《A girl's story: The Korean War》 1. Harin in Wonderland "Yujin eonni!" I hear a surprised voice, probably Jenny, shouting my name. "Who is this? There is a girl in the garden - I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s breathing!". "Breathe," I calm her down. "I''ll go check on her." Outside, there is a girl with an unfamiliar face. Lying in the center of the garden, her limbs are twisted unnaturally as if they were broken legs."Go get the director," I tell Jenny. "We might have an emergency." I examine the girl more closely, searching for clues to explain her presence in this isolated orphanage. I find nothing unusual until I notice a photo featuring a middle-aged couple and a young girl. I realize that must be her family. But what was eerie about the photo was that a gigantic thing behind them, which had 2 ovals and a very long pole attached to it. The director suddenly appears behind my back and says "Yujin, help me carry her to the guest bedroom." The mysterious girl is diagnosed with tuberculosis according to the director, and she constantly keeps coughing blood in sleep. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. When she finally wakes up from her 2 days long fight with the disease, she isn''t well enough to talk. I promise myself to ask her when she can talk, and decide not to tell others to keep it a secret between her and the girl. I was growing bored of waiting when the director introduced the girl as Harin. She appears to be an introvert, not saying a word until she is forced to. "Hello", she squeaks. "Nice to meet you". Most of the girls lose interest in her after that, presumably because she is acting so shy. But I''m determined. I sit with her during lunches and breaks before going to sleep, constantly engaging her in small talk. I¡¯m starting to think we¡¯ll ever talk with her leading the conversation. She eventually opens her mind to me, and I ask her what I''ve been dying to know for the past month. "I saw a photo you were holding when you arrived here," I say. "I was wondering what the thing behind you is." "You don''t know what tanks are?" she asks, clearly dumbfounded by my foolishness. I am momentarily embarrassed, not knowing what to say. "Never mind," she says. "Everyone here doesn''t seem to know about the war anyway. They''re acting like nothing happened." Now it is my turn to ask. "What is a war?" And her response shocks me. "It''s what killed both of our parents." 2. Yujin in Wonderland I don¡¯t how my face looks like now, but judging by the look on Harin¡¯s face, I must look sick. And I am sick. She¡¯s introducing me to the other side of the world that I¡¯ve never interacted with. After I regain the power to move, I look at her eagerly indicating for her to continue. ¡°It was a civil war,¡±. A moment later, with a curious look on my face, she added ¡°A civil war is a war inside a country, a battle caused by something internal to the country.¡± She dives into a full explanation, drawing me a timeline. ¡°It started on the 25th of June 1950, when the KPA (Korean People¡¯s Army, which had all the requirements for the war, trained by the Soviets and the Chinese Government) invaded Southern Koreans who supported Rhee Syngman (former president of Korea) because they believed him as a ¡®bandit traitor¡¯. Their actual goal was to unite the Korean Peninsula under the communist North Korean regime. South Koreans wanted a democratic society on the contrary, which is why the KPA hated them so much. Other countries wanted to help Southern Koreans but couldn¡¯t because the North already stated that they had a clear reason. The fight started on the Ongjin Penisula, and it continued alongside the 38th parallel. The ROK (the Republic of Korea) took serious measures, like destroying the Hankang Bridge, but did not have tanks and artilleries as much as the KPA. Therefore, the army of the United States landed in Korea in early July to aid the ROK. With their help, the war officially reached an end on July 27th, 1953.¡± She stops suddenly, looking around. ¡°I need some water,¡± she says, and I bring her a big glass. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Many historians have said,¡± she barely makes out the words as she was now in tears. ¡°That the KPA¡¯s brutality is justified as a revolution because apparently, it meets many ¡®concepts¡¯ of a revolution. They claimed that concepts of ¡®power¡¯ and ¡®authority¡¯ were visible from the KPA (their military force practically trampled over the peaceful lands) and that a democratic society would make everything better. ¡°A strong ruler who makes every decision is what the people need¡± Thus the change was inevitable, they said, because nobody should be in support of former President Rhee. I wasn¡¯t surprised when my mom told me that most historians feared the KPA and were threatened to write in their favor.¡± As she says the last sentence, the director comes inside the room. ¡°Why is Harin crying? I thought I told you to be nice to her! She¡¯s new here!¡± ¡°No, I-¡± I falter, looking at Harin for help. ¡°I just got emotional. Yujin was helping me get through it. Now may I be excused? I want to sleep.¡± And there she goes, melancholy and sad. I expect her to be better by the following morning, except¡­ I feel a chill, though I don¡¯t know why. The first thing I do when I wake up the following day is check on Harin. ¡°Harin!¡±, I shout, ¡°Breakfast is ready!¡± When I enter the room, the stench of blood penetrates my smelling senses. I am unsure of what this could mean until I see her. Dead. Bloody. Harin. 3. Funeral It is around 3 PM when I wake up in my bed. Jenny says I was taken into my room after passing out. Harin is unmoved so that the police can investigate further to find the culprit. Jenny and I are strictly forbidden to talk about the tragedy if it causes trauma to the little ones. Except it caused trauma for me. I recall back to the day when I first met Harin. Injured, holding photos and a book. Book? Back then I didn¡¯t think it was unusual, but now that I come to think of it, she could have written something important for her there. And it turns out, I¡¯m correct. ¡°Harin Yoo, December 24, 1952¡± I realize the date is around 6 months before the war ended, which is fairly recent given that diaries were luxurious back then. ¡°Today is Christmas Eve, although my parents have seemingly forgotten to give me a present. It shouldn¡¯t be a surprise, with what¡¯s going on these days, but still, I would have appreciated a box of honey cookies and puffed grains. I dare not nag my parents though. They seem tired and frustrated.¡± ¡°January 8th 1953¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡° My parents left the house before I woke. They said they would be back in a matter of a few hours, but it was already noon by the time I woke in an empty house. I¡¯m worried as the clock says it¡¯s 7 PM; what if something happened to them? ¡°February 28th 1958¡± ¡°It¡¯s been around 5 years since my parents disappeared. I¡¯ve scrounging for food for those horrible years, staying in relatives¡¯ houses, but they weren¡¯t in the position financially to feed me. Wait, I¡¯ve just spotted a sign that reads ¡°Seocho Orphanage¡± Maybe they¡¯ll take me in? ¡°March 18th 1958¡± ¡°I feel blessed here, with so many people congratulating me on my 14th birthday, which is today. And yet, I am not happy. Every day I miss my parents, and every night I call for them.¡± ¡°March 20th 1958¡± ¡°The director tells me that my parents are dead, from fighting bravely against the KPA, who brutally killed them, torturing them to give away the address of the headquarters of the Resistance. My parents died without telling them anything. I know what to do now. I want to follow them, to see them again. I race towards the director, telling her my suspicions and giving the boom in her hands. A few days later, we hosted a funeral for Harin, and it turned out that she did commit suicide. But I feel her. I don¡¯t miss my parents as much as I used to. I feel¡­. mature.