A Toast to Finding You a Good Partner
The evening had gone dark.
Dr. Baek Ah-rin was exhausted. Of course, so was I. The travel from morning until night, piled on top of that short but punishing hike, had drained far more out of us than I'd expected.
She'd been fighting hard to stay awake, but after burning through so much of herself at Seongsan Ilchulbong, sleep was never going to lose. She'd nod off, her head dipping sharply, then jolt upright in a panic.
"Wh—wha—!!"
Watching Dr. Baek glance around in a daze was rather adorable.
"S-Senior, I'm so sorry. Falling asleep in the passenger seat while you're driving... I truly apologize."
Her voice was still thick with sleep. The way she carried herself before her mind had fully caught up was quite cute. She was in her thirties—old enough, by any measure—but to me she was still that clumsy, endearing little junior.
I hadn't known that this junior of mine had actually been living inside so much pain. I'd looked at the surface of her and gotten it all wrong.
This trip was for her. So I didn't want to put her through anything hard.
It seemed Dr. Baek had looked up quite a lot of things so she wouldn't be a burden on this trip with me. That was why she was apologizing now. Somewhere, she'd read that you weren't supposed to fall asleep in the passenger seat, for the driver's sake.
She'd told me she'd never been on a proper trip in her life. Which meant she'd never gotten to sit in the passenger seat and simply enjoy a drive, either. The mere fact that she'd researched all that and tried so hard just so she wouldn't inconvenience me—I was grateful for that alone.
But I wasn't actually that particular about it. I'd always loved driving, and if I wanted to give myself over to the road completely, sinking into the drive was better than making conversation.
"Don't worry about it. You hiked all day—of course you're sleepy."
"Ah... but you're just as tired as I am... aren't you?"
Dr. Baek's face flushed red. She seemed to be thinking she'd put her foot in it again.
"Dr. Baek."
"Yes......"
"Did you forget what I asked you?"
"Y-yes?"
"We're here to have fun, aren't we?"
"Th-that's right."
"I asked you to think of us as friends, not senior and junior."
"Ah......"
"Just relax. If you're sleepy, sleep. When you've got your energy back, you can keep me company talking."
"...B-but still... you're tired too, Senior, and I'm the only one......"
"I like driving."
"......"
"If I want to lose myself completely in the pleasure of it, I don't particularly enjoy someone talking to me."
That was the truth. This was a German luxury sedan built for the sheer joy of driving. Even a slight turn of the wheel produced a sharp, precise steering angle. A throttle that answered the instant you asked. Brakes with a linear, predictable bite. Taking a car like this along the winding coastal roads was a genuine pleasure.
If I hadn't had a daughter, I would have bought this car. The problem with it was that the ride quality wasn't as good as my own. The passenger. My daughter had wanted the most comfortable car possible. Mine was the most expensive sedan among the German premium brands—the model whose rear seats, where my daughter sat, were the most comfortable of all. This one, by contrast, traded that away for sportiness; the back seat wasn't nearly as plush. That was why I hadn't bought it.
If Dr. Baek had been awake, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the spirited driving I'd been doing this whole time. She must have been truly exhausted, because even through my wild handling, she'd slept just fine.
"Thanks to you sleeping, I got to have a little fun with this car."
"Is the car more fun than I am?"
"Hm?"
Her face had gone stiff.
"How would you even compare those two things?"
She swallowed. Her face tensed for a moment—but it would relax soon enough.
"Talking with you is way more fun, obviously."
Dr. Baek had been psychologically withdrawn. I'd felt it from the airport onward. Hypersensitive about every little thing. Even when she resolved not to be, it was like an affliction she couldn't shake free of. At times like that, what mattered was putting her at ease. And one of the things she needed was my praise. Praise from someone you trust and rely on carries weight. It was one of the surest ways I could help her feel comfortable.
"I was just playing around with the car because I got bored while you were sleeping, that's all."
The stiffness in Dr. Baek's face melted away completely.
"Haha... Senior... I should have been better company... I'm sorry I fell asleep."
"Don't forget. The theme of this trip is your healing vacation. If you just do whatever you want, that's all I could ask for."
"...Thank you, Senior."
