Page 24 of Perfect Happiness
Pity wrinkled Eun-ho’s brow.Like all boys his age, Noah loved soccer.But he wanted toplaysoccer, not just watch from the sidelines.His dream was to kick the ball with the other kids at daycare.Unfortunately, this dream only filled Noah with disappointment.
Noah couldn’t run for long because of his asthma.After just a few meters, he would be out of breath and his lips would be purple.Noah was also undersized.If one of the other kids elbowed him, he would fall right over.And when he played too hard at school, he would pay the price later that night.So, Noah wasn’t allowed to play with the other kids.The thing Noah wanted most in the world was to learn how to play soccer, but what he really needed to learn was the hard truth that he wouldn’t always be able to do what he wanted.
Noah satisfied his desire for playing soccer by dribbling couch cushions around his grandma’s living room.But recently, he couldn’t even do that because several neighbors had filed noise complaints.So, Noah could only play pretend soccer on the weekends when he came to Eun-ho’s place.And every time he came, Noah would beg Eun-ho to enroll him in a soccer academy.
It appeared that the family doctor’s estimate that Noah would be able to join a soccer team in the near future when his asthma improved had been a revelation to Noah.To his young brain, “in the near future” must have been interpreted as “when he turns six.”The only problem was Noah’s birthday wasn’t any time soon.
“What are you talking about?You’ve got a lot more time than that before you turn six.”
“But Grandma says that in Korea everyone gets one year older on New Year’s.”
Eun-ho could hear Grandma’s voice from inside the apartment: “Are you going to stay out there all night or what?”This spared Eun-ho the pain of having to burst Noah’s bubble.
Eun-ho quickly entered the apartment.With Noah still in his arms, Eun-ho took off his shoes and stepped into the living room.
“Your timing couldn’t have been any better.”Noah’s grandma was standing in front of the sofa with her arms crossed.“Why are you so late?”
The wall clock was pointing to 4:30.He was thirty minutes early.
“Noah has gone to the veranda window a hundred times today to see if you’d arrived.”
Eun-ho put Noah down.Dressed in a sweater, a pair of jeans, and socks, Noah looked ready to go.Eun-ho could picture Noah getting up early that morning to put on his clothes.According to her, Noah did this every Saturday when Eun-ho came to pick him up.
Lying on the sofa were Noah’s jacket and his grandma’s coat, and beneath that on the floor was Noah’s favorite soccer ball and two bags.One bag was Noah’s, inside of which would be his inhaler and other belongings, and the other was his grandma’s.Eun-ho slung the bags over his shoulder and turned to her.
“Mom, Let’s go.”
Noah’s grandma got in the back of the car with Noah.For a while, she didn’t say anything to Eun-ho.But this wasn’t done voluntarily; she didn’t have the chance to because Noah was chirping like a sparrow.Only when Noah tired himself out did she finally have a chance to speak.
“Is your wife back from the hospital?”
Eun-ho said yes despite knowing the more accurate answer was “probably.”After all, he hadn’t been able to confirm that she had come back yet.All he had to go off was the text message he got from Wife a few hours ago.
—I’m out grocery shopping.I’ll see you when you come back from Hanam with Noah and your mother.
At the time, Eun-ho was brewing coffee.After the whirlwind of emotions from earlier that morning, Eun-ho had finally come back to Earth.He’d just succeeded in taking his mind off Wife’s return and was thinking about what to do next.He used the tried-and-true method he used to use when he was a college student majoring in literature: What would Jinu do?
First, Eun-ho thought about the possibility of an extramarital affair.What if she was at her ex-husband’s house?But he had yet to find anything he could accept as solid evidence.Everything he had was circumstantial.There was no need to get wrapped up in a sense of betrayal just yet.
Eventually, Eun-ho decided it was something he would have to look more into after Noah and Mom went back to Hanam.He had options.He could find a private detective, or he could investigate himself.
More important right now was Noah.Eun-ho couldn’t let his son down again—even if that meant letting Mom finding out about Wife’s leaving the house.Eun-ho decided to go to Hanam once he had his cup of coffee.
It was just as he put his key in the ignition that Eun-ho received the text message from Wife.His head flooded with questions again.It was as if she had anticipated his every move, anticipated that he would delay picking up Noah until Sunday, anticipated that he would lie to his own mother to buy time, anticipated how long he would wait and how he would react once he saw her message.There was no way this was a coincidence.She had planned it all out.
—I’m out grocery shopping.I’ll see you when you come back from Hanam with Noah and your mother.
The tone of her message infuriated him.She acted as if she were simply stopping by the grocery store on her way home from work.Between the lines, Eun-ho could read a mocking and condescending message:I’ll save you.Just this once.Eun-ho could almost hear her arrogant voice:I have an excuse that will explain where I’ve been.And you have no choice but to accept it.
Eun-ho felt pathetic, but he had no choice but to follow her orders.He sent her a reply:
—My mom thinks your mom’s at the hospital.
—K
This angered Eun-ho even more.Not “Okay.”Not “OK.”Just “K.”She must think me a complete pushover.
Eun-ho could hear a derisive voice in his head telling him,She doesn’t justthinkyou’re a pushover, youarea pushover.
