Driver's License
Driver's License
A quiet cafe where soft classical music was playing.
Nowadays, instead of franchise coffee shops in apartment complexes,
I tended to seek out individually-run cafes—the kind you'd find one of in each neighborhood.
Setting aside issues like whether the coffee tasted good or the atmosphere was nice,
I started coming to this cafe because it was quiet and calm,
and now it had become a place I'd visit once or twice a week without fail.
Normally, I would have come with A-ra on a date,
or finished the housework and come alone to leisurely sip orange juice,
but today was neither of those things.
The person sitting across from me, drinking coffee,
was Jeong Hwan-yi, one of my very precious same-sex friends,
one of only two friends I'd managed to make in my half-year of university life.
Lee Min-ho couldn't make it today because of family circumstances.
Something seemed to be going on.
Jeong Hwan-yi and I
had entered the cafe, sat down at a window seat, ordered our drinks,
and started talking.
And now, I was in the middle of bringing up something I'd been meaning to say to him.
After hearing what I said, Jeong Hwan-yi let out a chuckle, as if he hadn't expected that.
"A driver's license? What would you need to drive for?"
"Why wouldn't I? It doesn't just expand my travel radius, it also compensates for all the downsides of public transit."
It wasn't that public transit was particularly inconvenient.
Both the bus and subway systems were well-established and affordable,
so overall, I thought they were the best in the world.
But, for personal reasons, I found it a little uncomfortable.
Now that my face was known to the public, I'd braced myself for it,
and I'd even come to enjoy it a little, but recently, it had started to feel a bit exhausting.
Looking at online communities, I was shocked to see data—the stops I often used,
the times I traveled—compiled like big data.
That was the biggest reason I decided to get my license and buy a car.
"I don't know? Since you have your wife, wouldn't it be pretty pointless?"
Jeong Hwan-yi, sipping his iced coffee with a skeptical expression,
seemed to think that even if I got my license, I'd just let it sit in a drawer.
"A-ra Noona does give me rides, but she has her own work, and sometimes she'll want to rest, too.
I just don't want to be a bother."
"Your wife would absolutely never think that, though..."
Jeong Hwan-yi, knowing A-ra's personality well, gave a wry smile.
Well, A-ra cherished me so much that if I called her, she'd probably come straight up from Busan,
dropping everything and all.
That was what weighed on my mind.
"And besides, a license is basically a necessity these days, right?"
"Well, that's true. When job hunting, license holders get preferential treatment.
Even when you don't get a job and start your own business, it's the same.
I've never heard of anyone going around for sales riding public transit instead of a car.
Maybe that's why, in sales or office jobs, not just license holders
but vehicle owners also get preferred."
"Right, that! They say it's tough if you don't have a Class 1 Ordinary license."
"That's probably for the women, not us men."
I guess that saying doesn't apply to men, after all.
"Anyway! There might come a day when you need one, right?"
"Alright, alright, let's just say so. But did you get permission from your wife?"
"Not yet, actually?"
As I tilted my head and slurped my coffee,
Jeong Hwan-yi let out a sigh.
"For something like this, it's only natural to tell your wife first, before you tell me."
"I know that."
Of course, before I enrolled in a driving academy, I was planning to tell A-ra and get her permission.
You might wonder if a full-grown adult needs to get permission,
but honestly, it would be more accurate to call it a consultation rather than permission.
It's perfectly natural for a married couple to consult each other on important matters.
"Then why'd you tell me first? Afraid she won't give permission?"
"Well, to be honest, yes?"
"So that's why you want me to do it with you?"
"You... caught me.. hehe..."
I still wasn't sure if A-ra, who was more overprotective than doting,
would let me drive a car.
The perception that men can't drive was strongly ingrained here,
so that might make it even more likely.
Just like how, in the other world, there was the term 'Kim Yeosa,'
in this world, there was the term 'Kim Gisa.'
Because the process of getting a driver's license had become easier, anyone could get one,
and it was a newly coined, mocking term that emerged
as unskilled people started appearing on the roads.
There was no chance I'd ever commit such bizarre behavior,
but I didn't think I could guarantee I wouldn't cause an accident due to poor driving.
If I went to an arcade right now and played the Initial C game,
I'd get a disastrous score that made it clear I should never be allowed behind a wheel.
And of course, A-ra had seen that, too.
"If the academy fees are a burden, I'll pay. Let's do it together, okay?"
