Yom Sang-seop - Three Generations

It had been dark for some time, but it was still early evening. The last day of the lunar year was drawing near. In this affluent neighborhood, the sound of rice being pounded for New Year’s rice cakes drifted out here and there, and people in the streets appeared to be excited about the imminent festivities. Coming out of the dreary house, where no rice cakes were being beaten, as if New Year’s had been forgotten, the outside world struck Deok-gi as utterly foreign. As soon as he had arrived in Seoul, he’d thought of sending Byeong-hwa a postcard but hadn’t gotten around to it. Deok-gi might not have time for a leisurely chat even if Byeong-hwa were to pay his chaotic house a visit. Deok-gi would visit him when he had some spare time. As he boarded a streetcar, he wondered whether he should go outside Saemun or to Bacchus to look for Gyeong-ae.

When the streetcar reached the Bank of Korea, the Keijo post office came into view. Behind its windows, people moved around in the brightly lit room. After passengers streamed in and the car was about to move, he made his way to the door and got out.

Deok-gi looked up at the post office clock. It was only a few minutes past eight. He entered, resolved to find out whether Chang-hun had really sent those telegrams. The clerks he asked were a bit annoyed by his request, but since there weren’t many customers, they rifled through their records of telegrams sent to Kyoto the preceding week. As he had guessed, the only telegram sent from the Keijo post office was Deok-hui’s.

Deok-gi was determined to confront Chang-hun the next day; he would pressure him relentlessly as soon as he got hold of him. His grandfather suspected Deok-gi’s father, but here was proof that Chang-hun was responsible and that Clerk Choe had urged the Suwon woman to join forces with them. Deok-gi felt for his wrongly accused father. He imagined him skirting around the family like an unwelcome visitor, without an inkling of what was going on. His grandfather must not pass away without learning the truth. Although Deok-gi had missed his exams, it was crucial that he had come to Seoul. His grandfather’s actions were correct, though he didn’t know how much was set aside for his father or the Suwon woman. He felt bad about his grandfather’s refusal to bequeath everything to his father. But given how his father was behaving these days, it was a relief that Deok-gi could take charge of the family fortune. He would make sure that his father wouldn’t lack for money.

Deok-gi didn’t have enough time to go all the way outside Saemun to meet Byeong-hwa, for he wanted to return home by ten o’clock when the doctor was due. So instead, he made his way to the main avenue to stop by Bacchus.

Gyeong-ae was nowhere to be found. A new girl was there, who at first glance looked Japanese. The proprietor’s face brightened at the sight of Deok-gi, and she asked him to come to the back room.

“Ai-san? She’s rather unpredictable these days, but I expect she’ll be here soon.” The proprietor smiled in a friendly manner. Deok-gi was confused by her attitude, but he assumed she was being nice to him because he had found out about O Jeong-ja for her. According to the proprietor, Gyeong-ae didn’t stick around the bar these days and went out frequently. The proprietor said Byeong-hwa came to the bar from time to time but not very often.

Deok-gi talked about O Jeong-ja and listened to what she had to say about O’s past, while warming himself at the stove.

Gyeong-ae arrived before long. “Look who’s here! When did you arrive in Seoul?” Although she greeted him warmly, she didn’t seem to be particularly glad to see him.

Gyeong-ae knew that Deok-gi wouldn’t meddle in Byeong-hwa’s work. Neither would he watch their actions closely, even if she became intimate with Byeong-hwa. Unlike last time, however, it would be rather disconcerting if Deok-gi hung around, now that Sang-hun was pursuing her.

Gyeong-ae was surprised to learn that Deok-gi’s grandfather was so ill. So that’s why Sang-hun hasn’t been around for some time. She chortled to herself. Well, I may have to let my hair down in mourning, then.

Deok-gi changed the subject, trying to find out what was going on. “I’d like to see Byeong-hwa. Do you think he’ll come tonight?”

“He’s not very available these days. I wonder if he managed to get a nice haircut.” Gyeong-ae actually had just seen Byeong-hwa.

“By the way, how’s the child? How is she doing?”

“She’s all right now.”

Deok-gi’s mind returned to his grandfather’s safe. Though a Jo, Gyeong-ae’s child wouldn’t have a penny to her name; in comparison, the Suwon woman’s child was much luckier. But regardless of what was in the safe, no one could be sure what would become of these girls.

The woman Deok-gi noticed when he arrived came over and whispered something in Gyeong-ae’s ear. Cocking her head, Gyeong-ae exclaimed, “That’s great! She says your friend has just arrived.” She asked Deok-gi to go out first and greet Byeong-hwa.

Gyeong-ae was puzzled. Why did Byeong-hwa come when they had parted only minutes before? She smiled to herself, thinking that he must be in the mood for a drink. She couldn’t blame him. He had grown so attached to her recently, like a toddler whose mother had just given birth to a new baby. She would have liked it if he could restrain himself a little. Boisterous greetings in the hall reached Gyeong-ae’s ears.

“Hey!”

“Hey, you look the same!”

“I knew you’d be here.” Byeong-hwa, in fact, had no idea that Deok-gi would be there.

“How did you know I was back? Did you stop by my house?”

“Look at my ears. Aren’t they big enough to hear everything? But tell me, is your grandfather seriously ill?”

“It’s not too serious, but I came home after I read your letter. What nonsense you wrote! You sounded as if you didn’t want to see me ever again. I really shouldn’t have made an effort to see you.” Deok-gi avoided Pil-sun’s name.

Byeong-hwa let out a snort but seemed to be preoccupied with something.

“What’s going on? Did something good happen to you?”

“Why?” asked Byeong-hwa, smoothing down his hair.

“Your hair is neat, you’re wearing a suit I haven’t seen before, and it looks as if you might have even used some face cream!”

“Yes, I’ve used some all right. But what do you mean by a suit you’ve never seen? Are you implying that I bought it at a secondhand store?”

“Where did you get the money for the face cream?”

“Come on, why would anyone ask something like that?”

“Excuse me, Mr. Handsome!” he said to his friend in Japanese but then switched back to Korean. “I wish I had time to raise a toast to you, but I’d better go home now. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer.” Deok-gi made a motion to leave, without even having sat down. Although Byeong-hwa had no intention of holding him back, he urged him to linger for a minute.

Deok-gi had the feeling that Byeong-hwa had drifted far away from him, both in his feelings and in his attitude toward him. Deok-gi felt awkward, like a person meeting a friend for the first time in decades, one with whom he had studied under the same teacher. What has happened? Deok-gi had never seen Byeong-hwa so confident, probably because he now had a little money in his pocket, but his distant, distracted manner was inexplicable. The Byeong-hwa he had known was basically calm despite his constant grumbling. When a penniless person suddenly gets hold of some money, he frequently will take on an aloof pose, more than most affluent people. Still, this was not what Deok-gi sensed in Byeong-hwa. He seemed agitated. Gyeong-ae came out and didn’t offer so much as a greeting to Byeong-hwa. A moment later, however, Deok-gi caught them exchanging glances. He sensed a difference here, too. Byeong-hwa’s restlessness could be explained by his being in love, but was the money coming from Gyeong-ae? Deok-gi was tempted to attribute everything to Byeong-hwa’s falling in love with Gyeong-ae.