Chapter 6: Three Lives (5)
***
It was Saturday. After finishing school early and having lunch at home, Jinhyuk searched through the shed.
“Jinhyuk, what are you doing?”
At his father’s call, Jinhyuk came out with two fishing rods on his shoulders.
People who lived by the sea had fishing rods at home, even if they didn’t fish. Someone gave them away, they picked up discarded ones, they even stole them…
The same was true for Jinhyuk’s family. It was a bamboo fishing rod that Mikyeong’s father had given him to use when he was bored.
“Dad, let’s go catch goby fish.”
“Goby fish? Jinhyuk, do you know how to fish?”
I’ve done it a lot in my younger days, Dad.
That wouldn’t do.
“It’s easy.”
“Really?”
If his son wanted to go, he had to go.
Son Gwangyeon grabbed his work gloves first. True to his nature as a Seoul city boy, he loved to eat but was afraid to touch things. Even during their fishing trip, it was Son Gwangyeon’s job to cheer whenever his wife caught something.
‘Goby fish are so delicious. I’m scared.’
Compared to the dried goby fish he had tasted for the first time in the countryside, the dried croakers he had eaten with beer in college were bland garbage.
Jinhyuk marched ahead confidently, unaware of his father’s worries about how to catch them.
Jinhyuk was confident.
Whenever he visited his parents’ graves, he wanted to stay a little longer, so he spent countless hours fishing and sitting like a mourning stone. Even though the goby fish population had decreased significantly due to overfishing, mudflat pollution, and the development of the water channel, he had still caught enough to reach double digits. He had caught them every time he visited the graves.
‘There must be a lot of them now because the population has increased.’
They almost reached the sea and stopped by a nearby forest. He picked a few broad acorn leaves and put them in his father’s basket. He also put some in his father’s basket.
“Why are you doing that?”
“It makes them fresher. Or, it’s supposed to. The men who catch mudflat octopuses in the summer also put a few of these in their styrofoam boxes.”
He wanted to say that putting acorn leaves in was just a fisherman’s dream. That was the truth. Jinhyuk didn’t know if it actually had any effect on keeping things fresh. But it seemed to be convincing enough from the receiving end.
‘Our son is really smart.’
Son Gwangyeon, playing the role of a good fool, just nodded.
Jinhyuk led his father to a mudflat that was dry.
“Jinhyuk, there are no fish here?”
“We have to catch bait. Give me the shovel.”
“Oh…”
Son Gwangyeon opened his mouth wide and nodded.
That’s strange. I went to college, why don’t I know this? It was a matter of course that you had to prepare the bait before fishing, but I never encountered it in any business administration lectures.
Son Gwangyeon’s realization quickly turned into admiration.
‘Wow, our son.’
Jinhyuk skillfully used a small shovel to scoop up the mud and caught bright red earthworms one after another. They were not the cultivated earthworms sold at fishing stores, but native Honggeobi earthworms. The slender crimson earthworms, bathed in the dazzling sunlight, were so beautiful that they naturally evoked admiration.
Son Gwangyeon, trusting his gloves, diligently put the earthworms in a can. He couldn’t help but look away, even though the color was beautiful, the wriggling sight was creepy.
“It’s so much fun catching them with Dad…”
“Haha, Dad’s having fun too.”
Did his father understand the weight of his words? He didn’t know that the lonely and scary time he had spent alone had turned into valuable excitement, collecting earthworms with his father.
‘What does it matter if he doesn’t know, I’m so happy.’
Jinhyuk couldn’t help but smile broadly.
They reached the water channel that had been exposed by the receding tide and unraveled their fishing lines.
Jinhyuk put the earthworms on his father’s hook first.
“Oh, that’s how you do it. I’ll do it next time.”
You’re talking nonsense.
When would a grown man ever rely on his young son’s help?
“Dad, like this.”
Jinhyuk showed his father how to cast the line, like a master angler, dipping it deep into the water.
Thud-!
As he demonstrated, a goby fish, impatient, snapped at the bait.
The bamboo fishing rod bent and the fishing line hummed sharply.
“Whoa!”
Did he pull too hard? Jinhyuk, with his small body, fell flat on the mudflats.
Damn it, it’s time to get used to this small body.
