Reunion (Excerpt from last chapter of "Children of a Forgotten War")

U Yong’s leg ached from his long day of search, but there was no convenient place to stop and rest. His under arm – now calloused from the weeks of walking with one crutch was rubbed raw. The sun showed the day to be into mid-afternoon, but broke, and now near the end of his options for finding his beloved, U Yong pressed onward into Jagalji following the lead given by the old woman in the refugee camp.1

It seemed that many women washed laundry in this area. Perhaps the relative affluence of the UN forces offered them an honorable way to earn enough to feed themselves and possibly their families, but all were treated with disdain by those who avoided contact with the Americans. Gossip abounded in the areas outside those frequented by the UN troops. To those outside, all the women who found employment with the Americans were ladies of ill repute, and were no longer fit for social contact.2

This snubbing was evident on the faces of those U Yong encountered in Jagalji. The first reaction was always a defensive one – often a sneer and snide remark as if to inflict injury on him before he had the chance to injure them. It could be irritating, but considering the attitudes toward these women that U Yong had encountered while approaching this area, he found he could understand the sarcasm of those who lived inside.3

He had inquired of many washer women as he walked through this area, but to no avail. Now, with his leg screaming out in protest and reminding him of the bullet that had taken him out of action, he found he needed to stop. But, there was another young woman hanging laundry onto a cotton rope strung between her front door and the concrete shack directly in front of her house that caught U Yong’s attention. With another who may have crucial information so close to him, U Yong felt he must make one more inquiry. At the very least, she may be able to tell him where he could take shelter for a much needed rest.4

“Agasshi,” U Yong called to her.5

She turned and faced him. Her mouth drew into a slight smirk. Her eyes glanced up and down at him taking in his full height. She paused as she looked at his crutch, and the way he leaned onto it. For a moment her face softened as if in sympathy, but quickly, her smirk returned and she fixed herself behind her defiant glare.6

“What do you want?” She demanded.7

“I’m trying to find someone. Can you tell me if you’ve seen her?”8

“You’re looking for a woman here?”9

“She was my fiancé before the communists invaded. I’ve been trying for several weeks to find her.”10

“You think your fiancé might be here?” Her defiant start became even more sarcastic. “Aren’t you afraid of what kind of woman she is if she’s here?”11

“I heard the talk when I was coming to this district,” U Yong said. “I understand why you might be bitter, but I promise you I’m not trying to put you down or argue with you. I just need to find someone. Can you help me?”12

The young woman before him seemed to be set back by his honest and straight forward demeanor. Her sarcasm faded. “Who are you looking for?”13

“Her name is Song Hyen Ju.”14

“Hyen Ju?”15

“Yes. One of the grandmothers in a refugee camp told me she had seen someone that fit her description, except that she had two little girls with her.”16

“Your daughters?”17

“No. I don’t have any kids.”18

“So maybe she found someone else.”19

“Maybe, but the kids are too old. Maybe this is not the same woman, but it’s the only lead I have. I need to find this woman and see if she’s my Hyen Ju.”20

“Why did you come here?”21

U Yong sighed, becoming impatient with the evasive tactics of this woman, but determined to maintain a personable appeal in order to receive any information she might have. “The grandmother in the refugee camp told me this woman came here to work as a washer woman,” he said calmly.22

“If she came here, she might not want you anymore.”23

“Are you looking at me now?” U Yong said with some agitation. “Do you see what I’m like now? Do you think I haven’t thought about the possibility that she might not want me now?”24

She stared, now set back by the appearance of the agitation she seemed to be trying to stir.25

“That’s her choice,” U Yong continued. “If I find her, it’ll be her choice whether she wants a lame soldier, or whether she wants to find someone else. I know it’s not fair for me to demand that she honor her promise now that I’m lame. I know her life will be hard if she honors it. But that’s her choice.”26

The young woman’s eyes dropped, and her face showed some remorse for her last statement. Still, she made no apology. After a moment, her smirk returned to her face and her defiance to her eyes. She looked back at U Yong. “I don’t know a Hyen Ju, and I don’t know anyone close to here that has two little girls with her.”27

U Yong’s heart sank again. With pain shooting from his wounded knee, he knew he could not go much farther this day, but with this answer, there was no sense in continuing the conversation with this sarcastic young woman. He nodded at her. “I understand,” he said. “But if you happen to see such a woman, tell her that U Yong is searching for her.”28

