


Abuji helps her to see that this would lead to either the imprisonment or the death of Tae-yul. Don’t make a mistake this time.” She wants to tell the Japanese that her brother supports her uncle in the underground resistance in order to stop Tae-yul’s flight, but she seeks her father’s advice before acting. A reference to a special assignment and to the Youth Air Corps leads her to believe that Tae-yul was going to be a kamikaze pilot.

When her family receives a letter from Tae-yul, Sun-hee reads for the deeper meaning. From this misunderstanding, Sun-hee learned to act slowly and to seek the advice of others before acting on her interpretations. He disappears into the underground resistance never to be seen again. When her Japanese friend Tomo tries to give her a warning about an upcoming Japanese request for all household metals like that used by her uncle, she misunderstands and warns Uncle that the Japanese are coming to get him. Her ability to understand unspoken words was not always accurate. The joy felt by Sun-hee and her parents when Korea is set free from Japanese rule is bittersweet. Less than two months after the news of her brother’s death, the war ends. After rigorous training, Tae-yul is chosen to be a Kamikaze pilot. Sun-hee, the guardian of her uncle’s and brother’s secrets, is left behind with her father and mother. The underground Korean resistence grows stronger, supported by protecting Uncle and providing food and clothing for his family. Food, clothing, metal, and young men and women are confiscated in the name of supporting the Emperor. Although Korea never sees any direct fighting, they, too, feel the effects of war. When the Japanese empire spreads its wings too far by bombing Pearl Harbor, World War II begins in the Pacific. Suddenly, Sun-hee and Tae-yul become Keoko and Nobuo. They will be punished if they call anybody by their Korean name. The Japanese have decreed that everybody must take a Japanese name. They are taught Japanese in school, have never seen the Korean flag, and are only allowed to speak Korean in their home. Sun-hee and her older brother Tae-yul, having grown up in occupied Korea, tell their story in alternating chapters.
