| A Valuable Lesson from Mr. Park (Final draft)
201301918 Hajin Ahn
For city residents like us, it is no exaggeration to say that most of us live in an apartment where several middle-aged security guards are working shifts around the clock. In spite of the important job that they are doing, we rarely give them an attention or treat them with high respect. It is one of the jobs that people would never be willing to do. Then, why did they end up working as security guards at their mid-life? The question arouse in my mind by the time news about Korean security guards suffering from verbal abuse kept broadcasting on TV.
In order to find the answer to my question, I went down stairs right away and found Mr. Park, dressed in a dark blue uniform. He is one of the security guards in my apartment. I was watching him with a suspicious look and when he noticed I was standing in front of his six square meter office, he welcomed me with open arms as usual, saying, “Good morning!” He always says hello first to people with a bright smile which made him acquire a reputation as the best guard in my apartment complex.
I hesitantly approached him and gushed, “Could you do me a favor? Please Mr. Park. I would never forget your kindness. Please let me interview you.” He looked completely confused and did not talk for a while.
“Sure, but what about me? I don’t have much to talk about.” He said while adjusting his cap shyly.
“Everything is possible.” I answered with a delightful voice. That was the start of our interview.
When I first saw him three years ago, he looked much more hale and hearty. Unlike then, however, he became remarkably skinny that his pants were flapping in the wind just like the Korean national flag fluttering on the top of my apartment. I could sense that his job is not a bed of roses. He is 69 years old and has worked as a guard for 20 years.
I asked, “Do you have any children?”
“Of course I do. I have two daughters and one son.” He looked very happy just thinking about them. I was surprised to find out that he has someone to financially depend on. At the same time, it made me wonder why he has to work night and day.
He was so thoughtful and sensitive that he immediately noticed my dubious look and said, “You must be curious why I‘m doing this job, right? Don’t get me wrong. Each of them has had a successful career. My oldest child, Minji, is a lawyer. She is not only intelligent but also very beautiful. There are several dudes chasing after her. And my second daughter is a Math teacher. She now works in Yatap Middle school over there. She bought me a designer watch last month. My son is just a salary man but you know what? He earns the most!” He spent more than ten minutes to brag about his children. His face was flushed with excitement of telling about his lovely children.
After that, I asked him whether he likes his job. I tried my best not to make him notice that I view guarding as a low-level job. He straightened up in his chair, gave an unnatural smile and answered with a heavy provincial accent. “Of course, I like this job. I can never do this job if I don’t like it”. Contrary to what he said, he looked somber and his voice sounded somewhat bitter. I could again sense how hard it is to be a security guard. It was later in our conversation when I really understood the meaning of his wry smile.
He was born in Jeju province, which is situated in Korea’s largest island of Jeju. That was why he had such a strong accent. When he was 30, both of his parents died for a car accident. He could not bear staying in Jeju with all of the memories shared with his parents. Therefore, he cleaned up his fishery in the island and came to Seoul to start over.
He said, “At first, I wanted to open a raw fish restaurant. I put all of my savings into the business. All worked fine and the last thing I had to do was to make a contract with the building owner“. On finishing his sentence, he sighed, lighted a cigarette.
He continued. “I never, ever imagined that he would betray me.” His voice was shaking. He was still simmering with resentment.. On the day of the contract, his business partner who he just met in Seoul did not show up. “I should know how city people are like before then. He ran away with all my money and I was left with a heavy penalty for cancelling the contract.” He again emphasized how people in Seoul are shrewd with money while they care little about relationship. I couldn’t say a word because even as a native city dweller I often get hurt by people here acting selfish. At the same time, I was greatly astonished to hear his unrealistic story I would only see on a melodrama.
I asked him how he earned living. “I did everything I could in order to pay by debts. I worked at a coal mining company, a sanitary landfill, and several construction sites. You name it. I worked everywhere if it paid me well.” He dropped his head and wiped away tears with his handkerchief. I had never seen a person being cheated for my entire life. When I first heard, I could hardly believe my ears.
For the next several minutes, we didn’t talk. I felt pity for his toilsome life and he was busy getting himself together and controlling his emotions.
“How did you become a guard?” I asked him with a cheerful tone of voice for a change in mood. He smiled, saying, “It was something that I had never expected at all. I lived in a motel for ten years so I was pretty close with the owner. The owner’s husband was a security guard and at that time, he was just about to quit his job because he was too old. I was introduced to the company and hired as a security guard here in Hyundai Apartment. I gradually got used to this job and realized I was pretty good at guarding.”
This time, he looked much relieved, leaning over his chair with his legs crossed. It again made me wonder why he gave the bitter smile when I asked him whether he likes his job in the beginning.
Again noticing my mind, he added, “I dreamed to be a pharmacist. But as you know, I had a life that was too much for me. But I couldn’t abandon everything and go down. I had to accept my destiny and dedicate myself to this security job.” After listening to what he said, I realized what his unnatural smile meant. His smile was regret for his failure to become a pharmacist and it was regret for all of his misfortunes he should overcome.
Despite of everything, he said he loves his job. This time, I changed the subject and asked him about his current job. “What is the hardest part of your job and what do you think has made you sustain this long?” I asked.
He answered after another deep sigh, “Often, I have to endure people here treating me like their private servant. Some of them even talk to me with all the rude remarks. Working all night long in this office alone or clearing up the litter all day long is not difficult at all. I am exhausted mentally rather than physically due to few people around me. However, it means I’m still growing up and learning how to deal with people wisely without getting hurt. Also, I am proud of my job. Without me, there will be no one watching after this apartment, right? Do you know how many people I’m protecting now? It’s more than 300! Can you imagine? Children can come home safely because of me. By doing so, I can somehow contribute to their successful growth.” This time, he gave me a completely innocent smile full of pride, unlike the sad smile he gave earlier.
Our one and a half hour long interview finished with the following few words. “You can be knocked down eight times, ten times and even a hundred times. What matters is whether you face up to the reality, no matter how hard it is, and get back up. If you do so, you will find a way out.” While going upstairs in elevators, I repeated his words several times and wrote them down on my diary. “What matters is whether you can get back up.”
The reason why he became a security guard did not matter for me then. Even though the security job is not his dream job, he appreciates its significance and feels proud that he can do something for other people even after all those difficulties. I have respected anyone who wins their knock down and gets back up. I did not imagine Mr. Park would be one of them. Life is filled with disappointments and he had those disappointments more than others. He could become a whiner, or a quitter on his life but he didn’t. I was profoundly grateful for him giving a chance to interview him and even more, I appreciate the valuable lesson he gave to me.
Daum 메일앱에서 보냈습니다.
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