We sat down beside one of the gaint anchors in a corner of the harbor. The river raced against the cool breeze. In the silence , the sound of water hitting the harbor was crystal clear. Rather than sleeping in home, this was much better , just because I was with my friends now.
With our arms wide open, we breathed deep and long, inhaling the fresh, chill air still intoxicated by the beauty of this place. That was when Suga hyung spoke up.
"So?" he asked, looking at Jin hyung.
"What?" Jin hyung asked in return, not understanding Suga's "So".
"So, how is this place, dammit"?.
"Oh! This place? I cannot think of a better place than this. This is heaven."
And then , again a cool breeze blew, embracing us. We lay down on the harbor.
That was when the discussion started. A serious discussion; a discussion that changed my life. It started with another "So".
"So?" Jin hyung asked this time, looking at Suga.
"What?" Suga asked, raising his chin.
"What's the next important thing?" Jin asked.
"You mean dinner?" Jungkookie jumped in.
"No, I mean the next important thing in life. Schooling-done, engineering-done, getting a job-done, going abroad-done, Bank balance-in progress. What's the next milestone?"
"Ah! I know what you're talking about," Suga nodded. "Ask him," he said pointing his already raised chin towards me.
Everyone looked at me.
"I don't know what's goin on in your life and family , but my mom and dad are going crazy. They're after me you like, you wouldn't believe. Don't I make a good bachelor?" I said.
"The story is the same everywhere. We poor bachelors," Namjoon said trying to be funny.
"I am serious, Joon," Jin said.
"So, have you or your family fixed something?" I asked him.
"No. My story is just like yours. But the fact is that, one day, we'll have to settle down with a life-partner. How long can we ignore our parents questions? They too have expectations, wishes and dreams for us."
"I know what you mean Jin. But are you really ready to spend your whole life with someone? I mean , in our four years at the hostel, there were so many times when we had to adjust with each other...This one will be for a lifetime," Suga said.
"But sooner or later, we have to do this, right?" Joon asked.
"What if we just carry on the way we are?" Jiminie who was quiet this whole time, questioned.
"Then imagine yourself at the age of 60, living alone. Life isn't that easy, my friend. It's a journey. And the best way to complete it is with a life partner," Jin said.
That night, on the bank of the river, the seven of us discussed this issue seriously, for the first time. Maybe it was the first time we felt we were mature enough to talk about it. So many questions, ifs and buts were raised and answered between us. So many views were brought in and debated. None of us were against marriage but we wanted to evaluate its benefits. Jin and I were quiet convinced about the marriage thing. And this discussion made rest of the group to think about the matter quiet seriously, even if I didn't convince them.( which reminds me of a slogan I read on a T-shirt: IF you can't convince her, just confuse her!)
"But then, other things come into the picture. Love marriage or arranged marriage? Parent's choice or ours's?" Taehyungie asked.
"Now, that's a personal choice. But given that we are independent I don't think our parents will object to our decision," Joon said.
Taehyung kept mum hearing this.
"But Joonie, look at our lives. All of us are busy working in different places. The chance of finding a soul mate, in this case, is quiet slim. Moreover, the kinds of jobs we have don't give us the time to interact with different people. And above all, none of us would like to marry a girl chosen by our parents, if I am not wrong," Jin said.
" I don't know if your last statement is valid or not, but the rest is in your hands," Joon replied.
"But Jin has a point. In my case, I would like to marry a girl of my choice, but for the last one year I was abroad and I don't know if, in the next couple of years, I will be in Korea. Given this fact, it is quiet hard for me work on my marriage plan. And for a person like me it's impossible to settle down with any girl who is not Korean," I said.
"How did you apply for for your job?" Jin asked, digressing from the topic.
I answered, " Through some job-website."
"And Suga, how did you transfer money to your parents?"
'Through some internet banking account. Its quiet fast," he answer.
"See? The world is becoming internet –savvy. And, given the fact that we all are IT graduates who are on the net almost every day, why can't we use this for the marriage thin too?"
"Are you talking about matrimonial websites?" Suga asked.
"Yes".
"Are they really useful? I don't think so," Jimin put forward his view.
"To know if a dish is sweet or salty, you have to taste it first. Why take a chance?" Suga said, trying to make us laugh.
"So Jin hyung, are you on any websites?" I asked.
"Not yet. But I'm thinking of it...."
When we didn't say anything, he explained, " the best thing about this service is that you can go through so many profiles without leaving your desk. The filters are good enough to provide you suitable matches. And you can interact with the persons who interest you....Everything is so systematic. Above all, you don't need to worry about your physical location..."
Jin made some valid points, which is probably why we didn't have much to debate about.
"Hmm.... Well, I don't know if this thing is going to work, but it is worth giving a try. Who knows...?" Even Jimin was convinced.
It was 1:30 Am. Our empty stomachs reminded our brains of their existence.
Joonie said, "Its quiet late and I am damn hungry, lets get home." And he stood up stretching his back.
"So, whose the first one?" Jin asked while we all were dusting our clothes.
"The first one to marry? Or first one to make his profile on the website?" Suga asked, laughing.
"Both."
"I think this guy," Suga pointed his finger at me, I don't know why.
It was probably 4 Am by the time we had dinner and slept. And, after a long time, we enjoyed the kind of sleep we used to enjoy on our hostel. That day became one of the most memorable days in our lives.
We spent the next day visiting some of the best hangouts in Daegu. And we went again to the same place we had visited previous night, to ride the ferry to the other side of the city. And, believe me, being on the ferry was no less amazing than boarding the Titanic in 1912. Being with your best friends is simply wonderful. We ate, drank, talked and enjoyed to the fullest at a pub called Brewers brothers.
That was the last night of reunion trip.
All six of them came to drop me at Suwon station. As I was the only one who was heading to Gwangju and hadn't bought a vehicle with me, and once again the seven of us hugged, just like we had done on the last day of college.
"Who's going to cry first?" Jimin asked. But all seven of us laughed at that stupid and senti question.
The train called me with its final whistle. I got into the carriage and stood at the door, waving to them all as the train left the platform. I reached Gwangju after 3 hours. Soon afterwards, Suga hyung flew back to London....
A/N:
Yeay !! New Chapter!!... Hope yuh like it love's.
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