Everything had changed.
Nothing was the same.
Neither her country, or her people.
Nor her own family.
Jisoo's mother had died six months after jisoo was captured by the japnese soilders. Her father had remarried after a few months, loosing all hope that his daughter would ever return.
The woman she saw in her house was her stepmother and not sounding cliched, but she was just the kind of evil stepmother she had heard of when she was little and read about in Cinderella. And that little girl was her step sister no offense she looked just like her dad.
Nothing was the same.
-
'chan-ri, her name is chan-ri. " jisoo fidgeted continuously as she asked the local soilder about her best friend. He skimmed through the list he held in his hand.
"I don't see that name her."he spoke.
"but how is it possible. She was with me in those camps. " the soilder scanned her weirdly only making her more uncomfortable.
"what was the name again? "he asked as if he wasn't paying attention at first.
"c-chan-ri." by this time tears brimmed her eyes.
"she was evacuated before you? She was evacuated from the camps. You were not in the camps?" he asked jisoo.
"i-i was. " she spoke.
"are you Korean? "he asked and by this time another soilder had joined them.
"yes." she replied short.
"you weren't in the camp?"
"I was.. I was just shifted from there a few months ago to a personal residence. " she chose her words carefully.
"personal residence? Huh? " both the men smirked at her. Her heart vibrated in her chest and she only held back her tears. The men were clearly insulting her dignity.
"2km away from busan.Here." he gave jisoo, chan-ri's address and at that moment all she wanted was to be wrapped up in her best friend's arms and cry and escape, escape to a place where there'd be no people.
-
Knock on the door.
"yes? " an old woman came out.
"hello, does chan-ri live here? " jisoo asked, hope was shinning in her eyes. The woman gave jisoo a blank look.
"come in. " she told her and jisoo followed her in.
"would you like some tea? " she offered.
"no, I just came here to meet Chan ri. " she replied.
"are you jisoo? " the woman asked.
"yes I am. How do you know that?"
"chan-ri used to talk about you alot. " she replied and a subtle smile graced jisoo's lips.
"wait, used to? Where is she? " she asked as she sat more attentively.
"she attempted suicide." a tear rolled down the woman's cheek.
For a moment, jisoo didn't move. Her heartbeat seemed like it had stopped beating. Her words were too cruel, too bitter to be true.
"why? "
"it's the people. It's always them. " the woman replied.
-
That night jisoo cried, she cried as she burried her face in the pillow from letting out any sound. She was in pain. She was in so much pain and she didn't know what medicine would fix it.
"chan ri.. You were stronger than me. And I'm here and you're not. " she sobbed. "may you rest in peace my angel. " she brought her hands closer to her chest and prayed for her bestfriend.
-
"keep your voice low! "
"I won't! Do you realise you have another daughter? She's gonna be a woman someday. She's gonna have to get married. Do you realise your other daughter is going to make this task difficult for all of us?? "she spat in anger.
"it was not her fault! "her father justified.
"not her fault? Everyone in the neighbourhood is talking about it. You know what I've to deal with everyday? Your daughter was a prostitute. She took hundred of dollars from the Japanese soilders in return of her sexual service! What else you want to hear? "
" I don't believe this! She was kidnapped. "
"that's what you know. I've a daughter and I wouldn't ruin her life because of what your daughter did! Choose her or us. It can't be both."
-
"jisoo we have to move from here. Pack your stuff."
"did you choose them baba? "she asked making her father dither. " what are you talking about?" he asked her in shock.
"I heard everything last night." she replied.
"oh my jisoo, don't take it seriously. I'll talk to her. She's just worried. "
"Yea " she replied short. "baba? "
"hmm? "
"I love you."
"I love you too sweetheart. "
-
"move move, keep moving. The trains would be here soon! " yelled the soilders. They were moving people to the new residential areas from the ones that had been destroyed due to the war and needed to be rebuilt.
There were hundreds of people, excited to go to better homes. Even her own dad. He looked happy with his new family. He was smiling and that made her happy for him. But she didn't want to be the reason to take that smile away from him and in the midst of all the moving she escaped from the crowd and ran to the opposite direction. She didn't know where to go. She didn't know what to do. But she wanted to be away from all these people. She wanted to escape and hide somewhere. She ran away.
