The boat leaves the dock in the evening, the sun still having quite a way to go before it reaches the horizon. They will apparently travel overnight. Ha-neul guesses it's probably the best time to sneak past any naval patrols. At first she wonders how they will make it through, but then decides to finally take a rest from worrying to savor her newfound joy, secure in the knowledge that her sister and her friend are with her on this exciting journey. Instead, she plays with Hye-jin's hair as they sit at a table next to the wall of the inner cabin of the boat, giving Hye-jin an occasional kiss on the cheek to bring out a laugh and a smile in her little sister. Yeong-su sits at the top of the stairs leading to the deck above. He seems to be looking up at the sky this time.
The fishing boat is metal and doesn't look too shabby. It is painted white and has a spacious cabin below deck with a storage area in the back to store the fish. Above deck is a sizable indoor area where the old man pilots the boat. Two other fishermen who joined them before they left the dock busy themselves on the deck towards the back of the boat, managing the large net hanging from a long boom sticking out at a 45 degree angle to complete the fishing boat look. These two others appear to know exactly what is going on, as they don't even question the presence of three young passengers tagging along.
Ha-neul grows tired and quickly joins Hye-jin in deep sleep. Hye-jin is lying on her side across the bench next to the table under a lightbulb. Yeong-su sees her and climbs down the stairs. He finds a blanket and spreads it over Hye-jin. He looks to his left and sees Ha-neul in the corner, lying with her head on the table resting on her arm, drooling. Yeong-su chuckles at her, amused. He grabs another blanket and drapes it over Ha-neul. He returns to the top of the stairs and sits down to watch the sunset.
Just then the old man sees Yeong-su and asks him in Chinese, "Are they asleep?"
"Yes," Yeong-su replies without looking at him.
"Good," the old man replies. "Just be ready to stuff them in with the fish if we run into a patrol."
"Yes," Yeong-su replies, sighing and watching the last rays of the sun disappear from the sky. "What day is tomorrow," he adds.
"Monday," the old man replies.
The evening passes when Ha-neul awakes from her sleep an hour or so after midnight. She is a bit cold. She realizes she is wrapped in a blanket. She looks and sees Yeong-su is still sitting at the top of the stairs. It is dark, with a single lightbulb revealing his face, but he looks out as if he can see through the darkness. Ha-neul gets up from the table and looks for another blanket in a cabinet before walking up the stairs to Yeong-su. She hands him the blanket.
Yeong-su takes it without looking, but says, "Thank you."
"Did we make it?" Ha-neul asks, half-asleep still, looking out into the darkness. She isn't sure what Yeong-su is looking at.
"Yes," Yeong-su says. "We're past the patrols. We'll be transferring boats, maybe in another couple hours. They'll have food on the next boat - you can eat then. Go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when it's time."
"Okay," Ha-neul replies. She returns back down the stairs to the inner cabin and sits back at the table with Hye-jin. She tries to go to sleep but cannot. She then reaches for the crucifix of the rosary she has around her neck. With the danger now behind them, she finally has the time to process their harrowing experience. She looks back up at Yeong-su and regrets not thanking him for the blanket. She suddenly recalls the moment they first met and how pitiful he looked, his body bruised, his face bloodied, and how much things have changed since then, how handsome and tranquil he looks sitting at the top of the stairs surveying the darkness. She is suddenly curious as to why he endured those beatings, and why he didn't just reveal what he knew to save himself. It then occurs to Ha-neul, maybe he wanted to stay with her? She cringes at the thought, but finds it oddly satisfying. Unable to sleep again, she quietly sits at the table and watches Yeong-su gazing out to sea.
It seems like no time at all when Yeong-su gives Ha-neul the signal. Ha-neul tries to wake up Hye-jin, but she is asleep like a rock and just won't get up. So instead she carries Hye-jin in her arms, tucking the now dangling rosary around Hye-jin's neck back into Hye-jin's blouse, as she follows Yeong-su above deck. The sea is calm, and they are able to transfer over to a South Korean boat without any trouble. They find bunk beds below deck. Ha-neul lays a half-awake Hye-jin down and tucks her in, telling her to go back to sleep. She follows Yeong-su to the top deck where they sit at a table with food set upon it. It is a pot of steaming hot ramyeon.
Yeong-su pours her soup into a plastic bowl and hands her some chopsticks. Ha-neul blushes for a moment, before quickly eating the noodles to hide her face.
"You're not hungry?" Ha-neul asks, with cheeks full of noodles, her face buried in the bowl.
"I'm fine," Yeong-su says, his head turned off to the side again.
Just then Ha-neul puts down her bowl and scoops some soup for Yeong-su. She grabs a pair of chopsticks and places them on the bowl in front of him.
Yeong-su looks down at the bowl on the table for a moment, before grabbing the chopsticks and saying, "Thank you" to Ha-neul as he starts to eat some noodles himself.
They sit there together quietly eating their noodles, preferring not to make a sound as it still feels a bit awkward between them.
They both finish their late night meal and push the empty bowls to the center of the table when Yeong-su says, "In about eight more hours, we'll finally be in the South."
Curious, Ha-neul asks, "Have you been to the South before?"
"I have," Yeong-su says.
"Oh? And you didn't want to stay?" Ha-neul asks.
Yeong-su tilts his head to the ground before answering, "Eh, it's nothing special."
"Nothing special?" Ha-neul asks, surprised. "Why, you were homesick?"
Yeong-su laughs momentarily.
"Hey," Ha-neul says, "It was a serious question. I sometimes feel homesick these days myself."
"I didn't have much of a home to go back to," Yeong-su replies.
Ha-neul is a beautiful, kindhearted sixteen-year-old teenager living in North Korea with her rambunctious sister and her loving parents. Threatened by an ambitious school administrator, they are forced to flee the country and search for happiness elsewhere.
Once out of North Korea, they meet Yeong-su, a mysterious teenager whom Ha-neul is immediately attracted to. Together they look for a way to sneak into South Korea and a better life. Will they survive? Will freedom automatically bring happiness? Can you really escape from your past life, or will it catch up to you in the end? Ha-neul seeks to answer these questions as she starts her second life.
This novel has a more serious tone and is not too long, about 78k words, with a lot of life lessons poured into it and a redemptive ending. May it help those who feel discouraged.
NOTE: This is for mature audiences only and deals with mental health issues, please be aware of the warnings from Tapas before reading.
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