"O...Okay, fine, so get your face out of mine."
Since I leaned my upper body way forward and pleaded, he probably just couldn't refuse.
"So? When are you going to go register?"
"First, I'll get permission from A-ra Noona, then how about next week after that?"
I didn't know how much time I'd spend persuading A-ra,
but still, she'd probably give in within a week, wouldn't she?
Since she was just as doting on me as she was overprotective,
she'd let me do anything I wanted.
"Assuming you get permission this week... that gives us plenty of time."
"For what?"
As I naively asked what he meant, tilting my head,
Jeong Hwan-yi gave another wry smile.
It's not that I didn't know things—it's that you know too much.
"We've got about a month left until break, right? Don't even think about passing all at once,
just assume you'll take it slow, and..."
"How long does it take to get a license?"
"About a month? There's about a month and a half left until break, so it's ample and plenty."
Jeong Hwan-yi nodded as he looked at his phone.
Then he handed me the phone he'd been looking at to show me.
A schedule?
It felt just like looking at A-ra's schedule.
"But if you mess up in the middle, you might not get it during the break, you know?"
"Hmm... That would be a bit inconvenient."
"So, watch Qtube and learn the basics first."
"Okay."
I nodded firmly, determined to pass the written test, on-site skills test, and road driving test all in one go and get my license within a short period.
The final goal of my freshman year summer vacation had been set.
***
"Wouldn't it be okay?"
"Huh?"
"Even though cars are a little dangerous, once you get used to it, they're incredibly convenient, you know?
If it were something like a motorcycle, I'd absolutely oppose it, but for a car, Noona is for it."
Worrying about how to persuade and coax her felt foolish now.
When I told her I wanted to get my license and buy a car,
A-ra, who had agreed right away,
gently hugged my bewildered self.
"Seong-hwan-a, Noona hates it even more seeing you come home alone, soaked in the rain without an umbrella on a rainy day."
"Noona..."
Once, while I was coming home, I'd gotten my clothes completely soaked by a sudden downpour,
and A-ra happened to be home at the time.
Without an umbrella, drenched and damp, I'd come into the house humming, feeling good about having been out in the rain
and thinking about taking a hot shower,
but A-ra must have felt differently, and I guess I had looked a bit pitiful to her.
Thinking back to the way she got a little upset, asking why I hadn't called her as tears welled up in her eyes,
it still made my heart ache.
Of course, after she learned it was a sudden shower that had poured down and vanished,
she got a little embarrassed and blushed, but it seemed she still hated it, regardless.
"And, Seong-hwan-ie, you're diligent and hardworking, so you'll get used to driving fast."
"You think so...?"
Could I ever drive as well as A-ra?
It was funny to feel this uneasy now,
but since driving a car was something that could lead to major accidents,
I thought having this anxiety was only natural.
"It's the same with a kitchen knife, isn't it? It's more dangerous than anything, but when used safely and you get used to it, the benefits just keep piling up."
"Now that you mention it, you're right. I don't think I've ever heard such a perfectly fitting analogy."
"Right? Noona just thought of it on the spot, but it was pretty good, so I was a little surprised inside."
A-ra smiled bashfully, saying she was pleased.
Suddenly, that sight was so incredibly lovely.
Her shy smile and her bright smile.
Those two expressions were the magic A-ra wielded to turn me into a man for her alone.
I gently pulled back from the embrace and laced my fingers with both of A-ra's hands.
It was a gentle restraint to keep her from running away,
but without a shred of resistance, she accepted my grip.
"U-um......."
And eventually, unable to hold back the overflowing adoration, I turned into a man,
and pressed my lips onto A-ra's.
A-ra's warm, sticky saliva flowed into my mouth,
and I began to get more and more aroused.
"Chureup.... jjok.... heu-eut..."
"Jjook.... chureup..."
A-ra was letting out faint moans as she grew aroused, too.
Even though it hadn't been five minutes since we started kissing, it was already happening.
I thought I understood well why another person's saliva was considered a natural aphrodisiac.
And, to confirm the evidence that A-ra was aroused, I fumbled gently around her lower region.
After tenderly stroking over the spot that had become a little moist,
I gently parted it with my finger.
"Ha-eut!"
"You're already wet, I see?"
"Se... Seong-hwan-a, how did your kissing skills get this much bett..."
Before A-ra could finish her sentence, I pushed her down onto the sofa.