Broken Summer

by Jung-Myung Lee

Hanjo vowed to remember this moment when he faced unbearable times in his life.

Instead, Choi Daegon stared at Nam Bora across the table and said, “Let’s have another cup of coffee and think about it first.”

“Things like that aren’t really hidden, even if you think they are. Even if they seem to be gone, they never disappear.”

“Of course children don’t listen,” he would tell his wife. “That’s proof that they’re finding their own way in life.”

He was scared and excited that even after the things that had sustained his life were shattered, he had the ability to imagine beauty inside himself and the desire to create it.

She hadn’t gone missing; she had just left. It was he, not the police, who had to solve this problem.

He was in a hurry, but he remembered that it took time to understand an incident and solve a problem.

They’ll look out for me, like throwing scraps to tame a fierce dog. I’m going to take the bait from the rich, and pretend to be obedient.”