After Story 3

It was 9 a.m. Even though he had set the alarm for six, he had never heard the alarm. He felt this when he was tossing in his bed without being able to sleep until 2, but it seemed that it would take at least a month to fix the lifestyle patterns engraved into this body.

Like many youths after their military service, the Han Maru of yesterday was also spending his time just making plans and not carrying any of them out. Getting fully adjusted to society by the end of summer vacation, and then studying for TOEIC and reviewing his major subjects was a grand plan that he devised, but it had become sc.r.a.pped less than a week later.

The early morning wake up had disappeared without a trace after drinking throughout the night with his friends on the fourth day, and the firm determination to study had collapsed in the face of the new game console he bought.

Just like the famous sayings plastered on the wall, Han Maru's plans were sc.r.a.pped into the depths of his memories after they didn't bear any fruit, much less a sweet one. It couldn't be helped. If he could do everything he planned, then he wouldn't be human.

He woke up his stiff body. He had forgotten to look at his own bodily state yesterday because he was busy calling Haneul and going over his memories.

His arms were sloppy and his belly was round. He didn't have a big thigh because he liked cycling, but it wasn't as if it streamline either. This was all thanks to having eaten instant foods during his later days in the military instead of doing foot volleyball and table tennis which he liked so much. Usually, people would create their bodies towards the end of their service, but looking back at the memories of that time, it seemed that he was planning to go to the gym once he was discharged.

Of course, that never happened. He never went anywhere close to a gym.

My man, why did you do that. He lamented as he looked in the mirror.

The memories of being an actor were still fresh, so the untrained body was rather uncomfortable. It wasnt like his body figure earned him money, so it wouldnt matter even if he lived like this, but the habits that controlled his body in the life before kept telling him that this kind of body was unacceptable.

The first thing he did after was.h.i.+ng his face and leaving the bathroom was toss the cigarettes into the trash. He had memories of dying because of lung cancer before, so he didnt dare to smoke. He was planning to decrease alcohol consumption as well. No more drinking to the point of getting drunk.

He finished cleaning his house, which he didnt the day before. As for the game console and the game CDs, he organized them in a box. He was planning to sell them as second-hand goods.

That ones really fun though.

The Maru of this life signaled him to not sell it, but he lightly ignored it. It wasnt that playing games was bad, but a game console was a luxury in the current environment. It wasnt that his family was rich, and he had also gotten a student loan under his name, so spending hundreds of thousands of won for a hobby was something he should refrain from doing. If he felt bored, he could go to the public library or the public park, which were free throughout the year.

He left his house with the trash bag. After throwing it out, he went to the apartment management office. When he asked if there was a local bazaar, he was told that there was one every 15th and 30th of each month. The items that filled a corner of his living room flashed past in his head.

Thank you for telling me.

Having returned home, he fed the cat and called up Haneul.

-Wait a sec, Im working.

He heard her talking to a customer over the phone. Now that he thought about it, she did say that she was working at a caf. After telling her to call him back once she was free, he put his phone down. He had miraculously regained his life, but he was not as free as before.

Once a top star, his girlfriend was now making coffee at a caf, and he was planning to drop out of college. There was no house under their name, nor a nice car, nor a thick bank account, but that didnt matter at all. Those were all minor inconveniences that could be solved with some time, so there were no problems.

He wasnt someone who made guarantees so easily, but he had the confidence to lead a better life economically than the immature Han Maru of this life. She was probably the same. A path filled with fear was one that was filled with uncertainty. As someone who had walked down numerous paths, the immediate difficulties he was facing only felt like a foothold for a better tomorrow.

Definitely, things had changed. The actor Han Maru of the previous life would have only thought about recovering the economic status regardless of the means, but right now, he could think about it with more leeway. It was a kind of leisure that was gained after the variety of experiences were combined in his mind. It was like a skilled chess player looking at many moves into the future.

-Come to the clubroom today.

When he picked up the call he got, the person on the other side left those words and hung up. He was a senior from his college club. He had enrolled in the photography club even though the only camera he had at home was the one on his phone. The club was a mix of two teams, one of which was a team that planned photography sessions and moved around busily, and the other was a team of people who just kept drinking all day in the name of a club. Maru was involved in the latter.

He stroked his face. The Han Maru of this life really did things that werent to his liking.

He also remembered the reason he joined the club. He was just going along with his friend, even though that friend had escaped somewhere else.

He must have felt a sense of guilt several times when he went drinking after paying millions of won just to go to college, so it was just frustrating that the regret only lasted a brief time as he ended up showing his face in the club again. If possible, he wanted to become the masked man and curse at his previous self a whole lot.

-There was suddenly a rush of customers. Why did you call?

She called as though she managed to find some time.

Theres something I want to consult you about.

-What is it?

Im going to drop out of college.

-I thought youd say that. You said you just got discharged from the military right?

Its been a month. No matter how hard I think about it, theres no merit in continuing to go to college.

-How are you going to explain this to your parents? Theyll be worried if their son suddenly says hell drop out of college.

Thankfully, my parents are liberal in this life as well. Im free to make a decision, but Ill also have to take responsibility for it. It should be fine if I explain to them the circ.u.mstances. My mother might actually like it.

