Driving Lessons
"Junsu, you have a license, right?"
"Yes. I do, but..."
"You still can't drive?"
"I mean, I *can*... but I'm not quite sure yet."
The lingering winter cold had finally passed, replaced by the warm, unmistakable embrace of spring. With the arrival of the season, I found myself needing to go out more often. I enjoyed business trips, but the range of my travel was starting to extend beyond the reach of the subway. It was becoming impossible to manage without a car.
"You should take some lessons. You'll probably buy a car someday, anyway."
"Yeah..."
In the end, I’d been nagged by my superior. And honestly, as she said, I couldn't just let my license go to waste forever. It wasn't like I was never going to drive in my life. It felt like the time had come to overcome yet another wall.
"Manager, when did you get your license?"
"Me? About ten years ago. I started driving the moment I got it."
"Ah..."
"Want me to teach you? I've taught plenty of people. They've all been accident-free so far."
"...I appreciate the offer, but I'll learn from my family."
"Alright then."
Learning to drive from a superior? Especially a direct one? That’s a recipe for a bad relationship and a ruined career. Besides, her arrogant personality already made it awkward enough to be around her.
"So, you want Mom to teach you?"
"Yes. I think I'll be more comfortable learning from Mom."
Of course, I’d had one person in mind from the start. My mom, who always drove me around and had been accident-free for over twenty years. I’d seen people in the military reach four thousand days, but Mom was approaching eight thousand days without a single accident.
"Alright then. When do you want to start?"
Mom tossed her hair back, looking triumphant. Was it just my imagination, or did she seem incredibly excited?
"Whenever is convenient for you..."
"How about this weekend?"
"That sounds good."
And so, my driving lessons with Mom began.
The weekend. After a simple breakfast, I got into Mom's car. It was my first time sitting in the driver's seat.
"Whoa. Are you the one driving, Oppa?"
"For now...?"
Chaeyu had hopped in the back, too. Since I was driving, we decided to drop her off at the cafe where she worked part-time.
"You know how to start the car, right?"
"Well... this is my first time driving an automatic."
"Ah~ just turn the key and press this."
A round button labeled Engine Start/Stop. When I got my license, we used keys, so I’d always had a bit of a romanticized view of these button-start systems.
"Press the brake firmly. Then shift to D."
"Okay."
Right. Automatics didn't have a clutch. And the gears were P, R, N, D. Even though I’d watched from the passenger seat so many times, sitting in the driver's seat made me nervous.
"Now, slowly let go. It’ll start moving forward."
"Okay..."
I checked left and right before turning the wheel. Thank goodness there were no other cars nearby.
"That's it. Good job. Now follow the road and head out at this speed."
"Should I keep going?"
"Hm? Of course. You have to keep going."
"Right..."
Trembling all over, I followed the arrows toward the parking lot exit. Since we were on the third basement level, I had to navigate three more turns to get out.
"Watch the incline here. Be careful not to hit the wall."
"Okay."
"Don't be so nervous~ You can hold the steering wheel gently."
"I'm shaking..."
Finally, the threshold to the next level. I entered slowly, crawling upward as I turned the wheel.
"Take your foot off and press the gas."
Vroom.
"Slowly!"
"Okay..."
The car lurched forward for a second. I slammed on the brake, then gently pressed the gas again.
"Phew..."
"Oh... it's fascinating watching Oppa drive."
I’d barely made it up one floor. Did I really have to do this two more times?
"Just do the same thing as before. Got it? Press the gas as smoothly as possible here."
"Okay."
Back on the incline. This time, I made it up without any mistakes. The final stretch went smoothly as well.
"Now we're going outside. You can control it with the brake here."
"Okay."
I steered toward the main gate, making sure not to scrape the sides. In the distance, I could see the barrier gate.
"Now, slowly let the car get recognized and head out. Stop in front of that spot."
"Okay."
I reached the barrier and pressed the brake firmly. A moment later, the gate opened.
"Now you can go. Press the gas, head out, and make a right turn. You can do that, right?"
"Yes."
This part was also an incline, so I was incredibly nervous. Thankfully, I didn't scratch the car and made it out safely.
"Stop."
"Phew..."
After pulling over to the shoulder, I switched seats with Mom.
"How was it? Driving for the first time in a while?"
"It's exhausting."
"Let's drive around the neighborhood a bit later."
"Okay..."
Unlike the shaky exit from the parking lot, once we were on the road, I remained very relaxed until we arrived at the cafe. Perhaps because I was so drained, I ended up falling asleep without realizing it.
"Should I drop you off here?"
"Yes. See you later."
