Pick Up the Rejected Pure Love

After finishing the birthday meal, Eun-ha hurriedly got ready for their date.

She insisted that she wanted to show off once she was completely dressed and told me not to enter the room under any circumstances.

“Eun-ha, are you ready?”

As soon as I spoke, Eun-ha burst out of the room.

She beamed at me, twirling once to show off her outfit.

“How do I look, Han-gyeol?”

“You look stunning.”

“And you look handsome too. Come on, let’s head out!”

“Why are you so excited? Calm down a bit.”

“Alright, let’s do everything you want today.”

The moment we stepped out the front door, Eun-ha immediately grabbed my hand tightly.

Looking at her face, I saw her smiling brightly.

“Why are you holding my hand so tightly today?”

“Because I don’t want to let go~ Where should we go first? Food? Coffee? Or maybe a kiss in a nice place?! No, we should kiss right now~”

Eun-ha let go of my hand, wrapped her arms around my neck, and pressed her lips to mine.

I thought it would end with a brief peck, but she quickly slipped her tongue into my mouth.

Standing on tiptoes, we shared a long, deep kiss before she gently placed her feet back on the ground.

“You’re being very forward with the skinship.”

“It’s all because of you, Han-gyeol. You made me this way~ So you have to take responsibility, got it?”

“Okay, I’ll take responsibility for the rest of my life, but can we leave the building now?”

“Oh, it looks like my lipstick’s a bit smudged. Let me reapply it. Just a moment.”

Eun-ha took a lip balm from her handbag and applied it to her lips.

“Han-gyeol, you should put on some lip balm too. Can you bend down a bit?”

“Ah, thanks.”

When I bent down, Eun-ha pressed her lips to mine again. The sound of a quick kiss echoed as she smiled shyly.

“Weren’t you going to use the lip balm?”

“Isn’t a kiss better than lip balm?”

“You’re right.”

“See? Next time, I’ll put it on you like this too.”

“Then the lip balm won’t last long.”

“We can always buy more~ Let’s go.”

Eun-ha led me out of the building. The weather was sunny, promising a fun day ahead.

Since it was Eun-ha’s birthday, I wanted to have a different kind of date.

We had breakfast late, so we headed to a book cafe where we originally planned to have lunch.

Honestly, it was my first time at such a quiet and serene book cafe. As soon as we entered the antique bookstore, the soft lighting filled the cafe.

There were many people on dates like us, and we ordered Americanos before finding a seat.

“Shall we pick out a book too?”

“Sure, let’s take a look.”

Standing side by side with Eun-ha in front of the bookshelf, I pondered over which book to read.

Suddenly, Eun-ha smiled as if she remembered something.

“Why are you smiling all of a sudden?”

“Just remembering the day we first met at the library.”

“You remember that day? Honestly, it’s a bit hazy for me.”

“Yes, it’s strange. I remember everything that happened with you.”

“Then, do you remember which book I wanted to read?”

“The Little Prince.”

“Wow, no hesitation at all.”

Eun-ha tilted her head slightly and asked,

“Do you remember everything about me, too?”

“I remember all the basic things.”

“Then I’ll quiz you. Han-gyeol, you gave me a stuffed toy once, do you remember which one it was?”

“The blue turtle.”

“Wow, you got it right immediately.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think I’d remember so quickly either.”

“Huh, that makes me happy. Alright, let’s pick out a book. What should we choose... Oh, that one looks interesting.”

Eun-ha reached up to a high shelf but couldn’t quite reach.

When I stretched my arm behind her to get it, she flinched in surprise and turned around.

After glancing around, she hugged me gently.

“You helped me get a book like this back then too.”

“You really remember everything.”

“Yes. I love you, Han-gyeol.”

“Me too~ So, should we go read this? Is this the one?”

I pulled the book out and checked the title. “Psychological Tests for Couples?”

“Yes, yes. I want to understand everything about you, Han-gyeol~”

“Sounds fun. Let’s do it.”

“Great~”

As soon as we opened the book, it was about types of love.

It classified love into six types through various questions, but it seemed too complicated to test with just the book.

Eun-ha quickly turned on her phone, searched, and sent me a link via message.

“Han-gyeol, let’s do this one.”

“It won’t take long, right?”

“Yes, it says around five minutes.”

“Alright. You go ahead too, Eun-ha.”

“Okay, okay.”

Since it was a Yes or No psychological test, it didn’t take long.

After about three minutes, both Eun-ha and I finished and checked our results.

Mine came out as the “Mania” type. The interpretation was somewhat... a bit alarming.

‘Type that has a strong possessiveness and obsession with their loved one.’

What the...? It’s so accurate it’s creepy.

“Han-gyeol, what did you get?”

“Can you tell me yours first?”

Eun-ha shook her head.

“Then let’s show each other at the same time.”

“Okay. One... two... three!”

We exchanged phones and immediately checked the results. As soon as we saw the screens, we exchanged glances.

