Chapter 02
Back to That Day (2)
“Are you confusing today with April Fool’s Day or something? It’s not fun to lie when we haven’t seen each other in a while.”
As expected, Park Minsu didn’t believe Cha Jihoo’s words. Since he had only known their marriage to be harmonious, the sudden news of divorce was bound to be shocking.
“It’s true. I got divorced.”
“That’s… no way. Why on earth?”
“Well, it just happened. You get married, you get divorced—it’s all part of life. Here, have a drink.”
Cha Jihoo, who hadn’t been satisfied with beer anyway, started pouring soju down his throat.
“Drink slowly. I understand how you feel, but you need to take care of your health at times like this.”
“You’re the one who should drink less. Don’t go making your wife worry.”
“To be honest, my situation isn’t great either. The kids are still far from grown, and I don’t make that much money. Their mother has a lot of complaints. Maybe that’s why things seem to be getting more distant between us. It’s really not easy, this marriage thing.”
“We all want different things, and our standards are different too. But still, man, at least you’re living together, bumping into each other. That’s something.”
“Bumping into each other? We’ve been sleeping in separate rooms for ages.”
“Separate rooms? Why separate rooms?”
“We had one big fight and that was it. When the oldest moved into the dorm, she quickly brought a bed into that room and settled in there.”
“Still, just living under the same roof is a big deal. Just know that, and make some compromises. Live well.”
He’d offered some advice, but then realized he wasn’t in a position to worry about others and let out a bitter chuckle.
The drinking session between the two grew more lively, and as the alcohol took effect, Cha Jihoo’s heavy heart began to soften.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“What am I planning? Now that I’m single, I’ll just live freely and enjoy myself.”
“Pfft.”
“What’s with that reaction?”
“Your words are free, but your face doesn’t show that at all.”
“Is that so? Well, the sudden change is a bit overwhelming.”
“But, setting your wife aside, what about the kids? Are you just giving up?”
“Ha… They don’t have any affection for me anymore. I know that living apart has faded our bond, but still, I’m their father. It was really hurtful and heartbreaking.”
Park Minsu didn’t know what to say to comfort his friend in such a pitiful situation.
“When you don’t live together for a long time, I guess that can happen. Even with my kids, who I live with, there are days we don’t exchange a single word.”
“Ha…”
“Honestly, hearing what you’ve been through, I completely understand how you feel. I’d have done the same. Now that it’s come to this, you just have to look forward. Hang in there, my friend.”
“I’ll try. Just as not everyone can be satisfied with their past lives, I’ll think of myself as one of those cases. The fortunate thing is that I’m still young enough to have strength left, so I’ll try my best.”
“Who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone else nice.”
“No way. I’m done with women. Even if I were born again, even if I went back to the past, I’d not only refuse marriage—I’d refuse dating too. I’m really sick of women now.”
“I’m still living with mine, but honestly, I feel the same as you. In my next life, I’m living alone. Haha.”
Though he was drunk, Cha Jihoo’s words were sincere. If he could go back to before he got married, he would break up with his current wife immediately. Looking back now, his marriage to her was nothing but regret.
Of course, he didn’t mean to place all the blame on his wife. He was the one who chose her, and he was the one who agreed to let her and the kids go to America.
What was unfair and heartbreaking, though, was their attitude—never appreciating his sacrifices and love as a husband and father, simply taking it all for granted.
‘Isn’t that just basic human decency? If I’m wrong, then this world is seriously messed up.’
He didn’t care if they called him a pushover. He believed that just as he gave to them naturally because they were family, they should also give to him naturally in return. But that expectation had now been crushed.
Having his roles as a husband and father negated meant that all those years of marriage and parenting had been uprooted entirely. In the end, a precious part of his own life had been cleanly erased. He had lived diligently and faithfully for his family, and to face this outcome was nothing but unfair and futile.
Unlike the beer that hadn’t felt like he’d drunk anything, soju quickly went to his head. Mentally exhausted and drinking for the first time in a while, Cha Jihoo began to feel tired.
“Minsu, let’s call it a night. I think I’m too drunk.”
“Ha, it is late. Let’s go. Oh, by the way, do you remember that time?”
“What time?”
“When we went on that trip to Japan together.”
“Japan trip?”
“Yeah. Back when you were a rookie at your company, you finally got your first vacation and we went on that trip together.”
“Ah, that’s right. Of course I remember!”
It was a time when he had been working non-stop after miraculously landing a job in the marketing team of Samel Electronics, one of the country’s top conglomerates. He had been so proud to get into such a coveted company when others struggled just to find a job. He had buried himself in work until his team leader convinced him to finally take his first long-overdue vacation. At the time, he was dating his soon-to-be wife, but they couldn’t take overlapping vacations, so Cha Jihoo went on a 3-night, 4-day trip to Japan with his best friend Park Minsu.
“It was short but fun. It was my first time abroad, so everything felt even more amazing.”
“Same here. But besides that, do you remember those girls we met by chance? The ones we got to know because you found their phone and wallet.”
