Chapter 01
Back to That Day (1)
As the bell rang, Cha Jihoo answered the phone.
“This is Attorney Kim Seokhoon. The court has accepted the divorce petition.”
“Yes? I understand. Thank you for your hard work.”
After finishing the call, he leaned back against the sofa and let out a long sigh.
“So I’m finally free…”
He was now officially a divorcee. He hadn’t wanted to go to trial, but his wife had flatly refused a mutual agreement, leaving him with no other choice.
As he closed his eyes for a moment, the phone rang again. This time, it was his wife. Or rather, should he now call her his “ex-wife”?
‘….’
Cha Jihoo didn’t answer the call. It was obvious they’d just repeat their respective positions and exchange harsh words.
A moment later, a text message arrived.
[Why aren’t you answering? Did it really have to come to this? Feel better now? Don’t you feel sorry for the kids? Are you even their father?]
Just as expected.
“Not a single word of apology or regret, as always.”
He clicked his tongue. He no longer felt any sadness or anger. Those feelings only existed when there was still a sliver of expectation or affection left. Cha Jihoo had already realized that he had lost emotional connection not only with his wife but also with his two children, and had given up. So he had no expectations left.
‘Maybe it was my fault for letting them go so easily back then.’
Six years ago, when his wife suggested sending the kids to the U.S. for their education, Cha Jihoo hadn’t readily agreed. Perhaps he had sensed that something like this might happen. But his wife, Ahn Jiyeon, wouldn’t budge, and the kids strongly wanted it too. In the end, Cha Jihoo had no choice but to agree, and that was how the family was torn apart.
Not long after the three of them moved to the U.S., the pandemic hit. Because of that, Cha Jihoo couldn’t see his wife and kids for over two years. When he finally took time off and managed to visit them in the U.S., his wife and children greeted him not with warmth or joy, but with awkwardness and distance.
‘I thought maybe they were just struggling with life in America.’
Throughout his years as a “goose father,” Cha Jihoo worked like crazy and sent every penny he earned to the U.S. The money his wife demanded kept increasing, and to keep up, he had to cut his living expenses to the bone. Still, he endured, telling himself it was only natural for him to bear that burden as a husband and father. Yet the amount his wife demanded grew exponentially. The reasons given were the increasing costs of food, clothing, and shelter as the kids grew older, and the rapidly rising cost of living.
‘Even considering all that, it was hard to keep up even with my salary from a major corporation…’
Eventually, Cha Jihoo applied for the early retirement package offered by his company and used part of that money to cover the expenses.
The problem came after that. Cha Jihoo used the remaining money to start a small business, but it only did well in the beginning and soon failed. He worked himself to the bone, sacrificing sleep, but ended up with losses and had to close down. After that, he even had to sell his house and move to a smaller monthly-rent place.
His body and mind were both worn down. And to make matters worse, Cha Jihoo was suddenly diagnosed with lung cancer. There was no doubt that his overwork had been the cause.
He informed his wife of this and asked her to come back. But even knowing her husband was ill, his wife refused to return.
– I’m sorry you’re sick, but that’s realistically difficult. You know this is the most important time for the kids. I’ll try to come over for a short visit soon, and we can talk more then. These days, cancer has a high recovery rate, so you should be fine if you get proper treatment.
Cha Jihoo wondered if this woman really was his wife. Even the kids, who must have heard about their father’s situation, never called him even once.
‘Isn’t it only right to come running if your husband or father is dying of an illness? Can you even call this a family?’
A sense of disillusionment set in, and from that point on, his heart began to grow cold.
Fortunately, the lung cancer diagnosis turned out to be a misdiagnosis, but he didn’t tell his wife that fact.
Cha Jihoo decided to stop being their ATM. The series of events had taught him a great deal. He canceled his life insurance and started sending money only as far as his circumstances allowed.
Naturally, his wife raised a huge fuss about not having enough money. But she had no choice when her husband said the money was needed for his cancer treatment.
Then one day, Cha Jihoo received a call from his cousin who lived in the U.S.
– You need to get your wife under control.
– What are you talking about?
– She’s been spotted frequently at pubs lately. I saw her myself last night.
– A pub? You mean a bar?
– Yeah. She seemed pretty close to some white guy. Looked like she’d had quite a bit to drink. Do you two talk on the phone often?
Rage boiled up inside him. He was working himself to the bone—two jobs, three jobs—skimping on food to save money and send it to the U.S., while his wife was out drinking. The woman who’d whined about being busy day and night taking care of the kids was going out drinking with other men—and getting seen doing it. That was simply not normal behavior. On top of that, rumors reached him that her spending was anything but modest. In the end, it turned out that a considerable portion of the money he’d sent had been used for things other than the kids’ education.
‘No wonder the amounts seemed excessively high.’
