Paek Nam-nyong - Friend - A Novel from North Korea

The schoolteacher bowed to Jeong Jin Wu and then walked slowly beside her husband into their apartment.

Jeong Jin Wu did not want to interfere with the couple, so he walked past them and went up to his apartment. He trudged slowly up the stairs, reluctant to enter his empty apartment. When he got to the third floor, he was overcome with loneliness. He knew he had to tend the vegetables in the greenhouse and prepare his own dinner. These responsibilities took time away from analyzing legal documents and thinking about other cases.

Nevertheless, Jeong Jin Wu decided to let go of every last complaint about his wife.

So what if I have to sleep less to finish the housework and work on my cases? Can’t I help Eun Ok, who’s probably walking the steep paths of Yeonsudeok? I must not become like those who forget the noble purpose of life promised during the wedding ceremony. I did not marry for my own complacency or pleasure.

Jeong Jin Wu fondly remembered that day, that beautiful day, the day of his wedding, the snow-covered day in March twenty years ago.

Jeong Jin Wu searched his pockets for his keys, but then he heard footsteps inside the house. The door was flung open.

Eun Ok stood in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron, pleased to see her husband and yet apologetic at the same time. With a rueful smile, she greeted him, wordless but filled with gratitude.

Eun Ok had lost weight conducting research in the mountains. She had more wrinkles on her face, and her cheeks were chapped from the cold wind. It appeared she had rushed to complete some of the household chores as soon as she had returned home. Perhaps it was because she felt sorry for leaving so urgently ten days ago, but it was hard to tell.

Jeong Jin Wu was pleased to see Eun Ok’s unpretentious attitude. He had always loved how Eun Ok never complained about the monotony of their married life, never acted entitled but instead always presented herself as a simple-hearted, gentle woman. He had always loved her for these qualities, but, for some reason, tonight they felt new to him.

Jeong Jin Wu found traces of fatigue on Eun Ok’s face.

“You must have had a hard time up there.” He tried to speak tenderly, but it sounded curt and with no affection at all.

“Forget about me. I see that you didn’t take a lunch to work this morning,” said Eun Ok worriedly, noticing that Jeong Jin Wu was not carrying his briefcase or his lunchbox.

“I woke up late this morning, so I couldn’t prepare lunch. I ate at the cafeteria instead.”

“What about breakfast?”

“I had some leftovers from last night.”

Eun Ok felt sorry about not preparing his breakfast and lunch. She put his shoes away.

“Something smells great!” Jeong Jin Wu exclaimed as he handed his coat to Eun Ok.

The aroma of stir-fried vegetables filled the apartment, which made Jeong Jin Wu feel welcomed. He felt his weariness from spending endless hours at his office and living the life of a widower for the past ten days dissipate. How wonderful it was to reexperience the days when his wife used to stay home! The early days of their marriage flashed through his mind. He remembered how his heart had raced throughout the day of their wedding and on their first night together, and, like an ocean that never sleeps, he had lain awake filled with inexplicable happiness. However, tonight was incomparable, tonight Jeong Jin Wu was overwhelmed with feelings of joy, encouragement, and tranquility.

Eun Ok went to and fro in the kitchen and prepared the dinner table. Her rough hands were sunburned and calloused like men’s hands, unlike on the night of their wedding, when he had held Eun Ok’s small, soft hands and gazed at her beautiful wedding dress. Her hair, once voluminous, black, and silky, was now dry and lackluster, thinning, with bristly strands of silver around her ears.

“I’m not sure how the vegetables are doing in the greenhouse,” Jeong Jin Wu said worriedly.

“You did a really great job. You even recorded their growth.”

Eun Ok spoke as if Jeong Jin Wu was not her husband but her assistant.

“Was it cold in Yeonsudeok?” Jeong Jin Wu asked, changing the subject.

“It snowed. The wind blew hard, but although the fields froze at night, they slowly defrosted by the afternoon. It was unusual weather for this time of year.”

“Didn’t the vegetables freeze?”

“No, they all grew well. This year’s cabbage grew especially well.”

Eun Ok described the vegetables as though they were her children. Whenever she talked about her vegetables, her eyes and smile were like those of a mother gazing at her infant. Jeong Jin Wu looked at her expression as she described the vegetables and thought back to how she used to hold their son in her arms, breastfeed him, and comb his hair back with her fingers. The way Eun Ok expressed her maternal love for their son then was no different from the way she was talking about her vegetables now. This moved his heart.

Jeong Jin Wu rubbed his hands excitedly and said, “This year, I have a feeling that the cabbages will be large and tasty. The ducks will stay away from the radishes. And since you sowed the tomato and cucumber seeds early, they will be able to grow with little problem. I hope none of the flowers have fallen off the vines.”

Jeong Jin Wu tried to encourage Eun Ok’s research. He wanted to say something optimistic and hopeful, something that would move her. However, this was the only way that he was able to express himself.

Eun Ok lowered the empty tray in her hands and gazed at her husband. As she smiled, wrinkles formed around her eyes and mouth. The cabbages, the radishes eaten by ducks, the early sowing of tomato and cucumber seeds, the inland weather, strong winds, seedlings, plant growth and development—these were all complex problems that derived from the ecological conditions of the plants’ natural habitat. But Jeong Jin Wu naively desired only the best results for Eun Ok.

Eun Ok felt her husband’s steadfast love for her. Although Jeong Jin Wu’s promise to support Eun Ok’s research was the covenant on which their marriage was founded, Eun Ok felt grateful for his unchanging attitude and the work he put into maintaining their family’s harmony. Eun Ok looked back on the countless nights of doing research away from home. She knew that Jeong Jin Wu resented her each time she left. But on her return, she would notice that he had become an even more affectionate family man. This revitalized her fatigued spirit. Despite the hardships on the road and at Yeonsudeok for the past ten days, her weariness dissipated like a passing fog.

Eun Ok said, “Your soup’s going to get cold. Please eat.”

“You, too, dear,” said Jeong Jin Wu as he sat down. “What a feast! There are so many side dishes. Seasoned greens and vegetables. When did you have time to pick these?”

“The villagers at Yeonsudeok gave them to me. They packed them in bundles and loaded them on the truck.”

Jeong Jin Wu acted surprised.

They had had this conversation right around this time last year, the year before that, and the year before that. Every year, the villagers handpicked various greens, bundled them, and loaded them on the truck for Eun Ok. Both of them took a moment to thank the villagers and then proceeded to eat their dinner.

The rays of the sun spread their arms one last time before sinking into the horizon.

A breeze brushed across the newly budding trees lined up along the street, forcing the young branches to tap on the windows of the apartments as though they wanted permission to enter. The wind had traveled a great distance, rushing down from China’s tall mountains, through the valleys, and across the vast plains. Yet, the wind did not appear to be tired after its long journey. As the evening grew darker, the brisk wind roamed the lonely city in search of a place to rest. However, there was no home for it to enter. The wind envied the lovely flowers resting in their pots in the warm apartments. It pushed the tree branches to tap incessantly on the windows, seeking attention.