Sun Hee’s true desires seemed to be contained in this piece of sarcasm.
“You’re living in a fantasy…” Seok Chun muttered.
With those words, he lit his cigarette.
Sun Hee stared at Seok Chun with inexpressible hatred as she recognized his embittered mockery. She raised her voice, “Is it really that bad to receive a cash prize and treat your friends to dinner and drinks? Ever since you didn’t win first place, you’ve been depressed. Is it too much for me to ask you to really focus on your project and invent something that will get first place and win you some respect from others?”
“A housewife should not interfere in a man’s work,” Seok Chun retorted. “If my invention somehow advances technology, then what more can I ask for? Is it really that important to appear in a newspaper article or win a cash prize? You need to know that pride in one’s work is far nobler than fame or fortune.”
Sun Hee was momentarily seized with a shudder and could not respond. She only glared at Seok Chun with her mouth agape. She felt the enmity and resentment brewing inside her, and it was only a matter of time before she exploded. But somehow, she could not find the right words with which to respond, and that added to her frustration.
“Pathetic,” Sun Hee said, which was about the only word she could think of.
“What did you just say?” Seok Chun shouted, as smoke from his cigarette filled the precarious space between the two. “You don’t have the right to say that to me! You may insult me, but don’t insult the fruit of my labor! Don’t mock my sacred purpose!”
“Let’s just stop,” said Sun Hee exhausted. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live like this. I… I can’t live with you anymore.”
“Ah, you want to end this? I won’t beg you to live with me. I don’t need you! Get out of my sight, you filthy bitch!”
Seok Chun slammed his fist on the desk. The vase wobbled from the shock and rolled off the desk, shattering on the floor with a terrible sound. Ho Nam woke up frightened and began to weep.
“Comrade Judge, basically our arguments just repeat themselves. They escalated to this point. But that last argument was the last argument. I can’t stand it anymore. Comrade Judge, I’m asking you as a favor.”
Seok Chun clenched his hands tightly and cracked his knuckles. Very much like Sun Hee, he was desperate for a divorce.
Jeong Jin Wu spoke in a soft but stern voice.
“Your divorce case will be decided by the court. Since we don’t have that much time, I’ll ask you a few questions. You claim that Sun Hee has become vain and arrogant. You think that this is her fundamental flaw, and that is why you want a divorce. Can you provide me with a concrete example?”
Seok Chun was taken aback by the unexpected question. He wanted to provide the judge with all the instances that showed Sun Hee’s vainglorious attitude toward him, but he was not certain if those would qualify as grounds for divorce.
Judge Jeong Jin Wu asked, “Do you want to divorce her because she walks around in lavish outfits and belittles you for dressing unfashionably? Does that even make sense to you?”
Seok Chun remained silent because he knew this would also not qualify as a reason.
Judge Jeong Jin Wu spoke sternly. “Did she ever discourage you from achieving a higher degree at the Engineering College?”
Seok Chun lowered his eyes in shame.
“Go home and think about it,” instructed the judge. “Think about what your wife wants from you. Look at the bigger picture of what society demands from you and not just from your narrow perspective. You said that you haven’t received sincere affection from Comrade Sun Hee. But her way of showing you affection was to encourage you to become more than a lathe operator. She loves you so much that she wants you to exceed your potential. How can that be a lack of affection?”
Seok Chun hung his head for a while and then straightened his body. He grabbed his hat from the desk and stood up. He waited for Jeong Jin Wu to give him permission to leave. Jeong Jin Wu stuck out his hand and shook Seok Chun’s hand.
“I’ll stop by your factory in a couple of days. Share your thoughts with me then.”
9
Back at the theater, Sun Hee leaned against a pillar and stared out a tall window.
The theater hall was serene except for her comrades practicing on the second floor. The music irritated her, but it was inescapable as it resounded throughout the theater.
Sun Hee stared at the part of the outside world she could see through the window. Behind the theater was the kindergarten, and little children were kicking a ball in the adjacent open grassy field. They were about Ho Nam’s age. Upon a closer look, she saw they were all familiar children. They were the older kids at Ho Nam’s school. She assumed that school was out. The children were kicking a rubber ball around and swarmed to wherever the ball went. Sun Hee envied the children playing in the field, laughing and oblivious to misery and fright. Such children had no concerns about a troubled family life and likely had never experienced any such thing. Sun Hee then felt a pang of sorrow when she could not identify her son amid the children.
Where could he be? He must no longer be playing with his comrades. Is he standing around somewhere by himself like I am right now? Did he walk home by himself again?
For the past few weeks, Ho Nam hadn’t thrown childish tantrums or performed his usual silly antics. He had hardly laughed or smiled, an evident indication of his miserable situation at home. Sun Hee was on the verge of bursting into tears at the thought of casting a dark shadow over Ho Nam and leaving an irreparable scar on his heart. Whenever she fought with her husband, she would tell Ho Nam to go outside and play by himself. Sun Hee was all the more frustrated with Ho Nam because he had Seok Chun’s temperament and always sided with his father. She recognized that she had not been a good mother to her son. But after visiting the court, her maternal instincts surged with a desire to nurture him. It could have been from the thought of separating Ho Nam from his father.
All of a sudden, Sun Hee remembered the events of yesterday evening.
Sun Hee was anxious to find out if Chae Rim had settled anything with Judge Jeong Jin Wu, so she raced home with Ho Nam and discovered that Chae Rim had been waiting for her. She invited him into her house.
Chae Rim gave Ho Nam an eggbread with a red bean filling. As soon as Sun Hee walked into the living room, she collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.
Alarmed, Chae Rim said, “My goodness, you don’t look well at all. How are you holding up?”
“I’m just tired,” Sun Hee replied. “Any news?”
“Well, I went by the court the other day,” Chae Rim said, as he was finding a place to sit.
“And, so what happened?” Sun Hee asked blankly.
“I found out that Seok Chun had finally gone to file for a divorce.”
“I know.”
“You do? Well, then it’s settled! You should be divorced in no time.”
“Yes, but…”
“Right. That judge looks to be an inflexible man. But don’t you worry. I think I can pull some strings and make some calls. I’ll make sure this divorce goes through.”
Sun Hee sighed.
Chae Rim continued, “By the way, you look awful, like a wilted flower.”
Sun Hee did not protest this description.
“I guess you must be under a lot of stress with the divorce,” Chae Rim said.
“I feel so bad for Ho Nam. And—”
“And for Seok Chun?” Chae Rim interjected. “You couldn’t file for divorce a few years ago because of that low-life, right? You have to be firm this time. How much longer are you going to live like this?”