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  • Three for the Road
  • Kwon Yeo-sun (bio)
    Translated by Ann Meejung Kim (bio)

They had agreed to meet at the public parking lot at nine o'clock, but only at five minutes past did Kyu call Hun, saying they should push back the departure to ten minutes later. It was quite chilly, so Hun headed into the coffeehouse next to the parking lot. Sipping a hot cup of awful coffee, he stared absentmindedly at the parking lot embankment out of a large windowpane.

The grey stones making up the embankment were remarkably identical, as if they had been rolled off a production line. But even aside from their size, something about the pattern on the surfaces struck him as weird and disproportionate. There were two lines running parallel to each other in an oblique vertical direction, with a small square placed on the left and an elongated oval on the right. Not just one but dozens of such ugly stones—each bearing a crude pattern worse than a child's doodle—made up the embankment, one stacked on top of another. The coffee tasted even worse as it cooled, and suddenly it occurred to Hun how peculiar Kyu's phrasing had been. Let's push back the departure to ten minutes from now. It was a simple one-way notice telling him that Kyu and Churan were going to be fifteen minutes late. But Kyu made it sound as if the married couple, the pubu, was somehow suggesting or reaching for a mutual agreement. That is, if Kyu and Churan could still be called a pubu at all. [End Page 299]

Their car arrived at the parking lot entrance at eighteen minutes past nine. As usual, Churan was sitting behind the wheel and Kyu was in the passenger seat. As Hun opened the back door, Churan turned and said, Sorry we're late. Hun got into the backseat without saying anything.

It's because Kyu had to go back in the house just as we were about to leave, Churan said.

I forgot to turn off the coffeemaker, Kyu said. His hair in the back was squashed in clumps.

Did you drink last night? Hun asked.

No, I did not.

He didn't, confirmed Churan, meeting Hun's eyes in the rearview mirror.

It's because I didn't drink! And so I couldn't get to sleep! Kyu rubbed his eyes violently. Kyu explained he needed a strong cup of coffee to get going since he hadn't slept at all, and how he had meant to turn off the machine until Churan was suddenly everywhere searching for her shawl, which distracted him so much that he just forgot.

Why do you always blame other people? Churan shot back.

I'm not blaming other people. I'm just saying there's a reason, Kyu said.

All right, let's just go.

Churan started the car at Hun's urging. They skirted the city center and cruised along Kangbyŏnbuk-ro. The river—not yet frozen over—glistened by under the roadway.

What should we do about breakfast, wondered Kyu, to which Churan replied that they shouldn't eat anything until they reached the restaurant.

The restaurant? Hun asked.

Kyu explained there was a restaurant in Wŏnju that was famous for samgyet'ang. The only fault of that place is that you won't be able to eat samgyet'ang anywhere else after dining there, he said. [End Page 300]

A chicken is a chicken. How good could it be? Kyu turned around to face him.

Just try to think of the taste of chicken. Don't imagine anything special.

The taste of chicken?

Exactly, the taste of chicken! It does exactly what chicken is supposed to do in soup!

As Kyu turned back to face the front, his bloodshot eyes came into view. He's right about not having slept, Hun thought, leaning back into the seat and pulling a blanket from beside him over his knees. After passing the tollgate, the traffic was light, and they were able to drive comfortably at 120km per hour. As they were nearing Shin'gal Junction, Churan let out a...

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