I was my parents' proud and only son. From an early age, they expected me to become a man with an ideal life and cheerful offspring—a happy family of my own, to be exact.
But life turned out to be a joke. At 35, I was still a bachelor with good looks, great stamina, and a fiery determination.
And yet, none of my exes dared to marry me, for reasons like:
- I am too good for them.
- I am not good enough for them.
- They just like my body and face and not my personality.
- "We're just not meant for each other."
Romance is a big scam!
Why would no one want to marry me when I am everything they could ever wish for in a man? A very ideal husband, a full package!
How come no one wants me???!!
"Are you done?" my cousin Ji-an asked.
Like me, she was an only child, and her parents dreamed of her becoming a doctor. And yet, she ended up as a famous novel author with a small café business that I currently work at.
"How did you know?" I asked back.
"How? You mean how did I know you were having a monologue moment about why you're still unmarried and why no one wants you when you think you're so perfect that they won't ever meet someone like you?" She said sarcastically, implying I was stupid for thinking my thoughts weren't obvious.
"Let's leave out the stupid part."
"What?"
"Okay, let's say you're right, but is that any way to talk to your cousin who's facing such a cruel fate of not being married at the age of 35?" I said.
"Well, there are plenty of other men who aren't married yet but are still having the life they want," she replied, and that was the most eye-opening statement she could've said, to the point that I would have rather closed my eyes shut.
"And what kind of other plenty of men do you mean?" I asked with sarcasm.
"Straight people," she said.
"Straight people?" Me
"And gay people mostly," she added.
"WHAAATT????" Are you saying that I should be gay instead?" I asked as if I had just uncovered the truth that the world isn't flat.
"Well, dear cousin, as the person who cares about you, that is mostly the only option I can give you," Ji-an said.
"Wow, thanks, but no thank you," I firmly replied.
"Well, maybe you'll just end up like the villain in a novel," she said.
"End up like what?" I asked.
"Like a person who enjoys sleeping around and never marries because, despite his good looks, he has a terrible personality and eventually ends up dead, unmarried, at an age way past his marriageable years," she stated.
"Well, that's fiction, and I am literally a real person, so there's no way for that to apply to me. I won't die unmarried, and most of all, I won't be gay just because I can't marry!" I said, declaring it like a life-or-death promise.
"Well, yeah, of course, whatever," she said and left, even telling me to wash the dishes in the kitchen and then close up.
Sigh... What a life I have.
After closing the shop, I went up to the second floor above the café, where Ji-an and I live.
After such a tiring day, I could finally lie down on the bed, looking forward to a very comfortable sleep. But recently, I've realized sleeping isn't possible if your brain doesn't agree.
Well, maybe it's because I have a lot on my mind.
After my parents died, I was forced to give up the ideal life they dreamed of for me. Life just hasn't been the same since they left.
Maybe living in a novel isn't that bad at all, if only I could have that loving and caring family, and a person I can marry and share a lifetime with. Maybe nothing else would matter.
IT WOULDN'T BE SO BAD TO LIVE IN A NOVEL.