Driver's License (2)
Driver's License (2)
I bought a single written test prep book from the bookstore and had been reading it whenever I had a spare moment.
I'd also heard that these days, instead of buying books, you could download an app from the App Store and solve practice problems there, so I decided to install one and give it a try.
I vaguely recalled hearing that while it wasn't laid out exactly like a workbook, you could study by repeatedly solving problems and memorizing the answers that way... so for now, I jumped right into attempting the problems from scratch with zero prior knowledge.
I opened the app, downloaded the additional problem sets and video files, and clicked on the 40-question test.
[1. Which two of the following describe the correct mindset for a driver seeking to obtain a license?
①. A spirit of yielding
②. Selfishness
③. Conceit
④. Patience
"....?"
Something about a question that asked me to pick answers so blindingly obvious they barely qualified as common sense made my head start to throb.
Was this genuinely a written test question?
I'd heard there was a physical exam you took before getting your license—wasn't this the kind of test item that belonged there instead?
"Number one... and number four..."
If all the questions were like this, wouldn't I be fine even without studying?
I really did waste my money on that workbook.
I checked the answers at a brisk pace and moved on to the next question.
[2. Which of the following is the correct threshold for driver's license revocation due to accumulated points?]
①. 100 points or more in 1 year
②. 191 points or more in 2 years
③. 271 points or more in 3 years
④. 301 points or more in 5 years
".....What the hell is this?"
This time, a question popped up that even someone with a fair amount of driving experience probably wouldn't know. The difficulty level had swung to the complete opposite extreme from the first question.
So this was the actual car license test...?
For now, I skipped over whatever I didn't know and clicked through only the ones I felt confident about.
Before long, all 40 questions were finished, and my score appeared in large, bold text on the screen.
[Score: 52 points. You have failed the Class 1 Ordinary written exam.]
"....."
In online communities, people said that failing the written test meant you either hadn't studied at all, had half-assed it, or might actually have something wrong with your head.
Was I a bit of an idiot?
I suddenly started to sink into a gloomy mood.
At this rate, I might not even get past the written portion, let alone the road test—I might never get my license at all.
"Seong-hwan-a, what are you up to?"
I turned around to see A-ra stepping out of the master bedroom. She was drying her hair with a fresh, fluffy towel, smiling brightly and looking refreshed—as adorable as ever, no matter how many times I saw her.
The droplets of water dripping from the ends of her hair and seeping down into the curves of her chest were... ahem...
This was hardly the time for that.
I held out the absurd question I'd been struggling with and showed it to A-ra. Surely, she wouldn't know it either. A shit question like this had to be nothing more than window dressing.
It was that penalty points question—the one that was the polar opposite of the first one I'd answered.
A-ra quietly nodded as she slowly scrolled through the question. She thought it over once more, then parted her lips and spoke.
"It's number three, isn't it? 121 points in 1 year, 201 points in 2 years, 271 points in 3 years—so the answer is number three!"
"Wow... what the...? How do you get that right?"
It wasn't admiration—it was sheer astonishment. At both this reality that handed out licenses based on such wildly swinging questions, and the sheer unexpected brilliance of A-ra for getting that one right.
***
"Getting the license is one thing, but what are you going to do about the car?"
About two days after I'd declared I was getting my license, A-ra asked me about the car.
A car?
Come to think of it, I had been planning to buy a car as soon as I got my license.
What kind of car would be a good choice?
"Noona, could you pick one for me? I'd like something with a big trunk, and an SUV would be nice."
"An SUV? Wouldn't that look a little too wild for a man to drive?"
A-ra tilted her head quizzically. Her expression was practically saturated with 'Why an SUV?', and anyone could have read exactly what she was thinking.
"I prefer SUVs over sedans, actually."
"Hmm, I feel like it might not really suit you, but... if that's what Seong-hwan wants, then sure."
A-ra smiled a bit wryly. She was probably reacting that way because what I'd said didn't match what she'd imagined.
Men around here drove compact cars like Sparks and Rays, so she'd probably expected me to pick something along those lines.
But I was a manly man. I hadn't fallen for some tiny subcompact—I'd fallen for the rugged, tough appeal of a Sport Utility Vehicle. It had four-wheel drive, so it was safer and could go anywhere, and you could haul plenty of cargo.
Even for simple trips, wouldn't an SUV be better than A-ra's flashy Porsche Boxster GTS?
On top of that, sedans always felt a bit stifling to me, sitting so low to the ground. You could even call it a flaw I noticed every time I rode in A-ra's Porsche. I personally loved the feeling of sitting up high with an open, unobstructed view, so to me, a car meant an SUV—I couldn't even imagine anything else.
"So you'll pick the brand, Noona?"
"Yeah, leave it to me. I don't really know much about cars, after all."
