Driver's License (3)
Driver's License (3)
"Still, with 0.7, you'd have to wear glasses, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, I've had trouble seeing the board in lectures since before break."
Lee Min-ho sat in front of us, so I didn't know how he saw the board,
but it seemed he had been squinting pretty hard.
I had suffered from conjunctivitis before,
and I knew well how uncomfortable it was when you couldn't see properly,
so I felt like being a little meddlesome.
"Since we're on the topic, let's go get you glasses after the written test."
"Hmm... should I?"
Lee Min-ho closed his eyes and nodded,
and when Jeong Hwan-yi saw that, he clicked his tongue and tapped his arm.
"Hey, the doctor says wear 'em, so just wear them. You can get contacts later if you want."
Come to think of it, if you don't like glasses, there's always the alternative of contacts.
Though they're way more of a hassle than glasses.
*
After finishing about three hours of traffic safety education and the written exam,
we came outside.
I had been secretly worried that maybe I wouldn't pass because of bad luck,
but it seemed my worries were unfounded.
The exam ticket I was holding now had the stamp confirming I'd passed the written test.
"If you've studied at all, you shouldn't fail the written."
"You didn't study at all, and that's your score."
Jeong Hwan-yi smiled bitterly and looked at Lee Min-ho's exam ticket.
The ticket for Lee Min-ho—who had only decided to tag along today out of the blue—showed a score of 100.
"It wasn't that hard?"
And the sight of Lee Min-ho, his face utterly nonchalant, smirking at us as if it were easy,
somehow wore a smile that invited violence.
"So this is why Jeong Hwan-yi is like that to you."
"Took you only five months from when we first met to realize..."
"I didn't know it was this bad."
"Hey, I can hear you talking behind my back."
Though we were talking right in front of him, so "behind his back" wasn't quite accurate.
"But is today done with this?"
"I guess so? We can't do the on-site skills test or road driving right away."
"I think I saw that these days you can get it in just one day..."
"That's probably only possible for people who have the time and the ability."
From what I heard, it wasn't something just anyone could do.
You had to be lucky that the days for the on-site test and road test aligned with your schedule,
and there had to be few people.
Since we were at Triple Axel where the days didn't match, the times didn't work, and there were tons of people,
it looked like we'd have to go back after just the written test.
Since I passed the written, it didn't feel like a waste of time.
But it felt like there wasn't much payoff for coming all tense and nervous.
"So, if you want to save money and time, you've got to get it in one shot."
"Will it work with just a few hours of lessons at the academy?"
"Hey, if you've got real talent, you can get it without going to an academy, so don't worry."
It must have been because I was worrying so much,
as I was anxious, Jeong Hwan-yi slapped my back hard, giving me a kind of encouragement that wasn't really encouragement.
"Or, ask your sister-in-law to teach you how to drive or something."
"How?"
Teaching me to drive meant I'd be moving a car, right?
And to move a car, you need a license.
"What do you mean how? Just go to some wide open space and grab the wheel once."
"But is that okay without a license...?"
To practice for the license, I'd need to get behind the wheel,
but to do that, I'd need a license.
It felt like a huge contradiction, but that's probably why driving schools exist.
"Isn't it okay on private property? And just sitting in the driver's seat for a bit
to teach you driving—who's going to make an issue of that?"
"Is that so... Alright, I'll ask her once."
Since A-ra drives well, wouldn't she be good at teaching too?
I should go home and ask her.
***
In the apartment's underground parking lot, the one sitting in the driver's seat of A-ra's beloved Porsche
was none other than me.
It was a bit dark because it was underground, but there were plenty of empty spaces so there was little risk of an accident,
and thinking of it as practice for night driving made it not a bad choice, so I picked the underground parking lot.
Turning the wheel slowly, pressing the pedal, and watching the car's display as I slowly reversed,
I was paying attention not to drift out of the parking line.
"You're doing well! And at the end, pull the side brake!"
I slowly steadied my breathing and reached my hand out to the side.
But there was nothing there that could be called a side brake.
"Th...there's no side brake?"
"See that pull button down there? Pull that."
Since A-ra pointed to the button beside me,
I pulled it outward.
