Written by Lyninx and Indigo( My cousin) Prologue When two teenagers, one from South Korea and one from North Korea, see each other across the border, it is love at first sight. But they cannot cross it. It is illegal. Everything about their love is illegal. A single glance becomes a memory and a memory becomes a promise. Will Haesu and Byeori find a way to make it work, or will they remain on opposite sides forever? Chapter One-Across The Border When Danbee-ssaem announced that the class was going to be taking a trip to visit the North Korean border, Haesu didn’t know what to think. She knew from social studies that South Korea and North Korea were still technically at war, only a ceasefire had been signed in 1953, not a peace treaty. The country was divided by a line that most people treated like history, but not like something real. Even though it very much was. Still, the word border felt way heavier than anything the textbooks said. Around Haesu, the classroom buzzed with energy and excitement. Chairs scraped against the floor as people got up to talk to their friends. “Are we really going that close?” “Do you think we will see anything interesting?” “Is it dangerous?” Only she stayed seated. Hands resting on her desk as she ran her fingers over the pages of her book. She wasn't reading anymore, she just stared at the chalk board where Danbee-ssaem was explaining the schedule or the trip. Something about buses, permission slips and strict rules about where students could and couldn’t go. Haesu listened but the words seemed to go through one ear and out the other. “Haesu,” Danbee-ssaem said gently. “Make sure you bring your permission form tomorrow.” She blinked, startled and then quickly nodded. “ne, algessseubnida.” Her voice was much softer than she had expected it to be. The bell rang not long after, cutting through the noise and chatter of the classroom. Chairs got pushed back and conversations broke out among students as they packed their bags. Haes moved slowly, slipping her notebook of Korean mathematics into her backpack. As she stood she glanced out the window where the South Korea flag flew. The sky was a pale, baby blue with wisps of cloud here and there, she squinted against the bright sun. But someone far beyond the city, beyond the roads and buildings and classrooms, there was a border that separated lives she would normally never think about. A border she was about to stand near. Lunch came quickly and it was much louder than normal. Her friends, Ga-eul and Noeul talked over each other, animated and restless. “I heard there are guard towers” Noeul said sitting down and unpacking her lunch “My brother said you can see the North side if you stand in the right place.” Ga-eul said, unpacking her japchae and mandu. “No way, really?” Noeul said, one of her eye brows shooting up. “Jeongmal.” Ga-eul confirmed handing Noeul and Haesu mandu. “Try one, my eomma made them last night.” Haesu took it and took a bite. It was good. She ate the mandu slowly and picked at her own food, without much appetite. The idea of seeing the other side didn’t seem exciting to her. It felt kind of sad knowing the North Koreans couldn’t leave without government authorization. It also felt like looking too closely at something you were never meant to understand. “You're not excited?” Noeul asked suddenly, having noticed Haesu’s actions. Haseu hesitated before admitting “I don’t know.” That seemed to catch both Ga-eul and Noeul off guard. Both of them shared looks. “It’s just a trip,” another student who had overheard from another table spoke up. “It will be interesting.” Interesting wasn’t exactly the word Haesu would have chosen. That night at home, she sat by her desk long after finishing her homework. The room was quiet except for the faint sound of cars outside and her parents watching TV downstairs. She opened her social studies textbook once more. The page showed a map of the Korean peninsula, two colors split sharply down the middle, not exactly even, but somewhat close. North. South. a division so simple yet so… harsh. (Will Continue in a new project, link in comments)
Indigo Lyninx
