Chapter 6

#6 < Three Lives (5) >

***

On Saturday, after finishing school early and having lunch at home, Jin Hyuk rummaged through the storage room.

“Jin Hyuk, what are you doing?”

At his father’s call, Jin Hyuk came out with two fishing rods slung over his shoulder.

People living by the sea had fishing rods at home even if they didn’t fish. Someone left them behind, or they picked them up after someone threw them away, or maybe they even stole them.

Jin Hyuk’s family was no different. The bamboo fishing rod was a gift from Mi Kyung’s dad, who said to use it when bored.

“Dad, let’s go catch some gobies.”

“Gobies? Jin Hyuk, do you know how to fish?”

I’ve done it a lot in my younger days, Father.

Well, not really.

“It’s easy, they say.”

“Uh, should we?”

If the son wants to go, we have to go.

Son Kwang-yeon started by packing his gloves. Like a true city boy, he loved eating but was afraid of touching things. Even when they went clamming, his job was to cheer whenever his wife caught something.

‘Gobies are really delicious. But scary.’

Compared to the dried gobies he first tried after moving to the countryside, the dried pollack he had as a beer snack during college was bland trash.

Whether he knew his dad was worried or not, Jin Hyuk confidently led the way.

Jin Hyuk was confident.

Whenever he visited his parents’ graves, he spent as much time as possible fishing, sitting like a stone statue. Back then, despite overfishing, tidal flat pollution, and waterway degradation reducing the goby population, he still managed to catch double digits. He dried them and brought them every time he visited the graves.

‘Now that the population has recovered, I’ll catch a ton, right?’

As they neared the sea, they stopped by a nearby forest. Jin Hyuk picked a few broad acorn leaves and put them in the basket. He even put some in his dad’s basket.

“What’s this for?”

“It keeps them fresher. Or so they say. Even the uncles catching octopuses in summer put a few in their styrofoam boxes.”

Jin Hyuk wanted to say that putting acorn leaves in was just a native fisherman’s romantic notion. It was true. He didn’t know if it actually helped preserve freshness. But from the receiver’s perspective, it seemed convincing enough.

‘Our son is so smart.’

Son Kwang-yeon, playing the role of the good fool, just nodded.

Jin Hyuk led his dad to a dry tidal flat.

“Jin Hyuk, there’s no fish here?”

“We need bait. Give me the shovel.”

“Ah…”

Son Kwang-yeon, mouth agape, tilted his head.

Strange. I went to college, so why don’t I know this? Even though it’s common sense to prepare bait before fishing, I never learned this in any business lecture.

Son Kwang-yeon’s realization soon turned into admiration.

‘Oh, our son.’

With skillful hands, Jin Hyuk used the small shovel to dig up mud and caught bright red lugworms one after another. These weren’t the farmed blue lugworms sold at fishing shops but native red ones. The slender, crimson worms glistening in the sunlight were so beautiful it was hard not to admire them.

Son Kwang-yeon, trusting his gloves, diligently put the worms into a can. Though their color was pretty, their wriggling was creepy, so he kept turning his head to glance sideways.

“It’s so fun catching them with you, Dad…”

“Haha, Dad’s having fun too.”

Did Dad understand the weight of Jin Hyuk’s words? He probably didn’t know that the lonely, scary times had turned into precious excitement while picking worms with him.

‘Doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know. I’m just so happy.’

A genuine, wide smile spread across Jin Hyuk’s face.

They arrived at the exposed waterway during low tide and unraveled the fishing lines.

Jin Hyuk baited his dad’s hook first.

“Ah, so that’s how you do it. I’ll do it next time.”

Of course, you’d say that.

How long did you plan to rely on your little son’s help?

“Dad, like this.”

Jin Hyuk demonstrated how to cast the line to his dad, who was just sitting there like a fishing sage.

Plop-!

As he demonstrated, an impatient goby bit hard and took off.

The bamboo fishing rod trembled, and the line buzzed sharply.

