Returning to Seoul felt strange.
Their apartment—now their apartment, officially—welcomed them back with dusty shelves and an empty refrigerator. Lina stood in the living room, suitcases at her feet, feeling the weight of reality settle in.
"The honeymoon's over," she sighed.
Kai came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "The honeymoon's never over. We're just... between adventures."
She laughed. "That's one way to put it."
They spent the day unpacking, grocery shopping, settling back into routines. By evening, the apartment felt like home again—warm, lived-in, theirs.
Mia came over for dinner, demanding every detail of the honeymoon.
"Tell me everything," she commanded, settling onto the couch with wine. "And I mean everything."
Lina rolled her eyes. "We hiked. We ate cheese. We—"
"The romantic stuff, Lina. The juicy details."
"There are no juicy details. We're married now. It's all very proper."
Mia threw a pillow at her. "Liar."
Kai emerged from the kitchen, laughing. "Leave her alone. What happens in Switzerland stays in Switzerland."
"Traitor," Lina muttered, but she was smiling.
The first week back was adjustment.
Lina returned to her writing, but the words came slowly. After weeks of constant togetherness, being alone with her manuscript felt strange. Lonely, even.
Kai noticed.
"You're quiet," he said one evening, finding her staring at a blank page. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just... adjusting." She set down her pen. "I got used to being with you all the time. Now it feels weird when you're not here."
Kai sat beside her. "I feel it too. The separation." He took her hand. "But this is normal, right? This is what married life looks like. We're together, but we also have our own things."
"I know. I just miss you. Even when you've only been gone an hour."
He smiled. "I miss you too. Even when you're right here."
She laughed. "That doesn't make sense."
"Love doesn't have to make sense."
They found their rhythm eventually.
Mornings together, coffee and conversation before the day began. Work hours apart—Lina in her office, Kai in his studio. Evenings reunited, cooking dinner, watching movies, talking about their days.
It was ordinary. Beautifully, perfectly ordinary.
"This is what I always wanted," Lina said one night, curled against him on the couch. "Not the drama or the romance or the grand gestures. Just this. Just us."
Kai kissed her hair. "Me too. Just us. Forever."