"What on earth did I wear last fall?"... Dads' bitter closets on the chilly September 3rd [Adults' Wrong Answer Notebook]

[Financial News] Thursday morning, September 3rd. The tropical nights that kept us awake just a few days ago have vanished like magic, and the moment I step out the front door on my way to work, a fairly cool breeze brushes against the back of my neck.
At this time of year, as the seasons change, South Korean men in their 40s and 50s fall into mysterious philosophical contemplation every morning in front of their empty closets.
"What on earth did I wear last fall?"
When they open the closet door, only drab jackets that are five years out of style and shirts with slightly stretched necks hang there like medals. They surely must have gone to work last year and the year before, yet there isn't a single decent coat to throw on this morning. Huddled against the chilly air, the heads of households eventually pull out that worn, familiar cardigan they wore around this time last year.

Actually, the clothes in my closet didn't vanish without a trace. It's just that at some point, the 'payment button' for me stopped working.
With every change of season, I purchase autumn windbreakers and new sneakers for my children, who are growing rapidly day by day, from an online shopping mall in just one second without hesitation. "Kids grow so fast, so we have to dress them in nice clothes," I chime in agreement with my wife.
However, when it actually comes lunchtime, my fingers hesitate heavily in front of the 50,000 won autumn shirt I had been eyeing on my smartphone.
Adding and removing items from the shopping cart several times. Eventually, quietly closing the shopping app with the cliché self-justification, "The clothes I wore last year are still wearable, so what?"

There is a good reason why heads of households keep their wallets particularly tight at the beginning of September.
The statement for the 'credit card bill' from last month's family vacation has started flying in as a heavy bill on my smartphone notification bar. On top of that, if I turn the page, 'Chuseok,' the biggest battle of the season for South Korean fathers, stands waiting right there.
From allowances for both sets of parents to the cost of the ancestral rites table and gas for the journey home, September is a 'financial lean season' where money drains away just by breathing.
Faced with this terrifying wave of spending, a single autumn shirt for Dad is bound to be the very first item to be cut from the household budget. Emptying my closet to fill it with the family's bountiful autumn—that is how heads of households in their 40s and 50s endure the colorless September.

On the way to work on September 3rd, as the cold wind begins to blow, your shoulders might feel a bit shabby amidst young office workers wearing flashy new trench coats, draped in an outdated, worn-out garment. You might even find yourself swallowing a bitter taste as you glance sideways at the stylish autumn clothes hanging in department store windows.
However, let's not feel too insignificant about ourselves. That worn-out jacket you have been wearing for five years is not a symbol of financial incompetence, but the most honorable badge of honor for fully protecting your family's universe. Time in my closet has been stopped for years, but nourished by that sacrifice, my children's bodies and minds are growing a little warmer this autumn.
On the way to work, feeling the chill of the cold wind brushing past a corner of your heart, button up your coat tightly and offer yourself some quiet comfort.
Thanks to that old coat of yours that blocks the cold wind with your bare body, September in our house will be warmer and more abundant than in any other house.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter