[imText1]After finding my mother, I couldn’t help but think of my younger brother back in North Korea. Though my brother had accompanied me to Namyang Jangmadang (market) close to the border, I defected alone. After about a month, I could no longer keep my brother out of my thoughts. Finally, I told my mother and relatives that I would return to North Korea.
My relatives tried to persuade me not to go and my mother without a word, continued to cry. Although she knew the dangers that awaited me, she could not dissuade me because of my brother. In the end, I crossed back to North Korea with 1,000 Yuan in my hand.
I faced many difficulties on my attempts out of North Korea, however having succeeded once, it was much easier going back in. I finally arrived at our home in Hoiryeong without any problems.
My father and brother were at our home. However, the atmosphere felt queer. My father who had lost count of the days asked me skeptically where I had been.
In truth, my father had been well manipulated by the Juche Ideology and the thought of defecting was something which to him was completely deplorable. I couldn’t even tell my father the truth about my mother, that she had in fact defected to China.
My brother had already informed my father that I had defected to China. He had convinced himself that he would correct my ideologies when I returned.
I couldn’t even hide the fact that I had put on weight after eating so well in China. Nonetheless, I denied having ever been to China. However, it was not easy to hide the truth.
“You, son of treason! You son of treason who betrayed your homeland and defected to China” he yelled. That day, my nose was broken. My crime, betraying and running away from the dictator. As I rolled around on the floor, my face full of bruises, I began to detest my father.
I made a decision not to take my brother to China after hearing that he had informed our father of my escape. My brother was a part of my feelings of abhorrence that flooded my mind. My father’s indiscriminate violence naturally made my emotions this way.
I left my home a few days after and began a business with the money I had brought from China. I felt that my father had disowned me and with even greater feelings of animosity I felt determined to live. Although I missed my mother greatly, I still could not get my brother out of my head. I was annoyed at my brother for having tattled on me however it was not easy to leave without him.
After 2 years of trading and living off my earnings, I eventually lost everything and decided to re-cross the Tumen River to China.
I expected my mother to be at the home of my relatives in Yanji but when I arrived she was nowhere to be seen. My young and beautiful mother had been sold into another Chinese family.
My Pretty Mom Was Sold to a Chinese Man
I had returned to China as all my money had been used up in North Korea. However, my mother had disappeared yet again. One of my relatives informed me that my mother had gone to Tianjin to earn money. This was to be expected since I had been absent for 2 years, though I was still rather upset.
Soon, an opportunity arrived for me to speak with my mother. In a telephone conversation, my relative informed my mother that I had returned safely and that it was now time for me to go to my mother’s home. Happily, I agreed.
However, the following words came as a shock to me.
“But, Jaehoon, your mother has remarried.”
“Excuse me?”
Apparently, she had married to a Chinese man. However, I could not fathom nor understand the fact that my young mother was sold into marriage.
On arriving at a hotel in Jilin, I met my stepfather for the first time. I cannot describe the quaint feelings I had at the time. I followed my stepfather unable to hide my dislike for him as he said, “Oh, your son is older..”
From Jilin, we took a train and changed buses on numerous occasions traveling deep, deep into the mountains to a very strange long forgotten village. If she was going to remarry, at least she could have married into a decent family. I wondered why she would even bother being marrying into a place like this. It was miserable.
My Chinese stepfather sitting beside me wearing shabby clothing went to extreme lengths to make me feel comfortable. He offered me food and when I rejected it, he would sit there for a long time smoking a cigarette and then re-offer the food to me. This continued for a while. I did not make him feel upset, but I could tell he was a kind man as he continued to offer me corn to eat. (continues)
