The Pottery Studio Date – Part 2: The Glaze
Wife & Couples·EN·2 min read·Published 2026-11-07, updated 2026-11-07·Part 2 of 2
The bowl came out of the kiln a fortnight later.
They fetched it together on a Saturday morning, from the pottery studio. It sat in its tissue paper on the counter, gleaming softly in the sun: a pale, glossy celadon, the green of young bamboo, crackled with a web of hairline cracks. Its lip leaned a little to the left. It was perfect.
"It's beautiful," breathed Ji-eun.
"It's smug," said Daniel.
They carried it home on their laps in the taxi, wrapped in a scarf. That night, after their daughter had gone to bed, they put it in the middle of the kitchen table. Ji-eun cooked noodles: thin, hot, fragrant, with a clear broth and a soft egg. Daniel set the table with candles. They sat down opposite each other, with the lopsided bowl between them, steaming.
She spooned noodles into it. They ate from it together, chopsticks clicking, shoulders almost touching, looking at the bowl as one might look at a very clever child.
"It holds the soup," said Daniel.
"It holds it beautifully."
"It's the best bowl in Seoul."
"It's the only bowl in Seoul."
They laughed. The candles flickered. Outside, a light rain began to fall, soft against the window. The kitchen was warm and golden.
"I'd forgotten how much I like you," said Ji-eun, quietly.
"I'd forgotten that I do too."
"We should do this every year."
"We should do it every month."
She reached across the table and took his hand, slick with broth. He turned it over and kissed her knuckles.
"Can I ask you something?" said Daniel.
"Yes."
"May I kiss my wife? Over the bowl?"
"Yes," said Ji-eun. "And if I say stop, you must make me a cup."
"I'll make you a whole set."
He kissed her, slow and warm, tasting of sesame and broth, a hand rising to her sleek hair. She kissed him back with fourteen years of tenderness, leaning across the table. The bowl, undisturbed, steamed gently in the candlelight.
When they parted, both of them were smiling.
"Green?" he asked.
"Green," said Ji-eun. "Very green."
The bowl sits in the middle of their table every Sunday. It leans to the left. They have never tried to fix it.
More married couple romance: The Cruise · Couples Retreat · The Second Honeymoon
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