The water mill

2.

When three days pass, Shin Chi-kyu calls Bang-won to his courtyard.

Bang-won bows his head before his master. “Did you call?” he asks humbly.

“I am thankful for all the hard work you’ve done, but …” Shin Chi-kyu trails off with a dignified air.

Realizing what is to come after the word “but,” Bang-won feels all his blood rush towards his heart, as though all his hair is standing on end.

“You see, something’s come up, so why don’t you leave and look for a better place?”

There are no other conditions. There is nothing else to say. If the master asked his servant to die, the servant had to at least feign death. The master had the power to buy and sell people with money.

Bang-won doesn’t know what to do. If he only has himself to worry about, he can always beg for food to get by, but how about his loving wife? He needs to save her. Bang-won first bows his head, then he bows from the waist, and then even from his heart, in order to beg and plead.

But all of it is in vain. Shin Chi-kyu’s heart is harder than iron and stone.

Left with no other choice, Bang-won tells his wife the news. He asks her to try pleading with the lady of the house so that they would be able to stay on a little longer. But his wife has no intention of listening to him. Instead, she says, “What are you going to do? How are you going to feed me and look after me from now on?”

“Are you afraid I won’t be able to look after your basic needs?”

“Of course I am. Think about it. We have no choice. We’re going to die.”

“Die?” “Do you remember what you to me said when you first brought me here? You said you would provide for me no matter what.”

“Right.”

“Just look at how well you’ve provided for me so far, just look at all the luxury you’ve treated me to. Dragging me around to live in the servants’ quarters of someone else’s house—is that your idea of luxury?”

“Look here, do you think I don’t know? Did this happen because I didn’t try? Some kind of work is bound to come up along the way. Surely we won’t grow old and die like this!”

“I don’t want to hear it! Maybe something will come up in a million years.”

Bang-won is already upset, but his wife merely adds fuel to his burning anger.

“You cruel bitch! Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you swearing at an innocent person?”

“So what if I swear a little, you bitch?”

“Why are you swearing?” The girl’s face turns yellow as she fights back.

“Are you a baby?”

“Who’s the baby? Look at you, swearing at the woman you can’t even take care of. Have you ever bought me a silver ring or a hairpin? And I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked!”

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