He felt resentful. A sense of betrayal engulfed him. They say people don’t change. In fact, her tendency to be drawn to men and money was something he’d experienced even when they were dating.
He and his wife Ahn Jiyeon had started as work colleagues, developing feelings during their OJT and beginning a relationship. It was an unintentional office romance. But when he got promoted to assistant manager, she had once broken up with him. Cha Jihoo, who truly loved her at the time, had asked her to take some time and reconsider, and she eventually came back a few months later. He later learned that she had been involved with the manager of her team for a while. But when she found out that manager had a fiancée, they broke up, and she returned to Cha Jihoo.
‘I should have broken up with her back then.’
What use is regret now? In the end, the lesson he learned is that the world only lets kind-hearted people take all the losses. Ah, and one more thing: people don’t change.
‘I really can’t do this anymore.’
Cha Jihoo’s anger finally exploded. Deciding that the marriage could no longer continue, he hired a private investigator to gather evidence of his wife’s private life and infidelity, and then filed for divorce.
The court accepted his petition, citing the proven adultery, the fact that she had not entered Korea even once in six years and had completely neglected her husband, and the one-sided financial burden placed on him.
‘Ha…’
Cha Jihoo felt a hollowness about the years that had passed. It wasn’t that he hadn’t known this might happen when he decided on divorce, but still, having his precious youth completely negated made him feel as if a hole had been punched through his chest. He had gained freedom and relief, but lost his family and memories. It wouldn’t be easy to handle. But still, somehow living on—that’s just life, isn’t it?
‘If I hadn’t taken early retirement just for a lump sum, I’d still be at that good company…’
Regret and lament won’t change history.
He slowly put on his clothes and left the house, heading to the convenience store. He had been working there for six months now.
“Good job.”
“Take care.”
After switching shifts with the part-timer from the previous shift, Cha Jihoo threw himself into his work. Moving his body was the best way to get rid of distracting thoughts.
Several calls and texts came in, but he didn’t answer them. They were from his wife—no, his ex-wife.
After finishing work, he headed home. He normally would have gone straight to do his designated driving job, but today his mind was too troubled. He felt that driving in this state might lead to an accident.
He bought some beer at the convenience store in front of his house and went in, drinking instead of eating dinner. While working, he had managed to keep the thoughts at bay, but now that he was alone at home, his chest felt heavy.
‘I’m truly alone now.’
In fact, for the past six years, he hadn’t been truly alone. Maybe it had been the same even before that. If you think about how everyone ultimately lives their life alone, there’s nothing to be sad or pitiful about. Yet, now that he was legally completely separated from his wife and children, he couldn’t help feeling as if the world had become empty. To pull himself together and find the strength to move on, he would clearly need some time. As thick as the lost time was, the recovery period would inevitably be long as well.
“The alcohol isn’t even kicking in.”
Maybe his liver was strong because he didn’t indulge much in drinking and partying, but canned beer had no effect on him. Just as he was thinking he should switch from beer to soju, his phone rang. He was about to ignore it, but this time it was his best friend, Park Minsu.
– Are you working?
“No, I took the day off.”
– Oh, really? Then you’re free now?
“Why?”
– I’m near your place. Perfect timing. Let’s have a drink.
He didn’t really feel like it, but he had been putting Minsu off because of his own situation, so he felt a bit guilty and agreed this time. Cha Jihoo arrived at the meeting spot first.
“My companion will be here soon. We’ll order then.”
On the TV, an overseas news segment was playing. It was about a princess ascending to the throne in a European principality called “Mohena.” It was said to be the first time in the country’s history that a queen had become the monarch. Cha Jihoo’s ears perked up.
“Mohena!”
That place, boasting a naturally blessed environment embracing the Mediterranean Sea. Although it was a tiny country only a fraction of the size of Seoul, it was a nation that attracted wealthy people from all over the world. Cha Jihoo had been captivated by the beautiful scenery of that small country for some time. So much so that he had looked up various photos and videos of it, and even studied its history and environment on his own.
“I always wanted to go there someday. Now that I’m completely free, maybe I should take this chance to go?”
As much as he wanted to leave right away and start a new life there, traveling was one thing, but living there was a dream he could barely entertain. With the high cost of living and real estate prices, unless you were very wealthy, acquiring a house and residency there was no easy feat.
“Hey! Long time no see.”
“You’re here?”
“Man, it’s so hard to see your busy face.”
“Sorry. Trying to make a living, you know. I’ll treat you generously today.”
“Really? Haha, never mind. Like you have the spare cash, you’re struggling too. I’m in a similar spot, but at least I’m probably less burdened than you. I’ll get this.”
“I’m less strapped now, so let me pay.”
“What do you mean? Less strapped?”
“I got divorced. Officially. I’m a single man now.”
“…..What?”
Park Minsu’s eyes, not particularly large to begin with, widened as much as they possibly could.
