Near Death

Everywhere Hak looked he saw remnants of his childhood: the smooth yellow dirt of the yard that was often laid with tables of crimson jerky, slowly dehydrating in the sun; the leafy green trees on the left of the house budded with young chestnuts— every fall they would be ripe and be amassed into a giant, pointy pile— he had tripped into it when he was five, and spent a tearful afternoon of pulling prickles. 

It was more than his childhood; however, the ancestral house also bore the upbringings of many of his predecessors. Its long standing history coupled with its location in the South made him feel quite secure here. He had heard the Northerners had invaded the South, but they hadn’t quite reached the capital yet, and even if they did, they would surely get wiped by the Southern forces. However, there was still a lingering uneasiness in the back of his mind, as his dad had decided to escort his great grandfather all the way to Busan. 

As the western side of the house began to bask in afternoon glow, Hak heard a faint rustling of leaves in the distance. He chalked it up to nothing more than a rabbit. But the rabbit’s gait soon became the thunderous footsteps of an enraged bull, kicking up yellow dust. Hak’s heart started to race. The flick of the rabbit’s tail became the glint of a tiger’s eye, stalking its prey. The glistening grew closer, sharper—until Hak found himself staring down the unblinking eye of a rifle barrel. 

“Where is he?!” a rough voice shouted in a northern dialect. The voices began to blend and slur in Hak’s head.

“He has fled to Busan, I swear!” His mom was speaking. His heartbeat pulsed and pounded all throughout his body.

“Tell me the truth. I know he’s hiding here! Get him to us, or you all die.” Not daring to turn his head, he could see barrels pointing to his mom in his periphery. 

“I’m going to go search the place.” Hak felt worn ropes tighten around his body. 

The land began to take on a red hue. The soldiers appeared. 

“Untie them. What a waste of time. He better be in Busan.” And with that, they marched off.  

______________________________________________________________________________

2 months later…

The U.N. forces managed to thwart their victory by a whisker. Now the soldier and the rest of his company were on the defensive, running back up North. As they passed through Gwangju, they came across a house with a bountiful chestnut tree, countless golden brown shells among the glowing orange leaves. The soldier, along with some subordinates, were instructed to take a small detour there that night. They were to kill everyone inside. 

The soldier, along with his subordinates, approached as darkness set over the village. The soldier lit a cigarette. By the soft red glow, he spotted some townspeople warily watching. He surveyed their locations, and then looked to the target house in the distance. They could make it there in time. He sat on the nearest porch and held down his cigarette. 

“We’re not here for you,” he spoke in a low voice, but made sure the townspeople could hear him. “Try not to be startled if you hear gunshots from that house over there.” As he stood up, the corner of his eye caught a townswoman slipping away, darting towards the house. The soldier continued to walk forward, maintaining a leisurely pace. 

Hak was outside, smoking, when his mom hurried out with frantic eyes.

“The townspeople saw the Northern men coming to kill us. They’re close. We have to hurry, let's go.” She spoke in a hushed but intense voice. Hak wasted no time. He grabbed what he could, and his family quickly rushed into the foliage, running as far into the forest and away from the house as possible. A couple minutes had passed when they heard gunshots behind them.

The soldier had finally arrived at the house, only to find nobody inside. 

“Looks like they got away.”

The plan had worked.

“Just shoot a couple bullets in case our superior’s around. Don’t want him thinking we failed.”

The soldier watched as his subordinates shot a couple bullets. He then ordered them to march back down, satisfied.