My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty - Chapter 139



Regarding Becoming a Married Man (To Be) at 20 (3)

After roughly three days of fierce debate, our baby’s nickname became ‘Jua.’ The doctor had confirmed, through an ultrasound, that it was a girl, and after combining and rearranging syllables from both my name and Aki’s, the name Jua seemed the prettiest.

For the record, other nicknames that were regrettably not chosen included Bom (Spring), Wara (Come), and Flashey.

Bom was rejected because too many other parents probably used it. Wara was rejected because Aki didn’t like the sound of it. Flashey was… well… needless to say.

Once the nickname was settled on as Jua, we spent our time very busy.

Deciding on a wedding hall, finalizing the date, and organizing the guest list were all quickly resolved with my parents’ help. But the decision on what is commonly called ‘Studio, Dress, Makeup,’ or ‘Sdeume,’ was entirely Aki’s and my responsibility, and on top of that, there were several matters that required consulting with both families and progressing accordingly.

Decisions like the mothers’ makeup, the mothers’ formal attire, the mothers’ hanbok, etcetera, were exactly those examples. And because you can’t just decide based on one side’s opinion, exchanging opinions took forever. That alone took two days, so there’s nothing more to say.

Who knew preparing for a wedding required so much?

Marrying Aki is an incredibly exciting prospect. But separately from that, the process is undeniably difficult. Usually, people allocate a year for preparations and take their time, but we have to finish what others take a year to do in just two months, on top of personal matters piling up, so it’s been truly chaotic.

It was so chaotic that I sent details about the wedding gifts that I should have sent to my mother, to Aki’s mother instead. It was a mistake I would never normally make, but because I’ve been busy day and night, I made that kind of mistake.

Well. Thankfully it wasn’t a major mistake, so it ended up being a cute little happening. But just imagine… if, yesterday, when Aki and I were bantering back and forth, I accidentally sent the text “[You wanna keep messing around?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’ll see you tonight]” to Aki’s mother instead… The thought of what would have happened makes me shudder. For real.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”

Anyway, from morning until afternoon I go to school and attend classes, and in the evening I come home and help Aki with wedding preparations and housework. Repeating this routine for nearly two months has left me feeling a little weary.

But those hardships are slowly coming to an end. As of today, there are only two weeks left until the wedding. In just two weeks it will be the wedding, and after the wedding, I can legally take 5 days off from school.

Because within the university regulations, there’s a clause stating that up to 5 days off will be recognized as attendance for one’s own wedding. I plan to use that regulation to go on a 4-night, 5-day honeymoon to France with Aki, as I mentioned before.

‘Alright, let’s hang in there…!’

Just a little more patience for that healing time to come. I vowed inwardly, punching in the code to the apartment door.

“Aki, I’m home~”

A savory aroma wafted from the direction of the kitchen. That scent… broiled fish. Aki must be making dinner.

“Oh! You’re back, dear?”

“Yeah. You were making dinner, huh?”

Aki, wearing an apron, spun around. Over her shoulder, I could see fish browning nicely.

Fish is good. Rich in protein, full of healthy fats. I smiled and approached.

“Oh? What’s this, fish for dinner?”

“Mmm. Yep. It was on sale when I went shopping around lunchtime. Ah, it’ll be done soon, so why don’t you go wash up first? Just five more minutes!”

“Okay. Got it. I’ll be right back~”

I pressed a k*ss to her cheek, a gesture of gratitude for her hard work. It was a small thing, but Aki seemed pleased, playfully nudging my behind as I turned to leave. A teasing touch that didn’t displease me.

I headed straight to the bathroom for a quick shower. No time for a bath, so I skipped filling the tub. I washed my hair, lathered up with soap, and quickly cleansed myself before stepping out.

Changing into my at-home clothes, I returned to the kitchen to find a table laden with food.

Aki must have set it all out while I was showering.

“Wow, what’s all this…?”

Even a quick glance revealed a veritable feast. Starting with the main dish, broiled fish, there was also stew, seasoned vegetables, rolled omelet, kimchi, spicy radish salad, and more crowding the tabletop.

I could tell she put in effort, so I sat down, impressed. Aki, as if wanting to show off a little, puffed out her chest.

“A dinner to give you strength, dear!”

“A dinner to give me strength…?”

“Yeah. You’ve been working so hard preparing for the wedding, haven’t you? Eat lots and get your energy back!”

“…Thank you. I’ll enjoy it, Aki.”

“Here, ahh~”

Aki slightly opened her mouth, extending chopsticks towards me.

On the tips rested a piece of rolled omelet, white and looking just salty enough. I readily took it.

“Oh… Delicious. Did you make this yourself?”

“Yeah. I made everything except the seasoned vegetables. I was going to make those too, but I ran out of time. You understand, right?”

“I’m grateful for what you did make. Who am I to demand more…”

“…Heh. Cute.”

Aki clasped her hands together, resting her chin upon them. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gazed at me.

He seemed to be looking at me as if asking why I wasn’t eating, so I mumbled, “I’ll eat well…” and took a spoonful of rice.

“Aki, aren’t you eating?”

