The Grass is Always Greener

(Translated by Saya)

(Saya's note: from what I understand, this is a plot summary of a short story or of a manga)

A woman marries a handsome novelist.
There is another man who loves her, but he is a dull and tedious man whose only redeeming feature is that he is kind-hearted.

The woman tries her best to be a model wife for her husband, but despite her
efforts his creative talent starts to wane. Before long he gives up working altogether and chooses to lead a life of drunken debauchery.
Naturally they soon become financially challenged, and the woman takes up odd jobs here and there to save themselves, but it does little to improve their miserable situation and succeeds only in turning her beautiful face into an old, careworn one.




In the end, the husband dies destitute in a ramshackle house, and his obituary appears on the newspaper.
On the very same newspaper, the woman catches sight of another article about a wealthy man who has donated a large sum of money to a certain institution. To her bewilderment, she realises that the wealthy man is none other than that dull and tedious man who has since become a successful businessman.

I was a fool not to have realised the true worth of that plain but honest man....
In despair, she throws herself from a cliff and dies.

The story changes at this point, switching over to a parallel universe in which the woman chooses the tedious but kind man instead of the novelist.

After they get married, however, the woman quickly discovers that the man's kindness is superficial and that he is in truth a cold, conniving bastard.
He is unscrupulous and self-seeking in business, and uses every possible dirty trick to move up the ladder of social hierarchy to wealth and power, and cares nothing for other people.
The woman is treated as just another trophy and she has to resign herself to live a dismal and bleak existence.
He tries to mask his true character by making a large donation to an institution and the news of his deed appears in the newspaper, but the only emotion the woman feels is disgust, knowing his true colours.

As she continues to peruse the newspaper, another article draws her attention.
It is an article about the handsome novelist who, despite having so much talent, fails to make a name for himself and dies in abject poverty.

I was a fool not to have recognised his talent. I wish I were there to support him...
The woman throws herself from a cliff and dies.

Is the woman at fault for these endings?
But she is portrayed simply as a beautiful and earnest woman, and the men also are just following their paths.
All that can be said about her is that she is unfortunate, and that left me with a bad taste in my mouth.