He turned and began to limp on down the road. There did not seem to be any noise from behind him to indicate that the young woman had gone back to her business of hanging clothes to dry, but he did not look back to see what she was doing. He continued on until near the corner of this mud caked street.29

“Ajosshi!” a voice called from behind. U Yong turned to see the young woman with whom he had spoken shuffling quickly up the road toward him.30

“Yes?” he answered.31

The young woman hurried until she stood very close in front of him. The smirk was now gone, and all hints of sarcasm were hidden. Water welled up in her eyes as she looked intently into his face.32

“Ajosshi,” she said again – now speaking just barely above a whisper. “Ajosshi, we don’t normally talk to people about who we know here. We just don’t do that, but I have someone that I’m waiting for, and hoping will come looking for me. If there’s any chance that you are this woman’s fiancé, then I will tell you, but please don’t tell anyone I gave you directions. Just go look at her. If it’s your fiancé, then just be happy and don’t tell her. If it’s not, then just pass by, but don’t tell anyone I told you this.”33

“I promise,” U Yong whispered back.34

“Ajosshi, turn left here,” she said motioning with her hand to the corner just before her and behind U Yong.” Follow this road down until the second alley on your right. Turn right there, and go to the third door on the left. The woman there came not too long ago. I know her name is Hyen Ju, and she has two girls with her, but no man. I think she came from Tae Jeon.”35

U Yong’s heart jumped at hearing the name of his home town. Could he be this close to finding his beloved again? He could not help the smile that came to his face. “Tae Jeon?” he asked.36

“I think so,” she answered. “But please don’t tell her who sent you.”37

“I promise,” U Yong said turning quickly to leave. “Thank you,” he called back over his shoulder. New energy filled his step, and the pain from his knee suddenly felt bearable at the hope that he may be so close to his beloved. He quickly hobbled down the road and around the corner. 38

He stopped as he rounded the second corner. There before him dressed in a tattered hanbok with her satin black hair tied back away from her face was the form of a young woman hanging laundry on a line. Only the side of her face was visible to him, but even with this profile U Yong could make her out. Care had stamped its mark on her face and aged her much in these last months, but even so, she was beautiful. The picture held in his heart all these months now stood before him, busily engaged in work to support herself, and …well…he did not know if anyone else helped her, or if she helped anyone else. Here, at last was the woman about whom he dreamed as he lay on the frozen battle fields to the north, and the lady whose image had motivated him to search tirelessly through the refugee camps and GI districts of Pusan. Now came the most fearful moment – the moment when she would have to make the decision on whether she wanted a life with a wounded soldier, or if she preferred to look for a more capable provider. He was excited and terrified at the same time, and the combination of the two paralyzed him in his tracks – staring almost in disbelief at the long lost object of his affection and desire. Now, he knew for certain that she had survived and escaped the first battle at Tae Jeon, and had been able to sustain herself, but he did not know whether she would still want him.39

The young woman stooped and picked up the wash pan half full of clothes and began to move on down the line to hang them up, but as she straightened, pan in hand, she paused, suddenly aware of the stranger standing and staring at her. She turned to face him, holding the pan firmly between him and her. She stared at him with a hostile glare. She opened her mouth to shout at him for his rude behavior, but as her mouth opened, she stopped herself. Her mouth remained open, but her eyes changed. Suddenly, it was as if she was looking for something. It was as though she saw something vaguely familiar, but either she was uncertain, or perhaps just unable to allow herself to believe that what she hoped to see was really what she saw. Her eyes moved up and down his frame, then stopped as she looked him directly in the eyes.40

“Omo,” she exclaimed quietly. The pan dropped from her hands and fell noisily on the ground between them. Her eyes remained fixed on his. Her hands came to her face one on each side covering her open mouth and her nose. She blinked as tears sprang to her eyes, and she bent forward slightly at the shock of the sight before her.41

“Soban-nim?” she gasped from behind her hands using the most respectful title for a fiance.42

“Hyen Ju,” he answered back, tears now coming to his eyes as well.43

“Soban-nim!” she shouted through tears. All protocol forgotten, she leaped the laundry pan before her and charged him. She met him with the full force of her body in full motion and tackled him onto the muddy road behind him. She wept loudly and kissed his cheeks again and again shouting “Soban-nim, Soban-nim” between kisses.44

