Discharge Day
People tend to change a lot from their childhood as time passes. Just like how I was shorter than most of my friends in kindergarten, but by high school I had become the biggest guy in my class.
My personality changed too, for the record.
“Hey, what did you just say?”
Ah, though it wasn’t all for the better.
“Let’s break up.”
“Why? You know I waited for you the whole time you were in the military.”
“…Then I guess I’ve done everything I could.”
“Haah… what the hell are you talking about?”
I had a girlfriend who waited for me until my discharge after I enlisted right after finishing my freshman year of college.
She had always been a bit obsessive, but at heart she was a good person.
Everyone around me kept saying that a woman who waited through military service was someone you should hold onto for life, so I tried to treat her—this girlfriend, or rather, soon-to-be ex-girlfriend—more preciously…
“If you were going to do this, why did you wait until now?”
“…Yeah. Why did I?”
My now-ex-girlfriend answered my question with another question. Feeling completely dumbfounded, I scratched at my half-grown hair.
“It’s my discharge day… and you’re really pissing me off.”
“…”
My ex-girlfriend glared at me with her arms crossed. Then she said this:
“Just so you know… I’m not the one who got dumped here.”
She was the one who suggested breaking up a second ago, so what kind of nonsense is this? Did she drink or something?
“Did you drink?”
“I’m completely sober. Can’t you even tell if your girlfriend’s been drinking?”
“From the way you’re acting, I figured you had.”
“…Would someone who drank put on full makeup before coming out?”
“Oh, you did have makeup on.”
“…”
My ex-girlfriend shot me a fierce glare, clearly offended by what I’d said.
Whatever the case, arguing with a woman who no longer had anything to do with me was just exhausting.
“Tsk, fine. Anyway, thanks for waiting all this time. Let’s never contact each other again. If we see each other at school, let’s just pretend we don’t know one another.”
“..Ugh.”
At my words, my ex-girlfriend glared at me with tears welling up in her eyes. Why was she the one who wanted to break up and now she was the one about to cry? And on top of that, she was saying the exact same things my previous exes had said…
I knew that watching her any longer would only make me more irritated, so I turned away from my ex without any lingering attachment.
Ah, thank goodness.
I’d broken up with her before meeting up with Daeho. If he’d seen this mess, he definitely would’ve laughed his ass off.
“Haah, that guy’s still a virgin at this age, yet he’s always so damn interested in other people’s love lives.”
An Daeho—my oldest friend and best buddy. After his parents passed away, he received a military exemption, so unlike me he’d been out in society the whole time.
That’s why we’d planned to meet up with my girlfriend on my discharge day, but…
“Tsk, still, if I tell him we broke up, he’ll probably laugh. Haah, what a shitty way to start my discharge day.”
Instead of feeling the joy any man should feel on a day like this, I was only irritated. The stress was no joke. I needed to get these emotions under control somehow.
Ah, but I didn’t actually need to regulate my emotions before meeting Daeho.
Because today, I wasn’t just meeting Daeho.
“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Aju too. She visited me a few times while I was serving, but then she suddenly stopped coming.”
It made sense, though.
Since Daeho and I were best friends, I had a deep connection with his younger sister Aju as well. With a three-year age gap, Aju was now a high school senior, so we didn’t get to see each other often.
She used to contact me frequently until last year, though.
…But no matter how busy she was with studying, not reaching out even once felt a little hurtful.
Maybe I’d complain a bit when I saw her later. She’d know I was just joking anyway.
“By the way, why isn’t this guy picking up? He remembers our plans, right…?”
As someone with a fiery personality, even after discharge I’d chosen to meet my friends before my parents. So I was heading to the café where I’d promised to meet Daeho and Aju, still wearing my military uniform.
But for some reason, Daeho kept ignoring my calls.
He’d never been great at staying in touch, but he was the type who always kept his promises, so he probably hadn’t forgotten.
“Haah, your hyung’s finally discharged and you can’t even call first?”
Is he acting like this because he didn’t have to serve? …Nah, that’s not like him.
“Hmm… Oh, maybe I should just call Aju.”
Even though she was a senior in high school, she’d promised to meet me today, so she probably wasn’t studying right now. We hadn’t talked much lately, so things might feel a bit awkward, but it would be silly to avoid calling just because of that.
