My Girlfriend Is a Fan of Me

In the evening, there was a barbecue party, which can be considered a must-have during the summer. Naturally, the kids got super excited and started singing.

“Dad! Can I try!?”

“No! It’s too hot, so you can’t. You can do it when you’re an adult, Princess.”

“Aww….”

Amidst this, our eldest daughter Princess, who is eight years old and very curious about everything, seemed to find it quite fun to watch me grill the meat.

However, since I couldn’t let an eight-year-old handle the grill, I firmly turned her down this time. She pulled back looking disappointed, but thankfully she’s usually well-behaved.

“Okay, now it’s everyone’s favorite sausage.”

“Wow! Sausages!”

At first, I grilled less greasy, tender beef and seafood, but as soon as I started to grill the sausages, which the kids love, and cut them into bite-sized pieces, cheers erupted.

I guess sausages are more popular with kids than beef or seafood.

“Mom! Don’t we have ketchup?”

“It’s right here. But the sausages taste good without ketchup!”

“Really? Then I’ll try!”

“Me too!”

Initially, the kids were going to dip them in ketchup, but after listening to Mom’s advice, they immediately sparkled their eyes and stuffed unadorned sausages into their mouths.

Even though they looked pretty hot, I was glad I brought them, seeing them blow on the sausages and eat skillfully.

“How is it? Is it tasty?”

“Yeah! It’s delicious!”

“But I want to eat mine with ketchup!”

“I’ll eat it plain.”

Our little one, a serious ketchup fan, still asked my wife to hand him some ketchup. The other two seemed to really enjoy eating the sausages without it, continuously bringing more to their mouths.

I was smiling, feeling happy just watching them, while I busily flipped the sizzling meat on the grill.

“Dad! You should try the sausages too! They’re super tasty!”

Joo-ha brought a relatively large piece of sausage to me. I never expected my daughter, not my wife, would be taking care of me like this.

“Huh? Are you giving some to Dad?”

“Of course!”

“Thanks! Let’s see how it tastes!”

As I opened my mouth and took a bite of the sausage, I found it indeed quite delicious. I suppose since we got these from a fairly famous artisanal sausage shop, the flavor was different from the usual type. It felt like the meat quality was alive.

With how good it was, I could see adults enjoying it just as much as kids.

“Hmm, it’s tasty! I guess it’s because Joo-ha fed it to me?”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

Worried I might burn myself while grilling, I hesitated to pet her head, but Joo-ha leaned in, urging me with her body to praise her more, so I laughed and ruffled her hair.

Seeing her bright smile as she returned to her spot was incredibly cute. I think I understand now what it means to feel full even without eating.

“Hey, honey, let me take over grilling.”

Meanwhile, my wife seemed to feel uneasy about me sitting at the grill the whole time and came over to ask for the tongs.

Honestly, although I had been at the grill, she had been giving me more of her portions earlier when we were eating beef. I wondered if she had missed out on food while looking after the kids, and I shook my head.

“No, I’m almost done here.”

“Then how about a beer? It’s probably hot standing here by the grill.”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

I took the can of beer from my wife, who had popped it open and handed it to me. Then, she opened her own can and held it out toward me as if she’d been waiting.

I didn’t need her to tell me what that meant, so I smiled and clinked my can against hers.

Ting.

The sound ringing was not the elegant clink of wine glasses but rather a slightly dull yet refreshing sound.

Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since we had beer together.

Both my wife and I don’t particularly prefer beer, and with all the liquor we have at home from gifts, we hadn’t thought to drink together.

As I enjoyed the barbecue with my wife, the laughter of the kids in the background and the sound of the night sea waves crashing made for a lovely atmosphere.

This has its own kind of charm.

“Have we been here together for eight years?”

“Yeah, it’s been that long. We haven’t been since before Joo-ha was born.”

My wife spoke with a nostalgic look while gazing at the sea, and I lightly nodded in agreement as I sipped my beer.

It had indeed been a long time. While we have taken the kids to nearby pools or water parks, we hadn’t set foot in this villa in Busan since then.

I felt a bit guilty. It would have been better to come sooner. It’s all my fault…

Swat!

“Y-you, honey! Why… suddenly…?”

As I was lost in thought, a sudden sharp pain hit my back, causing me to blink and look at my wife.