“Whoa-!”

Did he pull too hard? Jin Hyuk, small in stature, fell flat on the tidal flat.

Even though it was time for his small body to adapt.

The large goby that emerged from the water flopped around. Plop, plop. The lively fish’s flailing was almost like teleportation.

“Oh! Are you okay? What do we do, what do we do?”

Were Dad and the goby destined to meet?

Everywhere Dad stepped, the goby flopped and claimed the spot first.

Though he was relieved that falling on the mud meant no injuries, Dad was too scared of the goby to approach easily.

Watching this, Jin Hyuk, still lying down, shrugged his shoulders.

“Hehe, Dad, are you scared of fish?”

“No, not at all-.”

A blatant lie. He even stuttered.

Dad’s face was paler than usual.

***

In less than two hours, the two baskets were full.

When they ran out of worms, they used pieces of goby as bait.

When the tide started coming in and there were too many fish, they even used empty hooks in a hurry, and even those worked. Did the gobies bite empty hooks because they needed iron?

“Wow! This is heavy. Let’s go home.”

Dad’s mouth stretched to his ears.

With two baskets on his back, Dad led the way, followed by Jin Hyuk carrying the fishing rods and shovel.

Son Kwang-yeon kept looking back, asking if his little son was tired and checking if he was keeping up.

Jin Hyuk followed at a distance.

‘Ah, this is nice.’

Covered in mud, he waddled and shook his butt.

When he used to return home late from overtime, he’d see drunkards dancing and humming songs on the roadside. He wondered what made them so happy, but now he thought he understood a little.

Dad glanced back.

“Jin Hyuk, how do we clean these?”

“Just press the belly hard, and the guts will come out the back.”

Jin Hyuk, quickly fixing his mischievous butt, answered in a clear voice.

Gobies don’t need to be gutted. You can eat everything from head to tail, spines and fins included.

Dad nodded, recalling the dried gobies Mi Kyung’s dad gave them last winter.

‘He’ll clean them himself.’

Scared of fish.

*

Jin Hyuk did the cleaning.

Though worried the child might lack strength, one firm press made everything from guts to eggs spill out. He was even surprised at how hard he pressed.

“Wow, Jin Hyuk, you’re good at this.”

Son Kwang-yeon, standing awkwardly, clapped like a seal.

The little guy, covered in mud, sitting by the faucet, looked every bit a sea person.

“Eek, you caught so many? Jin Hyuk, let Mom do it.”

“I can do it well. Mom, you rest.”

Mom also sat beside Jin Hyuk and helped with the cleaning. Though raised delicately, being from the countryside, she had naturally learned these skills since childhood.

Hesitant Son Kwang-yeon, not wanting to burden his wife, eventually had to lend a hand.

‘That’s how a man becomes a man, Father.’

To survive this harsh world, you need to toughen up. Jin Hyuk clicked his tongue inwardly.

After managing to clean one, Son Kwang-yeon asked his wife.

“Honey, can we eat these eggs?”

“Yes, they’re delicious.”

“Dad, since they’re out, collect the guts and eggs together.”

We should give them to Jang Gun.

It’s a bribe to stop the nonsense.

***

Ssshh-, the dry twigs made a decent harmony in the late autumn wind. The western sky began to burn as the sun set. Under the drooping branches of the zelkova tree, a fall spirit hugged a dented pot.

Jang Gun sniffed with his wet nose.

The smell of burning, the scent of earth and water rising from the ground, and a strange smell.

Sniff sniff- It’s unfamiliar.

Though unfamiliar, it made his heart race like he had heartworm. The master and the kid went out and came back with a bunch of smelly creatures.

This must be their smell.

Lost in happy anticipation, Jang Gun fell into thought.

The people in this house are really kind and friendly.

According to dog friends in the neighborhood, other houses give leftover food carelessly. It’s too salty and makes your tongue shrivel, hard to eat without water. I don’t know the name. They said it has a seasoning called “cat flavor.”

