On the eve of the harvest festival called "chuseok", which means autumn, the narrator tells us that he spent his holiday away from his father. He is also worried that he will be asked about his family's history in front of his relatives. He has decided to stay at home and pretend to be the distant relative of his father's mother in order to avoid being seen. He drinks coffee with a hot barbae and tells her that he is nervous about his upcoming exam. He tells her to take out a large sum of money and put it in her pocket. She pays for it. The narrator is worried that his family will not return from the countryside during the festival.