The morning after parting with Jinwoo at the pojangmacha, I woke up not with a brutal hangover but with a strange sense of excitement.
My mind was filled with the image of Sunny and Jerry dancing together.
Jealousy—and admiration.
It was a fresh, almost childish emotion I hadn't felt in eighteen years.
Next week, I'll be standing there.
The vow I made last night wasn't empty bravado born of alcohol.
It had become the hottest new goal added to my second life.
From that day on, my daily routine split into an even more extreme double life.
In the mornings, I was still a cold, calculating investor.
I shut myself away in the library, obsessively digging into the warning signs of the coming financial crisis.
But when afternoon came, I transformed into a rookie dancer burning with passion.
In my officetel living room, I stepped twice—no, three times harder than the week before, sweat pouring down my body.
I wasn't just memorizing movements anymore.
I was thinking about how to lead more smoothly, more precisely—how to guide my partner without force.
And in every one of those imagined dances, my partner was always Sunny.
Time slipped by mercilessly, and before I knew it, Wednesday arrived.
That day too, I wrestled with data at the library all morning, then returned to my officetel in the late afternoon.
I washed the sweat from my body in the shower and cracked open a cold can of beer from the fridge.
"Ahh."
The moment the cold carbonation slid down my throat, the fatigue of the day vanished.
I sat down at my computer and, out of habit, logged into the Enjoy Swing Daum Café.
For the past few days, this place had become my only source of joy.
I browsed the photo gallery, hoping—just maybe—that another picture of Sunny had been uploaded.
But unfortunately, there was nothing new.
With a faint sense of disappointment, I moved to the 26th class board.
It was filled with trivial chatter from classmates and posts sharing lesson videos.
I scrolled absentmindedly, then stopped.
[[Urgent Meetup Notice] Wednesday = Chicken & Beer! 26th class lightning meetup tonight!]
The post was written by our elected class rep, Captain.
"A lightning meetup, huh…"
I looked at the post with lukewarm interest.
I wasn't social enough yet to jump into sudden gatherings like that.
I was about to close the window when I casually skimmed the comments.
[Ryan: Captain-hyung! Of course I'm in! Half seasoned, half fried chicken for me!]
[Haetsal: Wow! Sounds great! I'll run over right after work!]
[Suji: Me too! Me too!]
Familiar nicknames popped up.
I let out a small chuckle and kept scrolling.
Then—
My heart dropped.
[Sunny: Oh my, looks like the 26th class is having a meetup? Hehe, I actually have time tonight—would it be okay if an admin sneaks in too? >_<]
I doubted my eyes.
I rubbed them and stared at the screen again.
The two letters—Sunny—were shining clearly.
Below Sunny's comment, the reactions exploded.
[Captain: Whoa! Sunny-nim! You're more than welcome! It's an honor!]
[Ryan: Sunny-noona is coming! Today's the jackpot day!]
[Jinwoo (Acorn): Ohhh Sunny-ssi's coming too? Cheolmin, this guy's definitely showing up when he sees this lol]
Seeing Jinwoo's comment made my face burn.
I hesitated.
Caught between the fear of not being ready and the excitement of wanting to see her again.
In the end, excitement won.
With trembling fingers, I typed a short reply beneath the post.
[I'll attend. – Sseok-hopil]
As the meeting time approached, I grew restless.
I threw open my closet, but nothing felt right.
The "going-out outfit No. 1" I'd worn last week was already burned into their memories.
But I couldn't exactly show up in my usual worn-out T-shirt either.
In the end, I pulled out the clothes I'd impulsively ordered online while practicing dance a few days earlier.
A neat navy collared shirt.
A safe design—neither too young nor too old—for a thirty-one-year-old man.
I changed in and out of it several times, pacing in front of the mirror.
Even to my forty-nine-year-old self, the sight was awkward and clumsy.
But I didn't hate it.
This clumsy excitement was the clearest proof that I'd become young again.
When I arrived at Chicken Maru, several classmates were already there.
Jinwoo, Ryan, Haetsal, Suji.
Along with a few familiar faces, about ten people were chatting noisily.
"Oh! Sseok-hopil-hyung's here! Huh? You dressed up today!"
Ryan spotted me and whistled.
I sat down awkwardly among them.
The loud chatter buzzed around my ears, but I couldn't make out a single word.
It felt like I was underwater—every sound distant and muffled.
All my senses were focused on one thing.
The entrance.
Jinwoo seemed to be talking to me, but I replied halfheartedly.
Right now, only one thing mattered.
Would she really come?
As time passed, my anxiety grew.
About thirty minutes later—
Clink—
The door opened.
Familiar faces entered.
Instructor Charlie, along with a few other admins.
And among them—Sunny, smiling brightly.
I nearly jumped to my feet.
