Chapter 9-2
by Han Yong-un · 2026-08-25
There were people who praised her to the point of salivation, while others brought up different topics.
“But that woman isn't particularly unattractive in terms of her face or appearance.”
“Given her current state, that's true; if she put on some makeup and dressed up, she'd look quite decent.”
“That makes it even more difficult.”
“If the woman were extremely ugly and had no chance anywhere, that might be understandable. There's no hand to hold onto anywhere.”
“But with her looks, there should be hands to hold onto anywhere.”
“I heard there were quite a few people who were trying to help her.”
“Even though I told her to go somewhere suitable and live well without suffering like this, she stubbornly refuses and keeps doing this for that person,”
“I don't know the details of her intentions, but in any case, it's a difficult situation.”
“That woman often comes to our house. She comes to get food and also to beg,”
“Even if we can't give anything to other beggars, we make sure to give something to her, so we never send her away empty-handed.”
“I feel the same way.”
“I feel the same way too.”
They didn't seem like complete fools based on their appearance, but they weren't educated or well-off either.
While praising Sun-young and chatting to pass the time, one person proposed an idea.
“Hey, instead of just talking, how about we collect some money together to help that woman?”
“Ah, that's a really good suggestion.”
Many people agreed in unison and collected some money from each person.
Then they kindly gave it to Sun-young, attracting the attention of many people.
“Sister.”
There was a group of young women nearby watching this scene.
A woman in a smart outfit and clean sneakers called out with a determined look in her eyes.
Her eyes were black and glossy like unripe grapes, with a hint of green.
To anyone who looked, she appeared clever and spirited.
“Huh?”
A woman with a medium height and a haircut that was in the process of being trimmed and grown out replied.
Leaning sideways against a dark gray parasol, she answered nonchalantly while looking elsewhere.
“Take a look at this.”
“Huh? What?”
The woman also turned her gaze, and the other women turned their heads as well.
“Could this be the women's movement of our Joseon?”
“What are you talking about out of the blue?”
“A woman who has stepped onto the front lines of the movement thinks about struggle day and night; is there anything else?”
“No, is it another dialectical theory? Our movement is just a matter of time; it can happen anytime, right?”
“We may have that confidence and optimism, but in reality, it doesn’t seem likely.”
“Why?”
“From what we have experienced, all phenomena are like that, but isn’t what we see right here the same?”
“Well, why do you say that? You need to be specific to be understood.”
The group listened intently, intrigued.
“When I see something like that, I feel like I want to kill it.”
The woman speaking was excited.
“What do you want to kill?”
The listeners showed somewhat frightened expressions.
“Oh, I mean that virtuous woman over there.”
“Who is the virtuous woman?”
“That opium addict sitting over there. Isn’t she the famous virtuous woman in the capital?”
“So those rotten people with some money over there are praising her and even giving her money.”
“But why kill the virtuous woman? Being virtuous isn’t a bad thing.”
The woman leaning on the parasol smiled knowingly as she said that.
The other women seemed not to understand.
“It's because of those things that the passport extension can't happen.”
The well-dressed woman pouted and clicked her tongue.
“Why is that woman preventing the passport extension?”
A woman who appeared to be over forty asked.
Her face showed traces of having endured all kinds of hardships, with gray hair and deeply etched wrinkles.
However, her slender and gentle eyes held a charming smile.
“Why do you speak like those old-fashioned women who know nothing?”
“The passport extension, in other words, is about expressing one's individuality.”
“What would happen if there is no individuality?”
“With outdated morals, a woman is merely obedient to a man, having not even a tiny bit of rights.”
“Erasing individuality and only serving the husband is called a virtuous wife,”
“and isn't it said that a woman who remains chaste or even dies for her husband is a noble woman?”
“If that happens, a woman is nothing more than an object created for a man, not a being with personality.”
“Isn't it true that we are engaging in the women's movement to break down such outdated morals and establish a correct new morality?”
“Yet those rotten individuals have become slaves to the old morals,”
“pretending to be noble women while chasing after a drug addict with no individuality, leading to this situation,”
“can this be called the women's movement of Joseon?”
“Moreover, those rotten men support this and even gather money to help, isn’t that ridiculous?”
“We might be called extreme or thorough in our temperament,”
“but when I see such people who hinder our movement, I can't help but want to kill them.”
The well-dressed woman clenched her fist, taking a stance as if she were about to run towards Sun-young.
Other women seemed to finally understand and chimed in.
“Oh dear, that's right. In fact, it's things like that which prevent the women's movement from progressing.”
“I was wondering what you were talking about. Anyway, your observations are quick. You're smart.”