Only when my mother went to church in Songsan did I go. She went to church, but she did not believe in Jesus Christ.

One day, I asked her quietly, "Mother, do you go to church because you believe in God?"

She smiled, shaking her head.

"I do not go to church out of some belief. What is the use of going to ‘Heaven' after death? Frankly, I go to church to relax."

I felt pity for her and loved her all the more. She often dozed off during prayers. When everyone else stood up to say amen at the end of the minister's prayer, she would wake up with a start. When she did not wake even after the amen, I would shake her to tell her that the prayer was over.

What do you think? Does it ring true to you? First you have the ever-self-aggrandizing Kim looking down at the church. Then you've got an overworked mom who goes to church to rest, instead of crawling into her own bed. Then you have Kim's own atheistic beliefs being communicated via an [imaginary?] conversation with Mom: "What is the use of going to ‘Heaven'...?"