Sun Hee turned around, looking for her son. When she spotted him, she unconsciously raised her hand, but when she saw her husband, she quickly lowered it and looked the other way. She felt bitter with embarrassment, as if someone had thrown cold water on her face.
Judge Jeong Jin Wu observed this on his way to the courthouse and was deeply concerned for the couple. His determination to resolve their marital problems began precisely at this moment, on this road.
The couple’s attitude and behavior in public made it clear what happened behind closed doors at home every night. It seemed that their strife had worsened. Sun Hee and Seok Chun probably thought that there was no way to cure this disease between them, that their marriage had reached its end, and that the only solution was to begin anew without each other. Most couples perceived the law as something that resolved their marital problems once and for all, without any compromises. That was why couples would act as if they were strangers after filing for a divorce. Any iota of caring or regret was thrown out the window, and it was common for couples to feel only cold and embittered loathing toward their partners.
Some students raced toward Jeong Jin Wu from the opposite direction and shoved him aside as they passed, nearly causing him to fall. One student looked back apologetically, but then he continued on his way with the others. Normally, such disrespectful behavior would have angered Jeong Jin Wu, but today, rather than feeling indignant, he felt that the students were driving a stake deep into his heart, a stake that urged him to work on Seok Chun and Sun Hee’s divorce case. He was determined to restore harmony to this family, but he had an important trial waiting for him. He looked at his watch and picked up his pace to the courthouse.
Sun Hee stopped walking to wait for Ho Nam.
From a small path between the apartment buildings, Sun Hee’s colleague Eun Mi walked out with her daughter and husband. The daughter was about Ho Nam’s age. She held both her parents’ hands and fluttered like a baby bird. She looked up at her father and mother and grinned, a radiant smile that was as bright as the pink hairband on her head. The child’s gaiety lit up her parents’ faces.
Eun Mi’s husband worked at the Gang An Machine Factory as a cannery supervisor. He had graduated from an industrial college and was now a respected supervisor among his peers and community. He wore a heavily starched suit and a classy necktie. His hair was neatly combed back and styled with mousse. He did not look like someone who was going to work at a factory but like someone who was going to give a lecture or some kind of important presentation. His appearance gave the impression of a dignified intellectual of the nation.
Sun Hee thought that a person who was ambitious, like Eun Mi’s husband, required only a little support from his wife to excel and achieve his goals. Sun Hee envied Eun Mi because she was also a great singer and dearly loved her husband with the kind of innocence that had not yet seen the harrowing reality of married life. The couple’s intimacy was evident, and harmony dwelled in Eun Mi’s family. Sun Hee felt empty and bitter. She walked ahead to be apart from her husband and son, but Eun Mi walked alongside her husband and daughter. This sight was too much for Sun Hee to bear, so she picked up her pace to avoid running into her.
However, Eun Mi called out Sun Hee’s name and ran toward her. When Eun Mi examined Sun Hee’s gloomy face, she said in a quiet, nearly reproachful tone, “You’re walking alone again.”
Sun Hee did not respond.
Eun Mi said, “I was about to congratulate you on something, but it doesn’t seem like you’re up for it.”
“On what?”
“On Seok Chun’s getting third place at the Provincial Science and Technology Fair.”
“Whatever.”
“Oh no, did you two fight again?”
Sun Hee continued walking without saying anything. She had always known that Eun Mi had a caring disposition. Eun Mi looked out for Sun Hee’s best interests, but this morning Sun Hee couldn’t deal with Eun Mi’s advice. Word about Sun Hee’s marital problems had spread like wildfire among the other singers. While the others had grown distant, Eun Mi stood by Sun Hee, attesting to their true friendship. Eun Mi had known about Sun Hee’s marital problems, but she never shared them with others and kept her silence on the matter. However, Eun Mi did not know that Sun Hee had gone to the courthouse to file for a divorce. Sun Hee wanted to tell Eun Mi about it and get her advice, but she thought that Eun Mi would immediately reproach her and force her to retract the divorce petition.
After walking in silence for some time, Eun Mi spoke. “Sun Hee, it’s about time you let it go. You can’t perform under these circumstances.”
“I know. That’s why I’m thinking of quitting. I heard that our deputy director is also thinking the same thing.”
“Get out of here! Where did you hear that?” asked Eun Mi. “It’s just a rumor.”
“Not from what I heard.”
“No, it’s not true. It’s because you act like you don’t care about singing anymore and because you avoid everyone.”
Sun Hee did not care for Eun Mi’s attempt to come up with excuses.
“Talk to me and get it all off your chest. I hope you’re not looking down on Seok Chun just because he’s a lathe operator, right? And you feel superior just because you’re a celebrity singer, right? Because if that’s what it is, then you’re wrong. It’s wrong to think like that. Sun Hee, it’s not that, right? It’s because he yells at you and insults you, right?”
Sun Hee did not respond. Eun Mi’s words were plain and simple, but they somehow stung Sun Hee’s conscience. Sun Hee began to question whether she had been belittling her husband because of her superior occupation. But she shook head. No. Had she not been supportive of her husband for the past ten years? It was not due to a pompous attitude. What right did a singer have to belittle a factory worker? And what was the point of doing that now, anyway? Sun Hee quickly dismissed all those thoughts. But then again, she could not convince herself that she had never had such thoughts either.
“Just give in to him, for Ho Nam’s sake. Did you know that my husband thinks highly of Seok Chun?”
“You’ve said that before,” replied Sun Hee indifferently.
“Well, listen to me again. You will never fully know your husband even if you live under the same roof.” Eun Mi wanted to continue, but she realized she was lecturing Sun Hee. “All right, I’ll stop since it’s not right to talk about someone else’s husband.”
Eun Mi lifted her eyes and saw her husband approaching from a distance with their daughter. She turned to Sun Hee and said, “Do you think that my husband is always charming and respectful when he comes home from work? When things don’t go well at the factory, or when I make a mistake, or when things just don’t go his way, he throws a fit. He shouts till the house comes down. He throws tantrums and yells at me when he’s had a few drinks. When he’s like that, I just shut my mouth, keep my thoughts to myself, and continue doing whatever I was doing. Sure, I want to yell back at him, but I just take it all in. There’s no point in arguing with the sky for sending a thunderstorm. But when I give him some alone time, he eventually calms down. And then the house becomes peaceful again. After a few days, we talk to each other about the issue. Now, we don’t fight anymore. I’m not trying to brag or anything. But I was hoping that it would help you because your situation seems to be getting worse.”
“You have no idea.”
Sun Hee said the words without thinking, but her heart was still bitter. She envied Eun Mi’s simple marital problems, which Sun Hee did not even consider real problems. Arguments between partners who still have feelings for each other are like spring showers, a welcome visit after a long wintry season. What Eun Mi had never experienced was the kind of argument that would lacerate her heart, the ice-cold words that would paralyze and suffocate her to the point of excruciating death.