My family and friends.
And to God for giving me courage through tough times.
❤️❤️❤️
Created & published on StoryJumper™ ©2025 StoryJumper, Inc.
All rights reserved. Sources: storyjumper.com/attribution
Preview audio:
storyj.mp/abesgwkgi4q
“One’s life is short, but the life of the spirit is long.”
-Sook Nyul Choi
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5
The Japanese was all I knew. They made girls work in the sock factory in our backyard with no pay, and they had put my mother and aunt in charge. My grandfather refused to follow their teachings, so instead he thought my brother Inchun, and I Korean and Chinese in secret. Those were our true cultures.
He grew his pine tree in our backyard a long time ago; it was his safe place. He would meditate under the tree when Captain Narita, a Japanese soldier, would leave. I want to be like that too; I want to be able to find peace in our troubles, but all I know is that the Japanese are winning.
Chapter 1
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The Japanese had forbidden any sort of traveling, and knowing that mother had done just so worried me. She had gone to visit my sister at her convent, but she had come home safely. She had brought back a book for Haiwon, a book of colorful angels, a bag of rice for cookies, and news of the war. The Japanese were losing, and that brought hope to our family.
Haiwon's birthday was celebrated greatly. Grandfather had complimented her; his words had brought tears to her eyes, but the party was soon over. Captain Narita had heard the about the party and saw that we were using special silverware. He had taken them from us, and as a punishment, he cut down grandfathers tree.
Inchun and I had decided to give some of the branches to the sock girls. Although we were happy, the tree had caused grandfather much pain.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
Two days before grandfather had passed, he called Inchun and I into his room. He had told mother to tell us about how our family helped in the Korean Independence Movement. She had shown us photographs of her, father, and grandfather; how they had gone through a lot for their country. She kept all the photographs in a wooden box; I watched as she closed the box when she was done telling us the stories. She held it closely to her as if it were to break, but was it the box that she was holding onto or the memories?
I had rubbed grandfather's feet in oil, and seen all the pain he had gone through.
I remember him sitting under his meditating tree and looking at peace. He was calmed by his Buddha, and now that grandfather is gone, I turn his Buddha for peace too.
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Chapter 4
Mother would not come out of her room. She had gone ill after grandfather had passed and that worried me. Was mother's Catholic God punishing me for hating Captain Narita? I couldn't see why; Captain Narita was a evil man, and he only made it more obvious.
He took the sock girls away to be "spirit girls" for the soldiers, along with the sock machines to make weapons. No one would tell me what a spirit girl was, but the way mother spoke about it, I could tell it wasn't good. Mother had tried to hide the girls, but it was no use.
The Japanese had won again.
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Chapter 5
My first day at Japanese school was terrible. I would get punished for speaking Korean, and I was beaten with a ruler for not bowing low enough to my teacher. I had also gotten my special lunchbox that mother had given me taken away because I had shared my food with a girl who didn't have any. To make everything worse, my teacher was Captain Narita's wife!
In the school yard we were forced to sing the Japanese national anthem, recite the loyalty pledge, chant propaganda slogans, and make weapons for the Japanese soldiers. We were forced to stand under the hot blazing sun for hours, and because of it I passed out. That ended up being my last day at the school.
Food was scarce so mother decided to sell her heirloom silver hairpin for food, but the bag of rice that she earned ended up being half filled with sand.
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Chapter 6
We are free! The Evil Red have left and we can be our own country!
Mother brought out colorful Korean outfits for the family to wear as the kids planted the seeds that they had been saving. Joy along with hope was in the atmosphere all around us, but father was not back yet.
The party did last long as Kisa brought more news about the war; The Russians were moving in and the country had been slit at the 38th Parallel. They were sending men to Siberia.
The Russians invaded our house on day, they took Inchun´s watch and anything else that they found inportant, and although they were cruel, I found them kinder than the Japanese.
Kisa ran down the street with the good news, ¨The Japanese surrendered! The war is over!¨
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My family and friends.
And to God for giving me courage through tough times.
❤️❤️❤️
Created & published on StoryJumper™ ©2025 StoryJumper, Inc.
All rights reserved. Sources: storyjumper.com/attribution
Preview audio:
storyj.mp/abesgwkgi4q
“One’s life is short, but the life of the spirit is long.”
-Sook Nyul Choi
2
3
4
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"New Beginnings"
The story is about a Korean family's struggle during the Japanese occupation and their journey to freedom. It highlights the importance of family love, hope, determination, and the value of freedom.
(28 pages)
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