116. The First MT, Away from Aki for 1 Night and 2 Days…! (1)

Time passed, and it was the morning of the MT.

It was the day that Aki and I, who hadn’t been apart for more than half a day since we started living together, had to be apart for a whole day.

Since I was planning to be in Gangwon-do from this morning until late tomorrow afternoon, it was a whole day, but in terms of time, it was over 30 hours. More than a day and a half we couldn’t see each other. Therefore, we spent a night more passionate and sweet than ever before, and woke up to the alarm.

“Dear husband, you didn’t forget anything, did you?”

“Nope. Got everything I need. How about you, Aki?”

“I’m A-OK too. Perfect…!”

Aki, already in her going-out clothes, clenched her fist and showed it. I found that insignificant action cute, so I stopped organizing my bag and went closer to gently stroke her head.

“Don’t get lonely just because I’m not there, alright?”

“Hmm… I don’t think I can do that?”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not next to me. How can I not be lonely…?”

“……”

This girl has become a total fox.

Slightly raising her eyes at me and only saying things I like to hear, she deserves an acting award. I know it’s just talk, but I still loved Aki, so I ruffled her bangs a little and k*ssed her forehead.

“Ah… this is bad. I don’t want to go to the MT, what should I do?”

“Hehe… why?”

“Why, you ask. Because I want to be with you, that’s why….”

Aki’s parents would be coming to pick her up soon. Aki would get in the car driven by her parents to go to the airport, board a plane bound for Japan, celebrate her grandmother’s birthday, and spend the night there. I didn’t like that. Because I wouldn’t be by her side.

You can say I’m making a fuss over being apart for just one day, and I wouldn’t have anything to say…. But what can I do about my feelings? We’ve been stuck together like glue for almost three months, so I don’t want to say goodbye like this.

I closed my eyes, stroking Aki’s hair as she enjoyed my touch, and wrestled with my thoughts. Should I really ditch the MT – the whole damn thing – and just follow Aki to Japan…?

“Darling, you’re going to shoot lasers out of your eyes.”

“…Huh? What did you say?”

“I said you’re going to shoot lasers out of your eyes. You’re staring so intently.”

“Ah…”

Without realizing it, I had apparently been gazing fixedly at Aki. Feeling sheepish, I withdrew my hand and rubbed the back of my neck.

“Do you really hate parting with Atashi that much?”

“Yeah. Well…”

Did I really have to say it aloud?

My hesitant words made Aki narrow her eyes. She seemed to have faintly guessed my inner feelings.

“After telling Atashi not to feel lonely, what am I supposed to do if Darling is even lonelier?”

“That’s true. What *should* I do…?”

“Pfft… Ah. So cute…”

Aki chuckled, as if finding me adorable, and began gently patting my rear.

It was blatant treatment as a pampered pet, but the regret of having to separate soon was so strong that even that felt strangely pleasant. I really must be seriously afflicted.

“I’ll contact you when I arrive. I’ll send texts, and if I have time, I’ll call too.”

“Hmm, video calls will be a bit expensive, right…?”

“Why? Do you want to video call Atashi?”

“Yeah. I really, really want to.”

“…Heh. Okay. I’ll see how things go and try to make a video call.”

Aki, who seemed especially pretty today, nudged my waist. But I was still unsatisfied. It was true; we would soon be separated for more than a day.

“Still, it feels a little lacking…”

“Hmm, lacking? Then…”

Aki took a step closer.

Aki, wearing a blouse that slightly revealed her shoulders and blue jeans, was clearly visible.

Aki carefully grasped the hem of my shirt, stood on tiptoe, and came right up to my chin. And then she came a little closer and k*ssed me.

*Chuu*.

“Is that enough?”

“Isn’t there a little more…?”

“Really, you’re such a greedy one…”

Akira, as if resigned, offered a wry smile and wrapped her arms around my waist in a light embrace.

Instantly, I returned the embrace, pulling her close with fervor. Akira nestled into my arms in a flash, and I hugged her tight, pouring all my longing into the gesture, before pressing my lips to hers. If the k*ss before was a light brush, a mere meeting of lips, this one was a *real* k*ss, a mingling of breath and tongue.

“Umm…. *chuu*….”

“……”

“Mmm, mmm….”

“……”

“*Euh*, *puh-hah*….”

We broke apart after the long k*ss.

