A Single Shard: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

For the next few days, Tree-ear is either walking or sleeping. He stops just once, to survey a lovely valley from a height. Three days later, he reaches Songdo. As he walks toward the palace, he sees a woman soothing her toddler, recalls that he lived in Songdo with his parents as a young child, and wonders whether he could ask the temple monks whether they knew anything about his family. Yet he decides that there are too many temples in Songdo to check—and the monks who knew something might be forgetful or dead. Tree-ear puts his parents out of mind.

When Tree-ear reaches the palace gate, he tells the soldiers on guard that he has an appointment with Emissary Kim. Though the guards look skeptical, one goes to relay Tree-ear’s message. A lower-ranking official comes to the gate. When Tree-ear tells the official he has come to see Kim on behalf of a potter named Min, the official tells Tree-ear to give him the ceramics and come back in a few days. Yet when Tree-ear insists that Emissary Kim asked for Min’s work and that he won’t show it to anyone but Kim, the official eventually lets Tree-ear inside the gates.

Within the gates, Tree-ear sees a courtyard surrounded by majestic buildings with roofs tiled in celadon patterned with relief-work, some of which were made in Ch’ulp’o before Tree-ear lived there. He wishes he could climb up and examine the tiles—but instead he hurries after the official, who leads him into a room filled with superb celadon ceramics. Emissary Kim is there, writing on a scroll. When Kim finishes writing, he establishes that Tree-ear has come from Min and asks where Min’s work is. Tree-ear begins to explain that bandits destroyed the vases. The official interrupts, chastising Tree-ear for wasting Kim’s time. For a moment, Tree-ear despairs, judging himself as the official judges him.

Emissary Kim gestures at the official to leave Tree-ear alone and expresses his sadness that he won’t see Min’s work. In response, Tree-ear apologizes, takes out the lovely shard, and offers it to Kim as an example of Min’s work. Kim takes the shard and examines it closely. Then he sits down and begins writing. Tree-ear is crestfallen, thinking that Kim has switched tasks but that he himself can’t leave until Kim tells him to go. Then Kim shows the official the scroll. When the official gasps and asks how someone can get a commission without an example of their work, Kim explains that he has seen Min’s work, both in Ch’ulp’o and now. He picks up the lovely shard and praises its glaze and inlay work.

After the official leaves with the scroll, Emissary Kim looks at Tree-ear with a kindness that reminds Tree-ear of Crane-man and Ajima. He tells Tree-ear that he’s sending Tree-ear back to Ch’ulp’o by boat to tell Min that he’s receiving a commission. He asks how long Tree-ear has worked for Min. When Tree-ear says he’s worked for Min for a year and a half, Kim asks how many high-quality pieces Min can produce in a year. Tree-ear, thinking hard, says perhaps 10—“My master works slowly.” Kim approves of this. Tree-ear is too ecstatic to thank Kim in words, but he feels that Kim understands his gratitude.