Mee-Kyong kept her eyes on the open book in front of her without focusing on any of the characters in particular. She had lost track of how much time over the past weeks she had already wasted stuck in the den with Mrs. Stern, her overzealous benefactress who was committed to saving her soul in three-hour installments.
“Look here, where it says he’s the light of the world.” Mrs. Stern tapped a line on the page. As she continued to prattle and extol the Western Savior she and her husband were so devoted to, Mee-Kyong shut off her mind and just nodded every once in a while. Mee-Kyong knew all about devotion. Pang had been a disciple of the Party at one point, back when he worked in the same factory where Mee-Kyong’s unit slaved. She knew what it was to follow someone with a zeal that blinde
