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The marketplace was bustling with vendors and shoppers from early in the morning. They welcomed the long-awaited market that opens only once every five days. 

The late arrivals who fight over prime locations, a sweaty man emptying the rice sacks, a vendor yelling knocked down prices, a shopper who tries to haggle the price of rice at the store, and then in the midst of such clamor there was a man with a heavy accent who occasionally says, “I have the best rice. How much do you want?”

Whenever the man with a heavy northern accent accosted a shopper, a skinny merchant across the way could not help growing infuriated.

“자, 쌀들 사씨요.  막 싸구라 판이요잉...

 한 되에 이백 이십 환씩, 돌같이 깡깡한 쌀들 사씨요” 

“Come, come. Rice on sale. Just 220 hwan for two liters. These are sturdy grains.” 

바야흐로 거나한 술 기분으로 해 얼마든지 연거푸 외쳤다.

윗녁 사내가 넌지시 웃음을 머금고 이쪽을 건너다본다.

He was so tipsy that he kept slurring words. The man from the north grinned as he looked on. 

당장에 쫒아가 코라도 한 점 물어뜯어 주었으면 꼭 시원하겠다.

그러나 달려들 염만은 도무지 나지 않는 것이었다.

딱 벌어진 어깨와 기어들어가는 듯한 자라 멱에서

자기 모르는 중압감을 느끼곤 하는 것이었다.

The skinny merchant would feel much better if he jumped at the newcomer’s smug face and took a bite out of his nose. But he couldn’t muster up enough courage to do so. He was overwhelmed by the man’s broad shoulders and thick shrinking neck. 

“이 놈이 웃다니? ... 좌우간 두고 보자” 

“Is he smiling? You just wait and see.”

# Interview with literary critic Jeon So-yeong

The main character hated the man from the north for being a better businessman than him. But the protagonist’s anger or despair didn’t stem from himself or even from the other man, but from the miserable reality. Rural communities are poverty-stricken, but farmers are portrayed as decent human beings. Oh Yu-kwon portrayed the rural communities in the 1950s with genuine affection and discovered within those communities warm tenderness called ‘jeon정,’ a sentiment that inspires the community members to care for each other despite their destitution.

윗녁 사내도 멍석을 떨고 있었다.

그리고 자기 전 머리에는 집의 아이가

언제나처럼 마중을 나와 있는 것이었다.

윗녁 사내가 이쪽으로 건너왔다.

The man from the north was also dusting off his mat. And at one corner of the marketplace was the skinny merchant’s child who came for his father like always. The man from the north walked toward them.

“아저씨, 오늘은 많이 노하시게 해서 대단 죄송스럽습니다.” 

“Hey, Mister. I’m very sorry for upsetting you today.” 

“.....”

“아저씨 십분 양해하십죠”

“Please forgive me.” 

“그래도 사람이 경우가 있어야 쓸 것 아니요!” 

“You should have known better!”

“타향에 와서 벌어먹고 산다는 게 그렇게 됐습니다” 

“Leaving home and coming to a strange place to make a living turned me into someone like that.”

“허기야 그것은 피차 일반인 처지가 아니요만...” 

“I guess we are all in the same boat.” 

“감사합니다.  아저씨, 그러면 우리 가 약주나 한 잔씩 나누십시다” 

“Thank you, Mister. Now why don’t we go have a drink together?”

“....”

“가십시다....”

“Oh, come on.”

---

Oh Yu-kwon (Born in Naju, Jeollanam-do Prov., Aug. 18, 1928~Mar. 14, 1999)

Debuted with short story “Two Travellers” in 1957