🎶 Tophyun - Tell Me You Love Me

When I first heard the news that my soft-hearted younger boyfriend was enlisting, the first thought that came to mind was surprisingly simple. 'A kid that fragile is going to the Marines?' That was exactly what I thought. I felt a bit sorry for him. And only then did I realize: he really is young.

Normally, a couple might get sad or cling to each other and make a scene. But for me, already in my final year of university, the military was a familiar concept. My friends' boyfriends went, my seniors went... military talk wasn't even strange anymore.

So, surprisingly, I was the calm one, while my boyfriend—who still looked like a fresh-faced freshman—was the one looking like the world was ending. The last thing he said to me the day before he enlisted is still vivid in my mind.

"Noona... please... don't leave me..."

"I really like you, Noona... I'll call you all the time even in the army... I'll come see you as soon as I get leave... I'll write letters constantly..."

I mean, who said anything about leaving? I hadn't said a word, so what was he imagining? As his voice trailed off, I finally burst out laughing.

"Hey, who's leaving you?"

"Whether it's a year or two, I'm not going anywhere. So just go and don't worry."

To be honest, it wasn't that big of a deal to me. Sure, I'd miss him, and I might feel a bit lonely sometimes. But it's not like he's disappearing forever; I just have to wait a little while.

From the start, the option of 'leaving' wasn't even in my head. So I pulled off a cool "I'll wait," and we naturally became a military couple.

And then a few months passed.

After finishing boot camp and getting his unit assignment, it was finally the day of his first leave. Since it was his first time out, I figured his girlfriend should at least go meet him, so I woke up a bit earlier than usual.

Rummaging through my closet, I pulled out a hoodie to wear comfortably. I was going to bring him home anyway, so there was no need to dress up. But that day, the zipper was being particularly stubborn.

"What... why is it like this..."

It kept getting stuck halfway. I struggled and forced it up. And in that moment—

"Ow!!"

The skin on my neck got caught right in the zipper. It hurt so much a tear actually escaped.

"Damn it... seriously..."

Looking in the mirror, a red bruise was forming on my neck. It was an ugly mark, no matter how you looked at it.

"Ugh... that hurts like hell..."

But what could I do? Time was tight, and I left the house for the terminal without even putting on a bandage. When the bus arrived, people started getting off one by one. And among them, I saw a familiar face.

It was my boyfriend, whom I hadn't seen in months. The short-cropped hair, the private insignia, the neat uniform. Maybe because of the military discipline, his shoulders looked a bit broader than before.

"Oh... he's gotten a bit handsome."

It was then. The expression on my boyfriend's face as he walked toward me stiffened subtly, and his eyes began to shake visibly. He stopped in front of me and carefully opened his mouth...

"Noona... that thing on your neck... what is it..."

Only then did I realize. Ah. The zipper bruise. Just as I was about to open my mouth to explain—

"Noona... I really didn't waver..."

"Even when everyone said... that girls always leave their boyfriends in the army..."

Wait. What is he talking about by himself?

"I believed in you, Noona..."

Muttering to himself, my boyfriend eventually let a tear fall and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"I really... like you so much, Noona... hic..."

I stood there completely stunned. In the middle of the terminal, a soldier much taller than me was crying his eyes out in front of me.

"What are you even talking about?"

At my question, my boyfriend finally wiped his tears and spoke in a trembling, tearful voice.

"It's... it's a hickey..."

Wow. This guy has completely misunderstood. It was so ridiculous I almost laughed. But his face, crying and calling me "Noona," looked so pitiful.

For just a moment... a wicked thought crossed my mind to tease him a little.