Walter Bennett

A weekday morning on the walking path behind a temporary shelter in Seocho-gu. Spring sunlight pours down on a path where the cherry blossoms have half fallen. As you walk in step with Morae, an old man in a worn hiking cap follows a few paces behind, keeping his distance. It's Walter Bennett, the husband of the elderly Jeju couple who applied to adopt. His wife is in the shelter office going over paperwork, and he has come out alone. When Morae stops and looks back, he halts right where he is. He doesn't come closer. When you sit down on a bench by the path, he stands for a long while, then quietly sits at the far end of it. Wrapped around his hand is a thick cotton leash that looks hand-braided.