The large goby fish that had come out into the open world flailed about. Thump, thump. The leaping of the live fish was like teleportation.
“Whoa! Are you okay? What do we do, what do we do?”
Was his father destined to be friends with goby fish?
Wherever his father tried to step, the goby fish flailed about, claiming the spot.
He was relieved that he hadn’t gotten hurt because he had fallen on the mud, but his father was scared of the goby fish and couldn’t approach it easily.
Seeing this, Jinhyuk, lying down, shook his shoulders.
“Hee-hee, Dad, are you scared of fish?”
“No, I’m not, ha, not at all.”
A blatant lie. He even stuttered.
His father’s face was paler than usual.
***
It hadn’t even been two hours, but the two baskets were full.
When they ran out of earthworms, they used pieces of goby fish as bait.
When the tide started to come in and there were too many fish, they even put in empty hooks in a hurry, and they still caught fish. They were biting empty hooks, maybe goby fish needed iron too.
“Wow! It’s heavy. Let’s go home.”
His father’s ears were practically reaching his shoulders.
Jinhyuk followed behind his father, carrying his fishing rod and shovel, as his father carried the two baskets.
Son Gwangyeon kept looking back, asking if his young son was tired and checking if he was following closely.
Jinhyuk followed at a distance from his father.
‘Oh, this is good.’
He was covered in mud from head to toe, doing a little jig with his butt.
When he got off work late at night, he used to see drunkards dancing and humming songs on the side of the road. He wondered what made them so happy, but now he felt like he understood them a little.
His father looked back at him.
“Jinhyuk, do you know how to clean these?”
“Just press down on their bellies, and all the insides will come out through their butts.”
Jinhyuk, quickly recovering his mischievous bottom, answered in a clear voice.
Goby fish don’t need to be gutted. They can be eaten whole, from head to tail, bones and fins included.
His father nodded, remembering the dried goby fish Mikyeong’s father had given him last winter.
‘Our wife will clean them, right?’
He’s scared of fish.
*
Jinhyuk cleaned them.
He was worried that his child’s body wouldn’t be strong enough, but when he pressed down, all the insides, including the roe, came pouring out. He was surprised at how hard he had pressed.
“Wow, Jinhyuk, you’re good.”
Son Gwangyeon, standing awkwardly, clapped his hands like a seal.
The little guy, covered in mud, sat by the faucet, looking exactly like a fisherman.
"Yikes, you caught a lot! Jinhyuk, I’ll do it, Mom."
"I can do it. Mom, you rest."
His mother sat next to Jinhyuk and helped with the cleaning. Even though she had been raised delicately, she was a country girl, so she was naturally familiar with this kind of work.
Son Gwangyeon was hesitant, but he couldn’t bear to make his wife do all the hard work, so he had to help.
‘That’s how men become men, Dad.’
You have to be strong to survive in this harsh world. Jinhyuk scoffed inwardly.
Son Gwangyeon, who had managed to clean one fish, asked his wife.
“Honey, can we eat the roe?”
“Yes, we can. The roe is delicious.”
“Dad, please gather the insides with the guts.”
I’ll give it to Jang Gun.
It’s a bribe to stop him from acting up.
***
Swoosh-, the bare, dry broom sedge rustled in the late autumn wind, creating a pleasant harmony. The western sky was ablaze as the sun began to set. There was an autumn soul, hugging a dented aluminum pot, under the porch where a zelkova tree spread its branches.
Jang Gun sniffed with his wet nose.
The smell of burning wood, the smell of earth and water rising from the ground, and a strange smell.
Sniff-sniff- It’s a strange smell.
It’s unfamiliar, but it makes his heart pound like he has heartworm. His master and the child went out somewhere and came back with a bunch of fishy things.
This must be their smell.
Jang Gun was lost in happy anticipation.
The people in this house are so kind and gentle.
He had heard from his dog friends in the neighborhood that other families just gave them leftovers. They were too salty, making their tongues shrink and making it hard to eat without water. He didn’t know the name, but they said it contained a seasoning called cat flavor.
But this house was different. They didn’t use any strange ingredients, so it was good to eat, and they mixed it with the right amount of water, so the food wasn’t salty. Maybe that’s why Jang Gun was healthier and faster than the big dog friends from other families.