“I’m about to. Oh, but…”

“Hm?”

“You said you went to submit your absence form earlier, 서방님 [Seobangnim, term of endearment for husband]. Did you submit it okay?”

“Ah, uh-huh. Of course, I did. Our professor even asked me to pass on his congratulations.”

I answered, stuffing the white rice into my mouth. Just as Aki said, I had just submitted an absence form with the [Reason for Absence: My Marriage] clearly written on it to my supervising professor and had a private meeting with him.

The private meeting wasn’t anything special. It probably began with words like, ‘I’ve heard a lot about students who have graduated getting married, but in my 20 years as a professor, this is the first time a student in school, and a freshman at that, has come to me about getting married…’ and continued with various bits of life advice.

“Oh, and he asked where we were going on our honeymoon, so I said France? Then the professor said he went to France for his honeymoon too, and that there’s this one island that’s really atmospheric, so if we have time, we should definitely go.”

“An island? What island is it?”

“What did he say it was…. Ah, Guadeloupe. He said it was Guadeloupe. Apparently, it’s a tourist spot that people don’t really know about.”

“Uh-huh. I see…. Then should we go?”

“That’d be good, but it’s okay if we don’t, so let’s decide based on your condition that day. You’ve been tired a lot lately, haven’t you?”

“I’m just tired because of the wedding preparations, so I’ll probably be fine once it’s all over, right?”

“Well, you never know. Since it’s just the two of us on a free trip anyway, let’s not confirm that we’re going for sure and just decide based on the situation at the time. My top priority is your health, Aki.”

“…….”

Stare.

Aki is staring intently at me.

Did I say something wrong?

“……Why?”

“No, it’s just…. I was slightly touched…?”

“……?”

What was there in what I just said to be touched by?

I was pondering internally, completely unable to understand, when Aki filleted a piece of fish and placed it on top of my rice bowl.

“Eat a lot. 서방님.”

“Ah, yeah, thanks….”

“……You’ll need to be strong later.”

“…….”

Ah.

* * *

Two days before the wedding.

With all preparations complete, Aki and I passed the time, discussing this and that, anticipating the day soon to arrive.

Starting with the lighthearted topic of our 4-night, 5-day honeymoon plans, we moved on to future moving plans, Aki’s plans to return to university, my military service plans post-marriage, even plans for purchasing a family car. We deliberated for about two hours, finally reaching conclusions on each matter.

Cutting straight to the chase, firstly, we decided on a healing honeymoon, prioritizing Aki’s well-being as I suggested. Secondly, Aki’s parents offered to find us a house, so we resolved to move there. And lastly, Aki would return to university when our little girl turned two.

Originally, Aki had intended to postpone her return for even longer, but my input nudged the decision towards the two-year mark. Explaining that would take a while, so I’ll leave it out for now.

Moving on to my military service.

Aki and I both felt it best to resolve it as quickly as possible, so we decided I would enlist around October of the following year. Why October? Because we were informed that wifely pregnancy alone wasn’t enough to qualify for preferential treatment, only after childbirth could I apply.

And then, the family car purchase. With a baby on the way, we figured a car was practically a necessity, so my plan was to borrow help from my parents to buy a used one, then slowly pay them back.

But, that became unnecessary.

How should I bring this up…? I was pondering that very thought when a call came in from my father. “Uju, do you need a car?” he asked. Soon a baby would arrive, and if I got assigned to base near home I would need my own car to commute, so he would buy one for me.

…And so, without shame, I gratefully accepted. If I were living alone, I would have hesitated and refused due to the burden. But with Aki and a baby on the way, I simply couldn’t refuse.

“Honey, what are you thinking about?”

A warmth spread through me.

Aki, lying beside me, hugged me tightly.

She must have noticed I was staring at the ceiling, hands behind my head, lost in thought.

“Just, you know, thinking about a lot of things.”

“A lot of things, like what?”

“Like…what will it feel like to be married? What will it feel like when the baby’s born…?”

Muttering, I turned to look at Aki.

“Aki, what do you think it will be like?”

“Hmm…I guess we’ll know what it feels like to be married in two days, right? And we’ll find out what it’s like to have a baby in about half a year.”

“…Heh. Guess so.”

She’s right.

I chuckled, feeling like I’d asked a pointless question.

“Then, how about this question?”

“What is it?”

“What do you think our lives will be like… five years from now?”

“…Hmm.”

Aki gently furrowed her brow.

She twitched her eyebrows as if deep in thought, then cutely pouted her lips and playfully poked my abs.

“Even if it’s five years from now, I’ll still be 25. I probably won’t change much here, will I?”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Maybe not in, like, ten years though.”

“What do you think will happen in ten years?”

“Hmm…. In ten years…”

“Yeah? In ten years?”

“I think I’ll have, like, three kids.”

“You’re joking, right…?”

Thirty-year-old me, a father of three.

I forced a smile and looked at Aki.

Eyes bluer than the sea stared straight at me.

“I’m not joking?”

“……Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

Only then did it dawn on me.

“Even if we can’t quite manage a soccer team, shouldn’t we at least make a basketball squad…?”

“…….”

Aki.

She’s serious.