“Today is the day Chae Gwang-seok went away a hundred days ago, and Yu Jae-pil, the man who arranged for his headstone, will reunite with him on the other side of the river.
‘How’ve you been?’
‘Welcome, brother. I’ve settled down in this neck of the woods and prepared the way for you. Say hello, fellas. This is our brother Jae-pil. He’s the novelist Yi Mun-gu’s friend.’
‘Who’s Yi Mun-gu?’
‘You stupid bastards, there’s a man called Yi Mun-gu on the other side!’
Yu Jae-pil remains quiet. He’s familiar with the land on account of his work, but is still shy in this new place. Above all, he aches to the bone at the thought of the family he has left behind. He is also worried for Mun-gu, if he returned home from the funeral alright, and how he will take care of his affairs without Yu Jae-pil to hold his hand. ‘Brother, I heard you went to a lot of trouble to settle my car accident case. My family told me when I went back for my forty-ninth day memorial. I’m sorry I never got to offer up a drink at your shrine…'”
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