The two magpies did not leave each other but instead stuck out their chests and fluttered their wings. As soon as they grabbed hold of the twigs, they flew toward the top of the poplar tree.
“Eun Ok, should we sit over there?”
“Sure.”
Jeong Jin Wu and Eun Ok brushed the snow off a tree stump and sat next to each other. The tree stump had endured the rain and snow and was frozen, but the two lovers did not feel the iciness. The two were slightly exhausted from their morning hike and sat on the tree stump without saying anything to each other, only looking at the splendor of the snow-covered mountains in the distance.
Jeong Jin Wu gently placed his hands on Eun Ok’s hands.
“Your hands are cold,” he said.
With her hands secured in his, Eun Ok opened her heart to Jeong Jin Wu and looked at him with loving eyes.
“So are yours, comrade,” replied Eun Ok.
Their passion for each other emanated from the surface of their cold hands.
“Comrade Jin Wu, will you love me like this even after we get married?”
“Of course I will.”
“For the rest of your life?”
Instead of answering, Jeong Jin Wu gripped Eun Ok’s soft hands tightly. He felt the impulse to pull her into his arms, if only she would permit it, and embrace her, promising her that he would love her eternally.
Eun Ok quietly spoke. “At times, I’m afraid of you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a judge.”
“Didn’t you study a bit of law yourself?” reminded Jeong Jin Wu.
“What good is that? It was just a hobby for me. But you, you’re an actual judge. I’m afraid that you’ll treat our family like defendants, prosecuting us with the law.” Eun Ok then imitated the gestures and tone of a judge, “ ‘According to the code of civil procedure, on page so-and-so in paragraph so-and-so, a complaining wife is as the following.’ ” Eun Ok giggled vivaciously.
Jeong Jin Wu did not appear to share her sentiment and stated sternly, “No matter how much I love you, if you break the law, I will prosecute you.”
“Oh dear!” Eun Ok gasped with slight trepidation.
His mischievous eyes smiled. They burst out laughing again.
The two magpies descended from the poplar tree and landed not far from where the two lovers were sitting. The magpies looked at the couple with vigilant eyes, but recognizing no immediate threat, they began to pull out the dead grass. The March sun melted away the snow and revealed the barren land. Clumps of snow that had accumulated on the trees fell to the ground. And the bit of snow that was on the couple’s shoes melted as well.
“Eun Ok, what are you thinking about right now?” asked Jeong Jin Wu. “You haven’t said much.”
“I’m sorry. I was thinking about my hometown, Yeonsudeok. I can’t seem to stop thinking about it… the house I grew up in, my friends, neighbors…”
Eun Ok’s hands became warmer as she fell into a meditative mood. She rested her head on Jeong Jin Wu’s shoulder and recalled the painful memories of her village.
“Comrade Jin Wu, there was a time when you told me about your hometown, and how it was a little town in the foothills. And how there were so many trees in the vast landscape with fresh water from the river. In my hometown in Yeonsudeok, there is no river, no brook, no fresh water. It’s just a vast empty field. Vegetables can’t grow there. There is a large spring, though. It is the life of our village. We called it the ‘drinking fountain.’ In the summer, there were water plants and weeds growing along the edge of it. There were lively swallows, red silk worms, and all kinds of insects. Whenever the cold front came in from China, the spring would freeze. Every morning, the men would have to come out and break the ice. The women would collect the ice chunks and boil them on the fire. That is how we survived the winter. There was no holiday for us. About twenty miles away from our village was a river. Sometimes everyone in our village would trek to the river to collect water. That was our holiday.”
Jeong Jin Wu felt Eun Ok’s soft hair on his neck and cheek as she pressed closer to him.
“After the war, Yeonsudeok became a collectivized farm. The state contributed a lot of funds toward paving a channel that would bring the river to our village. From that point onward, our village lived like the other large towns. We harvested abundant potatoes, oats, and barley. Then we exchanged those for rice, and we were able to eat white rice for the very first time. We also raised a lot of cows, sheep, and goats. But vegetables still did not grow so well. There were many researchers and scientists who came up from the city to study the quality of our land. They really put in a lot of effort.”
Eun Ok’s voice choked, and her eyes became despondent.
“But there still aren’t any promising results from all those experiments. We still eat vegetables brought in from towns located at a lower altitude. They say that Yeonsudeok is a region that will never produce vegetables, and the researchers and scientists are slowly giving up.”
Tears filled Eun Ok’s eyes, preventing her from speaking any further.
Jeong Jin Wu was moved by Eun Ok’s love for her hometown and her insatiable desire to continue working at the vegetable research institute for the sake of increasing the probability of success. He was moved by how she thought of her hometown and how she longed to be with the villagers even with her wedding day ahead of her.
Their wedding took place on a mild March afternoon. Jeong Jin Wu’s single-story house was located in the suburbs of the mountainous region. And it was there that his parents and friends celebrated the couple and feasted on a plentiful dinner. This was the first time in his life that dinner had been so wonderfully prepared.
A large decorative Korean folding partition—handed down for many generations and discolored with age but still exhibiting its classical artistry—stood behind the couple. The two lovers basked in their ineffable happiness on this joyous occasion.
The food was neither exquisite nor extravagant, but it reflected the indigenous customs and traditions of the northern region, showing the simplicity and genuineness of the people who live there.
The combination of a fading traditional marriage ceremony and a modern ceremony mixed well, creating a formal but entertaining atmosphere.
Jeong Jin Wu was so preoccupied with the thought of getting married that he was unable to think or observe everything that was going on. He did not even have the courage to look his guests straight in the eye. He could only savor this formal yet joyous moment.
The room was silent, a sublime silence in which one could not even hear children rustling. Jeong Jin Wu’s colleague from law school stood up and began to read a congratulatory speech.
People were absorbed in the stillness. As the colleague spoke, the elderly people began to recall the bright and youthful days of their own wedding ceremonies, as if they were experiencing that joyous time all over again.
The children were hungry and restless but were forced to listen to the speech. The expressions on their faces reflected their grudging feelings toward the lengthy speech. They just wanted to devour the food, drink, play, and sing.
“And that is why—” continued the colleague in a resounding voice.
The colleague’s voice sounded as if he wanted to make it clear that the newly married couple ought not to forget the significance of marriage and this historic moment in their lives.
“The bride and groom, in the presence of their parents, relatives, comrades, friends, the older generation and the younger generation, the Party, and the country, have wedded on this day to form a family. Never forget that a family is the basic unit of our society, and your harmonious relationship reflects that. You must help and serve each other till the day your hair turns silver, and you must devote your lives to serving our country’s prosperity. You must live faithful lives…”