You Should Meet a Good Person and Get Married

My daughter's voice was sharp. Sharper than I had ever heard it in my life.

She had always been such a good girl. Not once had she ever raised her voice at me. And now that child was snapping at me over the phone.

It would be no exaggeration to say that my daughter was the reason I lived. She wasn't my biological child. But she was more than that—more than any child of my own blood could have been. A girl who thought of me more than anyone else in the world. A girl who had never once given me a moment of grief, even through her teenage years. Unlike other children, she had never had expensive private tutors, never attended cram schools in Seoul's most prestigious school district—and still she had gotten into the finest university in the country. A girl who looked only at me. More than a biological daughter. That was my Min-ah.

So when that child raised her voice and snapped at me, the shock hit like a blow. Suddenly it felt as though something had seized my chest and clenched it shut. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to face my daughter when she was this angry...?

Then, without a sound, Baek Ah-rin was at my side, leaning in to whisper against my ear.

"Tell her your phone was on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠silent and you only just saw it, sunbae. Apologize for missing the call and she'll settle down right away."

My frozen mouth came unstuck all at once.

"Sorry, sweetheart... my phone was on silent. I just saw it."

Still sharp, but distinctly softer. I let out a breath of relief.

"Of course it is. Have you ever known Dad to lie?"

"That's right. Thank you, sweetheart. How's orientation?"

"What...? Did something happen?"

Worry flared up in me all at once. My daughter wasn't feeling well?

Her voice trailed off. She probably meant her period.

"Don't push yourself. Just rest. And if the upperclassmen try to make you drink, don't."

As we slipped into the ordinary back-and-forth of daily life, her anger eased little by little, until her voice had returned entirely to what it had always been.

Baek Ah-rin had gone back to her seat across from me, and the look on her face was calm. Most likely because the expression on mine had settled again.

"Hm. Eating with a friend."

The question was a little strange.

"Yeah, of course it's a guy."

Why?

Little by little, I was starting to sense things that didn't quite sit right as a daughter's behavior. That was it, though. She was an adult now. I had been feeling this ever since we went to the amusement park after she got into university. It was nothing.

"Don't be, sweetheart. Min-ah is the most important thing in the world to Dad, you know that?"

"If it hurts too much, you take medicine. Toughing it out for no reason is a stupid thing to do."

"That's my good girl."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

I ended the call. Baek Ah-rin had been watching the father-daughter conversation the whole time, her gaze quiet and steady.

"I envy you, sunbae."

"For what?"

"For having a daughter who loves her father that much."

"Ah...? Ah......"

The look on Ah-rin's face was one of envy. That was right. Her father had been the complete opposite of what I had with my daughter. Authoritarian, violent—and he had gaslighted her on top of it. Even a brilliant, beautiful junior like her had been utterly powerless before the man who had given her life. The long-term psychological domination of the person who raised you is a truly terrifying thing.

This trip to Jeju Island with Baek Ah-rin was a healing trip, meant to undo that psychological hold and let her live a life of her own. But... I couldn't help worrying that I had unintentionally shown her a happy father-daughter relationship and stirred her trauma.

"Do you think... I could be happy like you, sunbae?"

What was that? Baek Ah-rin's way of speaking seemed a little softer...?

"That's right. Of course you can. You can be as happy as you want. That's why we're on this trip together—to show you that."

"...I am happy. Without a doubt. Coming on this trip with you, sunbae, being treated to an expensive dinner at a luxury resort—it's wonderful. But....."

She still wore the face of someone who could not quite believe it. Despair had taken root in her heart—the conviction that happiness was something that happened in dramas on a screen, something that could never be hers.

"I don't know why I feel so anxious. I'm standing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right in the middle of happiness, and yet it feels like I'm only watching someone else's."

She tipped back the refilled draft beer and downed it in one shot once more. I could see the beer moving dynamically down the long, slender column of her throat. Had Ah-rin's neck always been that thin... that white...?

"Hah!!" So this is why people drink. For a feeling like this."

"...Hey. Take it easy on the drinking."

Of course, judging by the way Dr. Baek had downed a shot of soju last time, two beers weren't going to get her drunk. If she were truly a weak drinker, she wouldn't have been able to knock back a whole bottle of soju in one go—and she would have been suffering for days afterward. The fact that she had thrown it up and then pulled herself together meant her tolerance was at least above average.

"My liver hasn't tasted a drop of alcohol until now, so it's in perfect health. Excuse me! Another beer over here!"

She didn't seem drunk, but her voice had clearly gotten louder. Still, it didn't look like she was far gone enough to make a scene.

A freshly filled beer was set down in front of Dr. Baek. She picked it up and watched the bubbles rising, fizzing, with careful attention.

"I don't know why I've been avoiding something this good."

"...Yeah."

I knew why. Her father's drunken violence. That was the reason.

