A man and his daughter were in an accident on their way to the hospital to see his wife who was battling with cancer. The man survived, but his daughter lost her life. An only son did not return home after going to school on a day off. A mother who had gone to work after preparing breakfast on her son’s birthday also died on her way back home.

On June 9, a building that was being torn down suddenly collapsed, and the stories told by the victims’ families on June 10 revealed that they were just ordinary citizens. On June 9, nine people died and eight were injured when a building that was being torn down unexpectedly collapsed in an area designated for redevelopment Dong-gu, Gwangju. This day, the reporter met and listened to the stories of the families of four victims who died and were laid in the Chosun University Hospital funeral parlor in Dong-gu, Gwangju.

“The father is looking for his daughter in the intensive care unit (ICU), but I couldn’t tell him. I don’t know what to tell him,” Yi Do-sun (50) said in a low voice in front of funeral hall no. 6 at Chosun University Hospital. Yi, who is the aunt-in-law of the dead daughter, Gim (30), described her niece as “the youngest in the family who took good care of her family.” On the day of the accident, Gim boarded a bus along with her father. They were on their way to see her mother, who was in a care facility after receiving surgery for thyroid cancer. Gim went to see her mother every day since she took a state examination on May 29. On the bus, she called her mother, who was waiting for her, and said, “Mom, we’ll be there soon.”

But that was the last time her mother heard Gim’s voice. Gim was the youngest of five sisters. She took on part-time jobs in cafes and study rooms to help out with the family’s economic situation even when she studied for the state exam. She also helped out at the red bean porridge restaurant that her mother used to run before she was hospitalized. She looked after her parents while living in Gwangju in the place of her sisters, who all lived in different parts of the country--Seoul, Hanam Pyeongtaek, Jeju. Gim’s brother-in-law Hwang (46) said, “She was affectionate to her parents, took good care of the house, and studied hard.” He added, “I still can’t believe it.”

Gim’s father, who was injured when rescued, was taken to the ICU, but reportedly, his injuries were not critical. Most of the people who died were seated in the back of the bus and Gim’s father sat behind his daughter.

This day, the cries like “Bring my pretty baby back to life,” and “How am I supposed to go on?” could be heard constantly along with the sound of crying throughout the funeral parlor at Chosun University Hospital. The father of Gim (18), a high school junior, kept crying. On the day of the accident, Gim had gone to school to meet his friends from a school club. He was on his way home when the accident happened. Like his father, Gim was the only son, and his parents had had him late in their years. “He called and said, ‘Dad, I’m on my way. I’m getting on the bus,’ but he didn’t come even after it was time for him to arrive. I was worried and when I saw the news I found out that there had been an accident.” His father ran to the site of the accident as soon as he heard the news. On site, he heard that the bus in the accident was route 54. It was the route that his son, who goes to Gwangju High School, usually takes. “He was a loving boy, who used to climb onto my stomach and play and laugh. When he smiled, he was like the moon in the night sky. He lit the world….”

Gwak (64) died on her eldest son’s birthday. The accident occurred when she was on her way home after working at a gomtang restaurant near the court in Jisan-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju. The other family members had moved out and she lived alone with her eldest son. On the morning of the accident, she called her son and said, “I set your breakfast on the table, so don’t forget to eat.” Gwak’s second son Jo (37) said, “I got a call that there had been an accident late at night. I didn’t get to see the accident site because I had to travel all the way from Daegu.” He also said, “I came here last weekend to see my mother. I had no idea that that would be the last. She had set the table and told me to eat before I left, but I didn’t, and that, well….” Jo said, “Was that all they could do? If they had only restricted the area (at the time the building was being demolished)…” but could not end the sentence.