“Was Chae Sun Hee one of them?”
“Yes,” responded Jeong Jin Wu, paying closer attention.
“Comrade Judge, I don’t know how to say this, but…”
“It’s all right. I’m listening.”
“Right, so have you decided what to do about her case? You will divorce them, no?”
Jeong Jin Wu was taken aback by these questions because they sounded like orders.
“Comrade Chairman, I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with Chae Sun Hee, but it sounds like you are showing too much interest in legal matters. My advice to you is not to interfere in another family’s case and certainly not in the judicial system.”
There was no response from the other end of the line.
Jeong Jin Wu continued, “I cannot make a decision based on listening only to Chae Sun Hee’s story. I need to hear Lee Seok Chun’s story as well and provide an impartial solution. This will, of course, take some time.”
“I see. Comrade Judge, would it be all right to stop by your office sometime tomorrow or the next day?” Chae Rim requested.
“Come by anytime.” And with that, Jeong Jin Wu hung up the phone.
An unsettling anxiety came over him, provoked by the intrusive attitude of the chairman on the other end of the receiver. Jeong Jin Wu’s first impression of Chae Rim was certainly not positive. He was much too concerned with the divorce case procedure, and it also sounded as if he was accustomed to using his official position to get things done his way. In this case, Chae Rim seemed to have some personal interest in Sun Hee’s divorce litigation, demonstrated particularly when he demanded that the senior judge expedite it. Jeong Jin Wu had experienced many foolish people thinking they could use their political power or personal networks to manipulate legal proceedings to their advantage. He only hoped that the person who had just called was not that kind of a person, though he had his doubts. Jeong Jin Wu considered those types of people who took principles lightly to be far more troublesome and exhausting than those undergoing a divorce.
Jeong Jin Wu dragged his feet toward the sofa and fell onto it. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, but that familiar name flashed in his mind again.
Chae Rim. That disquieting name reminded him of a horrible experience.
When and where have I heard that name before? It’s such an unusual name… Oh, that’s right!
Jeong Jin Wu remembered. Chae Rim! He had been a tall, handsome manager of sales at the Electrical Hardware Factory. He filed for a fault divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adulterous affair, but when that charge was proved to be false, he changed his grounds to irreconcilable differences. Jeong Jin Wu was the one who divorced them. That was six years ago…
There were only a few people inside the courtroom that day. The seats for the audience were nearly empty, with the exception of those occupied by family members. There were not many people interested in another couple’s divorce hearing. On the bench, Jeong Jin Wu was seated between two other judges. There was also a prosecutor, sitting next to a clerk. In the very front row sat Chae Rim with his head held high, looking confidently at the magistrates and the nation’s flag that hung right above them. A look of imperiousness beamed from his eyes. There was not a trace of despair or agony on his face. Next to him sat his wife with her head lowered, waiting nervously for the judgment. This day was going to be the last time that they would sit next to each other.
Chae Rim had filed for a fault divorce on the grounds of his wife’s alleged affair with her manager.
Glancing at the couple, Jeong Jin Wu thought to himself, What’s the crime in walking home from work with her production manager a couple of times? It’s on the way, and as comrades, can’t they share problems or talk about factory matters?
Jeong Jin Wu saw through people like Chae Rim. He figured that Chae Rim was filing for a fault divorce not because she had walked home with her manager but for some other reason. The truth was that Chae Rim, a promising technician, dared not be seen in public with a country bumpkin like his wife.
Chae Rim had despised her for it. He had criticized every aspect of her character and amplified every one of her flaws. He had hurled insults such as “You’re an idiot for heating up the beer for guests,” “You’re short and ugly,” “You have no social skills,” “You’re stupid.” He had even physically abused her, leaving imprints of his rage on her body.
Jeong Jin Wu had issued an order for an investigation of Chae Rim for domestic violence, but Chae Rim’s factory officials intervened and forced Jeong Jin Wu to drop the case.
Jeong Jin Wu was still bitter about that incident and felt that the divorce litigation should be dismissed. He wanted to punish Chae Rim for his violent and insolent personality, but he knew that the court would not approve of sentencing someone based on personality. He glared at Chae Rim and then looked at Chae Rim’s wife.
Chae Rim’s wife did not even have the courage to look up at the family members on the bench. While her husband attended the university in the city, she planted young trees in the mountains for a reforestation company. In the summer, her skin would get sunburned from the scorching heat. In the winter, her skin would crack from the cold and merciless wind. Her body would become soaked by the rain, and she would shiver all over in the snow, but this had become routine for her. She lived a lamentable life. When she received her meager wages, she would set aside a small portion for herself and her children and mail the rest to her husband in the city. Unlike the other working women, she did not purchase cosmetics or clothes suitable for the different seasons and varying weather conditions. She convinced herself that, aside from one formal outfit, she did not need more clothes, especially with the kind of work she did. Her only motivation was for her husband to graduate from the university and become an outstanding technician. She lulled herself to sleep with hopes of finding a home around his workplace and living a comfortable family life in the city. With those dreams, she continued planting trees and raising her daughter and son on her own.
However, her naive dreams were shattered when she encountered the abysmal reality of her husband’s indifference toward her. Chae Rim was not the person whom she had loved and cherished. She never heard anything remotely romantic or affectionate from him. When she would come up to the city from her village, he would not buy her a single article of clothing that would make her fashionable like the city dwellers. He never expressed affection to her; he never opened the door to his heart. When it seemed as if he opened his heart, it was like an empty storage room with a cold breeze passing through. She felt that her husband did not consider her his wife but rather a housekeeper and a nanny for the children. Yet she reassured herself by thinking that his was a dignified occupation and that it required him to always be busy. She had accepted this fact and continued living her life for her husband. But this came to an end when she received the divorce papers from Chae Rim. He accused her of committing adultery and expected her to comply with these grounds for divorce. When she denied the allegation, Chae Rim altered the grounds to irreconcilable differences in order to facilitate the divorce litigation.
During the hearing, she made her demands clear. She stated quietly that she could no longer live with her husband, and with that, she began to cry. She did not expect love from her husband—she had given up on that long ago. She simply wanted him to respect her as a human being, but even that seemed futile. It was only abuse and degradation, an onslaught she could no longer endure.
Judge Jeong Jin Wu took pity on the wife after realizing what she had done for Chae Rim and their children. For the sake of her inalienable rights as a human being, he divorced the couple. It was clear to him that she was the victim of this marriage.