-You never know. You dont really have anything to do immediately, so parents these days will be worried if you suddenly say youll stop.

Do you think itll be better for me to finish college then?

-No. If you made a decision, then that must be whats right for you. Just make sure you dont make your parents worry. You know how parents feel, dont you?

I do. I really do.

-Do you remember? The day Gaeul seriously said she didnt want to go to school?

That happened a few times, huh.

-I think about thirty times according to my memory.

I felt like the world was going to end every time.

-Your parents must feel the same. They might be worried that their son might not want to get the proper education he deserves because they arent well off. Theyre good people after all.

Youre right.

-Why dont you keep dropping out a secret for the time being? Its not like youre going to play around. If you create a foundation, they might feel at ease.

They say listening to your wife is the best thing you can do, so Ill do that. Hows the work at the caf? Isnt it hard to make your own coffee after your manager made it for you every single time?

-h.e.l.lo, mister, Ive worked at a restaurant hundreds of times. This is nothing compared to removing the oil stains on a grill.

Where did you say the caf was? Ill visit on my way.

-Ill send you the location. But where are you going?

College. Im going to apply to drop out. If I need to consult a professor, then I just plan to get expelled.

-No hesitation, huh?

I dont have time for that. Send me the address. Lets eat dinner together.

He left with his bag. What would his peers say if he said he was dropping out? They would be quite surprised since they were drinking happily just a few days ago.

He went to Yongsan station on line 1, which was as crowded as ever even on the weekend. It wasnt that far to the college from the station, about seven stops by bus. When he got off the bus, he could see the college entrance in the distance. He looked back on his memories to go to the economics office.

Oh, youre dropping out? These days, you dont have to make a visit, and you can do it on the internet. If you dont have any tuition to get back, you just dont have to come anymore. Youll be expelled automatically, the teaching a.s.sistant explained.

He left the office after a short visit. The ivory tower he entered with time and money could be left very easily.

After leaving the building, he scanned the building up and down. It was a place filled with his memories, so he had to look at it at least one last time.

He drank water he bought at a convenience store and went to the clubroom building. Once he was done saying goodbye to the members of the club, he would never come here again.

Hey, Hanmal, youre here?

Hanmal. That was a nickname he got from his clubroom. He smiled and scanned the people in the room.

Looks like you still havent gotten adjusted to society after getting discharged. Our new members probably dont know, but hes Han Maru, and he went to the military even though hes in his second year. Hes a pitiful returning student, so dont bully him and treat him well. Hanmal, what are you doing? You should say h.e.l.lo to our new ones, said the senior. Maru didnt like this guy because he disdained others in the most indirect way, but he couldn't put distance between them as he was a central figure in the club, so Maru got along with him with a smile. He could feel the memories and the emotions.

Look at him dazing out. Juniors, hes like that because hes embarra.s.sed so dont misunderstand him. The dudes pretty dense even after he went to the military. What are you going to do about your personal relations without me?

About those personal relations, Im here to wrap them up.

Huh?

Im dropping out. The reason I came here today is that I remembered a photo I left here before I went to the military. Ill just take that and go. As for the MT, you can go by yourselves.

The only faces he knew here were the senior that looked down on him and a girl he wasnt close to, so he just finished his words there. Honestly, there was not a single person he wanted to stay close to in the clubroom.

The previous Maru might consider them lifelong friends bound by alcohol, but in the eyes of the current him, all of those relations.h.i.+ps were shallow and would disappear after half a year. He was a calculative man, so he figured out whether he should stay close to a person or not, whether he liked it or not.

He grabbed the alb.u.m and looked for the photo. It was a photo he took in the Gangwon province before he drowned in booze. It wasnt a great photo and it didnt contain anything special, but he wanted to keep it because it was his first time doing it.

Hey, Han Maru, the senior called. What do you think youre doing?

Dont mind me and just keep doing what you were doing. Ill take my leave now. He grabbed the doork.n.o.b after checking to see if there was anything else he had to take with him. The eyes of the dozens of people in the clubroom coldly stared at him. Maru smiled at them before leaving.

Hey, what kind of bad att.i.tude is this? the senior followed him out. He was someone with a lot of pride, so it seemed that he couldnt take being ignored.

Maru thought that he would refrain from acting out since people were looking, but he seemed to have underestimated his pettiness.

Senior, you should go inside and continue.

Your words are quite offensive, you know?

Ill apologize if that was the case. But Im not even a student here anymore, so dont mind me.

You punk. You dont have any manners. I looked after you so much, so whys your att.i.tude like that?

Just take it as who I really am. Also, please send me the 300 thousand won I lent you to my account soon.

Are you doing this because of the money? Do you think your personal relations are finished just because you drop out? Punk, I didnt see you like that, but youre quite petty.

Yes, thats right. So please send the money as soon as possible.

Its not that I dont have the money, but I wont give it to you because I dont like how youre acting.

Itll be better for both of us if you send the money. I would consider it charity if I was well off, but in this life, my wallet is quite fragile.

What are you saying?

I wont say anything much. Send it by the end of the week.

Bulls.h.i.+t.

The senior snorted and went back to the clubroom. Maru watched the door slam shut before turning around.