Chapter 9-1
by Han Yong-un · 2026-08-25
When Sun-young first came to Sajik Park, she was getting food and money in her own way, while Dae-cheol was doing the same in his own way.
So it somewhat helped with their living expenses.
However, as Dae-cheol's eyesight gradually worsened and he could no longer go out alone, Sun-young had to lead Dae-cheol around to get food and money.
Then, when Dae-cheol could hardly walk, he laid down under a tree.
From that point on, Sun-young fully took on the burden of providing for both of them.
Sun-young wandered around the city with a bundle on one shoulder and a bag in one hand.
She gathered whatever food, rice, or money she could find to feed them both and made clothes for them.
If there was anything left after getting Dae-cheol's medicine, she even bought snacks.
At night, she lay next to Dae-cheol and took care of his needs from one to ten.
For Sun-young, repeating this task every day was a significant part of her life.
During that time, there must have been nothing among the tasks that was not bitter or painful.
Nevertheless, Sun-young always seemed satisfied, rarely frowning, sighing, or shedding tears.
As that lifestyle continued, her situation became known little by little.
Not only among the people visiting Sajik Park but also throughout Seoul.
Thus, when Sun-young went out to get food or beg, she would sometimes hear such remarks.
“That girl is a drug addict. She's a beggar going around asking for food day and night. Get lost, hurry up.”
There were also people who chased her away without even letting her in, speaking so disdainfully.
When such things happened, she felt so ashamed and distressed that she even thought about destroying herself along with the world.
However, in the end, she could only wash away the harsh reality and her sorrowful heart with a few hot tears.
“Oh, here comes that household. It's pitiful to see her struggling for her sick husband.”
Many households would kindly give her food or side dishes while offering such warm words.
At those times, Sun-young felt grateful, and the world seemed quite warm.
As she went around begging and observed all kinds of human nature and societal conditions, such thoughts crossed her mind.
Under the same sky, in the same world, with people born with the same features, why is it that their hearts are so different?
She wanted to understand the reason, but it was too vague to grasp.
Still, there were more households that showed sympathy than those that treated Sun-young harshly.
So, compared to other beggars, Sun-young's life was rather comfortable than painful.
During that time, Sun-young never stopped praying.
She comforted herself, believing that even this life was better than others, thanks to the grace of Buddha.
For a while, Sun-young tried every means to cure Dae-cheol's illness.
She tried to reduce the number of injections and used medicines that claimed to relieve opiate addiction.
She tried everything that was said to be curable, but nothing worked.
Moreover, she realized that it was something that Dae-cheol's mindset could never achieve.
The illness was only progressing along a single path.
Thus, Sun-young gave up the thought of curing the illness.
While Dae-cheol was still alive, she decided to take care of him with all her strength and leave the final fate to nature.
She thought it would be enough to get enough food to avoid starving and to ensure the medicine didn't run out.
She didn't try hard to beg for more and stayed by Dae-cheol's side as much as possible, taking care of everything.
At the very least, catching a fish was part of Sun-young's daily task.
As a result, in a world that loves to gossip, there were quite a few rumors about Sun-young.
“Hey, look at that woman over there.”
“Which woman are you talking about?”
“Oh, the one sitting with the drug addict under the willow tree.”
“That's the drug addict's wife.”
“But have you heard about that woman's background?”
“Of course I have. Who doesn't know about her? Everyone here knows.”
“But isn't that really love?”
“Love or not, how many people like that are there?”
“We may not know what love is and have grown old, but these days, young people are looking for love day and night.”
“But whether it's love or not, they break up after a day or two,”
“Getting married and divorced is easier than smoking a cigarette for us.”
“If you want to love, you have to do at least that much to call it love, right?”
“Such things cannot be compared to love.”
“In today's world, where can you find couples like that?”
“When we were young, we heard from the elders that there are wives who die for their husbands, but how common are such women?”
“Even if such a woman exists, it's actually easier to die for a husband for a moment.”
“Following a sick person around and suffering for a long time is much harder.”
A group of old men stood around, hanging their clothes on a branch, pointing at Sun-young and continuing their conversation.
“But now, they say they're not even a couple.”
“Who knows? Whether they're a couple or not, what does it matter?”
“Forget about being a couple; who would do that even for their own parents?”
“Moreover, even if they are a couple, with the man in such a state, can there still be any feelings between them?”
“In any case, it cannot be done without the innate quality of that woman’s heart.”