Nami and the Taffyman

(The short comprehensive version)

On one of Korea s mountain slopes, there is a small quite village that situated impoverished families. The only routine of the elders in the village is work and home. One of the villagers that lived in here was a salary man named Ch olsu. One night when he came from work, while eating dinner with his two daughters, his eldest informed him that Nami, who was their housemaid spanked. Ch olsu was shocked at first because he hadn t known Nami to be violent nor that he even saw her touched his children ever since she started working for them. He called Nami, who was then at the kitchen washing the dishes, and then asked her why she spanked the children, Nami who was hesitant at first was encouraged by Ch olsu to tell him what the children have been up to. Nami told Ch olsu that she spanked the children only because they have taken her favourite green rubbershoes and exchanged them with a taffy. Ch olsu, after hearing Nami s side he finally understood her because he knew how Nami cherished those green rubber shoes, that he even thought that she has all the reason to get mad. He even remembered that the number of times that Nami washed and clean thos rubber shoes was more than the times she wore them. Seeing how the loss affected Nami he promised to get them back of buy her a new one. But Nami was so determined to confront the taffy man. So in the next day, as she was taking out her basin and she heard the taffy man coming, and what the taffy man s catch phrases irritated her more. So without any adieu Nami approached the taffy man. She told the taffy man to give back the jade-green rubber shoes that were exchanged with taffy to him the past day, but the taffy man who seemed stunned at Nami at first only replied as if teasing her and at the course of their conversation a bee appeared out of nowhere and circled around Nami s head, but no matter how much effort she put on shooing the bee away it ended up in her bosom and started crawling upwards. The taffy man was uneasy and undecided as he watched for a moment and then he asked Nami to be steady, he moved closer and then he cupped the his hand over the bee. Nami was so embarrassed at what happened and stepped back, then the bee stung the taffyman and Nami only laughed at the sight, then after the taffy man stamped the life of the bee, Nami went back inside the house. The taffy man who was left behind stared at the gate where Nami has gone through, then he went back to his taffy box and after giving the children a free treat

of taffy he picked up the box and after eyeing Ch olsu s house with a knowing glance he head for the next village. The following days, the villagers noticed that something has changed in the taffy man, his hair which was formerly messy was applied with pomade and straightened it with a comb. He is also dressed up well and some of the village women even asked him if he was getting married. One evening when Ch olsu went home from his work he noticed a young man peering through the crack in his yard, after getting the young man s attention he asked him if who he was and if he was trying to steal, but the young man only answered him distractedly without any sense at all and then left. On the following evening Nami s father arrived and told Ch olsu and his wife that he was taking Nami back with him because he was going to marry her off to a bachelor in their town, the couple could not do anything to convince Nami s father to change his mind and agreed. So in the morning they asked Nami to get ready because she was living, Nami at first didn t want to go, she was hesitant and obviously something was holding her back but she wasn t able to say it. Anyway she couldn t do anything change his father s decision. So she dressed up and fixed herself, after packing up her belongings which were wrapped up in a bundle she said good bye to Youngi and Yuni, as she was saying her goodbyes they heard the taffy man coming and so she took the girls with her and bought some taffy for them, the taffyman was surprised to see Nami all dressed up, Nami paid the taffy man 20 won but he just returned the money as he was giving the taffy to them. Then without a word bbut with a slight gloom on Nami eyes she went back into the house. The taffyman thought that Nami was going to Chajnae Valley to see the spring flowers so he decided to cut across Urum pass. Meanwhile, Nami and her father took off after saying goodbye to Ch olsu and his wife. The couple noticed something about Nami, and it puzzled them but they were only left to wonder. Nami was wearing her jade-green rubber shoes that were brand new up the sloping path between the barley fields. She didn t know that the taffy man was watching her from the top; the taffy man has no way of knowing she was with her father and assumed that she was only going to the Chajnae Valley. That was the sad parting.