“Let’s see… Aju, Aju… here it is.”
I didn’t have many numbers saved in my phone. Just my parents, Daeho, Aju, and a few friends. My ex-girlfriend had been there too, but I’d deleted her a few minutes ago.
Among the roughly twenty contacts was Aju’s number, saved under “An Aju.”
I tapped it and made the call.
~~~
“Aju changed her ringtone. It used to be something else.”
Well, I don’t know much about songs, so I had no idea what this one was. I just remembered that her previous one had been quieter.
As I listened to Aju’s new ringtone and waited for her to pick up…
She was taking her time too. Was she studying?
Just as I started worrying that I might be interrupting her studies and moved to hang up—
“Oh, she answered. Aju, you remember we’re supposed to meet today, right?”
I froze.
Just those two words.
The moment I heard Aju’s voice, I stopped walking in my tracks. It had already been over fifteen years since I first came to know her voice.
That’s why I could tell right away from her tone alone that something was very wrong.
“What’s wrong, Aju?”
*Hiccup*… Riha oppa… it’s… what do I do…>
“Why are you like this, Aju? Tell me properly.”
This was strange. Aju had been crying nonstop and couldn’t even speak clearly. This was serious… something had definitely happened.
Had someone made Aju cry?
Who could it be… It couldn’t be Daeho. That guy would grab a kitchen knife and hunt down anyone who made his sister cry.
Maybe she was being bullied at school… If that was the case…
I clenched my fist tightly. Even though I didn’t know the full story yet, I was already radiating murderous intent toward whoever had bullied Aju. I quietly waited for her sobbing words.
And then—
“…From Daeho’s company?”
After losing his parents, Daeho had gone straight into the workforce after high school. I still clearly remembered how he’d said he was going to earn as much money as possible while he was young since he didn’t have to serve in the military.
I’d heard the company paid decently even for high school graduates… but why were they calling?
“…What?”
In that instant.
A shock far greater than when my ex-girlfriend had suddenly dumped me slammed into my head.
The fist I’d been clenching so tightly lost all strength. I felt like I’d been thinking about something, but my brain had shut down and stopped processing.
I knew. I knew Aju would never lie about something like this.
“…Please, Aju.”
Even so, I didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want to believe that the place I was standing in was reality.
“Aju… let’s go to the company first. I need to see it for myself.”
<…They already moved him… *hiccup*… to the hospital…>
“Oh, right. I’ll head to the hospital. Where is it? Tell me.”
<…Okay.>
Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying or where I was going. My mouth was simply speaking whatever my ears heard, and my feet were just moving forward.
By the time I came to my senses… I was already at the hospital Aju had mentioned.
As I trudged toward the room she’d told me about…
“*Sob*… Oppa…! Daeho oppa…!”
Aju, who looked exactly as I remembered her, was crying beside Daeho, who for some reason looked deathly pale as he lay there.
You idiot.
Your precious little sister is crying like this… what the hell are you doing…?
This… this…
“You crazy son of a bitch!!”
Forgetting that we were in a hospital, I rushed toward Daeho, who was lying in the hospital bed.
I grabbed him by the collar and tried to force him upright, but his eyes remained closed.
“You crazy bastard. Your sister’s crying right there! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
I was furious.
At this whole situation that had gone to shit from the very first day of my discharge.
I was angry.
At Daeho, who was still sleeping peacefully while Aju cried her eyes out.
I was so furious that if I didn’t punch him in the face, I wouldn’t be able to contain these emotions.
“Riha oppa!”
But when Aju grabbed the arm I’d raised to hit him… I couldn’t move. Not because she was strong… but because she was desperately holding onto me. I simply couldn’t bring myself to hit him.
“…Aju. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay… Riha oppa.”
“…Ugh.”
In the end, I let go of Daeho, whom I’d forcibly sat up. He fell limply back onto the bed like a doll.
“Damn it… what the hell is this… why him of all people…!”
Who was I supposed to vent these feelings on? How was I supposed to calm the surging waves of emotion deep inside my chest?
“Um… are you both acquainted with Mr. Daeho?”
“…”
*Hiccup*… Yes.”
