A story about a F.FIRE tribe I know (4)

 

A story about a F.FIRE tribe I know (4)

When I was 30, my parents wanted me to get married.

In the past, when the average life expectancy was around 60 years, life was just right if you got married in your 20s, finished raising your children in your 40s, retired in your 50s, and died shortly after living.

Then, as the average life expectancy passed 70 and entered the era of 80 and 100 years, people began to think that it would not be a problem to delay the stages of life by 20 or 30 years.

That is, getting married in your 50s, raising your children in your 70s, and dying in your 80s... Oh my.

But would there be any first-time couples who would want to marry such old people?

So, it wouldn't make sense... that's what I thought.

Anyway, at the time I didn't feel like it, but eventually I couldn't resist the encouragement from those around me and went on a few blind dates.

Through several blind dates and several meetings with the women I was matched with, I learned the following.

They didn't expect much from men.

He said he just had to be a little better than the average man, with average looks, average income, and average plans for the future.

The specific form of that average is that a man in his 30s owns a 30-pyeong apartment in Seoul, graduated from a 4-year university in Seoul with excellent grades, got a job at a large company, got promoted, and is now working at the level of assistant manager or higher, and his parents have enough money to live off of without any help from their children even after retirement... wow.

As it turned out, he wasn't the average man in South Korea, but a man in the top 1%.

So, what would I have been like?

I didn't expect much from the woman either. She just had to be a little better than the average woman, with average looks, average income, and average plans for the future.

The specific form of that average is a woman in her 30s who is over 165cm tall, has a slender body, a face that is at least as good as Kim Tae-hee or Kim Yuna, speaks at least one foreign language as fluently as I do, does all the housework on her own, knows how to cook well, raises children well, and takes good care of her husband... wow

As it turned out, she wasn't the average woman in South Korea, but a woman in the top 1%.

Since these men and women were on blind dates, there was no way the marriage would come to fruition.

Then, I thought, 'What would happen if I became the kind of man those women want and got married, even if it meant forcing myself to do so?'

At that time, in order for me to have a 30-pyeong apartment, even if it was difficult, I had to get a loan from the bank, work for 20 years to pay off the loan and interest, have children and educate them, and then retire in my 50s with not much money saved, open a chicken restaurant, and work there until I die... wow

Of course, I hated that kind of life.

So, I thought, 'What would happen if I delayed marriage by about 20 years?'

First of all, there was no need to buy an apartment of 30 pyeong. There wouldn't be any problem living alone in the single-person dormitory provided by the company.

Moreover, with my salary, I could afford to buy a small apartment of about 10 pyeong in the outskirts of Seoul, and I could pay off a small bank loan with the money I paid in monthly rent.

Since I'm not married and don't have any children, I'm too busy working to spend my salary, so more than 90% of it will automatically be saved, and if that continues, I could continue to add a small apartment every few years.

If 20 years pass like that, by the time you retire, it seems possible to live off of just the rental income from real estate without any labor income.

When I thought about it this way, I even thought that if I couldn't get married, it would be better not to get married at all.

Rather than forcing myself to live a life I didn't like and then dying, it seemed better to live a life the way I wanted to, even if it seemed inadequate to others.

Time passed so quickly like an arrow.

Those years gave me small, unexpected opportunities, and the wealth I had accumulated through those opportunities became the foundation for my rapid growth.

My marriage to a foreign woman, who didn't mind the big age difference, gave me a child, and so, although it was late, I now have ample wealth, a family, and a comfortable retirement.

I think that the wise decisions I made when I was young have made me the comfortable person I am today, and when I think back to myself then, I feel proud of myself.

I am Fully, Financially Independent and retired early.