On the Proofs

21
On the Proofs, 1974~1980

Not since Dano had taken a job as a proofreader of the Daily News had he done night shifts so often those months. Each day was a continuation of night shifts. The problem was that of going back home after the shift work: The streets were totally deserted after the midnight. There was no traffic at the time, of course, around two or three o'clock in the morning. The police were on the patrol of the sparse streets to check the enforcement of the curfew.

Dano's night shifts helped, financially and otherwise. The overtime payment, though small in amount, which was handed downright to Tschai, used to change hands from Tschai to a grocery store. The nocturnal shifts also turned out enlightening, indeed. That is, Dano used to be bombarded with lots of beneficial information from media pundits with prestigious academic backgrounds.

Dano discovered that his night shift works evoked nostalgic and retrospective memories. Less rushed in the amount of the articles to be dealt with, the night job gave him enough breaks for coffees, for homesickness, and the recollections of things past. The young and always polite Tom Banes, his on and off night shift partner from across the street residence of the United States Embassy in Seoul, made efforts to keep good company.

The click- clacking noises of the linotype machines were unbearable at first, but as days passed they turned out very rhythmic. The odor of lead was revolting on the verge of disgusting, and the dust in the linotype room on the second floor of the building was terrible. In due course of their career, the linotype people made it a routinous habit to eat pork chops and drink makkoli to cleanse their dusty throats of toxic residues.

The six desk chiefs of the Daily News took turns playing the role of commanding the night shift teams: politics, society, economy, culture, wire (foreign news), and editing, The night shift team consisted of a desk chief and four or five staff members including one or two proofreaders. The morning editions of the Daily News were the results of their efforts made on the base of the evening editions which had been delivered previously to the provincial districts.

After the boring procedures done of desk reporters truncating some parts of the previous editions by replacing with the new, hearing the cantankerous typing by the huge linotype machines, Dano compared notes with the manuscripts, spotting the limping letters, correcting the misspelled words and misplaced lines. All that done, the chief of the night shift team put an O.K. signature on the final sheet around 3 or 4 a.m., with the night shift team hurriedly getting on board the "company limousine" to head for their homes. Dano, always left alone, mounted the company bedroom upstairs where he slumbered away the nights.



22
At The Daily News, 1974~1980


In the stillness of night when the other coworkers had returned to their homes for peace and rest, Dano savored the loneliness in the company bedroom. There were a few other boarders almost each night from the brother vernacular newspaper who had lost the last traffic going back home while boozing with office buddies. There arose physiological odors and snoring noises. Dano climbed up to a top bunk to a fitful sleep.

Grammarian Lee, proofreading desk chief, who had been named after his habit of keeping an old Japanese grammar book which had been worn out, said to Dano at the time of business shift, "Report for work tomorrow afternoon, Mr. Wang." "Why, sir?" Dano asked. "Because Mr. Kim will call in sick."

The Seoul air of the early winter morning in the periphery of the Daily News was chilly enough. Dano's bus ride to his residence at Heukso-dong, Dongjak-gu by No. 84 city bus was a painful reminder of the frustrated college life he had failed to consummate. He himself did not understand why on earth he had rented his house at the Black Rock Town of all the places.

The homecoming route from the Heuksok-dong bus terminal to his rented house on the hilltop was a knee-hurting job: He had to negotiate an uphill slope. Tschai was about to leave the den after setting up a modest breakfast table for her husband Dano with a few side dishes. He recently found out that Tschai had opened her seamstress' workshop at the corner of the town bazaar. The increased sickoo, or the "eating mouths" of four by two son children, who had been born in the 1970s at an interval of two years, had driven Tschai out of the house. The take- home paycheck envelope of an English language newspaper proofreader just out of a three-month apprenticeship was too thin to support the family of four.

Taking custody of the two sons was a minor problem. Tai, ages 5, the older of the two, was getting along well with the village boys who had not gone to kindergarten just like him and Hua, ages 3, the younger of the two, had gone to his mother's workshop, clinging to his mother's apron strings.

When he stepped in the newsroom on the third floor, Dano found the conversations, which had been going on around the entrance of the door, suddenly got stopped short. The atmosphere was that Dano himself had been an object of a back talk. Usually, it was time culture desk chief An had been bragging about last night's money job of translating English novels.

Hardly had an intuition that he had made a fatal mistake or two last night struck him when Managing Editor Koon Tagg waved him over to his table. "Good afternoon, sir!" Dano greeted. Koon, a gentle-mannered man in his fifties, who had recruited Dano above the protests of the others, looked mischievously at him, and said, "Is the night shift too hard for you?" "Not at all, sir!" Dano replied.
"Compare the proofs with the original manuscripts more carefully, will you?"
"Sure, I will, sir!"
"And you are supposed to do day shifts instead of nights from now on."
"But for how long, sir?"
"Indefinitely."

How lucky of one to have such considerate and benevolent gentleman as Koon Tagg and Grammarian Lee as one's superior, Dano always appreciated that. Lee and two other proofreaders were at their desk already. Lee suggested to Dano they have coffee breaks "down there." They climbed down the stairs of the company building and walked down the alley slope along the Japanese Embassy, stepping down to the Hankook Dabang.

The coffee shop was always packed with reporters and their visitors. When they were seated, a waitress asked for orders. All four of them ordered coffees. After having some sips, Dano wanted to know about his mistakes of the previous night. The chief and all the three colleagues beamed. Lim explained to Dano that an opinion column contributor had pointed out one proof error on his article.

A lot of readers had also questioned the validity of the word food printed in the newspaper: "I leave Korea for food." The right statement should have read: "I leave Korea for good." By the proof mistake of Dano's, South Korea was listed in such impoverished countries as DPRK whose people had been in famished state.