She bowed her head to me.
Destination in 10 km.
"Ah—we'll be there soon."
"Are we finally arriving at the lodging, then?"
"We are. You can look forward to it."
"...If it's a place you prepared, Senior, even a shabby motel would be fine."
"How could I take a precious junior somewhere like that?"
I'd only recently learned that Dr. Baek Ah-rin ran hot. Whenever something shifted in her heart, a rather fierce heat radiated from her side.
"Ah... anyway... thank you, Senior."
"Don't mention it."
I opened the panoramic sunroof. It was February, and the air was cold, but with the heater blasting it was more than manageable. A sea breeze heavy with salt. That was something you could only feel in a place like this.
"Senior, are you really not tired? I'll drive tomorrow."
"No. You've only ever driven compact cars—I can't trust you with a full-size sedan. This is a rental. What if you scratch it?"
"My license is a Class 1 ordinary. I can even drive a truck, you know."
"Still don't trust you."
The air between Dr. Baek and me felt considerably looser than it had a little while ago. The tension she'd been carrying had eased a great deal after Seongsan Ilchulbong. This sea breeze would do its part to loosen her further.
"How is it? Do you like Jeju Island?"
"...Yes."
"Glad we came?"
"......"
There was no answer.
"If you hadn't gotten what you wished for—if we hadn't come—do you think you could have felt this?"
"...I'm sorry. For putting you through so much trouble, Senior."
"Don't be. I always used to come here with my daughter. Coming with a junior I like feels fresh. It feels good."
She flinched—drew in on herself for a second, then eased. A faint, unreadable sigh.
"Your daughter seems like a very important part of you, Senior."
"She is. In the end, the only family that actually thinks of me is my daughter."
"...But she's an adult now... won't she leave you soon?"
"That's why... I'll be lonely before long, huh? Haha."
"Then... I......"
She clasped her hands together, her index finger fidgeting without rest. She looked like she wanted to say something.
"...What is it?"
"It's nothing."
"You look like you want to say something."
"No. There's nothing. Anyway—where is our lodging?"
"Ah... we'll be there any minute."
The most luxurious, most expensive resort in Seogwipo.
"Don't tell me... that place?"
"Yeah. That's the one."
It felt like driving into some vast ancient ruin. With Dr. Baek Ah-rin's mouth hanging open beside me, the car swept through the entrance.
"Isn't this place... incredibly expensive?"
"It's off-season. Cheap."
"Still... it looks incredibly expensive......."
The resort was more lavish than I'd expected. It felt like we'd stepped into a high-end resort somewhere in Southeast Asia. The check-in lobby had an open ceiling punched straight through, giving the space a tremendous sense of air and height. We hadn't even gone inside yet, but the floor-to-ceiling glass alone, seen from outside, carried an overwhelming presence.
An expensive resort in the off-season is empty. I parked in the best spot there was.
"Ah... are you sure I really don't need to pay?"
She was fidgeting, restless, carrying about two hundred percent of the burden.
"You've helped me for ten years. This is a drop in the bucket."
"...Even so."
"If you insist, think of it as a bonus."
"...What?"
"You don't like it because it's not a cash bonus?"
"N-no! It's good!! It's so good that... I mean!!"
"Good. Then let's check in. I'll pop the trunk—grab the bags for me."
"Yes, Senior!!"
We checked in.
"S-Senior, you booked two rooms?"
"Yeah. Of course."
"Ah... r-right! I was worried you'd booked one."
"I'd have to be out of my mind to book a single room."
"Haha... that's right!! Thank goodness. Haha..."
Dr. Baek seemed to have been startled at first, afraid I'd booked only one room. Of course the lowlifes of the world would have done exactly that. There's only one room, so what choice do we have? Two rooms would be expensive. Even a single room has two beds. That sort of thing. But I wasn't one of those men.
Dr. Baek Ah-rin and I were unrelated. Senior and junior, yes—but still a man and a woman. A luxury resort is expensive even in the off-season. I'd reserved rooms at over five hundred dollars a night. Two of them, which made it more than a thousand dollars for a single night. A married couple, or lovers, or even same-sex friends, could share a room. But Dr. Baek Ah-rin and I were simply employer and employee. University senior and junior. Sharing a single room was out of the question.