Weren't side brakes originally shaped like long levers?
"Noona's car is electronic, that's why."
"Phew..."
I let out a sigh of relief.
In that moment of panic, I couldn't think of anything—my mind went so blank that I thought, 'So this is how accidents happen.'
"Still, I didn't expect you'd succeed at parking on your first try. You're probably above average for men, right?"
She stroked my head, saying I did well.
I wondered if I'd done well objectively, but since A-ra wouldn't be biased about this kind of thing,
I had no choice but to trust her and take the confidence boost.
"This... at the driving school, they're the type you pull up, right?"
"Yeah, so be careful not to get confused. Normally, this car automatically engages the side brake when you turn it off,
so there's no need to activate it normally, you know?"
"I... I see..."
I'd never seen A-ra engage the side brake,
so I had been slightly puzzled, but that explained it.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the driver's seat.
When I checked the rear, the car hadn't crossed the parking line and was parked securely,
with a reasonable amount of space left.
"It's a little crooked, but this is really well done."
"Really? Phew... thank goodness."
This time, I smiled at A-ra's compliment.
It was because, after actually checking for myself, it had turned out fairly well.
They said parking was the hardest,
and since I thought I had managed it to some extent, even if not perfectly,
I felt a bit more at ease.
"Oh right, should we try practicing driving with a racing game? These days, games let you play under conditions similar to reality."
"Oh... that sounds fun. Like Initial C?"
"There are games like Initial C and others. Actually, I'd been thinking about buying one."
"Come on, what's there to even think about? Want to go buy it now?"
I looked at A-ra's face, smiled wryly, and took her hand.
She wore the expression of a little kid
who desperately wanted a toy and couldn't help it.
As someone who enjoys games to some extent,
I could understand why A-ra was acting like that.
With games, there are times when just watching someone else play is satisfying,
and other times when you're dying to play yourself.
On top of that, a car racing game where you can drive under realistic conditions—
to A-ra, that would be like the gospel.
*
"Oh... ohh?"
The place A-ra brought me to wasn't a mart or an electronics mall,
but an office in a large building.
Even though it was called an office, it didn't have the stiff atmosphere of a regular company;
it was the kind of place that gave you the illusion you were in a game center.
Racing games like ones you'd see in an arcade were lined up,
and there were several experiential games like Initial C.
There were even machines with real steering wheels and pedals attached,
and one that boasted an immense size, with five monitors attached.
"This is it, this!"
The thing A-ra ran to with the wide eyes of a child
was the one I had just thought was a game machine of impressive size.
"The Besaro 4-axis motion... how long I've dreamed..."
She was beaming with an expression that looked like she might cry tears of joy at any moment.
So this was what A-ra wanted to buy.
It certainly did look like you could use it for driving practice.
"I'm sorry, Miss A-ra. The person who was consulting before you took a while, so I'm a little late."
At that moment, a woman came in and spoke to A-ra, who was gazing at the game machine in rapture.
There were other people besides A-ra who bought stuff like this, I guessed.
"Boss, it's been a while. This can be installed today, right?"
"It's an order from Miss A-ra, of course."
"Waaah..."
Just how far did A-ra's connections reach?
Normally, didn't ordering and installing something like this take at least a month?
Even if you thought of it as buying a game machine from an arcade right away, it seemed like it would take that long.
"So the husband doesn't know yet that Miss A-ra already placed the order—mmph..."
"......."
A-ra quickly rushed over and covered the boss's mouth.
Judging by how she was sternly warning her with her eyes not to say anything...
"Mmmph... ahem... At Miss A-ra's request, I can deliver it not just on the day of the order, but even before the order."
"As expected, the president of the number one company in the industry is something else."
A-ra made an exaggerated gesture and clapped.
It seemed they had already been in cahoots to buy it.
I couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Since we're buying it, let's get all the options tacked on too."
"Sh...should we?"
"A-ra noona bought me a game before too. This time, I'll buy it for you no matter how much it costs."
I had come with the intention of giving A-ra a gift,
so I thought it'd be best to get it in a way that would fully satisfy her.
Even though I didn't look it, my bank account already had enough money to live on,
so no matter how much that thing cost, it wouldn't be a problem.