I wiped the sweat from Aunt Monica’s brow and nodded—even though God had never once listened to my prayers, and this time would probably be no different. Since Yunsu had told me to trust him, and Aunt Monica was once more telling me to pray, I wanted to say that I would, but I couldn’t get my mouth to open. I felt that if I opened my mouth, I would fall to pieces. If that happened, Aunt Monica would be hurt, so I was trying to bear it. I had learned from Yunsu that love meant gladly enduring for another person, and that it sometimes meant having the courage to change yourself.
Aunt Monica smiled and took my hand. Her hand felt as rough as a broomstick that had spent a lifetime sweeping a courtyard. She smiled once more and then closed her eyes. She looked like she was asleep. I pulled her blanket up around her so she would not get cold, and her tiny feet poked out. Covered in white socks, they were as small as a child’s. She must have traveled to so many places on those feet. Over her lifetime of nearly eighty years, she must have seen so many dark alleys and abandoned woods that the rest of us simply turned our backs on, valleys of fear and deserts of truth, proud and merciless rivers. She must have realized how all of those rivers begin as tiny streams, each with its own name, and flow on until they reach the sea that has but one name, and that no one can stop those waters from reaching their destination. I straightened Aunt Monica’s blanket and kissed her pained forehead. I thought about the desire that had flashed through me when I took the camera from my sister-in-law, the day before Yunsu died. The desire to have a child. But Aunt Monica had cast away all of her desires to become a mother to those who had lost their own. Quietly, I whispered, Rest now. I love you, my dear mother…
About the Author
Gong Ji-young is one of Korea’s most acclaimed novelists. She has sold over 10 million books in South Korea alone. Her awards include the 2011 Yisang Literary Award, the 21st Century Literary Award, the Korean Novel Prize, the Oh Young-soo Literature Award, and the 9th Special Media Award from Amnesty International for Our Happy Time.
PRAISE FOR GONG JI-YOUNGG
“With its exploration of the social origins of crime and its philosophical and religious investigation of sin and salvation, this novel reverberates heavily. But the writer’s sensitive touch, particularly in the climactic scenes, will move readers to tears.”
– Choi Jae-bong, The Hankyoreh (newspaper)
“When it comes down to it, we might all be prisoners on death row, and our lives a farce in which those of us on death row sentence others to their deaths first. […] By exposing our pretenses, falsehoods, and ignorance as we stand before death, this novel wields the power to wrest tears of compassion from our eyes.”
– Jo Yong-ho, Segye Ilbo (newspaper)
“A superbly emotional and entertaining read. A fast-paced novel that focuses our attention on issues worth exploring, Our Happy Time melds the themes of victim and victimizer, crime and punishment, love and forgiveness, capital punishment and justice.”
– Jang Seok-su, The Flâneur Takes a Stroll Through Books, Yedam Publishing: 2007
“Knowing how to tease out what readers want and fusing those desires with the concerns that are universal to a generation—that is the strength one wants to have as a writer. Gong Ji-young catches two rabbits at the same time—emotional appeal and entertainment. Perhaps that is why she is so loved by her readers. She excels at fusing the symbols of our era into her stories. […] The publishing world is in a slump and Korean novels are being pushed out by Japanese novels, and yet her books—Field of Stars, Our Happy Time, Things That Come After Love—continue to top the bestseller lists. She astonishes!”
“Gong’s intense gaze is both delicate and tenacious—she captures every detail of her characters, right down to the stains on their clothes and the drops of water clinging to their heels. […] Her love for her subjects is like a warm breath blowing life into her stories. […] That deep affection takes us to an even deeper place, where the essence of the story is hidden.”
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Gong Ji-young is a magnificent storyteller.”
– Son Jong-eop, Literary Resistance, Bogosa Books: 2001
Copyright
First published in English in 2014
by Short Books
3A Exmouth House
Pine Street
London EC1R 0JH
This ebook edition first published in 2014
All rights reserved
© 2005, 2010 by Ji-young Gong
Originally published in Korea by Prunsoop Publishing Co., Ltd. in 2005
Second publication in Korea by Openhouse for Publishers Co., Ltd. in 2010
Translation copyright © 2014 by Sora Kim-Russell
The right of Gong Ji-young to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN 9781780720975
Cover design © Leo Nickolls
Cover image © Corbis
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