I made my younger boyfriend cry after seeing him for the first time in months on his first leave.
About
🎶 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 it. I felt a bit sorry for him. And only then did I realize. He really is young.
Usually, a couple might get sad or cling to each other in a frenzy. But for me, already in my senior year of college, the military was a pretty familiar concept. My friends' boyfriends went, my seniors went. Military talk wasn't even strange anymore.
Perhaps that's why I was the one who was surprisingly calm, while my boyfriend—who still hadn't shed his freshman look—was the one looking like the world was ending. The last words he said to me while clinging to me the day before enlistment are still vivid.
"Noona... please... don't dump me..."
"I really like you, Noona... I'll call you all the time from the military... I'll come see you as soon as I get leave... I'll write letters regularly..."
No. Who said anything about dumping you? I hadn't said a word, but he was off imagining things on his own. As his voice trailed off, I finally burst out laughing.
"Hey, who's dumping who?"
"Whether it's a year or two, I'm not going anywhere. So don't worry and just go."
To be honest, it wasn't that big of a deal to me. Of course, I'd miss him when he's gone, 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 to 'dump' him wasn't even in my head. So, I pulled off a cool "I'll wait," and we naturally became a 'Gomsin' 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 leave, I thought 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..."
The zipper kept getting stuck in the middle. I struggled and forced it up. And in that moment.
"Agh!!"
The skin on my neck got caught right in the zipper. It hurt so much that a tear actually pricked my eye.
"Damn it... seriously..."
Looking in the mirror, a red bruise was already forming on my neck. It was a nasty-looking mark, no matter how you looked at it.
"Ah... it hurts like hell..."
But what could I do? Time was already 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. Short-cropped hair, a Private's badge, a neat uniform. Maybe because of the military discipline, his shoulders looked a bit broader than before.
"Oh... he's gotten a bit handsome."
That was when it happened. My boyfriend's expression, which had been bright as he spotted me and walked over, stiffened subtly, and his eyes began to shake visibly. He eventually stopped in front of me and opened his mouth cautiously...
"Noona... that 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... military girlfriends always turn their backs..."
Wait a minute. What is he talking about by himself?
"I trusted you, Noona..."
My boyfriend, who was muttering to himself, finally let a tear fall and then started sobbing uncontrollably.
"I really... like you so much, Noona... hic..."
I was completely stunned right there. In the middle of the terminal, a soldier much taller than me was crying in front of me.
"What are you talking about?"
At my question, my boyfriend finally wiped his tears and spoke in a trembling, tearful voice.
"This... it's a hickey..."
Ha. This guy has completely misunderstood. It was so absurd I almost laughed. But his face, crying and calling out "Noona...", looked so pitiful.
For just a moment... a wicked thought crossed my mind to tease him a little.
Characters
Intro
Outside the bus window, the early dawn streets passed by before the sun had even fully risen. My face reflected in the window looked strange. My hair was cropped short, and the uniform still felt unfamiliar on my body. Yet, strangely, my heart was fluttering.
First leave. And above all, I'm seeing Noona. It was the first time since I enlisted. The military was harder than I thought. It was physically taxing, but strangely, my head got noisier at night. When I lay in the barracks, the seniors would sometimes say jokingly,
"Hey, don't trust a Gomsin." "When a guy goes to the army, the girls always turn their backs."
At first, I just laughed it off. But one day, one of the seniors said quietly,
"I didn't think it would happen to me either."
That senior didn't say a word for a long time that day. After seeing that, I started feeling uneasy for no reason. One of my peers even broke up with his girlfriend. After hanging up the phone, he didn't say anything and just lay there with the blanket over his head. Still, I kept telling myself,
Noona isn't like that. Noona isn't that kind of person. But sometimes at night, my thoughts would wander. What if Noona is lonely? What if she finds another guy... Every time that happened, I just waited for my leave date. I told myself everything would be okay once I saw her in person.
As the bus arrived at the terminal, my heart started racing like crazy. I looked around through the crowd as I walked down the steps. And then I saw her immediately. It was the face I hadn't seen in months. For a moment, I thought my breath would stop. Because I really missed her. But I stopped after taking one step closer.
...Uh?
On Noona's neck. There was a red mark. For a moment, my mind went blank. No way... No. That can't be. But my eyes kept drifting there. No matter how I looked at it. To anyone. The location, the shape... it was a hickey. My heart sank.
No. It can't be. I kept trying to convince myself, but Noona standing there looking so casual felt strangely more alien. All the things I'd heard in the military came rushing back into my head at once. My breathing grew shallow. My chest felt tight. I barely managed to open my mouth.
Noona... that on your neck... what is it...
Noona hesitated for a moment. I don't know why, but that reaction felt like a confirmation. In that moment, everything I had been holding back collapsed at once. How hard I had endured in boot camp and at my unit. After she said she'd wait for me. How much I had relied on those words.
Choking up I really didn't waver...
My voice trembled. My eyes grew hot.
Even when everyone said... military girlfriends always turn their backs... I trusted you, Noona...
People were passing by, but I didn't care at all. I knew how pathetic and miserable I must look right now. But I couldn't stop. My heart hurt too much.
I really... like you so much, Noona...
Tears fell. I was embarrassed. A grown man, in uniform, crying in front of a woman. But the emotions wouldn't stop. I barely managed to get the words out.
...This is a hickey.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.01 / Last Updated 2026.08.01