“You’re a Mania type too, Han-gyeol?”

“And so are you, Eun-ha.”

We silently looked into each other’s eyes before bursting into laughter simultaneously.

After turning away and laughing, we exchanged phones again.

“Do you really want to possess me, Han-gyeol? Really?”

“I tried not to show it, but honestly, yes. How about you, Eun-ha?”

“Yes. If I could have you, Han-gyeol, I’d do anything.”

Eun-ha nodded, sipping her coffee.

“We’re a perfect match.”

“Right? I think so too. And while I want to possess you, I also want to be possessed by you.”

“Just like it says in the book. Honestly, I feel the same way. It feels like being loved, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly. When you want me, I feel loved and it makes me happy.”

Eun-ha’s bright smile was incredibly cute.

“Sometimes, I even dream about tearing apart girls who flirt with you. Do you feel the same, Han-gyeol?”

Eun-ha spoke cheerfully, but my expression hardened.

It seemed... Eun-ha’s possessiveness might be stronger than mine.

“Am I the only one feeling this way?”

“Yes. But remember, murder is bad.”

“But they touched you, Han-gyeol. It’s only natural to cut them out, right?”

“I-is that so?”

“If someone touches me, what would you do, Han-gyeol?”

“Well... just a regular dismemberment?”

“That’s not regular at all... We’re just the same.”

Eun-ha said this, oddly delighted.

Right. Every couple has their own way of expressing love.

“Own me forever, okay?”

“Of course.”

It’s fun.

****

After visiting the book cafe, eating at a good restaurant, and watching a musical, the sun had set.

“Eun-ha, should we go have dinner now?”

“Hmm? Did you make a reservation for dinner too?”

“I checked a few places, but they don’t take reservations.”

“Then let’s take a walk in the park and have dinner at home.”

“Okay... But we need to pick up the cake on the way.”

“Great~”

Eun-ha grabbed my hand and headed straight for the park.

“Han-gyeol, today was so much fun.”

“Really? I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Yes, yes. I love talking with you, eating delicious food with you, and seeing the same things as you. Everything is wonderful when you’re by my side. It’s amazing. When I hold your hand, the whole world turns pink.”

Eun-ha looked up at me and said,

“Han-gyeol, I love you. Thank you for making today so enjoyable.”

“I love you too.”

Originally, I planned to give it to her after dinner, in a more romantic setting... But giving it in a quiet park wouldn’t be bad either.

I discreetly took out the necklace from my pocket.

“Shall we sit on that bench? My feet are tired.”

“Ah! We did walk a lot today. Let’s go there.”

As soon as Eun-ha moved ahead to the nearby bench, I hugged her from behind.

“You can’t sit if you’re holding me like this, Han-gyeol~”

“Happy birthday, Eun-ha.”

I gently put the necklace around her neck. Realizing the necklace touched her skin, Eun-ha turned around in surprise.

“T-this...!”

“It’s your birthday present. We’ll get matching rings later.”

“W-when did you pick this? Didn’t you have no time to prepare?”

“I lied about meeting Yujin last time. I went to pick this necklace instead. Sorry for lying.”

“No! You did it to surprise me. Wow... it’s so beautiful! It’s so gorgeous, Han-gyeol!”

Eun-ha jumped up and down in my arms.

“I love it. I love you so much, Han-gyeol...!”

“I’m glad you like it. I thought a lot about it.”

“I’m the happiest in the world...! Huh...! I love it so much-!”

Eun-ha lifted her head slightly, tears streaming down her cheeks like chicken droppings.

“Hey, why are you crying on such a good day?”

“I’m just so happy...! I’m so moved that I’m crying! Huuu...”

“Eun-ha, you’re cute even when you cry.”

“I love you. I really love you, Han-gyeol. I truly, truly love you. I love you more than anything in the world, more than my life! Thank you... I didn’t expect such a big gift...! I’m so happy. I feel like I’m going to die from happiness...! I could die right now without any regrets...!”

I gently wiped away Eun-ha’s tears as she cried happily.

“Don’t die. You have to live with me.”

“Yes...! I’ll live with you, Han-gyeol... I’ll have lots of kids with you and live happily...!!”

“Of course~ Shall we head home now?”

“Kiss me...! Kiss me now, Han-gyeol. Right now... kiss me...”

“We can’t do that here in public~ I’ll kiss you at home.”

“Then... let’s go quickly!!”

Eun-ha immediately grabbed my hand and hailed a taxi.

Even in the taxi, she kept touching the necklace and smiling.

After getting off, we picked up the birthday cake from a nearby bakery and headed home.

As soon as we got home, Eun-ha tried to kiss me.

“Now... let’s kiss... hurry and kiss me? Hurry...! Kiss me now...”

“You’re in such a rush. Let’s blow out the candles on the cake first—”

“Okay! Got it!!”

Without even taking off her jacket, Eun-ha quickly set up a table in the living room.