She was dressed differently from when she danced.
A sky-blue dress with a white cardigan.
Somehow, she looked even prettier like this.
She scanned the shop, then her eyes met mine.
I held my breath.
That brief moment felt eternal.
Then she lightly dipped her head and smiled at me.
Just that small smile sent my heart spiraling out of control.
"Oh my, the 26th class really turned out in force!"
Charlie boomed cheerfully, immediately taking command of the atmosphere.
At the admins' arrival, our classmates erupted like fans spotting celebrities.
There weren't enough seats.
We dragged chairs, pushed tables together, and forcibly widened the cramped space.
Taking advantage of the chaos, I shrank into a corner, trying not to stand out.
But Jinwoo promptly ruined that plan.
"So, where should Sunny-ssi sit?"
He shouted deliberately, patting the empty seat next to me.
"This is the prime spot—right next to our 26th class ace, Sseok-hopil-hyung! Sit here and the chicken will taste twice as good!"
That lunatic…
I glared at Jinwoo, cursing him with my eyes.
But he ignored my murderous stare and just grinned shamelessly.
Every gaze in the shop shifted—toward me, the empty seat beside me, and Sunny.
Sunny looked briefly flustered, then laughed playfully and accepted Jinwoo's suggestion.
"Oh really? If it's that good of a seat, I guess I should take it.
Sseok-hopil-oppa, is it okay if I sit here?"
She casually used oppa as she sat down beside me.
My heart slammed.
The faint scent of shampoo tickled my nose again.
"Woooo!"
Our classmates erupted in cheers and applause as if it were staged.
My face felt like it was about to explode from the heat.
"Alright, everyone—attention!
For the beautiful harmony between the 26th class and the admins! Cheers!"
At Captain's call, we clinked our glasses loudly.
I lifted my beer with a trembling hand.
Just the subtle brush of her arm against mine made every nerve in my body stand on edge.
"Oppa, I saw your comment on the café earlier.
Did you come because I said I'd be here?"
Sunny whispered softly, her voice playful, meant only for me.
The blunt question made me inhale sharply.
Eighteen years ago, I would've stammered,
"N-no, what do you mean…"
But now, I was a man with eighteen extra years under his belt.
Suppressing my racing heart, I smiled calmly at her.
"Guess I got caught."
"Huh?"
"I came to see you, Sunny-ssi. Who else would I come for?"
This time, it was Sunny's turn to be flustered.
Her pale face instantly flushed peach-pink.
"O-oh my… Oppa, you're quite the smooth talker."
"Smooth talker? No. Just being honest."
I shrugged and casually picked up a piece of chicken.
Of course, my heart was pounding like it was about to burst out of my chest.
But on the outside, I maintained an air of composure.
This—this was the one weapon eighteen years had given me.
The ability to act sly.
Amused by my reaction, Sunny let out a soft giggle.
She stopped teasing me and smoothly changed the subject.
"So, Oppa—what do you do? Jinwoo-ssi said last week that you're taking a short break."
I paused.
The word investing could easily make me sound like a money-obsessed opportunist.
I didn't want her to see me that way.
So I answered simply—but with a touch of mystery.
"Ah… I'm just taking a break while working on something personal."
"Wow, that sounds cool."
Her eyes sparkled with pure curiosity.
"Feels like you're drawing up some kind of big picture."
Her reaction was better than I'd expected.
She wasn't curious about my money or job—but about me.
That realization brought a warm sense of relief.
"A big picture is a stretch. I just… found something I want to do.
What about you, Sunny-ssi?"
I smoothly returned the question.
"Me? I just… work at a pharmacy."
"A pharmacy? Are you a pharmacist?"
At my question, she nodded shyly.
"Yes. I run a small pharmacy near Sillim Station."
A pharmacist.
I'll be honest—I was surprised.
But not because of her résumé.
Quite the opposite.
An elite from S University's pharmacy school…
Testing the waters, I asked carefully.
"There are three classmates in our 26th class from S University's pharmacy school. Maybe—"
Her eyes widened.
"Oh! How did you know? That's right. They're all my direct juniors. I convinced them to join."
She laughed playfully.
So the rumors were true.
I looked at her again.
And yet she's this humble?
Most people couldn't help showing off their education or career, even subtly.
But there wasn't a trace of that in her.
She was simply someone who loved dancing, loved people—someone here out of pure passion.
And that realization pulled me even deeper in.
In the noisy chicken joint, I experienced something strange.
Only her voice rang clearly in my ears.
This feeling was completely different from when I first met my wife eighteen years ago.
Back then, it was just youthful excitement.
Now, layered atop that excitement were eighteen years of depth, tenderness, and genuine respect for another person.
I still couldn't name this emotion.
But one thing was certain.
I was standing at the most important crossroads of my second life.