episode_0078

Fortunately, the uncomfortable silence didn’t last long as they arrived at their destination, and the guy who got out of the car paid the driver.

“Thank you.”

The driver seemed to find the guy quite difficult due to his earlier remarks, and after taking the money, he awkwardly mumbled a farewell and turned to leave.

“Driver.”

The guy called out to the driver, who turned back towards them in surprise.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Oh, um… I’m sorry about earlier. I tend to get a bit sensitive when I drink.”

The driver, taken aback, responded with an awkward smile.

“Haha, it’s okay. I’ve dealt with much worse, so that was nothing. Haha.”

Despite looking young, it seemed like he had experienced a lot in life.

Well, being a substitute driver meant he was more likely to face rude customers who had been drinking.

“Anyway, I’ll be on my way now. Have a good time.”

With that, the driver bid farewell and walked away. Watching him for a moment, the guy then turned to me.

“Why did you do that earlier?”

As he questioned me, I followed him as he walked away without waiting for an answer.

– Ding!

As we entered the wine bar, the sound of the doorbell was refreshing. The glass doorbell, hanging on the door in contrast to the overall red wine-colored wallpaper, displayed a scenic view.

“Welcome.”

An older man who seemed to be the owner greeted us from behind the bar, and the guy took a seat at a table without responding.

Looking around the modern wine bar, I couldn’t help but admire how our neighborhood was evolving.

A young woman in her late twenties approached our table with the menu, waiting for our orders.

After browsing through the menu, we each ordered a wine that we liked.

“I’ll have a Longban Pinot Noir.”

“I’ll have a Diablo Carve Sauvignon, please.”

“Would you like any appetizers?”

I glanced at the guy, who gestured for me to choose.

“Let’s have a charcuterie platter.”

Although there were various options like gambas and steak on the menu, we had to watch our diet, so we compromised within a reasonable range.

“Alright, I’ll get that ready for you.”

After the waiter left with the menu, I asked him again.

“Now that we’re inside, tell me. Why did you do that earlier?”

He sighed deeply before responding.

“Dude, if you’re going to fool around, at least think about it first. Just because we’re classmates, does that mean we have to go out for a drink on a night like this? How do you think that driver saw us?”

When I thought about it, there was a certain image that came to mind when it came to class reunions.

The scene of an affair.

Especially at our age, there were plenty of guys who came out for that purpose, so it was highly likely that we looked like that to others.

“Ah… maybe that’s how it looked?”

“You were sitting right behind the driver, so you probably didn’t see it, but I could tell from the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror.”

“I see…”

I definitely acted recklessly. It was like a trial and error, overlooking the fact that I might come off as only interested in women to those around me.

“Anyway, let’s just brush it off since we’re just friends for now, but you should be careful. It seems like you haven’t synced up yet.”

“Well, how can I learn what other women have learned over almost 40 years in just 3 months? It’s trial and error. Trial and error.”

“I said it casually, waving my hand dismissively.

“Whatever, I understand.”

“And don’t you start with that too. Our daughter already nags us so much. Remember last week when we went down to Busan…”

As we chatted, the drinks and snacks arrived.

“So, I tried on a bikini. Can you believe it? How did the great Jung Dohyun end up like this?”

“Seriously. Oh, speaking of swimming, I went home today and took a walk with our son. Remember that old stream we used to play in? It brought back memories.”

“Oh, that place. It was nice. Now that we’re older, I wonder if our calves would still fit in there.”

“Why, do you remember when we said we’d cross that stream even if it flooded during the monsoon season?”

“Haha! I thought that kid was going to die, I was so scared.”

Whether it was the alcohol or just the joy of reminiscing after a long time, Nana and Cheolsu started recalling memories with a heightened sense of nostalgia.

“Ah, those were good times.”

“Indeed…”

After chatting about our school days for a while, we finally felt like we were at a reunion. Even though it was just Nana, Cheolsu, and me.

After a while, we fell silent, sipping our wine.

“Dohyun.”

Cheolsu called me in a somewhat sentimental tone.

“What?”

“Do we really have to get married?”

Was he feeling the aftermath of breaking up with his long-time girlfriend?

“Why, do you want to get married?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. It just feels like something I should do, not necessarily something I want to do.”

Our generation still has this sense that getting married is the norm, so I could understand his dilemma. But even I could see that he was quite distant from the idea of marriage. He seemed like a free spirit, and I couldn’t just tell him what to do.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. Your own opinion is the most important, no matter what others say, right?”

As I said that, he chuckled and said, “It’s funny hearing that from you. You used to be like a patriarchal figure.”

Well, marrying at the age of 23 in my second year of college, killing my dreams, and being consumed by the role of a husband, I wasn’t in a position to say such things.

But…

“Now that I’ve realized it was wrong, I can confidently give advice, right?”

“Ah, I see… Haha!”

With a slightly intoxicated gaze, Cheolsu looked at me and chuckled again.

“Why did you get married? I mean, what made you want to marry that woman?”

The reason I decided to get married…

“She got pregnant.”

To explain how I ended up marrying my ex-wife, we first met in the university club. She was famous in the club for being a queen bee, so I didn’t have much interest in her. There were also some rumors about her having a strong preference for women.

Anyway, one day, she approached me first. She asked if I wanted to meet her since I was good-looking.

Of course, I wasn’t interested at first, so I kept rejecting her, but she persistently followed me, and I continued to reject her.

At that time, we had regular club meetings every week, followed by dinner gatherings. Both she and I attended the club meetings regularly and almost always participated in the dinner gatherings. And as we continued to see each other, a strange affection began to grow.

One day, after a company dinner, we both got wasted and lost our minds.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a strange ceiling. She was lying next to me naked.

But I still didn’t feel like I had to date this woman, so I just awkwardly kept my distance.

“Oppa, I’m pregnant.”

That statement seemed decisive.

I don’t know if I loved her, but strangely, the idea of having my own child made me feel responsible.

“Then let’s get married.”

And so, at the young age of 22, I got married.

After finishing my explanation, I chuckled as I left.

“Hmph! This guy is totally clueless. Haha!”

“Yeah, looking back now, I don’t know what possessed me to come to that conclusion.”

Did I ever love her? Well… thinking about it, hmm… it didn’t start with love, but in the end, we spent 17 years together. I don’t think we could have maintained that kind of life without love.

“Hey, isn’t that more of an emotional conclusion rather than an inductive one?”

“Maybe… is it?”

“Haha, what a guy. The guy who’s been around the longest always gives the most convoluted answers.”

“Well… it’s not a problem with a definite answer. By the way, what’s the real reason? Are you really scared of night work?”

I can’t give an objective evaluation, but still, he’s physically the most capable among us, so it can’t be that he’s unable to perform. There must be a real reason, so I asked subtly.

“Sigh… I don’t know. He kept wanting to get married, but I wasn’t sure. This person is the one I have to marry. If it’s not this person, it won’t work. So I kept postponing it, and I guess he knew. Of course, he must have known. If you have any sense. So he brought it up first. He said he had met someone else. He wanted to break up.”

“What a jerk.”

“Hmph!”

I couldn’t help but curse in that moment. Well, I went through that pain too, so I guess I empathized.

“Even if he had met someone else, isn’t it disrespectful to act like nothing happened after breaking up?”

“Well, that was my own form of revenge. Anyway, when he asked to break up, how did you feel? I actually felt relieved. So I just agreed. And then he started blaming me.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

I said as I handed him a glass.

“Should I do it too?”

-Clank!

The clear sound of glasses clinking echoed.

“For a shitty life.”

“Haha, yeah. For a shitty life.”