I must have been a bit too enthusiastic, as Akira’s breathing was slightly ragged.

Her cheeks flushed a faint pink, Akira gazed up at my face for a moment, then let out a soft sigh and embraced me once more.

Like when we shared our love, she wrapped her arms around my back, pulling me close… and she subtly nudged her thigh between my legs. This, of course, meant that my crotch and Akira’s smooth thigh were pressed perfectly together.

“Really, I was just going to leave for today….”

‘It’s your fault, *Seobang-nim*….’ Akira whispered, rubbing her thigh against my groin.

And at the same time, she began s*cking on my tongue with little *chok chok* sounds, her breath coming in ragged bursts as the k*ss continued. Long, long.

Maybe for 30 seconds…….

“*Chuu*….”

“…….”

“Mmm…. *chok*. *Chok*….”

“…….”

No, was it a minute…?

Honestly speaking. I felt so good, I lost track of how long we were k*ssing.

I lost myself halfway and shared a k*ss with Akira. We held each other tightly, exchanging s*liva, savoring the moment.

……But. Happy times pass in an instant.

*Dding-!*

A cell phone notification broke the spell. Not mine. It came from Akira’s back pocket of her jeans.

We disengaged – no, stopped k*ssing and pulled apart. I wiped the s*liva from around my lips with the back of my hand, and Akira quickly checked her phone. A quick glance revealed it was a call. The caller was Akira’s mother.

“Yes. Hello. Mama…?”

[Ohh, my daughter. Are you home~?]

“Ah. Yes, I’m home. Did you all arrive…?”

[Arriving in 3 minutes~! Come outside with *Seobang*~]

“Y-yes. I understand…”

*Click.*

The call ended.

“Mama and Papa will be here in three minutes…?”

“Yeah. I heard…”

“…We should get ready, right?”

“We should. Get ready…”

“……”

“……”

I looked at Aki, and Aki looked back at me.

The emotion reflected in each other’s eyes was probably, *I don’t want to go.*

But. We couldn’t keep Aki’s parents waiting, of all people. I suppressed my regret, pressing it down hard.

“Let’s go. I’ll carry your suitcase.”

“Uh-huh. Thanks…”

I grabbed the handle of Aki’s suitcase and put on my shoes. Aki put on her shoes too. We were already completely ready to leave, so we went straight into the hallway.

And, the moment I reached for the doorknob to head outside…

“Darling…?”

Aki gently grasped my wrist.

“The rest… let’s finish it when we get back tomorrow. So…”

“……”

“Just bear with it for one day. Okay? I’ll do something nice for you when we get back…”

“…I’ll text you every ten minutes.”

* * *

“…Ah. I miss Aki.”

Sitting by the bus window, I propped my chin on my hand and muttered.

It’s only been an hour since we parted, and I already miss Aki.

We’ve only been sharing our situations via text for less than ten minutes, and I already want to ask about Aki’s situation again…!

I mumbled almost like a zombie, shuffling along, and the classmates sitting near me looked at me and clicked their tongues.

“You were just in the same house until now. It’s not like you haven’t seen each other for a week, is it really okay to be like this after only an hour?”

“If it’s like *this* after just an hour, I’ll practically be dead if I don’t see her for a whole day, huh?”

“You’re really something else, really. Why don’t you just get married already?”

“I actually asked him that. He said he won’t get married until after he finishes his military service.”

“But if you go to the army, you won’t be able to see each other for almost a year and a half. What are you going to do then?”

“I don’t know… I either….”

I’m already freaking out about the army these days. I haven’t had my physical yet, but my body is so darn healthy, it’s practically a lock for a Grade 1.

A Grade 1 means active duty, and active duty means living in the army for a year and a half. Forget about how hard army life is, the fact that I won’t be able to spend time with Aki for that long just doesn’t compute. Is there any way… for the conscription system to change to a “commute-to-work” setup before I go…?

“They say if your ACL tears, you get assigned to public service. Maybe you should aim for that.”

“Should I just tear it for you? If I aim well and land a low kick, it’ll snap right off, I bet.”

“Seriously, are you willing to tear your ACL because of the army…?”

People often think lightly of ACL tears since they hear it means you don’t have to go to the military. But the truth is, an ACL tear is an incredibly serious condition.

When your ACL tears, your knee gets twisted, and by twisted, I mean your knee actually turns more than 90 degrees. What do you think will happen then?

