Nothing more would have happened had they taken the main road and made their way past the Government-General building. But since the incident had ended without mishap and night hadn’t yet fallen, they let down their guard. Continuing past the Police Affairs Corps, they were about to climb the stone steps leading to Chuseongmun when Byeong-hwa was confronted by a man stumbling through the street. They bumped into each other, but Byeong-hwa said nothing in consideration of Pil-sun’s father and kept climbing the steps, confident that the drunkard would be no match for him if he tried to pick a fight.
“You rude beggar!” the drunk cried, grabbing Byeong-hwa by the hair, just as he was about to walk past him. With the drunkards’ words as a signal, several men swaggered out silently from the shadows. Byeong-hwa knew instinctively what was about to happen and shoved them away as they charged toward him. Pil-sun’s father, however, was immediately thrown to the ground.
Passersby and people who lived in the area came to their aid. Fortunately, Pil-sun and Deok-gi arrived a few moments later, physically restrained the men, and brought Pil-sun’s father and Byeong-hwa home.
Pil-sun had rushed off to find Byeong-hwa and managed to locate 110 Samcheong-dong, but she was told that the visitors had just left. Relieved but exhausted, she ran into Deok-gi. He had just stepped out of a rickshaw with Won-sam and was searching for the house with the help of the rickshaw driver, who held a lamp out in front of them.
Pil-sun had never felt so grateful for others’ concern, nor had she ever trembled with the emotions that surged through her when she saw Deok-gi.
“Even if they were really drunk,” Deok-gi speculated, “and had planned the whole thing in advance, how could they think they could get away with beating people up on such a busy street? Just across the bridge, neighbors were all around saying that they’d go fetch a policeman. What dimwits!”
When Deok-gi made this comment, Pil-sun looked up at him while kneading her father’s shoulders. Her eyes grew brighter and a smile danced across her lips, but when her eyes found his, they immediately fell to the ground. She somehow knew to keep her emotion to herself.
At last, the doctor arrived. His eyes went first to the man lying in bed and then to Gyeong-ae’s swollen cheek. A crowd had gathered around the store. The doctor tried to size up the situation as he approached the bedridden man: Deok-gi, the millionaire’s grandson, has summoned me. Would he pay for the treatment?
“Two ribs have been fractured. How did this happen? He looks very weak, and the broken ribs are right over his left lung.”
“Can we take him to your clinic?” Deok-gi asked, inching closer.
The room fell silent.
The doctor seemed to have gotten the answer to his question and said, “That would be helpful. But it would be better if I could take some X-rays first. Would you like me to call some people at the medical school nearby?”
“Please do everything in your power! As you see, it’s cramped here, and the situation is dire.”
Driven by Deok-gi’s decisiveness, the doctor left to make the necessary phone calls.
“It’s difficult to have X rays taken tonight, but we can at least take him to the hospital now. I can even operate if the situation warrants it. If we let him stay here, it’ll certainly. ” The doctor appeared genuinely concerned.
Once the doctor finished tending to the cuts on Byeong-hwa’s chin and on the back of his hand, they took Pil-sun’s father to the hospital. Though Deok-gi was young, he was now a thousand-rice-bag-a-year millionaire; his wealth made it impossible for the doctor to refuse him this favor.
Byeong-hwa wanted to accompany Pil-sun’s father to the hospital, but everyone was against the idea and insisted that he stay behind. His body hurt all over, and with Pil-sun and her mother also going to the hospital, he couldn’t leave Gyeong-ae behind by herself.
Deok-gi asserted, “I’ll go with them on your behalf. You should lie down.” Pil-sun and her mother nearly wept with gratitude. After everyone left in a taxi, Gyeong-ae took care of Byeong-hwa and prepared for her overnight stay. Now that all the commotion had passed, she realized for the first time that day how hungry she was. Pil-sun’s mother had brought in a dinner tray earlier, but no one had touched it. No one had felt like picking up their chopsticks after such a night.
“I wonder what’s going on at the hospital. I should call,” Byeong-hwa said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll call. Eat your stew before it gets cold.” Gyeong-ae stood up and walked toward the store, but Byeong-hwa held her back and went to the telephone himself. Gyeong-ae draped his overcoat over his shoulders and returned to put the stew on the brazier.
“They say he needs surgery right away. I’d better go.” Byeong-hwa lost his appetite.
“Is it that serious?”
“They say he’ll be all right after the operation, but how can I stay here when Deok-gi is staying there overnight? I should be there, too.”
“You’re right, but you’re in no shape to leave the house. And even if you do go, how will your presence help the operation?”
“Yeah, but this is no way to behave.”
“I’ll go in your stead if you feel that way. Nevertheless, the rest of them should eat something, especially when it’s so cold outside. Should we order something for them?”
“That sounds good, though they’re probably too worried to eat.”
Gyeong-ae went out to the store and called a soba restaurant. She then called the hospital and told Deok-gi that dinner would be arriving soon and that he should make sure that Pil-sun and her mother eat.
Byeong-hwa appreciated her efforts.
Gyeong-ae returned and sat across from Byeong-hwa with the meal tray between them. “He’s already in surgery, and it’ll be over in about thirty minutes. Deok-gi will come here when things calm down, so he says there’s no need for you to go out on a cold night like this.”
Tears gathered in Byeong-hwa’s eyes as he listened to her quietly. He was touched by everyone’s kindness and overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. He couldn’t bear to think of what Gyeong-ae had suffered because of him. Now she was comforting him and worrying about Pil-sun and her mother.
It had been less than ten days since Pil-sun’s family had escaped the hovel at the edge of Hyeonjeo-dong. Delighted over their unexpected good fortune, they no longer had to consider over breakfast whether they’d have something to eat come dinnertime. But their joy was short-lived. Pil-sun’s father was now hovering between life and death. Imagining what Pil-sun and her mother must be going through — their uncertainty and despair for the fate of the household — Byeong-hwa couldn’t help but weep for them. What about the man himself? Broken from years in prison, he had gone hungry day after day. Only recently had he begun to regain his confidence, learning the ins and outs of the grocery business, clinging to the hope that his wife and daughter wouldn’t have to go hungry again. Now he had been beaten to a pulp for no reason at all. Pity pulled at Byeong-hwa’s heart.
Deok-gi must have some worries of his own, now that he was the guardian of his family’s safe. That he would become involved in this unpleasant business that had nothing to do with him impressed Byeong-hwa greatly. The affection he felt was not simply sentimentalism in the wake of a crisis.