“Wash your face.” He had got ready a small washbowl outside the hut. Hyeonggeun sincerely thanked him and did as told. Then he asked him where to get breakfast. “Just come with me.” Hyeong-geun wanted to look for his friend who wrote him but was more or less coerced to go with the man. They went to a pub and ordered hangover drink and soup. It was something he had never had in his hometown and he was told it was cheap. It was Hyeong-geun who paid, of course. All he had left in his pocket now was a twenty jeon4 silver piece and a few coins. But he believed he was sure to find work the next day. On the way back, the man asked him what Hyeong-geun had in his possession. He gave an answer: two unlined Korean cotton shirts, two Korean overcoats, and one pair of hemp socks. These were the things his father had procured and stashed them away when his family was absconding and his wife had included them in his pack before he left; they were Hyeong-geun’s precious items of pride and adornment of joy. When he heard it, the man snickered and mocked Hyeong-geun. “What’s the use of them, my fellow?” Hyeong-geun was rather embarrassed at being derided for something that he talked of with much pride but at the same time, he found it strange and surprising. At the thought of these things having no value whatsoever here at this place, he was ashamed of what he had said, yet he felt joy at the prospect of living a luxurious and illustrious life from now on. That evening, he was dragged out by the man wearing the jika-tabi. Inviting him to eat, the man added, “I will pay.” Hyeong-geun felt tipsy after a few cups of rice wine. The two men left the pub and as they were walking past the houses, he tapped Hyeong-geun, “Look here, I found you work.” Hyeong-geun’s eyes lit up. “Where at?” “Hee hee, I can’t just let you know for nothing. Take me out for a drink.” Hyeong-geun was happy but he remained mute to his demand that he buy him a drink. Like a half-dumb person, he just let out a throaty lament as an answer. After sounding him out a couple of times, the man, who viewed Hyeong-geun as a simpleton, let him in on a clever solution. They walked around in circles for no reason. “Let’s do this. They are useless once they’re sweat-ridden. Why don’t you get yourself a modest suit when you come into a little money. You can wear it for a long time
4
Formerly, in Korean currency, one won was divided into 100 jeon.
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