My mom and I had an abnormally close relationship for today's culture.

I knew everything about

her and she knew everything about me, or so I thought.

"Annyeong-haseyo. (Good morning)" I came down the stairs and greeted my parents for
breakfast with a bow. My dad returned a bow and mumbled a greeting, my mom, who was
working on this morning's tasty creation, shouted a cheerful "Annyeong! (Hello!)" I sat down at
the dining table that was a gorgeous mahogany; the T.V. could be heard from the kitchen area
in the background. My father loved watching the morning news, and some mornings I would
join him. "Jagiya! (Darling) They are talking about the Japanese occupation!" My mom dropped
the spoon she was about to stir the rice with and ran into our living room. I was confused why
this was such a big deal to them, I mean, yes Japan annexed Korea as part of their country for
35 years but that ended a few months ago.

I picked up the spoon from the floor and set it into the sink. Food is my number one
priority, not the news. I looked around the kitchen for a spoon to do the job, but I had no such
luck. I listened while compensating for the lack of utensils in this house only to hear the news
reporter mention some shocking news. "Incoming news reports say North Korean Armies are
crossing the thirty-eighth parallel however the American CIA thinks this is just defensive
measures. I saw my mother through the doorway; she had started freaking out. Her small frame
crumpled to the floor as she repeated, "It's going to happen again," over and over again. My
father kneeled down by her side, and rubbed her back to sooth her. Not much works to calm
her but my dad's soft voice whispering to her that thing's will be just fine. It just always seems to
help.

I saw her take a deep breath, compose herself, and stand up; her fingers brushed
through her short and straight black bangs. Her hands were shaky, her body fidgeted but her
face was straight. It looked like nothing had gotten to her. She told me to go ahead and sit
down. Tension was in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife; my mother started serving
the bibimbap, and everyone was silent. We did not even say grace like we usually would.
Using the chopsticks I moved my food around making it appear like I actually ate, while I worked
up the courage to speak to up and ask about the Japanese occupation. I might as well get
answers to one thing that had me puzzled "Eomma (Mom), what was the huge thing about the
occupation?"

My father gave me a look that screamed, "Shut up, Minhyo!" No matter how silent he
was his look said it all. My mom looked at me with sorrow in her eyes then shifted her gaze to
my dad and whispered to him, " She deserves to know." His look softened and he nodded his
head. "Eomma (Mom), you can tell me anything..." My voice cracked, I was terrified at the least.
What do I not know?
 "Minhyo, you're aware of the horrible acts Japan committed during the annex correct?" I
nodded my head. I knew of some of the things that happened to us, and I knew Japan has
been apologizing for all thirty-five years of colonial rule. Heck, I even know China holds a
grudge with Japan too. "Well there's a truth about the by colonization that we've been trying to
hide from you. All these years Japan would kidnap women for mandatory brothels. These
women were known as comfort women." My mother's voice shaking as she spoke these words.
Neither of my parents could look me the eye. My father was bouncing his knee, it was clear he
was upset and on his last nerve that kept him sane. "W-well" Her voice, stammered I could
sense the fear of judgment, so I reached my hand over the table and held my mother's hand.
She was trembling and I had no idea how to help her. "When I was 16 I was kidnapped from my
home in Busan. I was forced to be a comfort woman and after a few years of it, your father
saved me. He pretended to buy me because he noticed I was pregnant. Apparently this was
something he did often, buying women and setting them free from the government. He took
care of me even after I had you. We ended up getting married and he was happy to treat you
as if you were his own daughter." My grip tightened as I tried grasping this information.

"What about my real father?" "He was a horrible man. I refuse to think of him as
anything but a pig. He bought and sold women like objects, treated them like it too." My mother
looked down and a tear fell from her face as she tightened her grip on my hand; she couldn't
move. It was as if she was paralyzed. "So where do we go from here?..."

Now its mid- , the war has broke out and America has stepped in to help South Korea. I
was on their side, helping them anyway I possibly could. In June they had made a call for sons
and daughters to fight in war. My parents never wanted me to join the war but I take pride in
wanting to fight for my country, I mean I was one of the only seven percent of women who
fought in the Korean war. Everyone feared that North Korea was out for world domination, and
this fear only increased when Major General William F. Dean was captured. It made a huge
impact on my crew. Much less lot of my comrades died from frostbite as well before we even
got to the front lines, I almost fell victim to the cold as well. I've lost a few toes and ended up
with staff infection. The cold was paralyzing, during the nights I had no clue what to do when I
woke in pain, eyes full of tears, body shivering and my muscles refusing to contract.

My parents were worried sick but they didn't even know the half of what I just threw
myself into.