Chapter 125. I Love You (1)

Translator: Lili

-One Month Later-

As the restaurant door opened, a burst of warm air from the heater greeted him. Without needing to look around, Seo Gyuha immediately spotted the gloomy group of three men huddled together at a table. Before he even sat down, Yoon Byungchul fired the first shot.

“Why are you so late?”

“The traffic was awful. Why’d you have to drag me all the way out here instead of meeting somewhere closer?”

“Even when I’m offering to buy you food, you’re complaining.”

Ignoring the remark, Seo Gyuha poured himself a glass of water and drank it down in one go.

Today’s gathering was arranged by Byungchul, who had recently returned from a belated honeymoon and insisted on handing out gifts as an excuse to meet. Knowing Byungchul’s lack of subtlety, it was clear his wife must have nudged him to make the gesture.

“Here.”

A large shopping bag was handed to each of them. Park Chanwoong was the first to eagerly inspect his, quickly pulling out the box propped inside.

“Whoa.”

His face lit up with excitement, and a murmur of admiration escaped as he saw the shiny gold logo stamped prominently on the box. All eyes turned toward him as he peeled off the sealing tape and lifted the lid, revealing a sleek black belt coiled like a snake.

“Wow, Byungchul, you really spent some money.”

“This isn’t fake, right?”

For once, Byungchul took the teasing in stride.

“Only yours is from Dongdaemun.”

“Don’t say it so seriously; it sounds real.”

“If you look closely, the G is actually a C.”

“I said, don’t make it sound so serious!”

Plates of Chinese food began to fill the table. Kim Kangsan opened a bottle of baijiu and poured drinks for everyone. When he reached for Seo Gyuha’s glass, however, he declined and instead took the bottle to pour Kangsan’s drink in return.

“I’m not drinking.”

“You turning down alcohol? That’s rare.”

Kangsan looked surprised, but Chanwoong jumped in with an explanation.

“That guy’s been so careful about his health lately. Said he had a stomach ulcer or something. He doesn’t even take my calls anymore.”

“Maybe it’s because you keep pestering him to hang out.”

“Wow, I’m a bother?”

“A huge bother.”

There was a time when Seo Gyuha couldn’t go a day without drinking, but now even the sight of a bottle disturbed him. Perhaps it was like the fox and the sour grapes—convincing himself it wasn’t worth it—but either way, he was managing surprisingly well.

Unlike him, however, Chanwoong seemed bitter about being repeatedly brushed off. To prevent the conversation from derailing, Seo Gyuha redirected the topic.

“So, how’s married life?”

“It’s great, of course.”

The way Byungchul grinned foolishly at the mere mention of it made it clear he was enjoying himself immensely. Seizing the opportunity, Seo Gyuha decided to probe further since it would soon be relevant to his own life.

“What’s the best part?”

“Everything.”

“That’s obvious from your face. Be specific—what exactly do you like about it?”

“I feel like you’re setting me up to get roasted.”

“I’ll throw the stones after you’re done. Go ahead.”

Byungchul hesitated, uncharacteristically bashful, but didn’t pass up the chance to gush.

“Well… waking up every morning to see his sleeping face next to me—it’s like looking at an angel.”

“Yeah, right. Angels with pub—ow!”

The punishment was swift. A sharp pinch to the inner thigh elicited a yelp from Chanwoong, but no one batted an eye—it was clearly deserved. When prompted by Seo Gyuha to continue, Byungchul quickly regained his composure.

“Honestly, it’s just great. Falling asleep together, waking up together, the thought of him being ‘my person’—it’s amazing. It’s hard to put into words, but it feels different from when we were just dating. You’ll understand once you experience it.”

Seo Gyuha imagined himself and Chayoung in that scenario. His gaze turned thoughtful as he looked at Byungchul.

“Don’t you ever clash? No matter how great it is, you can’t be perfectly compatible. Don’t you ever feel like you need time alone?”