The childhood friend I met for the first time in 40 years laughed off his broken dream

I reunited with my childhood friend for the first time in 40 years.

After graduating from university, he continued to take the bar exam until his late thirties.
He spent over ten years persistently trying, only to eventually give up and take over his family's business.
That was the story I had heard through rumors.

I had been curious about it for a long time.
Even when I asked my parents, the atmosphere made it hard to press for details, and I never got a clear answer. I heard almost nothing about his life after he gave up.
Perhaps people around him were being careful, as if handling a delicate matter.

Before we met, I had braced myself a little.

With only the story of his 'broken dream and taking over the family business' in my head, I had assumed he would be surrounded by a sense of tragic resignation.
I was even nervous, wondering if he might have become completely cynical and would treat me coldly, asking why I had come.

When we actually met, it was completely different!

He had aged while keeping the same bright personality he had as a child.
He was genuinely happy to see me after 40 years.

Feeling relieved inside, I brought up the subject of the bar exam.
He just laughed it off and said this:

'If I had passed, I probably wouldn't have been a very good lawyer. I have zero regrets!'

There wasn't a shred of defeat on his face as he spoke so confidently.

It turned out that everyone around him had just been worrying for nothing.

He himself seemed so confident in his current way of life that he could even laugh off the concern of those around him.

Conversely, I felt ashamed of myself for having felt pity for him without cause.

We talked for about ten minutes.
In those mere ten minutes, I felt as if the 40-year gap had been filled in an instant.

I realized that people are stronger than I thought.

And that, usually, it is everyone but the person themselves who is doing the worrying.