Sunja watched her son enter his office building, then tapped the passenger door of Hansu’s car. The driver came out and held the door open for her.
Hansu nodded.
Sunja smiled, feeling light and hopeful.
Hansu looked at her face carefully and frowned.
“You should not have seen him.”
“It went well. He’ll come to Yokohama next week. Mozasu will be so happy.”
Hansu told the driver to go. He listened to her talk about their meeting.
That evening, when Noa did not call her, she realized that she had not given him her home number in Yokohama. In the morning Hansu phoned her. Noa had shot himself a few minutes after she’d left his office.
pp. 385
Some readers believe that Noa committed suicide.
I, on the other hand, think that’s B.S.
There are some key moments before, during, and after Noa’s supposed suicide that made me think this way.
First, I’ll start off with what happened beforehand.
“There’s no need to be upset. We should go inside my office.”
Noa, pp. 382
“And did you go to Busan?”
“Yes, and I visited Yeongdo. It was tiny but beautiful,” he said.
pp. 384
“Umma, I have a meeting now. I’m sorry, but why don’t we see each other next week? I’ll come by. I want to see Mozasu again. I have to take care of some urgent things now.”
Noa, pp. 384
“No, actually, very few people come here, but your family visits regularly. You have two sons and a grandson, Solomon. Mozasu-sama visits every month or two. I haven’t seen Noa-sama in eleven years, but he used to come on the last Thursday of each month. You could set a watch to him. How is Noa-sama? He was a very kind man.”
“Noa come here? Come before 1978?”
“Hai.”
“From 1963 to 1978?” She mentioned the years he would have been in Nagano. She said the dates, again, hoping that her Japanese was correct. Sunja pointed to Noa’s photograph on the key ring. “He visit here?”
The groundskeeper nodded with conviction at the photograph, then looked up in the sky like he was trying to see some sort of calendar in his mind.
“Hai, hai. He came in those years and before, too. Noa-sama told me to go to school and even offered to send me if I wished.”
pp. 478-479
I really do believe that Noa genuinely had a yearning desire to see his family again.
His desire was not only reflected in what he said, but also in what he did.
He could have gone full incognito with the Japanese identity he adopted. However he took advantage of his Japanese citizenship to visit Busan AND Yeongdo AND Osaka, plus he opened himself up to Sunja when they finally met.
If he really didn’t want to upset his mother, he wouldn’t have killed himself.
My theory is that Koh Hansu knew some yakuza were outside Noa’s office, waiting for Noa’s conversation with Sunja to end and for Sunja to return to Koh Hansu’s car so that they can kill Noa.
It’s a pretty extreme fan theory, but hear me out:
Noa was probably killed by the yakuza out of fear that he could break the code of silence.
What do I mean? Well, Noa may not have participated in the yakuza organization. However, he is a member by blood. And as a member, he is probably subject to this code of silence that punishes those who speak out against the yakuza, reveal secrets, etc.
Obviously, we know of the existence of the yakuza because some former member have ratted out. But not all of them are lucky to live life as an ex-yakuza member.
True that Noa is the worst member of society – having come from one family that has a life of poverty and another family that has a life of crime. Yet, those things didn’t stop him from reshaping his own identity and destiny ever since he was young. His academic and work success are proof of that.
Now, if Noa was in fact killed by the yakuza, then why wasn’t Sunja also killed?
Well for starters, as a woman, Sunja “doesn’t really have a voice”. Yes, this is getting pretty sexist, but there is some truth behind this within this historical context. Korean women such as Sunja have shown themselves to be quiet and reserved. Moreover, they’re uneducated. So the chances of others hearing what Sunja wants to say, or even believing what she wants to say, is really slim to none.
Sunja is also not subject to the rules of the yakuza organization. Although she was Koh Hansu’s former lover, she would have to be his wife in order for the code of silence and other rules to apply her. And of course, there’s no way she could marry him because he already has a wife.
Sunja’s doesn’t pose a threat to the yakuza; only Noa.
Yes, it is possible for criminals to set up a scene to look like their victims committed suicide. These kinds of cases are not unusual.
It is also possible for the yakuza to have prepared a cunning murder plot before Noa’s final meeting with Sunja.
Did the yakuza have good enough reason to suspect that Noa knew of his dad’s secret occupation? Yes. Noa evaded Koh Hansu, suddenly disappearing from his radar by leaving no clues in his letters as to where he was living and where he was working. Certainly suspicious.
Lastly, Koh Hansu’s behavior and words when Sunja returned to the car give off this vibe that he knew Noa was going to die.
MCTTAN 