"Alright. Take care."
"Have a good day."
"Yeah."
After Chaeyu left, silence filled the car. As soon as she disappeared from sight, Mom suddenly stroked my hair. I felt a strange, shameful thought creep into my mind.
"You worked hard, my son."
"I didn't really do anything, though..."
Deep down, I’d hoped she might say something now that we were alone, but since the goal was the driving lesson, she didn't bring up anything of that sort. However, Mom’s outfit—not the suit she wore to work, but her casual clothes—caught my eye. A tight-fitting brown dress that looked like something you'd see in Dongtan. She didn't seem to care at all, but I was incredibly conscious of it. I was worried someone else might stare.
"Shall we switch back now?"
The car headed back to our neighborhood. Mom drove the way back, and we arrived safely.
"Oh, right."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Don't I need to pay for the lessons?"
"What kind of lesson fee?"
"Because you taught me."
"Hey... what kind of family charges for that? You're my son, not a relative. It’s bad to take money for that."
"Then is there anything you need?"
"Something I need? Hmm... ah."
Mom looked at me as if she’d had a good idea. The smile she gave me slowly turned devious.
"Why are you smiling like that...?"
"Just because. I thought of something fun."
"I'm worried..."
What kind of "fun" prank was she thinking of? One thing was certain: it wasn't going to be just "fun."
"How about you grant Mom one wish?"
"A wish? What kind?"
"It's a secret~"
"..."
Judging by her tone, it definitely wasn't going to be a normal wish. It didn't seem like it would be material, either... Regardless, I was anxious.
"That aside, let's switch seats."
"Okay."
Without uncovering Mom's secret, I took the driver's seat again. I was twice as nervous as I had been leaving the parking lot.
"Now, let's go~ You know to watch the signals, right?"
"Of course I do."
We started off slowly along the road. Even though it was a time with little traffic, there were still cars around, which made me nervous. At the driving school, it was a dedicated training car, so people would move out of the way, but this was the real deal.
"Oh~ you're good at stopping."
"I've never been scolded for that."
It was different from the truck I drove at the academy, but after stopping a few times, I got used to the spacing. Thankfully, I didn't have any trouble with other cars.
"Phew..."
"You're good at the incline, too."
"I'm just doing what you taught me, Mom."
Under Mom's guidance, the lesson ended safely. After circling the neighborhood and returning to the starting point, she set the navigation for me.
"This is the last one. Drive here."
"It's close, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
It was a large park about twenty minutes away by car. It wasn't in our neighborhood, but a fairly large park nestled between apartment buildings.
"Is this the place?"
"Yeah. There are plenty of spots, so try parking."
"Okay."
There were many empty spots, but the parking lot was still somewhat full. I nervously shifted into reverse.
"Watch the mirrors."
"Okay..."
I parked using the formula I’d learned at the academy. Unlike the school cars, this one had a backup camera, making it easier than I expected.
"Haa."
"Good work. Let's get out now."
"Okay..."
I’d only done it for a little while, but I was drained. As if to say "good job," the wind brushed against my hair, feeling like a gentle caress.
"Let's go up now."
"...Okay."
Going up was fine, but Mom suddenly linked her arm with mine. My eyes kept drifting toward her chest, and it was incredibly embarrassing. Mom-arm.
"Wow. It's huge."
"Have you never been here before?"
"No. I didn't even know it existed."
The space was wide, and the facilities were clean. Maybe because it was so large, there weren't many people around.
"..."
And so, bad thoughts started filling my head.
"Let's sit over there and rest."
"Okay."
We sat on a bench at the park's playground. A family was playing nearby, with little kids riding on the equipment.
"You used to play like that when you were little... do you remember?"
"I don't remember."
"Yeah. You had just started running, so you played at the playground a lot."
"Ah..."
"And that kid... has grown up like this now."
Mom began to stroke my arm. It wasn't just a simple touch; she was caressing my thigh as if savoring the sensation. Even just having my arm touched was enough to make my blood rush.
"Mom... you haven't aged a bit."
"Hm? Oh, no... that's not true~ I even have wrinkles here."
"...Where exactly?"
Instead of facial wrinkles, I could clearly see the wrinkles in her tight-fitting dress. I could see her bra, and the cleavage that the bra couldn't even hide. Her breasts were firm. It was a good thing her bra was black, but the sheer destructive power of it made me want to touch them without even thinking.
"Here. Look closely."
"I'm asking where—"
Mom's face moved closer, then disappeared from my field of vision. Instead, I felt a moist sensation against my ear.
"Here."
"...Don't tease me."
"Sorry~"