Someone spoke to the two of us standing beside Daeho’s bed. Looking up, I saw it was a man in a suit.
“Ah, I’m sorry for your loss. I’m Kim Cheol-hui, the managing director at the company where Daeho worked. Here’s my business card.”
“…”
For some reason, instead of giving the card to Aju—his actual family—Director Kim handed it to me. I took it without a word.
Right. This man would know. He’d know why that idiot was lying in this bed.
“I understand that you’re grieving, but we have procedures to follow… Could we speak for a moment?”
“…Before that.”
“Yes?”
“Why was Daeho suddenly found in cardiac arrest in the office?”
“…”
At my question, Director Kim hesitated for a moment before giving an awkward smile and shrugging.
“I’m not entirely sure myself… Maybe he was working overtime late into the night?”
“…Was that overtime voluntary on his part?”
“Of course it was. Now that you mention it, I remember—he said that since he was taking the day off anyway, he could sleep in and work late if he wanted.”
Ah. Found him.
The target for all this pent-up emotion.
The moment I realized it, I was already grabbing Director Kim by the throat and slamming him against the wall.
**THUD!**
A loud impact and a sound like a pig being slaughtered rang out at the same time. But I didn’t care.
That wasn’t what mattered right now.
“You crazy son of a bitch, you worked a person to death. The reason he took the day off was to meet me on my discharge day. No matter how crazy that bastard is, he’s not the type to blow off a promise… There’s no way he would’ve said something like that.”
“Guh… L-let go…”
“I’ll ask you one more time. Why did this guy have to die alone in the office? Tell me properly. Or I might just commit murder while still wearing this uniform.”
“Guhhhk…”
My contradictory behavior—telling him to speak while tightening my grip—made Director Kim drool and thrash around. Honestly, I didn’t care at all if he died like this.
“Riha oppa. Let him go…”
If Aju, who was still crying, hadn’t grabbed my arm.
“Haah…”
I released Director Kim as Aju asked. The moment I let go, he coughed violently and backed away from me.
Aju slowly approached the gasping man.
“Please tell me the truth. Did my brother… really choose to work overtime on his own?”
“Haah, haah… Unbelievable. What a joke. Companies require overtime depending on the situation! Kids these days complain about a single overtime shift—”
“It wasn’t just one shift!”
…It was the first time I’d ever heard it.
Aju raising her voice in anger like this.
She was clenching her small fists tightly, tears shimmering in her eyes. Glaring at Director Kim in that state, Aju said,
“It wasn’t just one. Ever since he joined that company… no, for a long time now. It would be faster to count the days he *didn’t* work overtime… He was pushing himself way too hard.”
“Cough, cough… So what? In small-to-medium companies like ours, everyone works like that! We all push ourselves! And we pay them for it!”
“Even when the result is *this*, you can still say that?”
Even as Director Kim tried to shift the blame in his anger, Aju continued glaring at him while pointing at her brother Daeho.
Daeho had been taller than me when we were little, but the moment he entered elementary school I’d overtaken him in height. Before I knew it, he had become one of the shortest kids in class.
And that small-framed guy… had been working alone, carrying the burden of supporting his sister with no parents to help him.
“I don’t know what procedures are required… but we will be taking proper legal action. No matter what.”
“Haah, haah… Tsk.”
Deciding it would be difficult to change Aju’s mind, Director Kim glared at both of us, clicked his tongue, and left the hospital room. Aju then apologized to the nearby doctor and nurse for causing a disturbance.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s alright.”
The doctor, seemingly used to situations like this, calmly tried to soothe Aju. As part of that, he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder.
**Grab.**
“I’m sorry for the disturbance. Could you leave us alone for a while?”
“Pardon?… Ah, yes.”
The doctor, suddenly grabbed by me, looked startled but nodded. Once he and the nurse left the room, I was finally able to look at Aju properly.
“Aju… about earlier…”
I was about to apologize first. But then—
“*Sob*… Riha oppa… Riha oppa…”
Before I knew it, Aju had thrown herself into my arms… and I couldn’t say a single word.
“*Sob*… *Hic*… Waaaahhh!!”
“…”
The only thing I could do
was hold Aju as she cried.