: Better Off Without Me

"Min Jae, you bastard! Go home to your wife and stop pestering me!" Suk Ju complained.

He just finished cleaning his small apartment when suddenly, Min Jae came to his home with a whole case of beer. He initially didn't intend to let him in. But since he was this bastard's go-to person whenever he was in an unpleasant mood, Min Jae knew where he kept his spare keys. And now, the place that was spotless earlier was now how it used to be before.

Really this guy...

Suk Ju squinted his eyes out of frustration. Well, this place won't magically clean up by itself now would it? Suk Ju heavily sighed before he got up and started picking up Min Jae's mess.

"Hey Min Jae! Are you really that heartless to leave your wife and kids at home? Dude, grow up! It's your wife's birthday you fool!" Suk Ju cursed under his breath.

Suk Ju and Min Jae had been friends since they were in high school. Of course, Min Jae was always the popular one. It was as if his entire being was created for the general audience! The teachers loved him, the girls of course were head over heels for him, even some guys were rumored to being attracted to him!

It was a good thing that even though he was pretty much an eye-candy, he wasn't entirely stupid since Min Jae also excelled in school. Well thank the heavens for that! However, in other cases, Suk Ju just can't fathom how in the world this idiot's brain sometimes falls down to his manhood.

Suk Ju knows him well more than anyone. Probably because he was the only one who can stand him. They have more contrasting traits than they have in common but still, they remained as good friends. Which is why Kang Suk Ju knows almost everything about him, including his idiocy last night.

"Kang Suk Ju, loosen up a little! I already brought the alcohol didn't I? Here you can have mine." Min Jae besottedly offered. His alcohol tolerance is actually pretty high. However, since he was the only one drinking and he had already consumed the content of more than half of the case, his consciousness began to falter.

When Min Jae saw that his friend had no interest of joining him, he didn't take it to heart. Instead, he drank to his heart's content. So what if it's Eun Young's birthday? It's just another day of the year! Surely she'll celebrate again next year, and the year after that, and the next...

Suk Ju saw his reaction and felt annoyed. "Lee Min Jae, don't you dare try come to me regretting if one day your wife realizes how much of a bastard you are. I told you long ago to f****** stop this bull****! You're destroying your marriage!" Suk Ju vented out. His frustration with this man is too much! Now he's unsure of how they even became associated with each other in the first place!

"Let her be. Isn't that better? She'll be better off without me anyway." Min Jae sluggishly replied.

Suk Ju glared at the man before him. "Are you serious?! Min Jae, you've been married to Eun Young for 6 years! Damn you even have two children! You're not a kid anymore, Min Jae! Why the hell are you being like this?"

Min Jae was left silent at his good friend's criticisms. He thought about his wife, his children... he felt numb. He had no excuse to give.

6 years ago, when their parents arranged for them to marry, he went with it. He went with the flow. After all, that was what they wanted right? He agreed. He didn't complain.

Min Jae and Eun Young were acquainted with other but more than that, they were almost like strangers. They had no prior relation to each other. When he was told that he was to be married, there was nothing he could do. Well, he didn't really mind settling down with a woman as beautiful and as successful as Eun Young. However, he was a man who doesn't know how to love.

He tried. For the past years, he tried. But a man like him whose heart was cold and as hard as stone was a curse to everyone around him, especially to Eun Young.

Seeing that Min Jae's face remained stoic, he gave up. If he wants to ruin his life, then fine! Go ahead!

Suk Ju impassively broke the silence, "It's late already. You should just go home. Just... lock the door when you head out." Without even taking another look at his peer, he went to his own room and left him alone.

It was already past one in the morning when Min Jae returned home. The lights inside the house were already off. Luckily, the lights on the front porch were left open. Thus, allowing him to see his steps as he struggled to make his way towards the front door.

Eun Young looked at the glass of red wine in her hands. It was already her third glass and her husband still wasn't home yet. She couldn't afford to leave the children starving so they already ate dinner without Min Jae. They waited for him. But as the night fell deeper and it was already too late for them to stay up, she already tucked the little ones to bed.

Eun Young gulped down the remaining wine in the glass. Surprisingly, it actually helped her stay awake as she waited for Min Jae. Glancing at the dining table, she saw the leftovers of the food they cooked. They were cold now but she refused to put them away. She had to stay awake. At least to heat up the food when her husband arrived hungry.

When she heard the front door open, Eun Young abruptly got up. She made her way to the front room and there she saw the silhouette of a man leaning against the door frame.