A Jolly Night Walk

Gong Seon-ok’s novel appears to run counter to current trends. Readers seem to lose interest in stories that don’t feature spiritedly urbanites or historical heroes. However, Gong, who has written stories about the underprivileged, reminds readers of the fact that there still are people whom we should never forget.

Her new book of short stories, “A Jolly Night Walk,” is more than messages that acrimoniously convey pain of the unfortunate and a sense of alienation. His way of telling stories has changed to something warm. The title piece, “A Jolly Night Walk” which was picked as the “Best Novel of 2006 Chosen by Writers,” manifests this change. The protagonist is a 21-year-old auxiliary nurse who cares for her mother who is suffering from dementia. She is the only person to take care of her mother because her brother is a credit delinquent and her sister, a divorced single mom, needs to earn her own living.

One day, a miracle happens. A handsome man who was taken to the emergency room asks her out on a date. He sings foreign songs to her, talks to her gently, and gives her a hug. She no longer cares about her mother, goes to his house every night, and tries to memorize the names of artists whose songs he sings. Though her acts are understandable, it is at the same time pathetic to watch her strive to win love.

In this piteous situation, however, Gong never forgets to insert humorous scenes that cause readers to burst into laughter. Generally, readers tend to lose interest in a lone character, but Gong’s vivid humor engrosses them in her story. “His hair smelled of an aroma I’ve never smelled of before……but I had no courage to ask him what the aroma’s name is, instead, I asked the name of the shampoo he used. He stared fixedly at her for a few seconds and said, ‘Dou-ble-ri-ch Shampoo.’”

The romance between a veteran and a novice ends in tragedy. The relationship with him made her happy for a while, but she eventually realizes how destitute the life she is leading is. But the author doesn’t allow her to plunge into despair. On her way home at night, she encounters foreign workers drinking soju at a street bar. Though not being paid regularly, they never give up their hopes. The author shows not only the protagonist who failed in love but also readers who might reach the seeming end of their row, that the foreign workers “walk the dark road at a jolly pace.”

Gong’s optimistic view doesn’t end in this story. She presents hope in other pieces through female protagonists as well. In “An Autumn Nobody Knows,” In-ja suffers a sudden loss of her husband, and in “Doughnut and Tomato,” Mun-hee ekes out a living as a yogurt deliverer after divorcing her bankrupt husband. Though the protagonists are suffering from hardships, they never surrender to such hardships. Mun-hee extends a helping hand to an ex-husband’s wife hailed from the Philippines, and In-ja accepts a man who became alone after losing his family in an accident. Gong says that we can find hope if we mingle with people near us.

“They are like wild flowers. I just want them to sing their own song that is quiet but beautiful while blossoming and falling by the windy roadside,” said Gong. She realized her hope through her protagonists who weather all pains and sufferings with a jolly and vivid attitude.

kimjy@donga.com