Return of the Water Deer by Roly Andrews

Author:Roly Andrews
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: love, mystery, espionage, new zealand, korean war, south korea, treachery, north korea
Publisher: Roly Andrews

Pyongyang

North Korea

December 1956

“What do you suggest I do, Kang Dae?”

“This is a political matter, Tan Shi-Won. There is nothing I can suggest, nothing I can do to help.”

“What about my wife and my family. I have young children, they have done nothing wrong, and all I did was go to a domestic faction meeting where Pak Hon-Yong spoke, and now they are saying I am anti-government. They want to throw me in prison, or maybe even worse. What can you do to help? There must be something? Doo Ji Seok told me to come and see you. He said you were an honest man, a good man. Can you help me?”

“I am sorry, I honestly can’t. It’s way outside of my jurisdiction. Tell me, why did you go to the meeting in the first place?”

“Ham Jun-Seo is my father-in-law, and he is the right-hand man to Pak Hon-Yong. My wife suggested it would be good to go along and show our support. I’m not political. That’s the only reason. I’m just a simple shoemaker, a cobbler. Should I be made to suffer because of loyalty to the family and have an ambitious wife?”

“How do you know Doo Ji Seok?” Asked Kang Dae.

“We go back years. My father's workshop used to be next to his. My father was a cobbler too. Doo Min-Kyu and I were nearly the same age. Before the war, we used to hang out together, go drinking, chase girls, go have a meal. The war changed all that. I was conscripted and then traipsed all over the Korean Peninsula, freezing my arse off. Not only that, my stomach was so hungry most of the time, it felt like it was feeding on itself. If I weren’t getting shot at, shelled, starving, or freezing, I was worried about what I would find when I got home if I ever made it.

I gave a lot to this country. I tried to be a patriot, but what good did that do? The war changed everything. Poor old Min-Kyu, he stayed behind. He was considered an essential worker, but the war got him anyway. You can't win Kang Dae; the cards are stacked. And now, because I supported my father-in-law, they want to throw me in prison: at best!”

“You mentioned you have children,” Kang Dae said.

“Yes, two sons, the oldest boy is eighteen months, the youngest is a baby. They are innocents. Here’s a photo. He pulled his wallet out, opened it. Withdrawing a photograph of his wife and children, he presented it to Kang Dae.

“Your boys are very handsome and look strong. You must be proud. I am sure they will grow into fine young men, just like their father. Now your wife; please forgive me for saying so, but she is a rare beauty.”

“Yes, she is, unfortunately. We were betrothed when we were young. I thought I’d struck the jackpot. Alas, she was never in love with me. She was and is, in love with her own image and social climbing.

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