All In 걸어

We always seemed to get into trouble, so it seems. I am starting to get tired from all the running that the hyungs* make me do, especially on a Friday night. My shoes have holes in their soles, and my father hasn’t been able to make enough money for a new pair. The rain always goes straight through them, and my feet are always damp and cold. It doesn’t matter though, they’re my brothers, and I would do anything for them.
Currently, we are in the occupied Deagu* region in Southeastern Korea, it is the year 1957. Once again, we find ourselves amidst a war, as it used to be when we were occupied by the Japanese. However, this time, it is us fighting ourselves, brother killing brother, friend killing friend, and there seems to be no end to the fighting. The government turned on us, you see, and the poorest are the ones that always get the end of the short stick. We are the ones who have to suffer during the fight between the state and its people, but we don’t know how bad the suffering gets. Not yet anyway.
“Kookang*! Hurry up, or they’ll see us!”
I look up. Kihyun Hyung’s gaze meets mine and I see a glimpse of an amused flash in his eyes. I speed up and turn a sharp corner between the walls of a merchant’s house and the school we rarely ever attend, to a courtyard and slide down the long-dried up well, where I am met with the thump of my feet hitting the ground. I can still hear the soldiers’ boots on the gravel, so I hide deep in the shadows, panting, and my heart close to ripping out of my chest.
“They’re not here.”
“Keep looking, they must be here somewhere.”
The seconds slowed down to what seemed like an eternity. I heard their footsteps disappearing and I turned to look at Wonho Hyung.
“Move it,” Shownu Hyung whispers and urges everyone one by one to slide into a tight tunnel that we dug in between the bricks of the well. It’s shallow enough for us to be able to jump down, but not enough for us to climb back out. We constructed it for months, and it led to Jooheon’s basement in his house, right behind the school. We could meet in peace there, without being seen by soldiers. We crawl, knees hurting from bone hitting against the bedrock, and slowly make our way to our hide out.
“Damn, that was close,” Hyungwon Hyung sighs and starts to laugh a little. “If you were any slower, Kookang, we would get a lashing for sure.”
“I told you to stop calling me that, Hyung! How many times have I said that I want to be caled I.M.? I.M.!”
“Yeah, but Kookang suits you better,” Jooheon Hyung jumps from the tunnel onto the clay floor and smiles that stupid gummy grin. He extends his hand to help me jump down, and I take it unwillingly.
“Whatever.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, Jooheon Hyung.”
Shownu Hyung already started making a fire in the pit, right underneath Jooheon Hyung’s kitchen. We are all hungry from a day of running, and I cannot wait to eat my first bowl of fish soup. It is only a small slice of fish fillet with two or three potatoes boiled and some broth, so we have to take it in turns, who gets the fish, and who gets the bread and potatoes.
“Wonho Hyung,” Minhyuk Hyung passes him a bowl and some chopsticks. “It’s your turn to eat fish today. Shownu Hyung, have you eaten today?”
“No, Minhyuk,” he shakes his head and stirs the food in the cauldron. “Give it to Jooheon, he seems underfed and looks like he’s about to pass out.”
He’s right, Jooheon Hyung looked pale and almost green. He takes the bowl from Shownu Hyung and places himself on the floor around the fire, next to Wonho Hyung. Kihyun Hyung drapes a blanket around Jooheon, albeit being full of holes, seems to warm him up along with the soup. Everyone got a bowl, and the bread is evenly shared around the ones that do not have a piece of fish. Jooheon and I both bow our heads over the food and murmur prayers of thanks and gratitude, and join the rest of our brothers in slurping and eating.
The soup isn’t bad, there’s just not enough of it. Generally speaking, we rarely get to eat. Period. The occupation made the Deagu region even poorer than before, all thanks to the Nationalist Worker’s Party*, so it’s so much more difficult to get our hands on something other than fish and potatoes.
“Kihyun Hyung,” Hyungwon Hyung stops for a second and sets his chopsticks down on the rattling wooden table, furrowing his brow. “What was the point of all of that?”
“To fill your stomach, idiot,” Wonho Hyung slaps him on the back of the head and returns to slurping. He pauses. “Would you rather go hungry?”
“If it meant that the old man had something to eat,” Hyungwon Hyung stares off into the flames. “I feel bad that we steal from them almost every week.”
“The ahjusshi* need less strength than us,” Jooheon Hyung slams his fist on the table. We can only hear the crackling of the fireplace and a burst pipe dripping in the bathroom upstairs. “How else are we meant to survive and fight if we do not have strength?”
“Strength won’t help us if we don’t have the numbers,” I whisper, and slowly turn my gaze to Jooheon Hyung. He always had a fiery temperament, that’s true. But it only escalated recently, when he and Minhyuk Hyung were taken to the town square last July and publicly lashed by the Hanja* troops. Mihyuk Hyung, in particular, was badly injured, leaving him unable to study for almost two weeks. It’s August now, and Jooheon Hyung’s temper has not calmed down since. I can see his response forming on his lips, ready to jump at me and start an argument, but he is stopped by Kihyun Hyung.
“No need to argue, guys. We’re all tired and hungry, and we should probably rest here for tonight. We can’t let Hanja find us, not tonight anyway. They might find some other poor soul to torment, and they’ll forget about us.”
“Yeah, you’re right, Hyung,” Jooheon Hyung drinks the rest of the soup from the bowl and looks over towards me, smiling and his deep dimples form on his round cheeks. “Stay here for tonight, I’m sure eomma* won’t mind.”
He stands up slowly and passes the blanket to me, and I take it as a sign of peace. Soon enough, we’re all lying on the ground with nothing but our coats and blankets separating us from the floor. Thankfully it’s still warm, but I soon find myself scooting closer and closer to the dying embers of the fire. I see Shownu Hyung’s eyes from underneath his thick black hair looking at me, and his cheeks rise up in what I recognise a faint smile. Soon enough, we all fall asleep one by one, huddled next to each other like birds in a nest swayed by the cold autumn wind. Kihyun Hyung and Hyungwon Hyung, as always, lie underneath the same thin blanket, shivering and almost holding hands as they sleep.

Notes

* All of the meanings of foreign words will be written at the bottom of each chapter

1. Hyung - a title to address a male older than yourself, used only by males. Each chapter is written from a different perspective, so the use of this word will change accordingly.
2. Daegu - the poorest region of Korea today. This might have not been accurate in the 50s.
3. Kookang - I.M.'s nickname given to him by Wonho. Literally means 'puppy'.
4. I don't know if this party exists, I have made up the history of the story, so take the backstory with a pinch of salt.
5. Ahjusshi - older man, usually a father in his middle ages. Honorific for a stranger.
6. Hanja - 'army' in Korean.
7. Eomma - 'mamma' in Korean.