My Ex-Boyfriend is Sold Out

Chapter 30: The Childhood Friend Gets Matching Couple Rings with Her Boyfriend

* * *

“What am I supposed to do about this…”

Si-hyun stared in shock at his reflection in the mirror. His neck was covered with kiss marks, looking like a case of extreme hickies.

With this summer heat, there’s no way I can wear a scarf. How am I supposed to go out like this?

Contemplating rescheduling their outing, he approached Yerin, who was drying her hair, to discuss his dilemma. But her response caught him completely off guard.

“Hmm? Just go out as is. It’s fine, don’t you think?”

Si-hyun blinked, stunned. “Seriously? Everyone’s going to stare.”

“So what?” Yerin tapped lightly on his neck. “Now they’ll know you’re taken, so other girls won’t even think about looking.”

“…Huh.”

Embarrassed by her boundless affection, Si-hyun averted his gaze, scratching his cheek.

But he was adamant about not going out like this, so he murmured softly, “It might be fine for you, but there’s no way I’m going out like this.”

“Then let’s get our couple rings today!”

Si-hyun shrugged. “We’ll have to wait a few days until these marks fade before we can go anywhere.”

Yerin, however, shook her head firmly. They both were clueless about how to hide hickeys, so Yerin immediately began searching online.

“Ice pack… rubbing with coins… Huh, banana peels too?”

They found some bizarre suggestions.

“Guess it can’t be covered up right away.”

“Si-hyun, let’s just go like this, hmm?”

Si-hyun grimaced. Going out with Yerin already attracted plenty of attention, but sporting matching hickeys? That was sure to draw stares of both envy and judgment.

“No way. I’m not going out like this.”

Yerin’s eyes narrowed in disappointment, but she quickly brightened as she found a solution.

“It says here that if we apply a concealer close to your skin tone, it’ll barely show! I have some at home—I’ll go grab it real quick!”

Determined, she rushed off to retrieve the concealer without waiting for Si-hyun’s answer. She was back in no time, breathless but triumphant.

“If I put this on, you’ll come with me, right?”

Si-hyun sighed, resigned. “Alright.”

Relieved, Yerin followed the instructions, dabbing the concealer over the marks after rubbing with a coin and icing the area. Soon, the marks were barely visible.

Looks decent enough, Si-hyun thought.

With their rings as their destination, they finished getting ready and headed out.

* * *

Their destination was the bustling shopping district of Daegu Dongseong-ro.

Though Si-hyun had a few painful memories of this place with Chae-yeon, coming here often with Yerin had made it feel more familiar.

There was, however, something he couldn’t get used to.

“Hey! I saw you looking at that girl’s chest.”

“When did I—?!”

“When did you, my foot! I saw your eyes laser-beaming her way!”

Yerin’s stunning looks and figure often caused friction among nearby couples. Men would be mesmerized by her appearance, which often led their girlfriends to react jealously.

This happened with Chae-yeon, too.

As he recalled similar incidents from his past relationship, Yerin pinched his arm.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“No reason. I just… got a sudden bad feeling.”

Does she have some sixth sense for this or what? Si-hyun thought, breaking out in a nervous sweat. He quickly tried to change the subject.

“…So, you already know which store we’re going to, right?”

“Yep. It’s just around the corner.”

Following Yerin’s lead, they soon arrived at Daegu Jewelry and Second Rank Gems, a high-end jewelry shop.

The store was vast, nearly a hundred pyeong (around 3,300 square feet), with sleek marble floors and luxurious lighting.

“Wow,” Si-hyun murmured, looking around, “We’re going to be here a while.”

“Yeah… choosing something might actually be harder than finding something I like.”

Yerin’s observation was on point. The display cases were packed with a wide variety of rings—from simple silver bands to intricate gold ones adorned with gems.

As the two of them were debating where to start, a friendly store clerk approached.

“Hello, how can I help you today?”

“We’re looking for a couple ring.”

“Certainly! Would you like 14K or 18K gold?”

Caught off guard by the gold karat choices, Si-hyun glanced at Yerin. After a brief discussion, they chose 14K—both affordable and durable.

“Excellent. And which gold color would you like? We offer yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold.”

Choosing a couple ring was turning out to be more complicated than Si-hyun expected. He’d thought they’d just pick something they liked and be done with it, but there were so many choices.

“Yerin, maybe you should decide. I don’t know anything about this.”

“Alright, leave it to me.”

While Yerin chatted with the clerk about the details, Si-hyun wandered around the shop, browsing the other jewelry displays—necklaces, bracelets, and earrings gleamed under the lights.

Maybe I’ll come back here when I want to surprise her with a gift.

Once Yerin had finished talking with the clerk, she waved him over.

“Si-hyun, here are the rings I was considering. What do you think?”

Yerin had chosen rings in yellow gold, some simple and unadorned, and others with small gems set along the band. Luckily, her selections matched his taste perfectly.

“These all look good. I think we should try them on.”

“Already checked with the clerk! She said we can try them on as much as we want.”

With Yerin smiling eagerly, Si-hyun took her left hand and carefully slid a ring onto her finger.

Yerin beamed, admiring the ring on her finger. “This one’s beautiful. Give me your hand—I want to try one on you too.”

After trying on various rings and snapping a few photos together, Yerin finally chose a pair of rings with a small, clear gem set in the middle.

Next, they measured their ring sizes using a bit of paper around their fingers, marking it with a pen. Si-hyun’s size was 18, while Yerin’s was 13.

“All that’s left is to pay, right?”

“Looks like it.”

As they finalized the order, they requested initials to be engraved on the inside—K ♥ H. Once they picked up the rings, their initials would be etched into them forever.

Yerin left the store with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

Back at Si-hyun’s place, the two of them settled in. It was too hot outside, and their shopping had already taken a toll on their wallets.

After connecting to Netflix on the TV, Si-hyun browsed through the movies.

“Anything you feel like watching?”

“Something thrilling… with romance!”

A thrilling romance? Si-hyun thought back to the movie they’d watched together last time, No Boyfriend Left Behind.

Maybe she wants something similar?

Handed a dried squid snack by Yerin, Si-hyun tore off a piece, then settled on a choice: The Marriage War.

“Wow…”

As the tangled drama of infidelity unfolded on the screen, Yerin clicked her tongue at the villainous characters, but she seemed intrigued despite herself.

Meanwhile, Si-hyun, not particularly a fan of messy stories, closed his eyes, planning to take a quick nap, when—

Ding-dong~

The doorbell jolted him awake.

Who could that be…

Blinking blearily, Si-hyun tried to think. He hadn’t ordered any packages, and Yerin was sitting right next to him, so…

Could it… be Chae-yeon again?

Frozen in place, he barely registered Yerin’s question.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“Oh, um… probably just a package. They’ll leave it if I don’t answer.”

“What package?”

“…Protein powder.”

The lie stuck in his throat, but Si-hyun couldn’t let Yerin find out about Chae-yeon showing up.

“Protein powder? Then go get it before it spoils.”

“It won’t spoil right away. Let’s just finish the movie.”

Although Yerin looked slightly annoyed, she turned back to the TV, and Si-hyun sighed in relief. He was just praying the visitor would leave soon when—

Knock knock.

“Si-hyun? It’s me, Chae-yeon… can you open the door?”