Chapter 03
Back to That Day (3)
Cha Jihoo frantically looked around. He couldn’t believe that the “regression” he had only seen in novels or dramas had actually happened to him. But the surroundings left him no choice but to accept it as fact.
‘Right! This is definitely that time. When I went to Japan with Minsu!’
He quickly grasped the situation and accepted reality.
“Hey, have a drink and wake up. The girls should be back from the bathroom soon. Don’t tell me they just left?”
Park Minsu poured Cha Jihoo a drink while constantly glancing toward the hallway.
“…Girls? What girls?”
“Ah, you’re really in a bad state. The American college girls whose phone and wallet you found—surely you haven’t forgotten that we came here with them?”
“Ha, so this is that time?”
Of all the days, why did he have to come back to this exact moment? Could there be some meaning to it?
“What are you talking about. Ah, they’re coming! I thought they’d left, but thank goodness.”
Cha Jihoo turned around and saw two women approaching. They were exactly those American college students he had met during his Japan trip back then.
‘That’s right. It was them.’
Cha Jihoo vividly recalled the scene from fifteen years ago as if it were yesterday. They sat down across from the two men. The student sitting directly across from him, smiling—her beauty was dazzling.
‘She really is beautiful!’
The girl Park Minsu had pulled out from his memory during their last drinking session in his previous life was now sitting right in front of him. It felt like he was dreaming.
“Um, excuse me…”
Soon, the angel sitting across from him looked at him with gentle eyes and asked.
“…..?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
To her question, Cha Jihoo answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“No, I don’t!”
It was the opposite of the answer he had given in his previous life. It was both an expression of his determination not to marry Ahn Jiyeon in this life and part of his effort to change the future.
Instantly, her face lit up brightly.
This time, Cha Jihoo asked.
“And you?”
“I don’t have one either.”
“It’s hard to believe that someone as pretty and beautiful as you doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
“I really don’t. I guess I’m picky. Um, I’d like to visit Korea someday. If I contact you then, could we meet?”
“Of course. Come anytime. I’ll point out all the hot spots and be your guide.”
“Wow, great! I’ll definitely go! Honestly, I’d love to go right now, but school’s about to start. I’ll contact you when I can.”
Cha Jihoo and she exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. The student’s name was “Claire.”
‘That’s right, I remember her name now.’
The strikingly beautiful college student’s name was Claire Belford. Surprisingly, she said she didn’t use social media. Most typical American college students would have at least one account, but maybe it was because it was still 2010.
“It’s gotten quite late. I think we should be going.”
The woman sitting next to Claire, who seemed to be her senior, gave her a hint, and they both stood up.
“Thank you again for helping us out of that difficult situation. By the way, when are you two heading back to Korea?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
“We’re leaving tomorrow morning too. Then I hope we can see each other again.”
“Yes! Good luck to you!”
“Bye!”
After they left the bar, Park Minsu, who had moved to the seat across from him, caught Cha Jihoo’s eye.
‘Wow, look how young this guy is. Fifteen years makes such a difference. I must look young too, right?’
It really sunk in that he had regressed.
“Park Minsu. What are you staring at? Did you fall for me?”
“You crazy bastard. But why did you say that?”
“Say what?”
“What was her name again? That student?”
“Claire.”
“Right. When Claire asked you if you had a girlfriend, I thought you’d definitely say yes. But you sly bastard, you said no?”
“I said no because there isn’t one.”
“What? Are you crazy? If I tell on you, your wife will kill you. Can you handle that?”
“You’re not the one who’ll tell, and besides, ‘wife’ my ass.”
“…What? This guy’s lost it. What’s wrong with you today? Did you fight with Jiyeon?”
“Never mind that. Let’s just drink more. It’s nice having warm sake for a change.”
“Weren’t you tired? You were spacing out earlier.”
“No, I’m so full of energy I could die. I feel incredibly alive!”
Right in the middle of his life, when it felt like a bullet had blown a hole right through it, regression came to him. He had thought his life was a failure, but now he was given another chance to live again. Just that alone made his heart race with excitement, and his physical condition felt completely different.
‘Why do I feel so light? It’s only fifteen years, not thirty or forty, but the difference in feeling is this huge. Well, this was long before I started destroying my health playing the role of an ATM.’
Until his early thirties, his stamina and body had been more than excellent. But after early retirement, juggling a business and three jobs, his health hit rock bottom. Not only was he chronically sleep-deprived, but there were times when a few hours of catnaps over several days was all he got. Even a naturally robust person would find it hard to endure such grueling treatment.
‘From now on, I need to value myself and take good care of my body.’
He should also moderate his drinking, but for today, he wanted to let loose. He had seized the chance to set right his horrendous previous life. It was a more precious and joyful day than even getting into college or landing a job at a major conglomerate.
The next day, Cha Jihoo boarded the flight back to Korea with Park Minsu.
“Jihoo, how was the trip?”
“Well, it was decent enough.”
“Was it good that we came?”
“Yeah.”
“There were some parts that were different from what I expected, but still, I think it wasn’t bad. I’d like to look around more next time. Let’s do that if we get the chance.”
“Sure.”
“But, do you think that girl will contact us? Really?”
“Who?”
“Who else. That American girl. C…Claire, right?”
“She won’t. She was just saying that because she was grateful. She’ll have completely forgotten we exist before she even gets back to the U.S.”
“I guess so. Why would a Western girl go out of her way to look up some Asian guy who isn’t even a student her age? Especially a girl that pretty. American guys must be swarming all over her. Still, you are a handsome guy, so I think you’ve got a shot. Her gaze toward you was pretty warm, you know.”