When it came to what I did know, it pretty much started and ended with the Porsche A-ra drove and the Bugatti Chiron she'd said she ordered. And, well, a handful of supercar names anyone would recognize. There was no way someone like me could choose a car manufacturer—I wouldn't know what was good or bad.
"Alright then, let's see what we can find♬"
"You're even happier about this than I am, and it's my car we're buying."
"Shopping's fun whether you're buying for yourself or for someone else, isn't it?"
Beaming, A-ra flopped down onto the sofa on her stomach and peered intently at her phone. Whatever was making her so happy, her legs were wagging back and forth behind her like she was doing a flutter kick in the pool.
I could see her underwear.
"What color do you want?"
"Black, please."
I'd heard that in the Republic of Korea, black or white were the two best choices for a car. They were the default options, and they didn't stand out in any weird way, either. I'd also heard that if you went with a mixed color, it could make things a bit tricky when you tried to sell it used and move on to a different car.
"If we went with red, it'd match Noona's..."
A-ra looked a little disappointed. That drew a wry smile out of me, but this was my personal preference, so I hoped she'd understand. Besides—who ever heard of a red SUV?
"What do you mean there aren't any? Look, look at this."
"Oh, there really is one."
What A-ra showed me was a car that boasted an intense, blazing red color—the kind of red that looked like sun-dried chili peppers, like you'd feel the heat just by getting close.
"But honestly, this car itself is kind of meh."
"It also feels a little small to really call it an SUV."
"The TM is a mid-size, so it might come across that way."
So even within SUVs, there were separate tiers. I didn't know much about stuff like that, so I was just leaving it all in A-ra's hands.
"Don't worry. Noona will pick out something nice for you."
"Why would I be worried? The only person I trust is you, A-ra Noona."
I walked over beside her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
It felt like today was going to be another warm, happy day.
***
"Jeong-hwan... oh, Lee Min-ho's here too?"
"He said he's getting his license too, so I brought him along."
"We're going to our driving academy, is the money okay for you?"
"Hey, I've got a decent income too, you know. Don't worry about it."
Telling me not to worry, Lee Min-ho pulled a card out of his wallet. The gesture was as reassuring as a hero drawing a holy sword.
"If you didn't have it, I was going to cover you."
"Oh, right—I brought money too, so no need."
"Huh? Still... I was the one who suggested we go together..."
"I said it's fine. I've got money from my part-time job."
So Jeong-hwan had been working a part-time job too. I hadn't known that. In that case, insisting on paying for him would've been rude. I'd have to change course and get him a gift or something next time instead.
"But Lee Min-ho, what made you suddenly decide to get your license?"
When I asked while we walked along slowly, Lee Min-ho grinned slyly.
"To buy a car, obviously. I'm getting a Ray."
"Come on. For a man, it's gotta be an SUV."
"Tsk... You just don't understand the beauty of a compact car, do you."
"Your wife is buying you a Bugatti Chiron, and you think a compact car's gonna catch your eye?"
Jeong-hwan had joined forces with Lee Min-ho and started teasing me. And it wasn't even something I'd bought—A-ra was the one buying it!
"If someone told you two to pick between a compact car and a sports car, you'd pick the sports car too."
"Well, yeah, I mean... of course."
"Obviously. I'd take the sports car, sell it, and buy a Ray."
"You're really dead set on that Ray, aren't you? Is it really that great?"
"Isn't it just adorable? The Ray is the first car I've ever fallen for at first sight like this."
Lee Min-ho had been picturing the Ray with a blissful expression, and for a moment he nearly tripped—but Jeong-hwan caught him and kept him upright, so he managed to keep his balance.
"Watch where you're going."
"Sorry."
Watching Lee Min-ho laugh as he apologized, Jeong-hwan smiled wryly.
*
"7"
"G"
"S"
"Ω"
"Yes. 1.2."
When the vision test was over, the examiner wrote down the vision scores for both eyes on the form I'd submitted earlier and handed it back. Out of all my physical traits, my eyesight was the one and only thing I had to be proud of, so the result was only to be expected.
"That concludes the physical examination. You may exit through the side."
"Excuse me? Um... that was just a vision test, though...?"
"If you have no issues with your hearing or any psychiatric concerns, you pass."
"Ah... I see..."
I'd come in all tense, bracing myself for a full physical, and they were telling me to leave because there was nothing else besides the vision test. A 7,000-won vision test... seriously.
"How'd it go for you?"
"I got 1.2. What about you?"
"0.7. They asked me how I'd feel about trying glasses."
Lee Min-ho scrunched up his face. He really didn't like glasses, then?
"Women don't really like guys with glasses. They call it 'fugly glasses' and straight-up hate on it."
"Ah... is that so..."
Even down to crap like that, people were the same everywhere. Life was pretty damn similar no matter where you went.
That was what I thought.