Festival (축제)

FESTIVAL

The symptoms of the so-called Alzheimer's disease

is in reality reliving one's life from today to yesterday.

When my old mother is looking for her husband who died 40 years ago

she is going back to the times

when they were just beginning to start a family.

When she is worrying about her mother-in-law's dinner

she is going back to the newly-wed days.

And when she goes out with a bundle

she is going back to her girlhood long long ago.

She is going back farther and farther before.

Pyeong-chon! Did you see our mother?

She went out of the house again?

Yes, this is driving me crazy.

Be careful

I think she's trying to go to her maiden home at Dok-do.

The land has all been reclaimed

so she can go by land whenever she wants to.

She must be thinking of the old days

when she used to go there by boat.

Thank you so much. Thank you...

- Take good care of her. - Sure.

Listen, what is wrong with you?

Why are you doing this to me!

I'm going to go my home.

Several years ago a friend lost his two kidneys.

So he was looking for transplant candidate.

8 brothers and sisters, 2 children and a mother...

They add up for a total of 22 kidneys.

But he lamented about how no one offers theirs even as a joke.

Mother, who is that?

Why is she naked in broad daylight?

At the time, I thought of my kindhearted mother

and I was thankful and assured of her healthy state.

She would give not one but both her kidneys

if it was for her children.

Of course she wouldn't hesitate about that.

Anyway, her health gives me hope and assurance to my feeble health

strewed with sickness and tainted with smoke and alcohol.

Since she lived so long

there's hope that my health won't tumble so easily.

Honey.

Honey.

Your mother has...

Hello, it's me.

When was it?

Since it's eleven right now, I'll be there 7 at the latest.

Yes. Alright.

What are you doing? Go to the bank and get some money.

How much?

What do you mean how much? Get everything.

You know we're the only source of money.

And bring Eun-ji from school.

Daddy, is grandma dead again?

Are we going to Jang-hung?

Since it's my regular column, put an apology for the readers.

Of course, if Mr. Park is writing it, I'm not worried.

Please, take care of that and get Song Gyu-shik on the phone.

Yes, Gyu-shik, about the pallbearers...

Oh, you know the good-for-nothing crowd...

They came every summer for fishing and met her several times.

So they are qualified to be the pallbearer.

Call and tell them that they are carrying out the coffin in 2 days

so they should be here by tomorrow.

Thanks for everything.

Yes, it would be nice if she wakes up like last time

but I doubt it. You just come and don't tell the others.

Yes, great.

Eun-ji.

Lee Eun-ji.

Yes, father.

How do you feel right now, Eun-ji?

I'm supposed to be sad, but I'm not actually

We are now going to grandmother's funeral.

Do you know what a funeral is?

Burying a dead person?

That's a part of it.

Hello?

Yeah, it's me.

What? She's awake?

Yes. Mother!

It's me.

We wrapped her hands and feet 3 hours ago

but she suddenly opened her eyes. Everyone was totally surprised.

She had a few spoons of food and now that she's sighing

what if she becomes healthy again?

I don't know.

Maybe she was just acting to see how we react.

Who knows?

Anyways, what do we do with all the food?

Yes. Sure. Then don't hurry

- and come here safely. - Aunt Ham-pyeong is here.

Oh my, mother! My poor mother...

Mother!

No! It's not it.

How are you, uncle?

Hello.

Eun-ji is asleep, can someone take her to a room?

Go ahead and come inside.

- How have you been? - Hello.

Did you just arrive?

I'm sure it was hard coming here.

You must have been surprised a lot.

They say you blow the whistle thanks to the governor

and it's been a feast for us.

It must be a test from the old lady to see how you do.

Mother, it's Joon-seop.

It's me, Joon-seop. Did you have anything?

We all ate.

Have something to eat.

There's an empty room. Stay here for tonight.

See, she doesn't recognize her own son.

She seems to have been weakened.

What about giving her something to restore her health?

What restoration?

It just makes it harder for her to leave, right?

There's an obituary at the Honamilbo.

I think your friends in Seoul notified them.

Go in now.

Even as a daughter,

I wanted to see her getting buried this time.

I understand how you feel.

Even though she's recovered, how long is the old lady going to live?

Take pains just a little more.

Why don't you stay for the night?

How are you going to Gwang-joo at this time?

I have to go.

- Drive safe. - Take care, bye.

Eun-ji's grandmother is 14 times older than Eun-ji.

Last spring she had a big feast for her 70th birthday.

Still she takes care of Eun-ji more thoughtfully than her mother

and loves her more considerately than her father.

You're pestering grandmother again.

It's OK, she is just a little child.

Here it is again.

But there was a mystery to Eun-ji.

Even though she is older than mom and dad

and is the head of the house

grandmother is shorter than mom and dad.

She gets smaller and smaller after her 70'th birthday.

It's because you're stealing all my age.

Grandmother was once as tall as mom and dad

but after she became a grown-up

she gave away her age to mom and dad.

So she became shorter.

The reason why she is shrinking more

is because she is now sharing her age with you after you were born.

Eun-ji already knew that people grow as they age.

But I never knew my age was coming from her grandmother.

It was amazing and thankful but also regretful for her grandmother.

But even if you don't like it, you will also become a grown-up.

And grandmother wants you to grow up, too.

Of course.

If only you grow well, I don't mind sharing my age with you.

Now my time will go and yours will come.

Eun-ji was now happy.

She realized that rather than being regretful for grandmother

she should grow up with thanks to her.

Mother!

Mother!

- Mother! - Mo... Mo, mother...

Verifying Death

Death

Invocation of the spirit of a deceased

Kwang-san Kim Family.

Ok-nam leaves.

She leaves.

No, that's not it.

She recovered but she passed away this morning.

Yes.

Food for the Messengers of Death

Food for the Messengers of Death Have a lot of these

and be nice to our old lady.

Hey, you kids. Don't even think about it.

That's the food for the Messengers who will take the dead.

They say that even dogs don't eat that food.

Father, the house is empty, go in.

Report of death making and sending

We should also send the news to her friends.

Ah-chi-sil will lead the funeral

and Sae-mal here will manage the funeral.

And an acquaintance of mine from Hae-nam

will locate the tomb for us.

There are a lot of geomantic topologists here,

do we really need someone from Hae-nam?

Joon-seop will take care of everything.

Uncle, there's a phone call for you.

I'm not sure if it's real this time.

Laying out a body for burial

Oh, mother!

How can you leave us, mother!

My poor mother!

Announcement of the death

There's a lot about your mother in your works.

So I wanted to see how her final moment is taken care of.

I tell you not to make fuss here and there.

I barely persuaded the editor for taking off near deadline.

I'm fired if I don't bring in a story.

I'm sure you'll be cooperative.

- Who is this? - Here he comes.