"It feels like I wasted half my life."

She pressed her index finger firmly against the rim of the beer glass, then slowly traced along it. Those long fingers of hers were captivating. Long, beautiful fingers that looked as though they would have played the piano beautifully. The outward curve of her finger-line resembled that of a rather accomplished ballerina.

She was smiling, but the darkness in her heart had not yet been fully erased. And that was only natural. Even a professor of psychiatry couldn't have wiped it away on the spot. What she needed was to be shown the hope that she could break that trauma herself. And then I had to wait—wait for her to shatter that terrible past with her own strength. All I could do right now was show her that the hope of breaking it existed at all.

"It's nothing much, once you know. If you set your mind to it, Dr. Baek, you can enjoy all of this too."

"Sunbae's advice is... in other words......"

She hesitated for a moment. Then, as though she had made up her mind about something, she went on.

"...you're telling me to find the courage to take what I want into my own hands, aren't you?"

"That's right. But I wouldn't recommend forcing it, either."

Direct disappointment showed on her face.

"Why... is that?"

"You know what happens if you eat too fast, right? You get sick."

"Yes......"

"Same principle."

"......"

"Bit by bit... so you can become happy naturally... I'll help you."

"Sunbae......."

Dr. Baek's face brightened again. I lifted my beer glass.

"Let's toast to Dr. Baek's happiness."

Her eyes looked a little moist. But she didn't cry anymore. It was the face of a drama heroine who, no matter how the luck had gone against her, kept getting back up.

"Thank you, sunbae."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you."

"Why?"

"Because even in the middle of your own hardships, you helped me so much. That's how I was able to raise my daughter well."

"Ah......"

A complicated look flickered across her face.

"So from now on, I'll do my best to make sure my junior here can be a little happier."

But the look eased again just as quickly.

"Thank you... sunbae."

I held out my glass. Dr. Baek held out hers as well.

Clink!

The beer glasses met. If I felt something in that contact—some kind of emotion—was it just my imagination?

Nah. That couldn't be. Because Baek Ah-rin was my pure, unpretentious junior. That was all there was to it.

Because it was a weekday evening, the buffet had no two-seating system or anything of the sort. From start to finish, we were able to take our time over the meal for nearly four hours. It was a luxury resort, so even with few guests the quality of the food never dropped. The seafood in particular, this being an island, was extraordinarily fresh.

We had slowly finished even our dessert of coffee and cake by the fireplace, and were now making our way back to the rooms.

"Sunbae... hehe... that was a good time."

She had drunk three more beers after that. The fact that she still hadn't lost consciousness the way she had last time told me I had been right—she really was a strong drinker.

"It's good to see you in a good mood, Dr. Baek."

"Is that true? What a relief."

Of all the smiles I had seen from her since coming to Jeju Island, this was the clearest, the most unclouded.

"I hope you stay that way."

Softly, Dr. Baek drew up beside me and pressed her forearm against mine.

"This is all because of you, sunbae."

"Yeah. Money's all I've got."

"......"

She seemed to be holding back something she wanted to say.

"You should shake off those bad memories soon too, Dr. Baek."

"Yes... sunbae."

"And family is important."

"......"

Baek Ah-rin flinched. But this was something I had wanted to say.

"Just because you have bad memories, I hope you won't insist on staying single. The satisfaction a family gives you isn't smaller than anything else."

"...Yes."

"I don't understand it. How a woman as perfect as you, Dr. Baek, doesn't have a boyfriend."

A sudden, fierce grip closed around my right hand. I looked over to find her in an awkward, half-stumbled crouch, clutching my hand.

"Ah...! I'm sorry, sunbae!! I think I'm a little drunk. I almost fell... I'm sorry!"

"It's fine. If you hadn't grabbed on, you would have fallen. Good job."

"...Yes."

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the rooms.

"Sleep well. If older men happen to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be your type, tell me. I've got some friends who still haven't gotten married... ah, those guys won't do. You're far too good for them, Dr. Baek."

"......"

That was right. The violence she had suffered at her father's hands. That could well have led to a rejection of men. Fortunately, she had no aversion to me, so I at least ought to talk to her about it. I needed to help her open her heart, little by little.

"Anyway, I'm going to bed. Sleep well... we have to eat breakfast tomorrow, so let's meet here at eight."

"Yes... sunbae."

"Alright. Sleep well. I'm going in."

I unlocked the electronic lock and opened the door, and my room came into view.

"S-sunbae!!"

"Hm?"

Baek Ah-rin's voice was urgent. She was out of breath. Her face had gone red. She was looking straight at me.

"What is it?"

"......"

She said nothing.

"...Can't think of what you wanted to say, can you? Tell me tomorrow when it comes to you."

"...Yes."

"I'm sleepy. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

"...Yes."

Click.

And with that, my door closed. And after a long while, I heard the sound of the neighboring door opening.