeon-chae hung up. He knew he would be truly disappointed if Yoonwoo’s family also told them not to come.

He turned to Yoonwoo, who, having just finished a call with his own mother, wore a troubled expression.

“Hyung said he’s sending Mom and Dad on a trip for Chuseok.”

“…”

“And he said he’ll be keeping Jinwoo and Kangwoo at home to study during the holiday…”

“…And so?”

“So, he told us not to come because we’d disturb the kids’ studies.”

“…”

“Well, then, should we go on a trip ourselves? A babymoon, they call it these days. Let’s go back to where we went for our honeymoon. We said we’d go again, didn’t we?”

Yoonwoo gently took Yeon-chae’s arm, trying to coax him. At the mention of a honeymoon, Yeon-chae’s ears perked up.

“A honeymoon?”

“Yeah, yeah. We didn’t get to enjoy it properly then, so let’s have a blast this time. My condition has been really good lately, and it’s been quite a while since I entered the stable period, so there won’t be any problems. And…”

Yoonwoo softly cupped Yeon-chae’s cheeks with both hands. The warmth against his skin felt pleasant and comforting.

“Let’s consider this our real honeymoon. Let’s forget everything from last time.”

Just before the holiday began, they headed to Phuket. It was the same resort they had stayed at before.

Yoonwoo looked around the room with a sense of wonder. Despite being the same place, the atmosphere felt different, making it feel entirely new. It truly felt like they were on a honeymoon.

The next day, they planned to go to the ocean. Not the shallow waters visible from the room’s terrace, but far out into the middle of the sea on a yacht, where they could truly enjoy themselves.

“Are you really okay? You must tell me if you don’t feel well.”

Going out to the open sea would take a long time. Yeon-chae packed their bags, his face etched with worry. Yoonwoo didn’t mind the attention. He sat on the sofa, glancing at the bustling Yeon-chae, a cheerful smile playing on his lips.

“I’m fine. My condition is completely good these days. It’s truly amazing, the phero—”

‘Pheromones must be the greatest medicine after all,’ he thought, biting his tongue to suppress the words that almost slipped out. His cheeks flushed, thinking how absurd that sounded.

Yeon-chae looked at Yoonwoo, puzzled by his abrupt halt. Yoonwoo, feeling embarrassed, deliberately averted his gaze.

“Hmm. Hyung, will this be enough?”

However, Yeon-chae’s hands were busy, and he soon turned his head away. Yoonwoo glanced over and saw that Yeon-chae had packed a diverse array of items: swimsuits, goggles, a change of clothes, several large towels, a wide-brimmed hat, and various snacks.

“I can’t even swim anyway, so why bother bringing my stuff?”

As much as his physical condition was good, swimming in the sea felt like too much. He had heard they would be snorkeling, and while he wanted to try, he decided to avoid anything potentially risky. Yoonwoo gently rubbed his moderately protruding belly. It felt firm and heavy.

“I think it’ll be fine,” Yeon-chae said.

He cast a quick glance Yoonwoo’s way, then pulled out a long-sleeved rash guard and held it up to Yoonwoo. It was a size slightly looser than what he usually wore, and it looked like it would fit comfortably around his belly. However, Yoonwoo shook his hand, a troubled expression on his face.

“When did you even buy this? I really don’t think I can do it. What if something happens?”

“It’s okay. They say there’s no problem after the stable period. I’ll just stay right by your side the whole time.”

“Still…”

“I want to do it with you. Can’t we?”

Yeon-chae put on a pitiful act, peeking at Yoonwoo from the corner of his eye.

“I’ll be really careful. I’ll do really well, okay?”

“…”

Yoonwoo blinked, then silently took the rash guard. Yeon-chae, who had been on the verge of tears just a second ago, immediately beamed. Yoonwoo let out a long sigh.

He knew he was being manipulated, but he couldn’t resist Yeon-chae’s pretty, pleading face.

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