Episode 29: Building the Embankment
Byun Gil-nam stammered in surprise at the sight of the old woman.
“Oh, Mother… How did you get here? You’re not well, why did you come?”
“I came because of you, you rascal. Because of you, the whole village is in an uproar, and I can’t live peacefully.”
“No, Mother, what did I do wrong?”
“Don’t lie. I heard from Ki-tae’s mother that you were causing trouble over the land prices.”
“Come on, Ki-tae’s mom, did you go and tattle to Mother?”
Byun Gil-nam’s eyes glared at his wife, who then hid behind the old woman in fear. The old woman then spoke soothingly.
“Your wife did nothing wrong. Why is that land so important that you’re causing such a big fuss?”
“Oh, Mother, please don’t do this. I’ll handle it.”
“Do you not understand why I’m doing this? Oh, you disgrace, I should just die quickly to avoid seeing this mess…”
The old woman threw her cane and began to wail loudly, causing Byun Gil-nam to be momentarily flustered.
“No, Mother, why are you saying such dreadful things? This is so embarrassing. Please get up.”
“If you act like a thunderstruck fool, how will I face your father in the afterlife?”
The truth was that Byun Gil-nam’s father, Byun Gi-deok, had died from overwork while serving as the village chief. Hence, everyone had tolerated Gil-nam’s behavior out of sympathy.
The old woman, overcome with emotion, cried even louder.
“Oh, Gil-nam’s father, why did you leave so soon? Take me with you!”
“Oh, Mother, please stop.”
As Gil-nam’s wife joined in the crying, so did the village children. With the whole village in tears, Dong-sik’s uncle tried to calm the old woman.
“Hey, it’s embarrassing. Ki-tae’s mom, stop crying and get up. Why are you crying so bitterly?”
“I’m sorry for raising my son poorly. I have no words for Uncle Dong-sik.”
“Why are you saying such things? Let’s stop sitting on the ground and get up quickly.”
As Uncle Dong-sik tried to calm the old woman and her group, Chang-sik sneaked up to Gil-nam and whispered.
“Brother Gil-nam, this is getting tricky, isn’t it? Don’t make things worse and just make a big concession. You can’t afford to ruin a year’s harvest. If you give way, I’ll try to persuade the villagers.”
“What? Are you threatening me?”
“It’s not a threat, it’s advice. What will you do if people don’t help? Your vast fields will rot and decay in just three days. Wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”
Flood control doesn’t end with just draining water from the fields. After the water is drained, new water must be used to rinse the fields. Additionally, re-erecting fallen crops requires manpower.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Gil-nam bit his lip in frustration. Although a bit greedy, he wasn’t a fool.
A dejected Byun Gil-nam sighed deeply.
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, he raised the white flag.
“Alright. I understand, please help. I’ll take responsibility for the road. Mother, please stop crying.”
The old woman, who stopped crying immediately, asked him.
“Really? You promise?”
“Yes, Mother. The villagers are my witnesses. I will give up the land.”
“Gil-nam, are you serious? If you lie, I’ll kill you.”
“Please stop repeating yourself. Do you think I’m someone who goes back on my word?”
At that, Lee Chang-jin nodded.
“Good. Then let’s sign the contract immediately. Strike while the iron is hot, right?”
Lee Chang-jin went into the car and brought out the land sale contract and a pen.
To prevent any backtracking after the deal, he made sure everything was in writing.
Seeing the amount written on the contract, Byun Gil-nam asked angrily.
“What? A thousand won per pyong? Didn’t you say you would give the amount I wanted?”
“That was then, this is now. Things have changed, haven’t they? Clearing the collapsed embankment and draining the water will cost more. If you’re willing to pay for that, you can get the original amount. Otherwise, you’ll have to be satisfied with this. It’s cheaper this way.”
“Ah… come on, this is too much.”
“Well, if you need time to think, I can give you some. But you need to hurry.”
Lee Chang-jin wasn’t a pushover. He had no intention of easily conceding now that the negotiations had come this far.
From Byun Gil-nam’s perspective, the discounted price was a bitter pill to swallow.
But he had no other options.
Realizing that delaying would only result in more losses, he eventually signed the contract.
