But the idea of seeing her again didn’t immediately appeal to SungSoo. Dani was fifty-six years old. He now sought the company of courtesans who were younger than his own daughter. If he saw Dani again, he would have no inclination to rekindle their relationship. Rejecting her would hurt not only her feelings, but his own as well. He was loath to see her ravishing beauty diminished and her attractive spell broken. So he wrote back that he only had the fondest memories and the best wishes for her, but that their lives had gone their separate ways so long ago. Of course, if she were in financial hardship, he would try to help her as much as possible. All of this was expressed in the most elegant and courteous fashion, and afterward he reread his own letter with the characteristic satisfaction of writers who take pride in their own work, even correspondences.
*
“PLEASE WAIT HERE,” a young male assistant said to Jade, gesturing at the hard-backed chair outside the office. The auto garage was one huge space filled with cars, military trucks, stacks of tires, parts, and technicians moving rhythmically among the miscellany. Off to one side, a pair of Japanese officers were dropping off their armored truck and explaining something to a mechanic. There was a small, walled-off section in a corner that served as an office; beside its door, a few chairs served as a waiting room of sorts. Jade sat down carefully and watched, mesmerized at the speed with which HanChol’s employees worked. There were at least thirty on the floor—mostly young men but some with salted hair.
Ten minutes or so had passed when the door opened and Jade sprang to her feet. A woman emerged from the office, followed by HanChol himself. Jade stopped herself from calling out his name and stayed rooted in her spot, suddenly wishing she could disappear. But HanChol’s face lit up in recognition.
“Jade!” he said in his low voice as the woman beside him looked on curiously.
“How have you been?” Jade asked, and the young woman cleared her throat.
“Miss Jade, this is Miss SeoHee—SungSoo sunsengnim’s daughter. Miss SeoHee, Miss Jade is a very old friend.”
Though a bit shorter than Jade, the young woman was gracefully built with slender, stemlike lower legs below a maroon skirt. Her nose was imperfect, but her large and wide-set eyes gave the impression of fresh beauty.
“I feel as though I recognize you . . .” SeoHee said. “You’re the actress in One Lucky Day! I went to see it at the cinema when I was in middle school.”
Jade bowed lightly in acknowledgment. She hadn’t been in any new films since 1936 but many people still remembered her. The only movies being made these days were propaganda films. Those days spent on set and at cafés were so faded that she sometimes felt as though she’d dreamed the whole thing.
“It is very nice to meet you,” Jade said, and SeoHee laughed.
“Your voice is very different from what I’d imagined. I’ve only seen your silent films . . . Well, how do you two know each other?”
“When I was a student, I used to make money by driving a rickshaw. Miss Jade was one of my best clients,” HanChol stepped in. “We’ll have some catching up to do.”
“Of course. I will get going then. It was nice to meet you, Miss Jade,” SeoHee said, gazing confidently with her shining black pools of eyes before taking her leave.
Drawing a deep breath, HanChol opened the door to his office, and they both walked inside. A bare lightbulb hung from the ceiling, casting an orange light over the large wooden desk piled high with ledgers and books. HanChol sat down behind this desk and spread his hands, palms down, on the papers.
“How have you been?” he said at last. “It’s been such a long time . . .”
“Seven years,” Jade replied. She always had an awareness in the back of her mind of how much time had passed since she’d last seen him. “I heard about your companies, they’re the talk of the town. I was happy to know you’re doing so well. Didn’t I tell you how successful you’ll be?”
“This is nothing much. I’m only just beginning,” HanChol said, smiling.
“You didn’t even know how cars work, and now look at you. This repair shop, so many employees all working under you. I could never have figured out something so complicated.”
“Cars are not that hard to understand if you take the time to study each part. That’s why I like them—their simplicity. Arithmetics, accounting, these are all simple matters. It’s dealing with people that gets complicated.” He wore a weary smile that reminded her of those early years when he’d had nothing.