We took the elevator to the fourth floor. The resort building only had four. They'd kept it low, the story went, so it would melt into the landscape as much as possible. The hallway itself felt expensive—indirect lighting, high-end tile underfoot. You could feel where the money had gone.
We arrived at the rooms. Dr. Baek's was right next door. I handed her one of the key cards.
"Here. Your room key."
"Yes... thank you."
"Get settled and meet me out front in thirty minutes."
"Yes...?"
"We've got to eat dinner."
That was right. I'd booked a package—one that included dinner at the finest buffet the resort operated.
"Wow... this is really wonderful. Dining with the cool sea breeze, looking out at the ocean......"
She was wearing a white dress patterned with flowers, and the two of us were having dinner at the buffet on the resort's first floor.
It was February. A cold wind still blew in hard. But they'd set out plenty of standing heaters, so you could eat outside all the same. Strong lights were thrown toward the water, so even on a dark night you could take in the shore, and the classical music drifting through the air was more than enough to make the whole scene feel even more luxurious.
"Right? Worth every bit of what it costs."
"Oh—and the room is wonderful too. So luxurious. For a bonus, it seems far too much."
Give Dr. Baek Ah-rin even a little room and she'd start feeling burdened like this. To take that weight off her, a little pressure seemed in order.
"Stop saying it's too much. Keep that up and I'll get mad."
"Yes... I'm sorry."
"Want a drink? Beer, not soju."
"Sounds good."
"You can't do a one-shot like last time."
Remembering the night she'd downed a whole bottle of soju in one go, Dr. Baek's face went flustered.
"S-Senior!! We agreed you'd forget about that!"
"But I think I'll remember it every time I drink with you."
"S-Senior!! That's too much!"
Watching Dr. Baek Ah-rin scramble in embarrassment was adorable. I'd only ever seen the easygoing, tomboyish side of her; seeing her shy like this made her feel all the more that way.
I ordered us draft beer.
"Alright. Let's toast."
I lifted my glass. Dr. Baek raised hers a little clumsily.
"To Dr. Baek Ah-rin's happiness."
I brought my glass toward hers. She hesitated a moment, then tapped her glass lightly against mine.
"What?"
What was that? All of a sudden?
"Hey. What are you talking about?"
"No... your daughter's an adult now... I thought you'd get lonely. Shouldn't you start thinking about remarrying...?"
Yes. That was true. Someday my daughter would leave my arms. I'd believed my family was only my daughter. In the eyes of the law, too, she was the only family I had. That was how it stood now—but someday she would build a home of her own and go independent. Dr. Baek Ah-rin's words made me picture a future I was afraid of: growing old alone, and dying that way.
"Maybe later. Not now."
"Why is that?"
"My daughter opposes remarriage."
"Ah... is that so."
Dr. Baek's expression sagged, just a little. But she soon put her face back in order.
"Ah... anyway, then—here's to your happiness, Senior, and your daughter's!"
Clink! The glasses struck hard enough that a little beer spilled over the rim. Gulp, gulp. Just like that, she drained the whole glass in one go.
"You need to learn some drinking manners. A one-shot of soju, and now beer too?"
"Hahh... but compared to soju, this is basically a soft drink. I don't think I'll get that drunk."
"Here. Look."
I showed her my glass. About a fifth of the beer was gone.
"That's the right amount for one sip. From now on, don't drink more than that."
"Y-yes...! If you say so, Senior... I understand!"
Dr. Baek had one-shotted a glass of draft, but beer was low in alcohol, and hotel draft came in smaller glasses than the ones at an ordinary pub. I didn't think she'd end up as far gone as last time.
"Anyway......"
Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Since when? The phone in my pocket had been going off without a pause. It was my daughter.
"Huh. When did this come in?"
The call cut off.
The vibration must have been too weak. I hadn't noticed.
Bzzzz. It again. My daughter, once more.
"Senior. You should take that."
"Ah... r-right."
I answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Dad!!! Why are you only picking up now?!"
It was the first time I had ever heard my daughter that angry.