In the Shadow of Gyeongseong: Part I

Chapter 17: Horrors in the Cabin

The jeep rattled along a narrow path, flanked on both sides by towering trees whose branches intertwined like tangled veins above them.
The road was rough, the sky dim, and the silence inside the vehicle was far more deafening than the engine's grumble.

Hye-won sat at the far left of the backseat, Ye-rin beside her, then Joon-seok, and at the far right end-Major Han Byung-chul, silent and unflinching.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"여보..."
("Honey...") her voice cracked.

"우릴 어디로 데려가려는 거예요? 만주라더니... 왜 점점 멀어지는 것 같죠?"
("Where are you really taking us? You said Manchuria-so why does it feel like we're going farther away?")

Byung-chul didn't blink.

"우린 붉은 군대에 합류할 거다."
("We're joining the Red Army,") he said flatly.

The words hit like gunfire.
Joon-seok, Ye-rin, and Hye-won all turned to him-shock and disbelief painted across their faces.

"소련의 군사 부대다... 조선 사람들도 포함돼 있다. 그들의 목표는 일본 제국과 싸워, 우리 나라를 되찾는 거지."
("They're a Soviet military unit... with Joseon people among their ranks. Their goal is to fight the Japanese Empire-and win back our country.")

Tears welled in Hye-won's eyes.

"그런데 왜 아이들까지 끌어들여요?!"
("And you brought your children into this?!") she cried.

"정말 이 전쟁 속에 애들까지 넣겠다는 거예요?!"
("Do you want them to be part of this madness too?!")

Byung-chul smirked slightly.

"그래. 준석이랑 나는 일본놈들과 싸울 거다... 예린이는..."
("That's right. Joon-seok and I will fight the Japanese... and Ye-rin...")

He looked at his daughter.

"소련군하고 결혼하지. 가능하면 장군의 아들과."
("She can marry a Soviet. Preferably the son of a general.")

"안 돼!!!"
("No!!!") Hye-won screamed. She turned to the driver.

"운전사 아저씨, 차 세워요! 당장 내려요!"
("Stop this car! Let us out now!")

The driver glanced into the rearview mirror, unsure-his eyes flickering between the mother's panic and the cold face of her husband, seated at the far end of the bench.

Byung-chul's voice sliced through the tension.

"계속 운전해."
("Keep driving.")

Then, to his wife-

"내리고 싶으면 너 혼자 내려. 하지만 내 자식들은 데리고 가지 마."
("If you want to get out, do it alone.
But you're not taking my children with you.")

Hye-won broke.

She lowered her head, sobbing uncontrollably as she pulled Ye-rin into a trembling embrace.
Ye-rin cried too, silent and shaken.

Joon-seok sat still-helpless.
He watched his mother and sister break down, unable to do anything but swallow the growing pit in his throat. The jeep kept moving. Deeper into the unknown.

And somewhere far from the forest, beneath the gray morning sky of Gyeongseong...

Inside the Seo residence, the silence was heavy.

Captain Seo Jin-woo sat hunched on the living room sofa, his elbows braced on his knees, both hands clutching his head as if to keep his thoughts from spiraling apart. His eyes were shut tight. His breath slow but ragged.