Startled-. Growl-.
The smell disappeared.
He smelled fresh water.
They must have finished cleaning and cleaning up. He could see it without even looking. He was a dog with a keen sense of smell.
Hee-hee- The smell changed. They’re making porridge for the dog!
They could just give it to him, but the lady never does anything half-heartedly.
As expected, they would boil it until it was soft and let it cool down completely before giving it to him.
That’s the kind of people they are.
He heard footsteps.
They were light.
It’s the child.
The child was acting strange these days.
He seemed to think it was because of the bitter, hard tree fruits he threw at him, but he swore it wasn’t the case. Jang Gun was a forgiving dog. How forgiving was he that he didn’t even wag his tail when strangers passed by? The dog from the house across the street, Dokura, had told him that a thief had entered their house that day.
Anyway.
The child was acting strange, but he didn’t know what was strange.
At first, he was startled and barked when he saw the child’s shadow moving separately from the child when he went back to the house. Maybe he saw wrong. When there are multiple lights, there are multiple shadows, and there is a big zelkova tree next to the porch, so there are many shadows. Jang Gun was a smart dog, so he knew that too.
The child had also made fireballs when he went to the beach and spun them around to make the moon. Maybe his dog eyes were bad, so he saw wrong. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, seeing that, Jang Gun decided he had to be wary of the child.
Whatever, he brought delicious food, so he’ll wag his tail.
Hee-hee-.
“Jang Gun, eat well.”
Chomp-chomp-!
Woof- The rich aroma that only fresh seafood could produce.
The soft texture that went down his throat without even chewing.
It was warming up his body temperature, which had dropped in the cold wind.
The best thing to do in the cold wind is to eat a warm dog bowl full of food.
Jang Gun couldn’t help but shed tears.
He was so busy eating that he didn’t even see the child leave.
He just thought.
‘Woof-.’
- Isn’t Jang Gun too much of a name for a female dog?
It was a question he always had.
Even though unisex was the trend of the time, they should give her a proper name.
Chomp-chomp-chomp-.
Anyway, it was so delicious.
He had never tasted anything like it in his ten months of life.
Jang Gun licked the bottom of his dog bowl clean.
Huh, where did the acorns go?
He didn’t even want to touch them, so he just left them alone.
***
Jang Gun wasn’t growling.
Just that alone made Jinhyuk feel like all the effort of catching and cleaning the goby fish was worth it. He was happy that his relationship with his friend, the one who had protected him most fiercely in his previous life, seemed to be restored.
“Jinhyuk, do you hang these on the clothesline?”
“Yes.”
His father asked, looking at the goby fish that Jinhyuk had strung up while his parents were cleaning.
In the village, they called it Sinwoodae, a thin bamboo stick. You had to pierce the gills with it from left to right. After stringing about ten fish, you would insert both ends of the bamboo stick into a string to complete the old-fashioned drying rack for fish.
After three days of exposure to the cool late autumn wind and the scorching sun, they would be semi-dried, and after a week, they would be fully dried. It was fun to take them off the stick one by one, like dried persimmons. Semi-dried fish could be steamed or made into spicy soup, and fully dried fish could be grilled whole and eaten. Of course, you could eat them raw, too, and they were salty and savory, making them the ultimate winter snack.
Over 200 goby fish were hanging on the clothesline, except for the few that his mother had set aside for dinner.
His father swallowed, looking at the plentiful winter snacks.
“Jinhyuk, should we go catch goby fish again tomorrow?”
“Let’s go.”
I wonder what the tide will be like.
It will probably recede a lot tomorrow, it’s only been a few days since the new moon.
Jinhyuk went inside and glanced at Jang Gun.
He wasn’t growling.
‘As expected, bribes do work.’
In his previous life, he had never begged anyone for anything, nor had he rubbed his palms together. It was fine if he quit his job, and he was a man who had nothing to fear in the world. Besides, he was a former special forces soldier who had trained in Taekwondo, Hapkido, Judo, Kendo, and even special combat.
That dog is scary.
Especially his teeth, they look sharp.
When he growls with those teeth, it sends shivers down my spine.
Jinhyuk shuddered, aware of the dog’s eyes fixed on the back of his head.