THE RESTLESS AUTUMN (completed) (a full-length novel)

The Revisit

Chapter 2

She reread the list of things she needed to do on the day of her release. She was to take the train that morning to Yongin where Cho Eun-jung would be waiting, where her future was scheduled to resume. She had all of her belongings stuffed into a large knapsack including some money she had earned inside the correctional. But as soon as she stepped into the outside world she became aware of the changes, and it convinced her all the more that Yongin would have to take a backseat for now. Instead of heading to the subway station, she hailed a cab and asked to be driven to Pyeongchang-dong.

For hours she had lingered under a streetlamp with a lullaby in her head.

She held a folded ticket loosely in her hand while staring at the single-detached house. She would’ve left the place earlier had the middle-aged lady neighbor ignored her when she passed her by. “Are you waiting for someone?” Euna smiled and gave a courteous nod. The lady looked across and said, “I heard he’s coming back today, but I don’t know exactly what time.” She turned her eyes to the ticket in her hand and decided to slip it inside the knapsack. Her eyes adored the empty house, which was exceptionally alluring in its stillness despite the existing darkness inside. It wasn’t long before her soles started to ache and her toes turned sore from the worn-out undersized sneakers she had on. She insisted on trading shoes with Jeun-young, a former inmate with whom she owed the remaining lifespan that she had, knowing the latter had no intention of replacing them. She wanted to relieve her feet so bad but the engine sound of an approaching vehicle rattled her. She pushed herself back into the dark and saw a silver automobile pulled in front of the house, a few meters across from where she was. The sight of the tall figure alighting from the car made her gasp. His face reflected a certain maturity which she thought, had made him more attractive than the youthful image in her memory. The breadth of his chest revealed the extra pounds he had gained over the years but his movement remained sleek. This encounter simulated those daydreams she used to have in her prison bed and the semblance caused havoc inside her. But no amount of anticipation could prepare her for this moment. The dried leaves crunched noisily under her steps. Her nervousness grew when she saw him scan through the dark before bringing his attention back to the keys in his hand. Summoning all her strength, she dragged herself out into the street before he could look over his shoulder again.

Ji-heon’s face turned pale when he saw the image coming out of the dark. He recognized the pair of chestnut eyes beneath those wispy fringes and more so, the full lips that had him fooled too many times before. His eyes raged as his hand reached for the mobile phone in his pocket.

“What do you want?” he asked, flipping open the phone with force that it almost broke the cover. “I said what do you want?” He waited for her voice to come through, yet he dreaded to hear her voice. She started to cross the street with the knapsack slipped down to her hand, her eyes lowered to the ground.

“I’m calling the police if you take another step.”

She didn’t seem to hear his threat. She kept walking until she reached him. Kneeling inches away from his feet, she pressed her face to the ground.

“I’m reporting a case of harassment. I need some police assistance right now.” He angled his face away from her and continued to speak into the phone. He then turned around and found her still on the ground. “Please come as soon as possible,” Ji-heon pleaded to the operator before hanging up. Without looking at Euna, he picked up his suitcases and walked into the house.

The police arrived in a couple of minutes after the call. They found a woman kneeling in front of the house that had the same reported address and immediately grabbed her back collar and shoved her to the wall. One of the officers twisted her arms to the back while the other questioned her identity in a verbal assault. Upon her refusal to speak, the officers took turns hitting her hard in the lower extremities with a metal club that made her drop to her knees. The scene didn’t escape Ji-heon’s eyes. He didn’t miss any of the sequences that ensued after the police came; the manhandling, the physical abuse and most distinctly, her vapid response. The faint cries jolted him, making him cringe beside the window. It was a sight he could never stomach. He hurriedly went out to the street and appealed to the police to leave the woman to his custody. He convinced them further that it was merely a lovers’ spat and that the phone call was made out of rage, reiterating her innocence with a lot of made-up stories. With a retraction in their way, the police could do nothing but issue a warning and remind the complainant to use all means of restraint before asking for assistance.