34-4

Chapter 4: Married Man 

"Sigh...." 

Coming home late at night after working overtime, I feel so pitiful. It's already 11 p.m. 

'I want to die....' 

Where did it all go wrong? I look back on my past days. 

I graduated from an all-boys middle and high school, then went on to study mechanical engineering at a university with a 9:1 male-to-female ratio about the worst environment for dating. No matter how hard I tried, as an average-looking guy, I just couldn't win. 

So I focused only on my studies and, miraculously, landed a job at a major company after just one year. Suddenly, women who wouldn't even glance at me during my school days started showing interest. 

I resent my past self, who was just happy and intoxicated by that attention, not even thinking to be wary and ask, 'Why?' 

My wife now Lee Ji-ah. 

We met on a blind date and got married after a year of dating. She wasn't at a big company, but she worked as an accountant at a well-known mid-sized firm, and we got along well, so we married quickly. 

She was objectively pretty, which probably made me even less willing to let her go. 

Before marriage, she said we should both work and live happily together. Even while dating, she didn't hesitate to spend money on me, and even felt sorry when I paid, promising to get the next meal. In fact, she sometimes paid for our meals before I could. Seeing that, I thought she was a rare, considerate woman and decided to marry her. 

But she changed after marriage. 

After getting pregnant and giving birth, she said she was exhausted and asked to go to a postpartum care center. I knew how taxing pregnancy is on a woman's body, and as her loving husband, I gladly sent her, spending three million won a month. 

After our child was born and her maternity leave was ending, she suddenly quit her job. 

She said she'd take care of the house and wanted me to take responsibility as the breadwinner. She even claimed that being a housewife was like earning a 4 million won salary, saying she was making money by quitting her job. 

Even when she said that, I trusted her. I thought, "She must still be tired from childbirth. Once our child is old enough for daycare, she'll naturally get a job again. I can't make our life richer on my own." 

So as our child turned one, two, three, and entered daycare, a year passed. 

I finally had to bring up what I'd kept inside. 

  Uh... honey? How about starting work again? 

  Huh? Why all of a sudden? 

  Well... now that our kid is in daycare... I know it's been hard for you, but honestly, with just my income, it's tough to buy the house we aimed for before we got married.... 

Despite my pathetic plea, she just snorted, her expression a little annoyed. 

  Honey, do you remember what you said when we got married? You said you'd never let me get a drop of water on my hands. And now you want me to work again? You weren't like this when we were dating. You've changed. How can you be like this? Don't you know how hard it is to do housework? 

  But I do all the dishes on weekends.... 

I even worked on weekends. Even though I worked at a big company, with all the loans in my name, I couldn't relax even on weekends. Honestly, it's hard enough just to pay the interest. 

  What? Are you saying I don't do housework? I do the laundry and the cleaning! Do you hate helping your loving wife that much? What's the big deal about doing the dishes? Why are you like this lately?! 

The laundry is done by the washing machine, and the cleaning by a robot vacuum. She bought those with my card, saying housework was too hard. 

  And I make your meals, prepare late-night snacks when you come home late. What more should I do?! Say something!! 

The late-night snacks were leftovers from her delivery orders. If I left any, they'd show up as side dishes the next day, all in the name of saving money. 

I made my own breakfast more often, since she said she was too tired to get up early. 

  Honey... I just thought if we both worked, we could pay off the loans faster and live more comfortably.... 

  Oh, really? Then I guess I should just cut your allowance! 

  ...What? 

  Seriously, isn't 500,000 won a month a bit much? Is that why you're saying this? I should cut it to 300,000 won. 

  How am I supposed to live on 300,000 won a month with today's prices?! 

  So what if you skip coffee and lunch? I think you leave leftovers from the late-night snacks I make because you eat lunch. You're full these days, right? Is that why you're telling me to work? Try living on less for a while, just like I do housework!! 

  ...Sorry, honey. I was wrong.... 

  Hmph, since you apologized, I'll make it 400,000 won. But don't think you'll get 500,000!! 

  ....... 

Ah, damn. 

That was the end of my struggle. 

After that, I posted on an anonymous forum. I felt like I'd go crazy if I didn't do something.... 

Title) My wife has changed since we got married... 

I work at a major company, my wife is a housewife. 

Before marriage, we both worked. She wasn't at a big company, but she was an accountant at a promising mid-sized firm. 

But after marriage and childbirth, she quit her job, saying she was too tired. 

I understood. I know how hard childbirth is on the body. 

And when she declared she'd be a housewife, I thought, "Sure, the kid is young, it's good to recover while taking care of the baby." 

But even after our child went to daycare, she stayed a housewife. When I suggested she get a job, she got mad at me. 

Then she said she'd cut my allowance. 

Did I say something unforgivable to my wife? She's lovely and pretty, but sometimes she acts in ways I just can't understand. 

And with a mountain of unpaid loans, she recently signed up for Pilates. She said she'd gained weight and that everyone else does it, so she used my card. 

We should be saving every penny to pay off the loans. 

Guys, what should I do...? 

Oh... hang in there ㅠ 

Hey, it's Pongpong hyung~ I can't even manage my own money and get an allowance from my wife 

Tsk... what can you do... no matter how much you hate her, she's still your wife. 

Pongpong 

You're really stuck, haha. If it's been 5 years, you know you'll lose half your assets even if you divorce, right? 

Seriously pathetic... why do you live like that? 

People still get married after this? That's hardcore lololol 

'...Shiiiiiit' 

Ha, Pongpong. 

Pongpong: a term for a marriage where one side doesn't love the other and marries only for wealth or status. If a woman marries a man for his money, he's called a Pongpong-nam ("Pongpong man"), and the reverse is Pongpong-nyeo, though the latter is rare in this country; it's almost always the former. 

'No... now that I think about it, it was weird.' 

I went to all-boys schools, the army, then a 9:1 male-to-female engineering department, and graduated as a virgin. As soon as I got a job at a big company, I was flooded with blind dates. They weren't attracted to me as a man, just to the "major company" title. 

My wife was one of those people. 

'My life....' 

This isn't what I worked so hard for. I didn't become an ATM to feed a woman who doesn't even love me for the rest of my life. 

'But my child....' 

Usually, after divorce, custody goes to the mother. The Supreme Court says mothers are more suitable to raise children than fathers. Even if the mother is at fault, custody usually goes to her. 

That doesn't make sense. For example, if the wife cheats and you divorce, why would she get custody? How can someone without basic morals raise a child! 

'...I never thought I'd be worrying about this....' 

It's unfair. Why is this happening to me? Why only me? Is it because I'm lacking? Because I'm ugly? 

'Even my wife refusing sex for the past three years...' 

Because she doesn't love me. 

On days when I got horny, I would masturbate alone at home. 

Once, my wife caught me doing it. The look she gave me was like she was looking at filth. 

'...Stupid bastard.' 

If I divorce, I won't be able to see my child and will have to pay alimony for life. 

But if I keep living as an ATM? Then there's no freedom left in my life. 

'Or... is the child even really mine?' 

I don't know. I don't want to think about it anymore. What did I do to deserve this suffering? 

The road I always walk seems even darker tonight. 

"Excuse me... oppa?" 

A woman with tattoos and blonde hair was sitting on a bench. Is this one of those prostitutes I've heard about? Maybe because it's dark, but she looks like a celebrity. Why isn't she an actress instead of a prostitute...? 

"You look so sad~ I'll make you feel better♡ I'll even give you a special discount...." 

  How about it?♡ 

As if hypnotized, I nodded, and seeing my answer, she smiled faintly and approached me. 

She looked truly beautiful.