A Name He Already Knew
"Are you two... dating? Why the hell do you eat together so often?"
"We're... close. We get along well. But it's absolutely not... the kind of relationship you're imagining."
"And what exactly am I imagining?"
"A relationship like the one with Yeom Seong-bong... that's what you're picturing, isn't it?"
"Come on. You eat together all the time. You go to karaoke just the two of you. You even show up at group dinners together — hell, you have lunch together. Wouldn't it be weirder if I didn't suspect something? And even if it's not like that now... what's to guarantee there won't be a second Yeom Seong-bong down the road? Hye-in. You're still slim. Still attractive. Why do you think men are so nice to you? They're just trying to get in your pants."
"Honey... that won't happen. I won't be played for a fool the way I was with Yeom Seong-bong. Don't worry..."
Yoo Kang-soo said nothing more. But the real problem now wasn't his worry about his wife. It was something else entirely. Something about Ji Hye-in herself felt off — as if she, too, were carrying some deeper trouble. That was the thought occupying Yoo Kang-soo's mind.
It was the following night. For about two weeks now, the civil trial schedule had kept him from taking any provincial business trips, and so every evening he lay in bed beside his wife. That did not mean they made love every night, of course.
"Honey... would you lie on your stomach? I'll work on your shoulders..."
"Go ahead."
Sometimes she rubbed his legs, sometimes his shoulders. She had done this throughout their marriage, so there was nothing unusual about it at all. Yoo Kang-soo lay face down, and Ji Hye-in climbed onto his back, sitting astride him as she kneaded his shoulders.
"Ah... that feels good. It's been a while, but you're even better at this than you used to be..."
"There are so many YouTube videos about this these days. When I have free time during the day, I watch a lot of them..."
"Must be a pretty cushy job, being able to watch YouTube during work hours..."
"The salary's too low, though. They don't even cover lunch..."
She spoke with a faintly petulant edge. The shoulder massage felt so good that Yoo Kang-soo closed his eyes and didn't bother answering. The truth was, a wife who gave you massages and even clipped your toenails was not exactly a common thing. If she just hadn't cheated, there wouldn't have been a single thing to find fault with. And yet that one crack, however it had come about, had become the greatest flaw of all.
"Honey... listen. This afternoon... I spoke with him on the phone. I told him everything about the conversation you and I had last night. And he said he was truly sorry... that he didn't know what to do with himself. So I was wondering... are you free for lunch tomorrow?"
Yoo Kang-soo rolled over. He couldn't immediately make sense of what his wife was saying.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"He wants to treat you to a meal. He said he'd like the three of us to sit down together, have lunch, and clear up any misunderstandings."
Only then did it dawn on him — that his wife had been quietly, almost casually, referring to this so-called acquaintance as him.
"He wants to have lunch with me tomorrow?"
"Yes... the three of us, together. He said he'd like to buy us lunch..."
A strange curiosity stirred in Yoo Kang-soo. He wanted, at last, to see what this shadow hanging over his wife actually was. It wasn't something he could quite get his hands on — it was there, almost visible, always almost visible, and yet it would not come into view. And now this man — this close acquaintance she ate with, went to karaoke with — was suddenly offering to buy him a meal.
It wasn't a situation he could easily make sense of. But the water had already been spilled. The vase was already shattered. The affair had already happened, and you could not scoop spilled water back off the floor.
"Fine. What the hell. I might as well get a look at his face. Let's see what kind of scumbag takes another man's wife to karaoke..."
"Oh, come on, honey. Don't go acting all intimidating in front of him. Not like you used to when you were younger. You're not a soldier anymore. You're at an age where you ought to be composed. Courteous."
Ji Hye-in had moved from his shoulders to his calves, still massaging as she spoke.
"Hey, Hye-in. I'm not an idiot. I'm not going to puff my chest out and try to scare a guy who's buying me lunch. But I'm going to ask him everything I want to ask. That's fine, right?"
"As long as you're polite about it... go ahead. He's doing this because he knows I've been dealing with unnecessary suspicion at home, and he wants to help me. As long as you don't behave rudely... you can ask him whatever you want."
The next day. No matter how busy he was, this was an appointment Yoo Kang-soo could not skip. Fortunately, his urgent schedule wrapped up by late morning. After finishing his morning work, he drove toward the area near his wife's office, where they had agreed by text to meet.
"Honey... you're early..."
His wife had come out in front of the building that housed the association office, walking toward where he had parked.
"Where is he? This distinguished acquaintance of yours..."
"Oh, honestly, honey. He's not a strange person. If you talk about him like he's some weirdo, it puts me in an awkward position. He's someone I consider a close friend..."
"Friends between a man and a woman? There's no such thing. Just a swarm of bastards with their eyes rolled back, waiting for a chance to knock a woman on her back..."
Yoo Kang-soo said it with a light laugh. Then a KakaoTalk notification chimed from Ji Hye-in's phone.
"Oh... honey, I think he's here. Let's go..."
Ji Hye-in linked her arm through her husband's as he stepped out of the car.
"We're walking?"
"Yes. It's a traditional Korean restaurant, only about fifty meters away. I've been there with him a few times. The food's quite good."
Yoo Kang-soo glanced sideways at his wife walking beside him, her arm through his. She was wearing a comfortable-looking long skirt that fell to her calves, a white blouse, and a beige cardigan — an utterly relaxed ensemble. It was a world apart from that company dinner night, when she had worn those racy fishnet stockings no ordinary office woman would ever put on. Today, Ji Hye-in looked demure. Modest. Almost prim.
The building that housed the association where his wife worked sat in a busy commercial district, surrounded by restaurants and offices. Between the buildings, a sign for a traditional Korean restaurant came into view, its board decorated with the curved tiles of an old-style roof.
"Oh... the Director's already outside. Director!"
His wife waved at a man, calling him Director. The acquaintance had become him, and now him had become Director.
A man in a neat, open-collar suit walked toward them.
"Hye-in..."
The man called her by name as well.
"Director... this is my husband..."
"Ah — a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ko Dong-seok."
The man did not merely nod. He bowed slightly from the waist, offering a thoroughly courteous greeting. But Yoo Kang-soo could not help being inwardly startled. It was not the first time he had heard the name Ko Dong-seok.
The man offered his hand, and Yoo Kang-soo gripped it firmly. An ordinary handshake — no particular strength in it. Average height, an unremarkable build without a protruding belly. A face that looked to be in the early-to-mid fifties. His hair was streaked with gray, but his skin was better than expected. Sharp, handsome features, and a pair of eyes that looked kind. Decent. At a glance, he was not the type to throw his weight around among other men. He looked polite. Deferential.
After the handshake, the man drew a business card from his cardholder and held it out to Yoo Kang-soo.
Judging by the card alone, it looked like the kind of thing you would get from a phantom organization.
"I'm afraid I forgot my cards... sorry about that."
Yoo Kang-soo said it with a faint smile. It was a lie. He simply did not want to give the man his card.
"Oh, not at all. You've come out for a meal — of course you wouldn't have them. Well, you must be hungry. Shall we go in?"
The man was polite to a degree that felt almost excessive. But Yoo Kang-soo remembered. He remembered the name Ko Dong-seok with perfect, crystalline clarity.