“Hyen Ju,” U Yong said, trying to get her attention onto proper protocol so he could call attention to his condition and carry through with his plans to give her a choice. But for his best efforts, he could not restrain her jubilation. She continued hovering over him and kissing his cheeks, weeping, and shouting “Soban-nim.”45

Finally, the assault of joy subsided somewhat and Hyen Ju dropped her head onto his chest and wept. “Soban-nim,” she said. “I thought you were dead. I never thought I’d see you again. We just didn’t know.”46

“It’s okay,” U Yong said, now embracing her and patting her on the back of her shoulder to comfort her. “It’s okay.”47

Suddenly, U Yong remembered protocol, and remembered his plans again. He pushed Hyen Ju up from his body and into a seated position before him.48

“Hyen Ju, look at me,” he said. 49

Hyen Ju looked at him again. 50

“I’m wounded.”51

“Oh! I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?”52

“No! You … I’m okay, and I’m just as happy to see you, but look at me and think.”53

“You’re alive!” Hyen Ju answered.54

“I’m lame,” U Yong reminded her again. “Think. What will your life be like if you marry a lame man?”55

Hyen Ju dried her eyes and looked intently into U Yong’s face as he continued.56

“I’ve wanted to come back and marry you, but your life will be so difficult if you marry me now. It’s not right for me to demand that you honor your promise of marriage when I know it’ll mean such a hard life for you.”57

“You’re alive,” Hyen Ju repeated.58

“Yes, I’m alive,” U Yong said. “And I love you, and because of that, I understand if you don’t want to marry me now, because your life will be so hard if you marry a lame man.”59

Tears returned to Hyen Ju’s eyes as she continued to look intently into U Yong’s face. “How many women did you see when you walked through Pusan looking for me?” she asked.60

“I don’t know,” U Yong answered.61

“I think you saw a lot of women,” Hyen Ju said. “And most of them did not have a husband. I’ve been here for months now. I know how many of them are waiting for someone to return from the fighting. You’ve been to the fight, you tell me how many of their husbands and fiance’s will never come back?”62

U Yong’s eyes fell as he contemplated Hyen Ju’s question.63

“Mine came back,” she said through tears. “Mine came back. Everybody’s life is difficult now – I know that because of the time I’ve been here. Everybody’s life is difficult, and that won’t change if the war ends today – it will still be difficult. My life is already difficult, but heaven saw fit to return my Soban-nim to me, so I am not going to complain.” She fell forward onto his chest again and embraced him. “I’m just so glad to have you back,” she said through tears.64

For the first time, U Yong relaxed, and allowed himself to warmly embrace Hyen Ju. It violated protocol, but at the moment, anyone who might see could surely understand this brief violation. He opened his eyes, and caught sight of the faces of two young girls standing beside them. Suddenly his eyes lit up as he recognized his brother’s two daughters.65

“Un Mi! Un Ji!” He exclaimed. 66

Hyen Ju drew herself up to a seated position at these words. U Yong looked inquisitively at her. Her smile turned downward. She shook her head.67

“We don’t know,” she said in answer to his unspoken inquiry.68

“His wife?” U Yong asked.69

“She went to look for him while the communist armies were approaching Tae Jeon. We waited as long as we could, but the time came when we had to leave, or be trapped.”70

“I see,” U Yong answered.71

“I was promised to you, so it was my duty to your family to care for your brother’s daughters.”72

U Yong’s face showed pain as the news of his brother and sister-in-law sunk in. He nodded, then reached up and caressed Hyen Ju’s cheek. “You are a good and honorable woman.” He said. 73

“You think so?” she responded.74

“I think so,” he reassured.75

He reached to Un Ji and caressed her cheek also. She remained stationary, neither protesting, nor showing pleasure, but simply allowing him to touch her face.76

“How old are you now?” he asked. “Six?”77

“Yes,” she said. “I’m six years old.”78

U Yong’s mind returned to the little six year old orphan girl he buried on a mountain top somewhere far to the north. He held the lump in his throat as he remembered how he loved her. Now, here were his brother’s daughters who would need him just as much. As much as it pained him, he swallowed the memory of Soon Hee, and fixed his attention on the two girls with him. With Soon Hee, all his hope for beauty in his homeland had died, but now, standing before him was a reassurance. There was still hope. There was still beauty in his homeland. It was necessary for him to live to preserve this beauty. 79