The coal miner raised his head and looked deeply into Jeong Jin Wu’s eyes. The coal miner’s virtuous eyes were a telling sign that he was not a simplistic man who cared only about working and drinking. His eyes projected a light of determination that had lain dormant for all these years, a promising sign of no longer succumbing to the yoke of alcoholism.
“Comrade Judge, I blame myself,” mumbled the coal miner in a subdued tone. “I respect you more than any of my drinking buddies. Actually, I used to think that your wife kept you on a tight leash and forced you to do all the housework while she was away doing research. I thought doing research was easy, so I asked myself, ‘Why can’t she do both, research and household chores?’ ”
Jeong Jin Wu nodded as he, too, had those thoughts about Eun Ok.
“This is coming from me who hasn’t done anything productive with my education. I’ve wasted my life by drinking and taking my wife for granted. In the corner of our closet, there is a dusty trunk full of my old research notes.”
The coal miner continued speaking in a melancholy tone.
“For the longest time, my wife wiped the dust off that trunk every day. I guess she was expecting me to do something with it. Whew! That was a long time ago. And now, there’s no way for me to retrieve those bygone days.”
Jeong Jin Wu responded, “Isn’t there a saying ‘Start over with a clean slate’? Don’t be so down on yourself. It seems you’ve realized how precious time is. If you start now, you can still be productive. You have a strong-willed teacher as your wife who is more than willing to assist you.”
The two walked in silence. They made a right turn at the fork in the road and walked toward their apartment complex.
From the front gate of the apartment building, a woman in an old sweater walked out to meet them. It was the coal miner’s wife. The schoolteacher greeted the men warmly, but the coal miner kept his eyes on the ground. He was in a pensive mood, regretting his unproductive past. He then lifted his head and looked at his wife in shame for his irresponsible habit of drinking but also with a sense of determination to greet the new day ahead of him.
The schoolteacher bowed to Jeong Jin Wu and then walked slowly beside her husband into their apartment.
Jeong Jin Wu did not want to interfere with the couple, so he walked past them and went up to his apartment. He trudged slowly up the stairs, reluctant to enter his empty apartment. When he got to the third floor, he was overcome with loneliness. He knew he had to tend the vegetables in the greenhouse and prepare his own dinner. These responsibilities took time away from analyzing legal documents and thinking about other cases.
Nevertheless, Jeong Jin Wu decided to let go of every last complaint about his wife.
So what if I have to sleep less to finish the housework and work on my cases? Can’t I help Eun Ok, who’s probably walking the steep paths of Yeonsudeok? I must not become like those who forget the noble purpose of life promised during the wedding ceremony. I did not marry for my own complacency or pleasure.
Jeong Jin Wu fondly remembered that day, that beautiful day, the day of his wedding, the snow-covered day in March twenty years ago.
15
Jeong Jin Wu searched his pockets for his keys, but then he heard footsteps inside the house. The door was flung open.
Eun Ok stood in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron, pleased to see her husband and yet apologetic at the same time. With a rueful smile, she greeted him, wordless but filled with gratitude.
Eun Ok had lost weight conducting research in the mountains. She had more wrinkles on her face, and her cheeks were chapped from the cold wind. It appeared she had rushed to complete some of the household chores as soon as she had returned home. Perhaps it was because she felt sorry for leaving so urgently ten days ago, but it was hard to tell.
Jeong Jin Wu was pleased to see Eun Ok’s unpretentious attitude. He had always loved how Eun Ok never complained about the monotony of their married life, never acted entitled but instead always presented herself as a simple-hearted, gentle woman. He had always loved her for these qualities, but, for some reason, tonight they felt new to him.
Jeong Jin Wu found traces of fatigue on Eun Ok’s face.
“You must have had a hard time up there.” He tried to speak tenderly, but it sounded curt and with no affection at all.
“Forget about me. I see that you didn’t take a lunch to work this morning,” said Eun Ok worriedly, noticing that Jeong Jin Wu was not carrying his briefcase or his lunchbox.
“I woke up late this morning, so I couldn’t prepare lunch. I ate at the cafeteria instead.”
“What about breakfast?”
“I had some leftovers from last night.”
Eun Ok felt sorry about not preparing his breakfast and lunch. She put his shoes away.
“Something smells great!” Jeong Jin Wu exclaimed as he handed his coat to Eun Ok.
The aroma of stir-fried vegetables filled the apartment, which made Jeong Jin Wu feel welcomed. He felt his weariness from spending endless hours at his office and living the life of a widower for the past ten days dissipate. How wonderful it was to reexperience the days when his wife used to stay home! The early days of their marriage flashed through his mind. He remembered how his heart had raced throughout the day of their wedding and on their first night together, and, like an ocean that never sleeps, he had lain awake filled with inexplicable happiness. However, tonight was incomparable, tonight Jeong Jin Wu was overwhelmed with feelings of joy, encouragement, and tranquility.
Eun Ok went to and fro in the kitchen and prepared the dinner table. Her rough hands were sunburned and calloused like men’s hands, unlike on the night of their wedding, when he had held Eun Ok’s small, soft hands and gazed at her beautiful wedding dress. Her hair, once voluminous, black, and silky, was now dry and lackluster, thinning, with bristly strands of silver around her ears.
“I’m not sure how the vegetables are doing in the greenhouse,” Jeong Jin Wu said worriedly.
“You did a really great job. You even recorded their growth.”
Eun Ok spoke as if Jeong Jin Wu was not her husband but her assistant.
“Was it cold in Yeonsudeok?” Jeong Jin Wu asked, changing the subject.
“It snowed. The wind blew hard, but although the fields froze at night, they slowly defrosted by the afternoon. It was unusual weather for this time of year.”
“Didn’t the vegetables freeze?”
“No, they all grew well. This year’s cabbage grew especially well.”
Eun Ok described the vegetables as though they were her children. Whenever she talked about her vegetables, her eyes and smile were like those of a mother gazing at her infant. Jeong Jin Wu looked at her expression as she described the vegetables and thought back to how she used to hold their son in her arms, breastfeed him, and comb his hair back with her fingers. The way Eun Ok expressed her maternal love for their son then was no different from the way she was talking about her vegetables now. This moved his heart.
Jeong Jin Wu rubbed his hands excitedly and said, “This year, I have a feeling that the cabbages will be large and tasty. The ducks will stay away from the radishes. And since you sowed the tomato and cucumber seeds early, they will be able to grow with little problem. I hope none of the flowers have fallen off the vines.”
Jeong Jin Wu tried to encourage Eun Ok’s research. He wanted to say something optimistic and hopeful, something that would move her. However, this was the only way that he was able to express himself.