Yeongha was a young wife of 29 this year.
As the only girl among her four brothers, she received a lot of love and grew up.
However, during the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25th, her family, who lived in Hwanghae Province, scattered while seeking refuge, ultimately losing her father along the way. Life in Busan without her father was challenging.
Struggling through hard times, Yeongha's mother remarried in Busan and, 15 years later, gave birth to Yeongha's youngest sibling, Yeonggeol.
Yeongdon, Yeongha's elder brother, treated her like a daughter. Unable to receive formal education due to the family's needs, he earned money for the family by learning business from a traveling merchant at a young age.
Supporting his siblings and traveling across regions to do business, Yeongdon eventually settled down at a later age, marrying a kind and beautiful woman and having five children. Because of the significant age gap between Yeongha and Yeongdon, their first daughter was only six years younger than Yeongha.
Although Yeongha was born and raised in Busan, she didn't resonate with the Busan dialect.
Whenever she returned home, her brothers spoke in a North Korean dialect, so she had to speak differently outside, eventually making an effort to speak standard Korean. Despite being from Busan, she became an unusual woman for not using the local dialect.
Perhaps due to the family's financial situation, she always admired girls from affluent families. Yet, it wasn't their material possessions she envied; rather, she longed for the cultural experiences they enjoyed. Thus, instead of favoring the folk singers of her generation, she boasted about listening to foreign artists like Elvis Presley and The Beatles, showcasing her refined taste in music.
Her favorite time was when she listened to music while vacuuming the floor with the German-made vacuum cleaner her third brother, recently married in the US, sent her.
Unable to afford an LP player, Yeongha recently acquired the opportunity to listen to music on an expensive INKEL turntable won as a prize during a civic event at the baseball stadium where Taewoo was watching a game.
Love me tender ~ love me sweet
never let me go
You have made my life complete
And I Love you so
Despite the vacuum cleaner's noise, Elvis Presley's melodious voice softly resonated in Yeongha's ears.
Geon knew that disturbing his music-loving mother would invite trouble, so he sat in the living room, tapping his foot and listening attentively.
Geon had been accustomed to his mother's hobby since he was three years old.
"Uncle's voice is always nice. Last time, Dad played Jim Morrison's voice. It was a bit melancholic but cool. I wonder if people like them have a good speaking voice. I want a nice voice too... Hmm..."
Looking at Elvis's face on the LP, Geon wished he could meet him someday.
Although communication with foreigners might be impossible, Geon, in his childish thoughts, believed he could sing like Elvis or Jim Morrison if he ever met them.
Geon reached for a calendar.
He loved drawing, but due to their modest living, he couldn't buy sketchbooks, so he used old calendars to draw on the back pages.
Thanks to the 4B pencils gifted by his cousin Yunjeong, who was ten years old, Geon was beginning to enjoy drawing.
Placing Elvis's LP on the right side and The Doors' album (with Jim Morrison's photo) on the left of the calendar, it seemed like Geon wanted to draw their faces.
As typical of a nine-year-old's drawing, the sketches were crooked and resembled monstrous figures. Yet, Geon wore a satisfied smile, drifting off to sleep.
Later...
Yeongha, who was cleaning, paused. It seemed not just the cleaning but time itself had stopped. Her expression, the air around her—everything seemed frozen.
Two black feet covered in oil stains descended upon Geon, who lay asleep.
"You're a young and fragile life, yet filled with sacred power. If you wish, I can make you meet them."