Summary

In this chapter, the narration shifts back to Sunam. He sits in SNU’s quad with a group of friends playing a card game called Mighty. They do this often, sometimes for entire days, skipping class and other responsibilities. Sunam plays less regularly, sometimes not showing up for weeks at a time. Tae, a player who is two years older than the rest, asks if any of them ever go to Itaewon. Sunam thinks how no one he knows goes to Itaewon, “a neighborhood around the U.S. Army base infamous for prostitutes” (113). Tae inquires further, asking if any of them know what they can get in Itaewon. He throws down a Playboy magazine on top of the cards in response to his own question. This surprises Sunam, who has heard about the magazine, but thinks it is only a Western myth. One...