Not only will it affect your daily life, but you absolutely won’t be able to do any strenuous exercise. Sometimes, you can’t even run properly. There’s a reason athletes retire because of ACL tears.

“Why not? It’s a year and a half for one ACL. Isn’t it worth seriously considering?”

“Seriously considering, my foot. Should I just tear your ACL for you, then?”

“Why would I tear it? I’m already in public service. No need to tear it.”

“Wow, I’m really jealous…”

I muttered with genuine sincerity. I don’t think I’ve ever envied anyone in my life. But the only person I’ve almost envied is my classmate.

His name is Kim Min-soo, and he got a public service assignment because of his flat feet… He said it hardly affects his daily life, or even when he exercises. That’s why I’m so jealous. Really, really, truly jealous. To the point where I even think, “Why couldn’t *I* have flat feet?”

“If you’re so jealous, trade me your face for my flat feet.”

“That’s… a bit much.”

“You b*stard. You better go to the army, and go twice.”

“If this guy saw his girlfriend’s face, he’d have to go twice. No, what am I saying? Three times, and pay double taxes. It’s insane, really.”

“What is it like, to that extent?”

Sung-chan said, the only classmate who has never seen Aki’s face.

Sung-chan joined our group the latest, so he hasn’t seen her… Anyway. Before I could say anything, all the other classmates started nodding their heads.

“Yeah, it’s *that* extent.”

“She’s pretty in pictures, but even prettier in person. No exaggeration, she looks like a cam girl, for real.”

“Really? What does she look like?”

“Woo-joo, show Sung-chan a picture. Let’s make his jaw drop.”

“It’s not *that* much, though….”

“This b*stard’s at it again with the humblebrag. Shut your gob, will you? Huh?”

“Honestly, he’s always got that show-off thing going on, doesn’t he? Every other word is boasting and flexing. Damn it. Shouldn’t have gotten all buddy-buddy with him….”

“Hey, can you just show us the picture once?”

Seongchan said, wearing a face that looked like he was dying of curiosity.

Inside, I pretended to be all coy, like I didn’t really want to show it, and pulled out my phone. Then, I went into the gallery folder and showed them the two-shot selfie I took with Aki at home yesterday.

“Here.”

“……Whoa.”

Seongchan’s mouth dropped open.

Literally gaping, Seongchan stared intently at the photo, then snapped his head up.

“Why, why is she so gorgeous? Is she a foreigner?”

“Yeah. French and Japanese mix.”

“Ah, that’s why. I figured….”

“You know what? His girlfriend goes to our school too. Political Science major, they say.”

“What, seriously? Then, can you introduce me, at least?”

“Introduce *what*, you crazy b*stard? She’s Joowoo’s girlfriend, remember?”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m not asking you to introduce me to your girlfriend. But, like, her friends, you know? There’s gotta be a lot of pretty ones, right?”

Seongchan subtly asked, glancing at me sideways.

The other classmates, probably tempted by Seongchan’s words, simultaneously turned to look at me.

I casually took the phone back, acting all high and mighty.

“Erm. It’s not like I’d do that for just anyone….”

“No, come on, do it for us. Huh? You have a girlfriend anyway…!”

“That’s that, and this is this. You want a blind date on the house?”

I glanced at Minwoo, who was sitting nearby.

“See Minwoo here? He promised to draw my girlfriend’s portrait, so I agreed to set him up with a girl.”

“A portrait? Drawing feels a little…extra. Can’t it be something else?”

“Something else, what then? Throw something out there.”

“Wait a sec, I’ll be your homework lackey. Every time you set me up, I’ll be your major assignment slave for a month. How’s that?”

“Ooh. That’s good. Okay, Minsu’s in.”

“No way, shit, I was gonna say that!”

“Then get me something else. A general studies class, or maybe a foreign language….”

“What gen-ed are you taking? Just name it. If it doesn’t clash, I’ll drop what I’m doing and take that one instead.”

“Hey, me too! I’ll do your homework. Just let me get in first…!”

“What’s with you, respect the order of things, you punk!”

“What order is there when a girl is popular? Besides, you’re terrible at homework. You bombed that French quiz last time.”

“There’s more to general studies than just foreign languages, you know? Lots of things. If I could help you with just one of those…!”

“……”

If there’s one thing I understand, it’s this:

I probably won’t have to worry about submitting my assignments in the first semester of freshman year.