After both parties signed and stamped the contract, Uncle Dong-sik shouted happily.
“Look! Gil-nam has agreed to give up the land! Everyone, clap!”
The villagers, who had been watching the situation, applauded thunderously.
Byun Gil-nam scratched his head, feeling embarrassed by the fuss.
“Is this really necessary? Giving me trouble and then a remedy?”
Despite his complaints, Gil-nam looked somewhat pleased. Uncle Dong-sik praised him again.
“You made a big decision, Gil-nam! That’s a lot of concessions.”
“Yes, Gil-nam is one of our villagers. Now, let’s drain the water from Gil-nam’s fields.”
“Alright, alright. Don’t rush me.”
Once Gil-nam completed the land contract, the villagers, who had been cold earlier, voluntarily helped. With everyone pitching in, draining the fields was quickly done.
Lee Chang-jin decided to also rebuild the stone embankments along the river while the water was drained.
Widening the narrow roads required basic groundwork. However, the work was more challenging than expected. Working on the wet ground was quite difficult.
Chang-sik, wearing rain boots, stepped on the muddy ground, looking frustrated.
“What do we do, Brother? The ground is so wet that the construction won’t go well. Even if the equipment arrives, it will be useless. Waiting for the ground to dry will take forever.”
Although they had pumped out the water, the ground was still full of moisture.
Chang-sik was worried, but Lee Chang-jin remained calm.
He knew how to handle the situation.
“Don’t worry. There’s a way. First, fill sacks with soil and pile them on the collapsed embankment. Then use the discarded stones to build the retaining wall again. The curved section along the road needs to be straightened and made much higher than before.”
“Got it.”
Shortly after starting the embankment construction, the heavy equipment operators arrived. The operators had been contacted before the excavation permit was issued.
Lee Chang-jin was pleased with their timely arrival.
“Ah, director. You arrived faster than I expected?”
“I heard from Mansu. I hurried because I thought it might be a big problem. Luckily, I arrived on time. Leave the rest to us.”
“Thank you, director. I appreciate your help.”
“What are you saying? You made a big decision, so I should help. I’m from this village too, right?”
The equipment the director brought was a Dyna pak, a vibrating roller used to compact the soil. It was introduced during a road construction project by Future Construction in collaboration with the Thai government in 1965.
As the heavy vibrating equipment compacted the ground, the moisture evaporated, and the once soft ground became firm.
The villagers, seeing such advanced equipment for the first time, were amazed.
“Oh my, what is that? Is the machine drinking water?”
“Don’t be foolish. That’s a compactor. It’s squeezing out the water and drying the ground.”
“Wow, is there such a machine? This is amazing.”
As the excavators and shovels arrived, the road construction sped up. Soon, trucks carrying crushed stones and gravel from the county office’s warehouse arrived.
They spread the crushed stones with the excavator, covered them with an appropriate thickness of gravel and soil, and compacted it with the Dyna pak.
After repeating this process several times, the old village alley began to transform into a new road.
Thanks to the early arrival of the heavy equipment, the restoration work was quickly completed. Lee Chang-jin decided to replace the stepping stones and log bridges over the small river with reinforced concrete bridges.
“Village chief, gather the discharged soldiers who built bridges during their military service.”
“Isn’t this enough? What for?”
“Since we’ve come this far, let’s build a bridge.”
Lee Chang-jin reinforced the riverbanks that had collapsed during the flood, straightened the river for better water flow, straightened and widened the winding village roads, and replaced the dirt and stone fences in front of Gil-nam’s house with cement block walls.
The village looked completely different after the construction. Lee Chang-jin even donated two tractors to the village for communal use. The villagers praised his generosity.
“I can’t believe we have such roads in our village… It’s all thanks to Chang-jin.”
“Yes, Chang-jin is a filial son!”
“Indeed, there’s no one like Chang-jin in our village.”
Hearing the villagers’ words, his parents felt proud.
After finishing his work, Lee Chang-jin hurriedly prepared to return to Seoul.
On the day of departure, his mother, feeling regretful, tried to hold him back.
“Stay a bit longer. You only worked while you were here, it’s tiring. Can’t you stay a few more days?”
