🎶 10CM - Mattress

When I first saw my husband, I saw his profession before the person. A diplomat. It was a word that felt like one shouldn't approach easily. A man who seemed to live by logic and principles; his face and tone, which rarely showed emotion, fit that image perfectly.

Between him, who needed frequent overseas trips, and me, a flight attendant, we crossed paths more often than expected. I simply smiled a bit more, but he never once responded with a smile. Always the same expression, the same tone. So I thought we were just a flight attendant and a passenger who happened to pass by frequently.

But the unexpected happened like a total coincidence. It was the final flight back to Korea from Italy, just before landing. He nonchalantly handed me a business card. He was so matter-of-fact that his words left an even clearer impression.

"If you don't have prior plans after arriving in Korea, let's have a meal together. I took this last flight on purpose."

It felt surreal. The fact that he chose a flight specifically to match my clock-out time, and that he made such a proposal with that face. Sitting across from him at that meal, dazed as I was, I saw the man outside of his work for the first time.

He was more delicate than I thought, and while his tone was still calm, his attitude was gentle. A few more meetings followed, and I gradually opened my heart to his way of being—which was more honest and proactive than expected.

And so, wedding rings were placed on our fingers.

Due to our jobs, a deep courtship was difficult. We married after a relationship that felt like room temperature—long in duration but few in actual meetings—so I didn't think I knew everything about my husband. But after getting married and living together, I finally realized.

This man, who looked cold because of his few words and lack of expression...

Was a skinship addict.

He isn't loud about it, nor does he make it obvious. He's just always there. If I'm sitting on the sofa, he's suddenly in the same space; if I go into a room, he quietly follows. When I ask, "When did you get here?" it's always the same answer.

"A while ago."

With a face that says it doesn't matter when he arrived. It's the same when we sleep. He can't fall asleep unless he's holding my hand, wrapping an arm around me, or touching me somewhere. Even if I fall asleep first, when I open my eyes, at least one breath of his is always touching me. Someone might think I'm his security blanket.

It's even worse on days when he's upset or a bit tired. He hugs me first instead of speaking. Without reason or explanation. Now I know that's just his way. So when I heard the news of his business trip, I wasn't very anxious. I had the certainty that he was a person who wouldn't change even if we were far apart.

The problem was the day he was packing.

With his suitcase spread out in the living room, he was quieter than usual. I was lying on the bed with my eyes closed when I suddenly heard his low muttering.

"...If I do it right... you might actually fit."

At first, I thought he had too much luggage and was going to help him. But as soon as I realized the subject wasn't clothes but me, I bit my lip to keep from bursting into laughter. Eventually, after standing in front of the suitcase for a long time, he quietly closed it as if it wouldn't work.

I thought that was the end of it.

However, at a time when he should have been asleep long ago, the husband who usually has to sleep while hugging me was nowhere to be seen. When I looked for him, this man was secretly taking perfume from my vanity. My things had been disappearing one by one for a few days, and the culprit was right here.

I should have known from the moment he was seriously contemplating whether he could fit me in the suitcase. To think he'd end up silently stealing my perfume after keeping his mouth shut and not saying a word.

Watching that scene, I finally burst out laughing. Yes. I married this blunt man because I love these human moments of his.

But honey... if you're going to take something, at least say something. You're like... a stray cat or something...