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GUEST LITERATURE – KOREA She tries to reason with the child in a calm voice, crouching down beside him. “No!” The boy shakes his body violently in a fit of something he doesn’t understand, with his eyes still following a herd of zebras on the screen over Aunt Chung-sim’s head. Now, the baby zebra begins suckling vigorously at its mother’s breast. “Sweetheart, we haven’t got much time. We have to leave soon. Don’t you want to go see your mum?” “Mummy?” The boy instantly turns to the young woman. “Yes, let’s go and see Mummy, okay?” “Are we going to Serengeti, then?” Aunt Chung-sim nods her head to him. “Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!” He bounces up and down like a gazelle, waving his arms. Imitating a he-zebra that is flaring its nostrils and kicking up its strong hind legs, the child comes to the dinner table at last. Uncle Man-bok, who came from Chôngjin, Aunt Chu-hyôn from Musan and Aunt Sun-dôk from a small village not far from Shinûiju have already started eating. “Do you really mean to take him along with you?” Uncle Man-bok asks Aunt Chung-sim, gesturing to the child with his chin.The child immediately stops eating and hangs his head, stealing glances at the adults’ faces. “What else can I do? How can we possibly leave the child alone here? We adults are responsible for him!” replies the young woman, knitting her brows.The boy instantly senses that something’s wrong. Soon, the aunts begin arguing with one another. It has already been three years since he started feeling that he was unwelcome in the group of grown-ups living there together. “You know how the saying goes about preparing for a long journey. It says you should leave everything behind, even your eyebrows,” grumbles Aunt Sun-dôk. Aunt Chung-sim puts down her chopsticks with a thud. “That’s enough! Would you leave him behind if the boy were your own, the one you’ve left behind at Moktangang? Stop talking nonsense! If you keep at it just because the boy isn’t your own, you’ll be punished by Heaven. Mark my words!” challenges Aunt Chung-sim fiercely.The child keeps shovelling rice into his mouth; he wouldn’t 148 BANIPAL 43 – CELEBRATING DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES

JEONG DO-SANG dare to touch anything else on the table. “Sure! You oh-so-good Samaritan! Why don’t you take the whole responsibility upon yourself.We wash our hands of it all, okay?” retorts Aunt Sun-dôk, angrily jerking her head up. An icy wind seems to blow between them.The child lays down his spoon quietly. He has eaten only half the rice in his bowl, but he couldn’t eat any more even if he wanted to. “Okay, I will! Now, no more of it! Things are tough, and no one denies it. But where on earth is your compassion?” Aunt Chung-sim picks up her chopsticks again. The boy waits for a chance to sneak away from the table and goes back to the television. However, the animal programme is over and all the zebras are no more. He suddenly feels completely drained of energy.The inside of his nose starts to burn; he feels like crying. But he resists and, squatting down in a corner of the living room, traces a word on the floor with his finger – “Mummy”. * * * As soon as Aunt Chung-sim finishes washing the dishes, two men come in. One is a minister dressed in a suit and the other a missionary called Mr Pak wearing jeans. Mr Pak videotapes every nook and corner of the house.The minister sits down on the floor and the others sit in a circle around him.Yông-su sneaks behind Aunt Chungsim’s back. He thinks that the minister’s eyes resemble those of a deer. “Let’s pray,” says the minister, and Aunt Sun-dôk quickly kneels and folds her hands.Yông-su also closes his eyes, and presses his hands together. “Lord, our father who art in Heaven! Bless these lost sheep gathered here in prayer.They are about to go on a long journey.We pray that thou will walk with them every step of the way. Bless them with strength so they may reach Korea safely, and let them pass through the wilderness not alone, but together with the Holy Spirit. Allow them to come closer to thee with only faith, hope, and love.Trust in God and in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” Following the minister, everybody repeats: “Amen.” “It’s time to leave now. Are you all mentally prepared?” The boy wonders what the minister means by “mentally prepared”. What is it that should be prepared? Perhaps something like clothes BANIPAL 43 – SPRING 2012 149

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GUEST LITERATURE – KOREA

She tries to reason with the child in a calm voice, crouching down beside him.

“No!” The boy shakes his body violently in a fit of something he doesn’t understand, with his eyes still following a herd of zebras on the screen over Aunt Chung-sim’s head. Now, the baby zebra begins suckling vigorously at its mother’s breast.

“Sweetheart, we haven’t got much time. We have to leave soon. Don’t you want to go see your mum?”

“Mummy?” The boy instantly turns to the young woman. “Yes, let’s go and see Mummy, okay?” “Are we going to Serengeti, then?” Aunt Chung-sim nods her head to him. “Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!” He bounces up and down like a gazelle, waving his arms. Imitating a he-zebra that is flaring its nostrils and kicking up its strong hind legs, the child comes to the dinner table at last. Uncle Man-bok, who came from Chôngjin, Aunt Chu-hyôn from Musan and Aunt Sun-dôk from a small village not far from Shinûiju have already started eating.

“Do you really mean to take him along with you?” Uncle Man-bok asks Aunt Chung-sim, gesturing to the child with his chin.The child immediately stops eating and hangs his head, stealing glances at the adults’ faces.

“What else can I do? How can we possibly leave the child alone here? We adults are responsible for him!” replies the young woman, knitting her brows.The boy instantly senses that something’s wrong. Soon, the aunts begin arguing with one another. It has already been three years since he started feeling that he was unwelcome in the group of grown-ups living there together.

“You know how the saying goes about preparing for a long journey. It says you should leave everything behind, even your eyebrows,” grumbles Aunt Sun-dôk. Aunt Chung-sim puts down her chopsticks with a thud.

“That’s enough! Would you leave him behind if the boy were your own, the one you’ve left behind at Moktangang? Stop talking nonsense! If you keep at it just because the boy isn’t your own, you’ll be punished by Heaven. Mark my words!” challenges Aunt Chung-sim fiercely.The child keeps shovelling rice into his mouth; he wouldn’t

148 BANIPAL 43 – CELEBRATING DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES

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