From Paengmok port

A person passes behind a large drape covered with handwritten messages of hope on Jindo, Monday night. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Shim Hyun-chul

PAENGMOK PORT ― Being here for six days was an exhausting experience.

Few outside the family members of passengers missing or recovered from the sunken ferry Sewol felt entitled to complain, knowing the weight of their sorrow.

A respite was provided by the countryside scenery seen during trips back and forth to a gym on Jindo Island and Paengmok Port, both of which have been crowded with people in extreme distress.

Blossoms were on display, but few could afford to appreciate them.

Late Monday night, bodies were pulled out of the water and placed in ambulances heading for a mortuary.

The process has become a ritual.

The night sky took on the hue of coal.