In the beginning of second grade, Yeong-dae had been given just two textbooks. One was for art class, and the other for physical education. He couldn’t let that happen again. He was seriously behind on his kids’ work, but if he could turn in even half of it, he thought he might be given at least one textbook for one of the really important classes like arithmetic or science. As soon as Yeong-dae got home, he begged his younger sister Yeong-ok to help him. The rest of the family had gone to the market and hadn’t come back yet. That was a bit of luck. “It’s just this once. It’s not like I’m trying to buy some ice cream, bread, or cookies,” Yeong-dae told her. “If I’m going to study, I’ve got to have some books. We’re just going to do it this time, and then never again.” Yeong-dae had his sister make a solemn promise that she would never steal again either, and then the two of them waited for it to get dark. They headed to the factory where the machines had stopped running because there wasn’t enough fuel. In front of the factory was a beat-up truck whose doors had fallen off. The truck leaned crazily to one side where the air had gone out of the tires. The moonlight shining on the truck made the scene 22
Across the Tumen