“Oh, dear. Chang-jin is a company president. How can a company run without the president? We should let him go so he can be at ease.”
“No matter what, it’s sad to part this way.”
Having not seen her son for five years, it was hard for his mother to let him go so soon.
Although his father spoke firmly, his eyes were filled with sorrow.
Understanding their feelings, Lee Chang-jin gently held his mother’s hand and comforted her.
“Haha, Father is right. How can a president rest for long? I’ll come again next year. Here’s my address. Come anytime. I’ll send a car for you if needed.”
“Really? Won’t it be a bother…?”
Seeing his mother cheer up, Lee Chang-jin smiled gently.
“Of course. Come whenever you want, and we’ll tour Seoul together. Village chief, please take good care of my parents.”
“Of course. Don’t worry about them. I’ll take good care of them.”
His father, however, grumbled.
“What do you mean you’ll take care of them? Just take care of yourself. You’re always sickly. Don’t make empty promises.”
“Come on, brother. I have my pride as the village chief. Stop saying that. Think of my dignity.”
“Well, we’ll see. Just don’t bother my son. If you do, I won’t let it slide.”
“Got it, got it. Brother, you’re too much. How can I live in fear like this?”
Lee Chang-jin laughed at the bickering between the village chief and his father. The chief, although a bit cunning, wasn’t a bad person. He wouldn’t have become the chief otherwise.
Lee Chang-jin trusted him to take care of his parents.
“Where’s Dong-geun? He should be here by now…”
“Yes, I heard he finished talking with his father. Why isn’t he here yet?”
Lee Chang-jin checked his watch. Chang-sik, who was loading the luggage into the trunk, spoke.
“Brother Chang-jin, you should leave first. If you don’t go now, you’ll hit traffic. I’ll send Dong-geun to Seoul as soon as he’s ready.”
“Alright, thanks, Chang-sik. Let him know my address.”
Just as Lee Chang-jin was about to leave the town, he heard a familiar voice.
“Brother! I’m here. Please wait!”
Dong-geun came running, carrying a load of luggage.
Seeing the amount of luggage, Lee Chang-jin laughed in disbelief.
“Why bring so much? This box too? Are you bringing the hatchery?”
“Yes, I need to bring this. You wouldn’t go to war without a weapon, right? This is my tool.”
“Alright. Did you get your father’s permission?”
“Yes, he’s coming. Father, hurry up!”
Following behind was Uncle Dong-sik, carrying a heavy load.
“Dong-geun, you better work hard. Don’t get into trouble. Beware of gold diggers in Seoul. Don’t make any mistakes.”
“Oh, Father. I’m not a child. I’m an adult.”
“Adult? You’re just a grown kid. Chang-jin, I trust you. Take care of Dong-geun.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle. Dong-geun has a good personality and will do well.”
“Alright. Dong-geun, take this.”
Uncle Dong-sik took out ten crumpled bills from his pocket.
Dong-geun’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected amount.
“Father, what is this money for?”
“A man needs money. You need to maintain your dignity in a foreign place. It’s not much, but take it.”
The amount, 100,000 won, was a significant sum in the countryside.
Knowing the family’s financial situation, Dong-geun teared up.
“No, Father, why give this to me? Did you sell a cow for this? I can’t take it.”
“Be quiet. This is my emergency fund. How can I send my son to Seoul empty-handed? I can’t afford tuition, but I can give you some pocket money.”
“No, Father. I can’t take it. I’ll just take your blessings.”
“Just take it. Don’t be stubborn. Accept it.”
Dong-geun, overwhelmed with emotion, couldn’t speak.
The villagers, too, were moved by the scene.
Chang-sik, feeling emotional, hurried them.
“Enough with the drama. Let’s go. We’ll be here forever. Let’s leave before it gets more difficult.”
At Chang-sik’s urging, Lee Chang-jin and his group reluctantly got into the car.
His mother gave him a final piece of advice.
“Don’t just work, make sure to eat well. A man’s strength comes from food.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll take care of myself.”
As the car departed, the villagers waved goodbye.
Dong-geun, looking back, shouted.
“Father! I’ll come back successful!”
The villagers watched until the car disappeared from sight.
- To be continued in Episode 30 -