“You were just scolding me for saying I didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Oh, right. Gotta watch my mouth if I don’t want your wife to kill me. If she’d been Japanese, maybe you could have seen her again. Kind of a shame she’s from a country so far away, geographically and ethnically.”
Park Minsu smacked his lips. The girl was interested in his friend, yet he seemed even more intrigued. Cha Jihoo was also drawn to her, but he dismissed it as just a small incident during an overseas trip. More importantly, he had to adapt to the reality of having regressed.
Arriving at Gimpo Airport, the two headed to their respective homes.
“Alright, see you later.”
“Yeah. Get home safe.”
Instinctively heading toward the house he had lived in as a “goose father” before his regression, Cha Jihoo caught himself and turned around.
‘That’s right. Fifteen years ago, I was living in that Wolhyo-ro villa on jeonse!’
In his previous life, he had purchased an apartment two years into his marriage. This was still before that time. He headed to the small house he had lived in before.
‘I worked really hard back then too.’
Among his colleagues his age, there were plenty who spent freely on whatever they wanted. On the other hand, Cha Jihoo, though not quite a miser, was quite frugal and saved money diligently. It must have been thanks to inheriting his father’s genes. That lifestyle and attitude were ingrained in him.
Thanks to that, by the time he got promoted to assistant manager, he was able to get a jeonse house in a well-connected central part of Seoul and had also saved up a decent sum.
Of course, back then he had no idea that his hard-earned assets would slowly dwindle away over the course of a decade.
“Wow, I never thought I’d come back here…”
Arriving at the villa, Cha Jihoo faced the house with a sentimental expression. A place of memories. He looked around every corner of this house, where he had lived when he was full of dreams and enjoying his work, with a peculiar feeling.
“Right, this return must be a chance given by heaven to not live a futile life again. In this life, I must not repeat the mistakes of my past!”
Checking the date, it was Saturday. For some reason, everything from fifteen years ago was as vivid in his memory as if it had happened just yesterday.
“That’s right. I need to call Mom and Dad!”
He called his parents. As expected, their younger voices felt even more affectionate. He felt like he might cry. He reported that he had returned safely from his Japan trip, asked about their well-being, said he would visit over the weekend, and hung up. His younger sister, Cha Juhye, didn’t answer.
“That girl’s probably out drinking somewhere again.”
After sending a text to his sister, Cha Jihoo lay down in his room, which he was returning to after what felt like ages.
“Ah, this is comfortable!”
A smile spread across his lips. His once-empty heart began to fill with anticipation and hope.
A moment later, his phone vibrated. Thinking it was his sister, he quickly picked it up, but the name on the screen was Ahn Jiyeon. His wife. Or rather, his wife from his previous life.
Cha Jihoo didn’t answer.
Cha Jihoo spent all of Sunday busily adjusting his body and mind to his regressed environment. And then Monday morning came, and he headed to the Samel Electronics headquarters. Standing before the building before entering the lobby, he made a vow.
‘I will never make the foolish mistake of taking early retirement. I’ll work hard and rise as high as I can in this life. I’m Going UP UP UP! It’s my moment!’
He entered the office of Marketing Team 1, Home Appliance Division, and greeted everyone energetically.
“Good week, good morning! Reporting back from my vacation!”
“Good morning! Assistant Manager Cha, did you have a good vacation?”
“Yes, Manager. I’ll put out some small gifts shortly.”
“Haha, looking forward to it. You seemed burned out the day before your vacation, but a break really gave you a boost.”
“Yes. It seems what makes a whale dance isn’t praise, but rest. Haha.”
With his likable looks and good personality, Cha Jihoo was popular not only with the female staff but also with his seniors and juniors. Of course, there are exceptions everywhere, and there were occasionally superiors who disapproved and openly showed their dislike, but he never reacted emotionally even to them. He believed there was no need to make unnecessary enemies. At that time, he had planned on staying at this company for a long time. If only he hadn’t needed a large sum of money after getting married, he would have done just that.
On the morning of the new week, a meeting chaired by Team Leader Cho Jungyeon was held.
“Alright, the specs for the new refrigerator to be released next year have been finalized. You’re all well aware that major technological innovations have been made this time. There will be a marketing strategy meeting for this product in the afternoon, so familiarize yourselves with these materials and prepare well.”
“Understood, Team Leader.”
Cha Jihoo immersed himself in work all morning. He couldn’t believe how clear and refreshed his body and mind felt. Regression is rejuvenation—that phrase came to mind.
Just before lunchtime, a message arrived. It was from Ahn Jiyeon.
– You didn’t answer any calls all weekend. What’s going on? Did you go to work?
After a moment’s hesitation, he replied.
– I was so tired I slept like a log.
– That’s harsh. Can we have lunch together?
– Let’s meet in the evening. I have something to say anyway.
– Something to say? What?
– Let’s talk then.
There’s a saying: strike while the iron is hot. If he considered all sorts of circumstances and waited for the right time only to end up thoroughly trapped again like in his previous life, then not only would the meaning of his regression be lost, but he’d also be ashamed before heaven for giving him this chance.
‘I’ll put it into action today!’
However, one thing worried him.
‘Ahn Jiyeon is still a colleague at the same company. If she holds a grudge for being dumped and secretly reveals our relationship or spreads bad rumors, it could damage my reputation.’
Unlike his previous life, he had ambitious plans to stay at this great company for a long time and even reach an executive position. If that happened, it could disrupt those plans. Ultimately, he had to end things smoothly and kindly, so as not to hurt her feelings too much.
Some time after quitting time, Cha Jihoo headed to their meeting place.
