Episode 17: The Truck
When I received the call from the police, I immediately called a taxi and contacted Mandeok’s parents as well.
Mandeok’s parents had been waiting for their son to arrive with the vinyl house materials, so they were greatly shocked by the bolt-from-the-blue news. It seemed they had already been thinking it strange that their son was late, so they rode with me to the hospital in the taxi.
“Oh, Mandeok!”
Upon arriving at the hospital, we could see Mandeok lying in the emergency room; the guy was conscious. When I’d spoken with the police earlier, they said he was unconscious, so it seemed his consciousness had fortunately returned.
Just then, the doctor came and spoke to Mandeok’s father.
“Are you the guardian?”
“Yes, I’m the guardian.”
“It seems he temporarily lost consciousness due to the shock of the traffic accident. He has regained consciousness now, and fortunately there are no visible external injuries, but just to be safe, I think it would be best to run a thorough examination.”
“Yes, yes. Please take good care of him.”
“Then could you come this way for a moment?”
Mandeok was lying down holding his mother’s hand tightly. As the doctor had said, he didn’t seem to be badly hurt anywhere, so I felt relieved. He was a friend I had grown quite close to since coming down to Haenam. Perhaps because his father had passed away last year, he knew better than anyone what death meant; it had been a close call.
I stepped outside for a moment, and the police officer waiting in front of the emergency room approached. Feeling that this was likely the officer who had called me, I spoke first.
“Are you the officer who contacted me about the accident?”
“Yes, that’s right. You’re Yi Minu, correct?”
“Yes, I’m Yi Minu.”
“I see the registered owner of the vehicle is listed as Yi Minu…”
“I lent it to him for a while.”
“I see.”
Before lending the car, I had made sure to get full insurance coverage so that Mandeok could drive it too. So I didn’t think there would be any particular issues, but the officer’s expression wasn’t too good.
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah… the car was quite severely damaged.”
****
A white Porter.
I couldn’t remember exactly when it had been bought, but since I had been driving it even before I went up to Gwangju, it seemed to be well over ten years old. I even remembered holding a small ceremony when we bought this car; Father had been so fond of it.
I went to the repair shop and checked the vehicle’s condition; it was more serious than I’d thought. The truck bed was crumpled like a sheet of paper, and the rear wheels were nowhere to be seen. I heard the circumstances of the accident from the officer; he said another car had slammed hard into our vehicle while it was stopped. He said the other driver was quite elderly and had apparently been unable to reduce speed in time due to poor operation of the vehicle controls.
“Is it repairable?”
I cautiously asked the shop owner, but he shook his head.
“I don’t think repairs are feasible. Rather than that, you’d be better off receiving the insurance payout, scrapping it, and buying a new car.”
The owner explained the car’s condition to me, saying that since the vehicle was already so old, even if it were fixed, it would be difficult to drive for much longer.
“Scrap it?”
“Yes, shall I connect you with a salvage yard?”
Scrapping it.
I had never even considered it.
There had been many chances to change cars after winning the lottery. When Mandeok had asked if I wasn’t envious of the Benz that Big Bro Gu Sangho drove, I had briefly worried about the car. If I had been working at a company then, I might have changed it immediately. But I didn’t. I came down to the countryside and drove the Porter around; the feeling was so good. The ride comfort wasn’t great, and perhaps because it was old, it seemed to rattle, yet somehow when I drove it, many old memories came flooding back. Father taking me in the car when I was late. Memories of eating bread sitting in the truck bed while farming together. Even the sight of his back as he washed the car, water spraying on the dust-caked vehicle. While organizing the house, I had thrown away many old belongings, but perhaps because the car was something Father had cherished, it had been difficult to replace.
I could ride a good car anytime from now on. But I thought the Porter, filled with memories of my father, was something I could only drive now. So I had decided to drive it until it couldn’t be driven anymore. But it seemed I would have to send the car off much sooner than I’d thought.
I stared blankly at the car, and when I said nothing, the owner asked again.
“How shall I help you with the scrapping?”
After a brief moment of thought, I opened my mouth.
“Yes, please do that.”
My heart was heavy, but I decided to humbly accept what had already happened.
“May I look inside for a bit?”
“Yes, please do.”
I got into the car and began looking for things I needed to take with me. There wasn’t anything special in the car, but when I opened the glove compartment, there were various papers. The vehicle registration certificate, old giro receipts, and various envelopes. And there was a small notebook that seemed like a planner where Father had written down things he was going to do. After gathering those items, I got out of the car. Feeling a sense of regret, I came to the front of the car and took out my phone.
“Smile.”
Fortunately, the front of the car wasn’t badly damaged; taking a picture from the front, it looked fine. I had once thought the front of the car resembled a person’s face. Perhaps because I was thinking that this was the end, the car seemed to be making a tearful face. I touched the side mirror with my hand and quietly spoke.
“You’ve worked hard all this time.”
****
After filling out the various documents for scrapping the car, I returned to the hospital.
The examination results came out, and fortunately, they said there was nothing seriously wrong with Mandeok’s body. Still, he decided to be hospitalized for a few days and rest; it was a stroke of luck that it was only this much.
“What happened to the car?”
Mandeok, now conscious, asked about the car, and I spoke flatly.
“They said repairs would be difficult, so I’ve decided to scrap it.”
“Really?”
