Sixty

That day he struggled to wake her up before he left for work. That was probably the earliest time she ever woke in her life. He could tell by all the whining and kicking. She asked him to wake her so she could study early in the morning.

Despite the colorful vocabulary she used, she was fully awake and kissing him before he left their bedroom. He told her he was going to take a very long time at work and that she should have dinner and sleep without him. This time, she couldn’t visit him at work either since they’d both be very busy.

He heard a noise upstairs; she apparently had an accident with the massive pile of book she was carrying. He chuckled as he buttoned up his vest.

On his way to the kitchen, he passed by her study table. That was the only area of their house she would never touch, as ironic as that seemed. Her studying was limited to their bed, the sofa and the carpet. That’s why he knew it would be the best place to keep the item from two months ago.

Two months ago

He knew his mother’s taste. She dragged him to malls all the time when he was younger, just like his Suzy does right now. That’s why he imagined he could manage to buy her a beautiful piece for mother’s day. He settled on a mint green shirt, just the right size for her. It was very beautiful. He showed it to Suzy when he got back home and was surprised that her reaction was a face palm. 

It turned out that there was some sort of a universal rule he wasn’t aware of, which stated that when you buy clothes for a woman, you have to buy the tiniest size available, even though it’s clearly not her size. She tried to explain it to him but simply gave up when he didn’t understand and told him that’s just the way it is.

That’s why he came to a custom of bringing a lady along whenever he wanted to shop for another one.

That was also why he set his alarm for 4 am that day, stole her mobile, called Hyo Ri at an unearthly hour and told her to get dressed, then drove to her home. She was still in her pajamas, with a very horrified expression when he arrived, but she was cooing over him in no time as soon as he told her the news. He needed a woman for the shopping that day.

It was a very special day of his life, a very, very special day. That day he was going to buy a ring, an engagement ring.  

He figured her best friend was the safest option to get one that fits her taste.