Despite the darkness, she found the table and set it up. Does she have night vision like a predator?

“Come on, hurry! Let’s blow out the candles and kiss!”

It felt like completing a quest. But since it’s her birthday, I should do everything she wants.

I placed the cake on the table and lit the candles.

“Alright then—! Blow them out!”

“Wait a second! Didn’t you want me to sing the birthday song at dinner?”

“Ugh...! Let’s skip that part!”

“Nope. Morning Eun-ha wanted it.”

“Tch... then sing it quickly!”

I stopped her from blowing out the candles immediately and sang the birthday song.

“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear Eun-ha~ Happy birthday to you~!”

As soon as Eun-ha blew out the candles with a puff, the house went dark again.

As I stood up to turn on the lights, Eun-ha smeared whipped cream on my lips.

“Eun-ha, usually the birthday person gets the whipped cream on their face—mmph!”

In the dark, Eun-ha didn’t just smear whipped cream on my lips; she immediately kissed me, her lips pressing against mine.

Tasting the sweet whipped cream, she pushed me onto the living room floor, holding my head as she continued the sticky, deep kiss.

“Han-gyeol... I can’t hold back anymore. I want to kiss you more... I want to be closer to you...! I love you...!”

Eun-ha climbed on top of me, kissing me fiercely, her tongue exploring my mouth.

Looks like we’ll have to save the cake for tomorrow.

[BONUS] Chapter 108.5: Album

My phone gallery was filled with pictures of Han-gyeol and me.

From the cherry blossom festival to photos of Han-gyeol wearing an apron.

There were also many photo booth pictures taken during our dates.

For that reason, I decided to select a few and print them out to put in a separate album.

I even bought a pretty album from a shopping mall.

“Han-gyeol, let’s make an album.”

“Huh? What album?”

“We take a lot of pictures, right? It’s nice to have them saved on the phone, but I thought it would be good to choose a few and make an album. Later, we can quickly look back at how we dated!”

It was the weekend, so we had plenty of time.

We had lunch and finished all the housework, so we could comfortably spend time together.

“Sounds good. Should we do it now since we’re talking about it?”

“Yes, yes! I love it! Let’s start by selecting the pictures on the phone! Lie down here, Han-gyeol.”

“Don’t we have over a thousand pictures?”

“Probably around that many.”

Han-gyeol and I lay side by side and began sorting through the pictures for the album.

“We must include the ones from the cherry blossom festival.”

“Yes, yes! I was planning to. Ah-! This one is pretty too.”

“Don’t I look a bit funny in that one?”

“You look handsome! Shall we include this one?!”

“Sure.”

We swiped through the phone screen, gathering the photos for printing into a separate folder.

“Eun-ha, let’s include this one too.”

“What-?! I look so silly in that one!”

“You just look cute.”

“Well, if you think it’s cute, then okay!”

After a long time of looking at the phone screen, we put the phone down and opened the drawer.

“There are so many···”

“Right? We took pictures every time we went on a date, so it’s natural.”

Holding the numerous photo booth pictures, we lay back down on the bed.

“Are we going to put all of them in the album?”

“Hmm···that’s a bit much, right? Let’s just pick the good ones and put them in. Which pictures do you like, Han-gyeol?”

“This one where I’m giving you an orange-flavored candy.”

“Alright~ Then I choose this one! The one where we’re making a heart!”

“This one is good too. We’re both looking at each other instead of the camera.”

“Isn’t that interesting~? We didn’t even plan that pose. It’s fascinating~”

“What else should we include?”

“Let’s take a look.”

Han-gyeol and I went through the photo booth pictures one by one, looking for the ones we liked.

Then, we came across a picture that really stood out and picked it up immediately.

“Let’s use this one! I really want to include it!”

It was a picture where Han-gyeol looked very embarrassed, revealing a kiss mark on his neck.

“It’s a bit embarrassing···do you really like leaving kiss marks on my neck that much, Eun-ha?”

“Of course! I like it because it feels like I’m marking you as mine!”

“Well, if you like it, I don’t mind.”

“Hehe… then I’ll include it. There aren’t many pictures where you look embarrassed!”

“Alright, let’s include this one too.”

We carefully inserted the selected photo booth pictures into the album.

“Why do they look even prettier in the album?”

“Right? They turned out really well.”

We smiled proudly at the pictures of us in the album.

“We should add our wedding photos later~”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing you in a wedding dress, Eun-ha.”

At Han-gyeol’s words, I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck.

“If you want, I can show you sooner~?”

“I’ll propose properly later.”

“I might beat you to it.”

Han-gyeol chuckled and moved closer to me.

“Give me a chance too. I won’t take too long.”

“Okay! I love you, Gyeol.”

“I love you too.”

I wonder what we’ll be doing when this album is full.

It feels like the emotions of today will stay with us even when we open the album in the distant future.

I’m happy.

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

[TL: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 10 chapters ahead of the release: https://www.patreon.com/taylor007

Join Our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]