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  • Annyŏng, Peter
  • Hwang Jiun (bio)
    Translated by Shanna Tan (bio)

Yŏngsu banged his fist on the steering wheel, the loud thud startling Yujin, who was gazing at the sideview mirror.

"Why bother building roads when we can't drive properly on them?"

Again, he vented his frustration on the steering wheel.

Vehicles heading towards the suburbs lined the overpass stretching to National Route 13 and for the past hour, Yŏngsu, Yujin, and Chinsŏk had been stuck in the traffic, inching forward only to halt again the next moment. Even Yujin, who wasn't usually bothered by heat, wiped away large beads of sweat, which glided off the fingertips. Yujin turned to look at Chinsŏk, fast asleep at the back, oblivious to the dark patches dyeing his grey shirt as his round belly rose and fell rhythmically with each breath, threatening to burst through the seams barely held together by the buttons. Chinsŏk tossed restlessly in his sleep, emanating a fresh wave of his stale odor each time. Turning away, Yujin gazed out the side window at the barley fields, bare in winter save for clumps of snow, which had become a playground for the magpies. What a peaceful sight, it must be fresh and cool out there, Yujin thought while wiping away a new batch of beaded sweat.

Yŏngsu dug his pockets for a cigarette but when the lighter refused to spark, he rolled down the window and flung the useless [End Page 135] thing out. Outside, the sun shone brightly, accompanied by the gentle rustle of crisp leaves, dazzling anyone who tried to gaze at the clear azure sky. With just the right touch of wind, it was the perfect weather for a game of badminton.

The car heater had broken soon after they set off. It might have been Yujin, complaining of the cold even with gloves on, who had twisted the dial too hard, or perhaps it was Yŏngsu, always the impatient one. Neither could remember who had wrenched the dial from the dashboard. Even when it was inserted back into its rightful place, the heater could no longer be turned off, setting a storm of yelling as each pinned the blame on the other, despite knowing that neither was really at fault. They tried lowering the windows, but the gusts of dry air stabbed at their eyes, so they had no choice but to continue driving in the furnace.

The trip came about because Yŏngsu, who had enlisted in the army late, was on a year-end break. It had been a while since their last meetup, so the three of them were happy to catch up. Chinsŏk, Yŏngsu, and Yujin were schoolmates since elementary school, while Chaehŭi had transferred over in the sixth grade. They had spent a good year as a group of four, before splitting up in middle school (Chinsŏk and Yŏngsu still together) and reuniting in the high school where Chaehŭi's mother chaired the school board. Despite lacking affection for the school, Chaehŭi used to say that the many eyecandies made the place bearable.

The newly-built school sat in an unremarkable neighborhood, surrounded by only a tiny stationery store, a street snacks place, and blocks of apartments soon to be torn down for redevelopment. Thinking back, it was baffling how they had found enough to keep them chortling amid the monotony—Chinsŏk catching a wink whenever possible, Yŏngsu sneaking a smoke in various corners of the school, Yujin bawling when a teacher crush got married, and Chaehŭi, who habitually ran away from home. Despite it all, the four—no, three—of them were contented with life back then. But with Chaehŭi gone, and Chinsŏk dropping out of high school [End Page 136] to prepare for the GED, the four of them were never in the same frame again.

But it wasn't like they cut contact completely. The three of them had met up before Chinsŏk left for a university in Seoul, when Yujin enlisted in the Special Forces, before Chinsŏk's month-long public service employee...

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