But this house is different. They don’t use strange ingredients, so the food is good, and they mix it with water so it’s not too salty. Maybe that’s why Jang Gun is healthier and faster than the big dogs in other houses.

Hmph-. Grrr-.

The smell disappeared.

Now it smells like fresh water.

They must have finished cleaning. I can tell without looking. I’m a dog, after all.

Hehehe-. The smell changed. They’re going to give me food!

They could just give it, but the lady never does anything carelessly.

She’ll probably boil it well, let it cool, and then serve it.

That’s just how they are.

Footsteps.

Light.

It’s the kid.

The kid’s been acting strange lately.

He seems to misunderstand that I’m upset because he threw some bitter, hard nuts at me, but I swear it’s not that. Jang Gun is a generous dog. So generous that he doesn’t even wag his tail at strangers. That day, the dog from the next village, Tokku, told me there was a thief at their house.

Anyway.

The kid’s acting strange, but I don’t know why.

At first, I barked because I thought the kid’s shadow moved separately when he went home from the porch. Maybe I saw wrong. When there are multiple lights, multiple shadows can appear, and there’s a big zelkova tree next to the porch, so there are many shadows. Jang Gun is a smart dog and knows that.

When the kid went to the beach, he made a fireball and turned it into a moon. Maybe my dog eyes saw wrong. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, seeing that, Jang Gun thought he should be wary of the kid.

But since he brought delicious food, I’ll wag my tail.

Hehehe-.

“Jang Gun, enjoy.”

Chomp-!

Wow- The rich aroma only fresh seafood can have.

The soft texture slides down my throat before I even chew.

It warms me up from the chilly wind.

Nothing beats a warm meal on a cold day.

Jang Gun even shed tears without realizing it.

Too busy burying his nose in the food, he didn’t see the kid leave.

But he thought.

‘Woof-.’

– Isn’t the name Jang Gun too much for a female?

It was a lingering question.

Even in this unisex world, names should be given properly.

Chomp chomp chomp-.

Anyway, it’s so delicious.

In my 10 months of life, I’ve never tasted anything like this.

Jang Gun licked the bowl clean.

Huh, where did the acorn go?

I didn’t want to touch it, so I left it alone.

***

Jang Gun didn’t growl.

Jin Hyuk felt it was worth catching and cleaning the gobies just for that. It felt like his relationship with the friend who protected him most in his past life had been restored.

“Jin Hyuk, do we just hang these on the clothesline?”

“Yes.”

While Mom and Dad were cleaning, Dad asked, looking at the gobies Jin Hyuk had strung.

In the village, they called it a “shinwoo-dae,” where you pierce the gills left and right with thin bamboo sticks. After stringing about ten, you attach both ends to a rope, completing the old-fashioned fish drying rack.

After three days of cool autumn wind and harsh sunlight, they’re semi-dried. After a week, they’re fully dried. It’s fun to pluck them one by one from the stick like dried persimmons. Semi-dried gobies are good for steaming or spicy stew, while fully dried ones can be grilled and eaten whole. Of course, you can also eat them as-is for a salty, savory winter snack.

Aside from the few Mom set aside for dinner, over 200 gobies hung on the clothesline.

Dad swallowed his saliva, looking at the abundant winter snacks.

“Jin Hyuk, should we go catch more gobies tomorrow?”

“Let’s go.”

What will the tide be like tomorrow?

It’ll probably be low again, since the new moon was just a few days ago.

Jin Hyuk glanced at Jang Gun as he entered the house.

No growling.

‘The bribe was worth it.’

In his past life, he never complained or begged anyone. Quitting a job was no big deal, and he feared nothing in the world. Plus, he was a former special forces operative trained in Taekwondo, Hapkido, Judo, Kenjutsu, and special operations.

That dog is scary.

Especially those sharp teeth.

When it growls, the back of my neck tingles.

Jin Hyuk shivered, feeling the dog’s eyes on the back of his head.