‘Sister’, Yeong-hye said, her voice low and calm as if intending to comfort her. Yeong-hye‘s old black sweater gave off the faint scent of mothballs. When In-hye didn‘t answer, Yeong-hye whispered one more time. ‘Sister... all the trees of the world are like brothers and sisters.‘ - P144
She raises her head again. The ambulance is rounding the last bend in the road, leaving Mount Ch‘ukseong. She sees a black bird flying up towards the dark clouds. The summer sunlight dazzles her eyes, makes them sting, and her gaze cannot follow the bird‘s flight any more.
Quietly, she breathes in. The trees by the side of the road are blazing, green fire undulating like the rippling flanks of a massive animal, wild and savage. In-hye stares fiercely at the trees. As if waiting for an answer. As if protesting against something. The look in her eyes is dark and insistent. - P183