Jang Hun hadn’t said a word about his plan when he had met with Byeong-hwa earlier that day. “Give me the money,” he had said, as if it were his own.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t waste your breath. Just give it to me. That money wasn’t for you to open a grocery store or for Hong Gyeong-ae to use as pocket change.”
“What are you talking about?”
Jang Hun tossed a rolled-up bundle to Byeong-hwa. “Then buy this!”
“What is it?”
“Just open it. It should be worth at least that much.”
When Byeong-hwa failed to open the bundle, Jang Hun opened it himself. It contained a black Korean overcoat, a pair of shoes, and a small pistol.
“This coat looks familiar, doesn’t it? And you’ve seen these shoes before, too, haven’t you?” Jang pointed to the pistol and said, “I don’t intend to aim it at you, but if you don’t want to buy these things, I’ll use them to buy your life. Then you can leave the money to Hong Gyeong-ae as an inheritance.” A cold smile played over his lips.
“All right! But I can’t buy them now. I don’t have any cash on me.”
“Then what will you use?”
“Why are you doing this?”
“To protect myself!”
“Then there’s nothing more to say. This coat and these shoes are clear evidence that you helped Pi-hyeok disguise himself to get out of the country. You can’t expose him. After all, it’s not just you, but the owner of the coat, his daughter, his wife. many are involved. That’s why I’m showing this to you as if I had all the time in the world.”
“Put that stuff away. And get rid of it. You’re taking a big risk by keeping it around.”
This was as far as their talk had gone at Samcheong-dong earlier that day.
Gyeong-ae was digesting Byeong-hwa’s story. “But why did Pi-hyeok take his coat off there before leaving?”
“It was so small that he and Jang Hun decided to swap coats. I had assumed he left Seoul right away, but apparently he met Jang Hun somewhere before leaving.”
Gyeong-ae simply nodded.
When Pi-hyeok fled Gyeong-ae’s house, the rubber shoes Byeong-hwa supplied were too cumbersome to walk in, so he went back to his Western shoes, which he eventually left with Jang Hun. And the six-chamber pistol? About that, Jang Hun was silent.
Not knowing when his house might be searched, Jang Hun took the coat and shoes home and used them himself, but the weapon he kept hidden somewhere.
“But why did he have to beat a person to the brink of death?” Gyeong-ae still had her doubts.
“Before I left, Jang Hun quietly warned me to watch my back because his men might get carried away.”
“You’re so naïve! He could’ve easily talked his underlings out of mugging you.”
“And the others might have thought that the two of us had cooked up a scheme to share the funds. Jang Hun’s influence over his subordinates only goes so far. Besides, he was itching to have a full-fledged fight with me so he could let the world know that we had parted ways once and for all. Only then could we carry out our work comfortably. Things could be worse. Of course, it wasn’t so good for you and Pil-sun’s father.”
“Wasn’t so good? Luckily for you, I’m not the one with the broken rib.” An angry flame darted from Gyeong-ae’s eyes. “I’ve never been handled so roughly in my life. But even so, what kind of fool would stroll down a pitch black road at night in such circumstances?”
“I was actually thinking of turning back when I stumbled upon those drunkards. I actually never imagined that Jang Hun had made them do it. Only later at Samcheong-dong did I discover that he was behind it!”
Gyeong-ae erupted. “I don’t want to hear any more! Stop talking such nonsense and wake up! You’ve been tricked by Jang Hun once, but who’s to say he won’t deceive you again? Do you think you’ll be so lucky the second time around?”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? It’s clear that he’s just making something up so he can get all the credit. Can’t you see he wants to have his cake and eat it, too?”
“I don’t think so.” Byeong-hwa looked up at the ceiling.
“For all we know, Pi-hyeok could be half dead, lying in some jail cell groaning with pain. This Chiang Kai-shek could have pocketed a considerable amount by now.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Your not believing it might get you killed! Before the night is over, a motorcycle gang will burst in on us, trust me!”
“That won’t happen,” Byeong-hwa tried not to waver.
Gyeong-ae paid no attention. “Let’s not stay here tonight.”
“That’s crazy. If you’re so worried, why don’t you just go home?”
“If we’re in danger, at least we’d be together if I stay. We’d still be in danger if I went home.” The telephone rang.
“It could be the hospital,” Gyeong-ae said, but her heart shuddered, as if she were alone in the dark after listening to ghost stories.
“Is Kin-san there?” The caller sounded Japanese. Gyeong-ae blanched.
“Who is this? Why are you calling?” Gyeong-ae replied stiffly.
“This is Geumcheon.” Gyeong-ae had met this man several times since the store opened. Lacking the composure to exchange greetings with him, she put down the receiver and rushed over to Byeong-hwa.
“Who? Geumcheon?” Byeong-hwa asked, still horizontal.
“What do you want me to say? Should I say you’re not in?” Gyeong-ae tried to hide her fear.
“I’ll take it.” Byeong-hwa grunted with pain as he raised himself.
Gyeong-ae changed her mind and thought it would be useless to say Byeong-hwa was out.
“It’s surprising you’ve already heard of — Yes, I have a little cut on the back of my hand. Well, they were drunk. If secret funds were so easy to come by, I’d be grateful for a small share of them.”
Gyeong-ae, standing beside Byeong-hwa, could hear Geumcheon laughing along with Byeong-hwa. Her face brightened, and she smiled, too.
“At nine o’clock tomorrow morning? I’ll be there. But there’s no reason to make them sleep there, is there? Please send them home tonight. Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
As soon as Byeong-hwa got off the phone, Gyeong-ae grabbed his good hand, and asked, “Do they want you to report there tomorrow?”
“Yes. The drunkards have been arrested.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. The guy was making fun of me. He said I should have thrown a party instead of pocketing all the money myself. He asked me why I beat them up, saying I behaved like someone who not only refuses to give a beggar money, but breaks his bowl as well.”
“So they talked about the secret funds at the police station?”
“I’m not surprised. They could have said anything in their state. They’re being kept there overnight.”
“Good!” But Gyeong-ae wasn’t as delighted as she sounded.
It was almost midnight when Deok-gi called from the hospital to say that the operation had gone well and that he had decided to go home. At dawn, Byeong-hwa went to the hospital, leaving Gyeong-ae alone at the store. He felt obliged to visit the patient, and the bandage on the back of his hand needed changing; more importantly, he had to be at the police station at nine o’clock.
They didn’t open the store. Byeong-hwa wasn’t able to remove the plank door by himself, for his hand was throbbing even more violently than the night before.
On his way to the hospital, Byeong-hwa ran into Pil-sun on the street and told her to take the day off, but she opened the store in a hurry as soon as she got there. She had agreed with her mother to take turns minding it. Gyeong-ae rolled up her sleeves and did her share.