Pachinko

Haruki must finish a police report on a 12-year-old’s suicide. When he visits the boy’s parents, they explain that the boy had been bullied at school. They show him the boy’s yearbook, where students have written vicious anti-Korean messages, including, “If you kill yourself, our high school next year will have one less filthy Korean” (372). The parents want consequences for the students.

When Haruki has a beer with Mozasu later that day, he tells him about the suicide. Haruki breaks down in tears, remembering his own treatment in school. Mozasu tries to console him, saying that “things get better. Life is shitty, but not all the time” (377). 

Hansu has located Noa, and he drives Sunja so she can see him. He tells her that Noa has been passing as Japanese for the past sixteen years. He has a Japanese wife and four children. Hansu suggests that she look at Noa but not confront him yet, until she has written to him to let him know she has found him.

However, as soon as Sunja sees Noa, she rushes out of the car to greet him. Noa brings her into his office since, she’s crying. Noa tells Sunja about his family. Sunja implores him to come home and see Mozasu and the family. Noa says that things haven’t changed; he is still disgusted that Hansu is his birth father. He explains that no one can know that he is Korean. He also tells her that he did visit the “motherland,” South Korea, even visiting the village of Yeongdo. He then tells her he has an urgent meeting, but he promises to visit her next week.

She gets back in the car and tells Hansu things went well. The next day, Hansu phones her to tell her that Noa shot himself minutes after she’d left his office.

Etsuko Nagatomi, Mozasu’s girlfriend, has three children from her previous marriage. Her husband divorced her six years earlier when he found out that she had been cheating on him with some of her old boyfriends from school. She is now 42 and a restaurant owner. Her sons no longer talk to her. Her daughter calls to tell her that she is four months pregnant, and she will be coming out to see her, saying that Etsuko needs to “help [her] with this” (387).

Etsuko and Mozasu accompany Solomon when he reports to get his alien registration card:

Koreans born in Japan after 1952 had to report to their local ward office on their fourteenth birthday to request permission to stay in Japan. Every three years, Solomon would have to do this again unless he left Japan for good (390).

The experience is both humiliating and nerve-wracking. The ward office will determine if Solomon is allowed to stay in Japan or if he will be deported, even though he was born in Japan.

Etsuko has decorated her restaurant for Solomon’s fourteenth birthday party. Hana, Etsuko’s daughter, is at the restaurant, waiting to see her mother. Solomon invites Hana to come to his party. When Hana is alone with Etsuko, Etsuko tells Hana that she has set up an appointment for an abortion, saying, “You shouldn’t be a mother. You have no idea how hard it is to have children” (399). Hana accuses her mother of not wanting her own children, responding, “You haven’t even tried to be a mother” (199). Etsuko tries to explain how much she loves her children, but Hana rejects her explanations.

When they arrive in Etsuko’s apartment, Hana says she doesn’t want to go to the party anymore. Etsuko offers to call Hana’s father to ask permission for Hana to stay with Etsuko if Hana wants. Hana doesn’t reject the offer; instead, she says, “If you want” (402). Before heading back to the restaurant, Etsuko sits on the sofa thinking back to when her children were little. 

Solomon’s friends at the party are wealthy kids from the international school. After dinner at the restaurant, limos take the children to a disco, where a famous Japanese pop star performs for the birthday party. After dancing and cake, the party draws to a close. Etsuko says to Mozasu that she thinks Yumi would have been happy.

Etsuko, Mozasu, and Solomon return to the restaurant, as Solomon is hungry. When Etsuko and Solomon are in the kitchen, Solomon asks about Hana. Etsuko says, “My children hate me” to which Solomon replies, “Your kids hate you because you’re gone” (408). This insight makes Etsuko burst into tears. Etsuko tells him how much she cares for him; Solomon tells her that she is like a mother to him. Etsuko reaches out to hug him.