Beasts of a Little Land(29)

Later on, Jade wouldn’t be able to recall exactly how he seemed when she first saw him. She realized his existence over the course of many days. He seemed to be a natural part of the surroundings like a tree or a hedge, so she became used to him before she even noticed him. He was about her age, small and skinny. His skin was nut-brown, and it was hard to tell whether that was because of the sun or from the lack of washing. The moment her eyes finally trained on him as something distinct, he smiled, as if he’d been waiting for her to do just that. He started walking toward her, a yellow dog with a curled tail following him at his heels. That was when she realized that something was off about his appearance. It was his clothes, so worn-out that they seemed to be turning themselves back into yarns. Some beggars wore more patches than the original fabric on their clothes, but his gashes were just gaping open and flapping vigorously in the piercing wind. She was torn by equal forces of pity and disgust.

“I’ve seen you here a lot. Do you live around here?” he asked her. She nodded reluctantly. Dani hadn’t forbidden her from talking to other children, but she knew without being told. On the other hand, the force of her ennui was greater than the fear of Dani. And as dirty as the boy was, he was not so different from the village urchins she’d known growing up.

“Is that your dog?” she asked, pointing at the dog sniffing the ground behind him.

The boy whistled and the dog came bounding forward, joyfully wagging its tail.

“It’s my friend’s dog. You can pet him, he’s gentle.”

Jade squatted down and stroked the grateful dog from the head to the tail, behind the ears, and under the chin. “What’s his name?” she asked.

“He doesn’t have one. We just call him ‘dog,’” the boy explained. “My name is JungHo, though.”

Jade laughed. “Sorry. I should’ve asked your name first. I’m Jade.” Then she added, “I should probably go home soon. I’m not allowed to go far.”

“What’s far?”

“Across this street.”

JungHo shook his head in disbelief. “Don’t you get sick of being cooped up? I’ve walked every street in Seoul, just to know what’s out there. There’s the river, the marketplace, a street where all the Yankees live . . . Not too far from here, there is a zoo. I can show you, if you want.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Jade paused. “What’s a zoo?”

JungHo explained that that’s where they kept all the animals of the world, that its most famous star was an elephant named Giant, and that they wouldn’t need to pay money to see it. Jade bit her lips and considered her options. Dani had already gone out and wasn’t coming back until late at night. If Jade let go of this chance, the next outing might come in a year or two, whenever the whim struck Dani’s free spirit.

“Okay, but I have to be back as quickly as possible,” she said, walking up to JungHo. Closer together, she saw that he was only her height or even a little shorter. But he didn’t look weak. Beggars usually shuffled, whereas JungHo marched with his arms swinging high, unconcerned by the way people looked at him. He almost acted as though he dressed that way out of a sense of adventure, like a prince in disguise from old wives’ tales. As they walked side by side JungHo pointed out the places of interest, as if all of Seoul belonged to him.

“That’s the zoo. It used to be a palace,” he said at last. There were dozens of people lined up outside its gates, even in the middle of winter. Sounds of music, shouts, and laughter wafted over the stone walls.

“Come on, this way.” JungHo led her away from the entrance and rounded the corner. There were not so many passersby here; a zelkova tree was leaning its boughs over the zoo wall.

“Do you know how to climb?” JungHo asked, and she shook her head. He interlaced his hands together next to the tree and told her to step her right foot on top. Jade thought he would stumble under her weight, but he stayed in place until she found a groove in the trunk with her other foot and heaved herself up to a bough. Within seconds, he followed and crouched next to her under the leafless branches. The dog sat and whimpered below them.

“See, there is Giant.” JungHo pointed. Over the wall, there were hundreds of people thronged around a dry moat; inside the moat, there was a raised island covered by chalky, bone-colored sand. Giant was standing in the dead center of it like a beached ship with gray sails. He was so large that even from afar, Jade could see him blinking his eyes as big as the palm of her hand. The crowd cheered and threw things into the enclosure to get his attention. Whether out of patience or stubbornness, the elephant gave no reaction, and soon the bored spectators left and were replaced by the next row. Some people cursed and spat into the moat, and others tossed him apple cores, but Giant still didn’t stir.

Jade thought that the creature’s suffering was all the greater for its strength and size; there was nothing tragic about a captive flea. She didn’t want to keep looking, and at the same time couldn’t turn around and leave it. She had been longing to see the world. Now that she saw what it was, she felt a creeping sense of nausea.

JungHo tugged at her sleeve. Someone was shouting in their direction.

About thirty yards away, a uniformed guard was waving his rifle at them and swearing. Jade struggled to hold her scream; JungHo had already scrambled down to the ground. The dog was barking and growling at the guard, baring all its white teeth.