New Moon

by Lee Ik-sang · 2026-03-20

Seong-ho set out on the road with his family under the morning sunlight. Their appearance did not resemble that of poor people. Seong-ho's wife and young son Mun-hwan were neatly dressed, and Mun-hwan's suit and shoes were so fresh that they could easily be compared to those of a rich child. Seong-ho's suit looked a bit modest, but considering that he lived as a salaryman, their appearance seemed rather elegant.

Seong-ho held a magazine and manuscript paper in his right hand, while his wife shaded them from the sunlight with a light red parasol and gently held Mun-hwan's hand with her left hand as they walked slowly. They walked leisurely, and it felt strange not to encounter other salarymen amidst the busyness of a weekday morning. The neighborhood they lived in was quiet, and the rent was affordable, allowing both Japanese and Koreans to live together. Therefore, Seong-ho had seen that most of the people he encountered on the way to and from the Changyeongwon tram stop every morning and evening were salarymen. However, today, not seeing such people while walking with his family made him feel somewhat empty.

Seong-ho did not quite understand the reason for that feeling. Perhaps it stemmed from a sense of kinship with salarymen in similar situations, or maybe it was due to dissatisfaction and anxiety about his own situation being chased by debt. In any case, his heart was filled with emptiness.

Most of the people walking on the road were diligent students, laborers, or rural farmers. It was rare to see someone dressed as neatly as Seong-ho's family. Among them, Seong-ho stood out like a peacock among chickens. He did not want to feel superior to others, but in a corner of his heart, he felt the difference between himself and them. Every time such thoughts arose, Seong-ho wanted to blame himself for complicating his feelings.

At that moment, young Mun-hwan began to ask questions. "Dad, where are we going? What is that? Where is that horse going?" Mun-hwan expressed his curiosity about the things he saw and felt, asking his mother one by one. His wife answered each question without annoyance.

"We are going to a lady's house. That is a pear tree; if you break it, something bad will happen..."

Even while listening to that conversation, Seong-ho's thoughts drifted elsewhere, causing his pace to slow.

He thought there would be no one urging for rent or coming to collect newspaper fees so early in the morning, but the fear of what he would do if he encountered such a person lingered in his mind. So he carefully observed the people on the road.

When they reached Bakseok Hill, Seong-ho suddenly wondered if his wife had tram fare. "Honey, do you have a tram ticket?"

"I only have five won." His wife tried to take out her wallet.

"No need to take it out. That's fine. I have one tram ticket."

Seong-ho let out a sigh of relief. If his wife had not had tram fare, he would have had to walk to the newspaper office alone. He could not ask his wife to walk with young Mun-hwan. Seong-ho felt relieved that he had narrowly avoided this unpleasant separation at the tram stop in front of Changyeongwon. However, even such small joy made him realize how shallow he was.

As he descended from Bakseok Hill to the main road, he looked at the morning sunlight shining over the stone wall of Changyeongwon. The sunlight shone over the pine trees, and the morning dew sparkled. However, all of that scenery became familiar within just a few steps. He returned to worrying about the possibility of not receiving his salary again.

"Evacuate. I have to wake up early tomorrow... If I meet them, it will be embarrassing..."

Among all these thoughts, what hurt Seong-ho's heart the most was lamenting his own weak character that allowed such small difficulties to shake his emotions. In the end, he felt that he could only rely on momentary feelings and could not live on eternal will.

He shouted in his heart, "What are you suffering so much for! We have the right to live somehow in this world. So all embarrassment is just a trivial condition in the face of the great fact of living. What reason is there to be bound by such narrow perfectionism..."

Calming such thoughts, Seong-ho approached the tram stop. Young Mun-hwan saw the tram and tried to get on while holding his mother's hand. Seong-ho slowly followed him. The inside of the tram was relatively quiet.

They parted ways at Jongno-tong Sajungmok. His wife boarded the tram heading to Dongdaemun with young Mun-hwan. Looking at her husband, she said, "I will call you around three o'clock," and as the tram started moving, she disappeared.

Seong-ho was left alone and smiled bitterly, realizing he could not even evacuate together.