Mandeok was surprised at the news it was being scrapped and immediately apologized.
“Sorry. Minu, I shouldn’t have taken the car out for no reason…”
Well, if I hadn’t lent the car, the Porter would still be at my house. But it wasn’t Mandeok’s fault either, so I had no intention of saying anything to him.
“No, it’s not like you did anything wrong…”
“I mean… I was waiting at a signal when suddenly—bang—someone rear-ended me…”
He spoke as though he felt extremely wronged, but I had already heard the details from the officer. I also contacted the insurance company, and the other party admitted one-hundred-percent fault, so we agreed to receive compensation and coverage for Mandeok’s treatment costs.
“Take this opportunity to rest up well in the hospital. Even if a traffic accident seems fine, they say there can be aftereffects later.”
“I should. But how will you manage without a car? It’ll be inconvenient.”
The countryside doesn’t have as much public transportation as the city, so there are many inconveniences without a car. A car is essential, and though I feel a little sorry toward the Porter that has now left my side, I think I’ll need to buy a new one right away.
“I have to buy a car.”
At my words that I would buy a car, Mandeok lowered his head apologetically again.
“I’m really sorry because of me. My car repairs will be finished the day after tomorrow, you know? Until your new car arrives, take mine and use it anytime you need.”
Mandeok told me to take his car and use it freely, but I had to go to Gwangju anyway for medicine. And since I was going anyway, I thought I’d look into a new car.
“Yeah, I had business in Gwangju anyway, so I figured I’d look at cars while I’m at it…”
“Really? What kind of car are you going to buy?”
“I haven’t thought about it yet…”
“You’re going to buy a truck, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
I thought that in the countryside, having a truck would definitely make various tasks easier.
“Then look into a pickup truck.”
“A pickup truck?”
“You know, the kind that looks like an SUV in the front but can carry things in the back like a truck.”
“Ah, that’s a pickup truck?”
“From what I’ve looked into, it seems better than trucks like the Bongo or Porter.”
Since Mandeok was quite interested in cars, he spoke with some excitement.
“Really? But doesn’t it have too little cargo capacity in the back?”
“It is, but… I don’t actually have that many occasions to haul a lot of stuff. As long as it can fit things like shovels or materials reasonably well. Most of the time you’re just driving around normally, and honestly, the Bongo or Porter aren’t that great to drive on the road.”
“That’s true…”
“You need to get married now too; honestly, what woman would like a man driving around in a Porter? Do you think Big Bro Sangho bought a Benz for no reason? And if you have things to haul, I’ll lend you my car.”
Mandeok passionately advocated for it; listening to him, it did seem to make sense.
“Foreign brand pickup trucks are a bit expensive, but you can buy a domestic one for fairly cheap. I know I’m the last person who should be saying this after wrecking your car, but think about it.”
“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”
****
“Nabi, be good while I’m gone.”
Since I was going to Gwangju, I planned to meet friends and stay for a few days. I was worried Nabi might go hungry while I was away, so I bought an automatic feeder. It was a machine that automatically dispensed water and food, which gave me some peace of mind.
Meow.
When I put on my bag and got up from my seat, the little guy seemed to know I was going far away, because this time he didn’t follow me out.
I walked down the road toward the village; today I was planning to take the bus out to town. I used to take the bus to school like this in the past. I could have called a taxi, but today I somehow wanted to reminisce about old memories. The ride down hadn’t seemed that long, but walking made the distance feel considerable. I think I walked for about twenty minutes before finally reaching the village.
Checking the time, it was 8:10. The bus arrived in our village at 8:20.
8:20, 11:20, 14:20, 18:30.
These were the bus times assigned to our village. There seemed to be more in the past; they had decreased considerably. Well, I’d heard that with the population in rural areas continuing to decline, the bus companies’ profits had dropped tremendously. Still, with the bus coming four times a day, the village elders without cars could at least go into town.
I sat quietly at the bus stop, and as the bus arrival time neared, the elders began trickling out of their homes one by one. I made eye contact with the elders and stood up to greet them.
“Hello.”
They were elderly grandmothers; honestly, I had memories of seeing them before, but I didn’t know exactly who was who.
“Who is it?”
The grandmothers seemed curious about who I was and asked, so I introduced myself.
“I’m Yi Minu, from up in the valley.”
I pointed to my house with my finger as I spoke, and one of the grandmothers seemed to recognize me.
“Aah, Donghui’s son?”
“Yes, that’s right. Donghui’s son.”
“Oh my, Donghui’s son has grown so big.”
I used to greet them on the bus when I was young; it had already been more than ten years. The grandmothers looked at me, having grown so much, and asked this and that as if fascinated.
“You haven’t gotten married yet, have you?”
“No, not yet.”
Though a bit embarrassed by the continued attention, I answered them earnestly. Just then, a sound came to my rescue.
Honk honk.
A crisp horn rang out; the bus made that sound as it entered the village entrance to let the residents know it had arrived. The grandmothers boarded the bus, and I followed after them, taking a seat in the very back. As I settled into my seat, something caught my eye: graffiti. It seemed to have been left by a couple, and perhaps because the bus was old, the graffiti had faded somewhat. I took a ballpoint pen from my bag and added to the faded doodle.
Jeonghun♡Danbi
I had no idea if they were still together, but having drawn it like this, I somehow felt proud. Just then, the bus driver shouted.
“We’re departing!”