“Yeah, right, that’s right. That happened.”
“She was really pretty. Especially that blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. She said she was an American college student. A total beauty. She had a sort of Asian vibe too, you know.”
The memory of that short episode in his life came back to Cha Jihoo’s mind.
As Park Minsu said, the white female student was unrealistically beautiful. Calling her just “pretty” would almost be an insult. She had an aura of purity, elegance, and sophistication that surrounded her like a halo.
Honestly, he wondered if there was any man who wouldn’t have fallen for her at first sight.
‘The fact that she’s still so vividly imprinted in my memory says it all.’
His friend poured soju into Cha Jihoo’s empty glass and continued to reminisce.
“Since you’re good at English, you talked with her a lot. That girl seemed to have a thing for you, Jihoo. Haha.”
“She had no interest in me…”
“No, really. She asked you, remember? If you had a girlfriend.”
“You remember that?”
“I don’t know. It just suddenly came to me, haha. I wonder why it’s so clear.”
“She was probably just grateful that I helped her out of an awkward situation. Honestly, with looks like that, there’s no way she didn’t have a man. Especially a Western girl.”
“Guess your face is the type Westerners like. Honestly, I’m a bit jealous, but you are handsome and have this strangely attractive vibe about you.”
“Are you drunk? That’s nonsense.”
“Anyway, that was a great time. Those days were full of romance. Ah, I wish I could go back. Back to that youthful time.”
“Man, you’re ridiculous. Come on, let’s get up. Unless you want to see me staggering around, let’s call it a night.”
“Alright. Please cheer up.”
“The world hasn’t collapsed. Don’t worry.”
After seeing Park Minsu off to the subway station, Cha Jihoo returned home. Fortunately, the fresh air seemed to have sobered him up a little.
‘Right. That’s right. I had those youthful, romantic days too.’
College days were good, but Cha Jihoo remembered his early career days more fondly. It was a time when he gained confidence in his future and felt a sense of self-affirmation.
‘It’s really strange. Like Minsu said, I can vividly remember that American girl’s face too. Heh.’
She really had asked him. If he had a girlfriend. It was during his passionate time with Ahn Jiyeon, so of course he answered yes. He couldn’t recall what her expression was at that moment. He just remembered parting ways without exchanging any contact information. He’d thought of it as a fleeting encounter, but for some reason, a lingering regret had stayed with him for a long time, and he still didn’t know why.
‘Do you think she was really interested in me, like Minsu said?’
Cha Jihoo then let out a hollow laugh at himself.
‘Haha, I’m being ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense that such a beautiful, aristocratic Western girl would be interested in me. Now I’m really having all sorts of random thoughts. Anyway, that Minsu, sometimes he says the most absurd things.’
Cha Jihoo trudged back home. As usual, it was immersed in quietness, silence, and darkness. He turned on the light, opened the fridge, gulped down some water, and flopped onto the sofa without even showering. Alcohol really did help sometimes. It had the remarkable ability to push away painful feelings and thoughts, if only for a while.
“Ha…”
On his first official night as a single man, Cha Jihoo fell into a deep sleep, aided by the alcohol.
How much time had passed?
Cha Jihoo began to wake up, feeling someone shaking his arm.
“…..?”
But something was strange. He could hear noisy, bustling sounds in his ears. The atmosphere was completely out of place for his home.
‘What is this? Did I fall asleep with the TV on?’
Then, a voice came from beside him.
“Hey, Jihoo. What are you doing?”
“…..?”
“Man, you must have been really tired. Were you just dozing off while sitting there?”
Cha Jihoo slowly opened his eyes. In an instant, he jolted awake in surprise.
‘What the hell is this? I was definitely back home, asleep…?’
But no. He was in a bar, surrounded by people. What was even more astonishing was the person sitting next to him. It was Park Minsu!
‘What is this? How on earth did this happen?’
Before he could even process the situation, something else shocked him—his friend’s appearance.
‘What the hell? Why does this guy suddenly look so young?’
It wasn’t the same Park Minsu he’d just been drinking with. His hair was noticeably fuller and thicker, and his skin looked completely different. In short, he seemed to have “rejuvenated.”
‘Wha, what is this….’
Even the bar itself was strange. It wasn’t the meat restaurant where he’d met his friend after his convenience store shift and downed several bottles of soju. The menu board on the wall had Japanese writing, and the voices around him weren’t in Korean.
“Are you okay, Cha Jihoo? You awake? You barely drank anything, so you’re not drunk, are you?”
Cha Jihoo finally pulled himself together and asked his friend one thing.
“Hey, friend. Um, what year is it today?”
“Man, you’re ridiculous. What year? It’s 2010.”
“What? Two…thousand…ten?”
“Ugh, what’s wrong with you? You’re scaring me for no reason? If you’ve suddenly got dementia on our trip to Japan, I’m leaving you behind. Figure it out yourself.”
Oh my god.
‘Did I… go back in time?’
