Pachinko

Isak recovers from his illness and slowly regains his strength. Yangjin accompanies him on a walk since she’s afraid he might fall and have no one to help him. Isak is grateful because he feels trapped, having stayed inside for so long, but he realizes that he is now even more indebted to Yangjin and all she has done for him.

As they walk, Isak asks Yangjin about her daughter, Sunja. Yangjin opens up to Isak, telling him that Sunja is pregnant and that the father of the child will not marry her. He asks Yangjin if it’s ok that he speak to Sunja about the matter. He then asks Yangjin if she believes in God. She says no but that she thinks Christians are not bad: “Some were patriots who fought for independence. Right?” (58). Isak agrees, saying that his oldest brother, Samoel, was a pastor who fought for independence, dying in 1919. Yangjin worries that Isak might be an activist: “Hoonie had wanted independence for Korea, but he believed that a man had to care for his family first” (58).