Was there a mosquito on my back or something?

“You’re probably thinking, ‘I’m sorry we’re late because of me’ in that head of yours. Hit!”

“No, that’s not…”

While I was flustered, my wife pointed a finger at me with sharp eyes and began her lecture. I wanted to make some excuse but couldn’t.

“Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right.”

It was, of course, impossible to argue. It was clearly a correct statement.

I thought how her mind-reading skills were still as sharp as ever.

“Really, don’t worry. I’m just happy that our whole family is here together now.”

Is this what they mean by “giving medicine after hitting”?

After hitting me lightly on the back, she held my hand as we sat next to each other and said that. I often feel that her words are so warm compared to her cool, almost cold hands.

“From the moment I liked you, every single day has been a miracle.”

“…”

“Meeting you, liking you, dating you, marrying you, having kids, and every day since then has been meaningful.”

The sound of crashing waves faded into the background.

It’s such a strange thing. Whenever my wife speaks in that soft, soothing voice, the world around us quiets down and it’s just her left in my vision.

In moments like these, I realize once again how deeply I love her. It feels like warmth spreads from the depths of my heart to every corner of my body.

“Even the ordinary days we spent together held immense value for me. Even if we didn’t travel far away together, or spend a special day.”

“Me too. Every day with you felt like a dream.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration or lip service.

Just a few months ago, for some unknown reason, I woke up suddenly one morning and found my wife peacefully sleeping beside me. I felt a sense of wonder at the fact she was still there beside me.

Despite the nearly ten years we’ve spent together, it struck me particularly that day how amazing it was that she was still by my side.

Some might say that at some point, the thrill between each other fades.

But every time that thought crosses my mind, I firmly say this:

There hasn’t been a single day with my wife that didn’t make my heart race. If I had to sum up her presence in one word, it would be “special.”

Just getting up in the morning, having breakfast, going for walks together, sitting side by side on the sofa on rainy days and watching movies while leaning against each other.

In a way, the seemingly ordinary days shine bright because of her.

I wanted to say that.

“Honey.”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s come again. With the kids.”

“Of course.”

As we shared the same promise, we leaned against each other, sharing our warmth.

Next year, the year after, five years from now, ten years from now. Even when the kids grow older and start to not want to follow their parents around anymore.

Let’s make sure to come here at least once a year, creating memories as a family.

As I was making that vow, I leaned in for a kiss.

“Dad! The meat is burning!”

“…What!?”

Suddenly, Joo-ha’s voice jolted me back to reality. I had been so lost in the cozy atmosphere with my wife that I had completely forgotten I was grilling meat.

I hurriedly stood up to check the grill, only to find pieces of pork belly that had turned to carbonized lumps on the grill.

Quickly, I used the tongs to remove the charred bits and turned to the kids with a sheepish look.

“Sorry, kids. Dad got so lost in thought that the meat burned. I’ll grill some more right away, so just wait a little.”

“Okay, no problem!”

“I’ll wait with sausages!”

“I want shrimp!”

Fortunately, the kids sat back down and began eating the remaining sausages or seafood on their plates. I’m glad they’re such forgiving kids.

“Hehe, I totally forgot about it.”

My wife arrived, looking at the now-charred pork belly with a gentle smile, and gently wrapped her arm around me.

I felt a bit embarrassed thinking I showed such a foolish side.

“Yeah, the atmosphere was nice, and I ruined it for no reason.”

“Well, what’s the matter…?”

At that, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. It seemed she wanted to finish what we hadn’t done a moment ago.

“We can always do this later, right?”

“…True.”

Looking at my wife’s brightly smiling face, which shone not just from the gentle lights but also from her beauty, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy.

Right, we can do this whenever.

Some people say that eternal love doesn’t exist, but at least that doesn’t apply to us. I believe that firmly.

With more years ahead of us than those we’ve already shared, we could love each other endlessly.

Just that thought makes my heart race with excitement.

“Oh, and honey, how about we start making some merch when we go back? I tried making that photo card from last time that you turned down…”

Whether she noticed what I was feeling or not, my wife immediately started chatting away with her usual enthusiasm, unchanged even after nearly ten years.

Yes.

This is the story of my girlfriend, who still dotes on me even after becoming my wife.

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