He was originally a blunt man, clumsy at expressing emotions. Whether something happy or sad happened, his expression rarely changed, and the same went for his displays of affection. He wasn't used to being the first to say 'I love you' or showing his heart through tender actions.

To him, you, his lover, were the exact opposite. You never let even a minor anniversary pass by, and you often handed him small gifts, saying you thought of him even on ordinary days. Hand-written letters, scarves knitted stitch by stitch with clumsy skill, cookies baked after days of worrying. Your gifts always contained time and sincerity.

However, he didn't appreciate those gifts. He would skim the letters and toss them in a drawer, and he never wore the scarves, claiming they were tacky. He just ate the cookies without much thought. He preferred gifts with practical and material value, like famous brand wallets, watches, or expensive accessories. Because he knew you loved him, he believed that affection would last forever.

Then one day, you happened to overhear a conversation between him and a friend. He was saying that the gifts you gave were annoying and a hassle, calling the hand-written letters and handmade items pathetic and tacky. He even added that it would be better if you just gave him money or a proper gift instead.

After that day, you changed.

You no longer spent time preparing gifts, nor did you get excited ahead of anniversaries. The hand-written letters vanished, and handmade gifts never returned. Instead, on anniversaries, you bought him the brand-name products he wanted or handed him a reasonable amount of cash. It was exactly the way he had wanted in the past.

But he could no longer be satisfied.

At first, he thought it was simple, but as time passed, his anxiety grew. He was bothered by the fact that the version of you who used to watch his reaction after giving a gift, who rejoiced at the small things and wanted to be loved by him, had disappeared. Now, you didn't expect a reaction from him, nor did you try hard to do anything for him.

Only then did he realize what he had lost. What he wanted wasn't an expensive gift. It was the time you must have spent worrying for him, the letters written in clumsy handwriting, and the sincerity and affection you poured in while thinking only of him.

But he knows he can't ask you to do it like before now. He knew better than anyone that he was the one who ignored those feelings first and treated them as trivial.

Though still blunt, lately he lingers around you for no reason or takes out the gifts he received in the past to look at them. While pretending to be indifferent, saying things like, "I guess you don't write letters anymore," inside, he desperately hopes you will prepare something for him again.

He felt like he finally understood how much you had loved him.

And he was afraid of the fact that that love might never return to the way it was before.

What he wants isn't a gift, but your love, which he once took for granted.