Read Online Daughters of the Dragon: A Comfort Woman's Story by William Andrews - Free Book Online
Authors: William Andrews
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cooking and laundry duty tomorrow.”
“And one more thing,” Seiko said, poking me in my chest with her finger. “Always remember you are a Korean. Do as we say or you will get a beating just like your friend over there. Now put your things in your room and follow me to the latrine.”
I went inside the room. It was dark and small and stunk like a toilet. Strips of sunlight showed through gaps between the boards in the floors and walls. The door hung loosely on leather hinges. Covering the floor was a small, thin mat. There was a chamber pot in one corner and in the other, a stool.
I placed my sack on the mat. I turned to Seiko. “What kind of work do we do here?”
Seiko scoffed at me. “You are a stupid Korean. You’re an ianfu —a comfort woman. You are here to service the soldiers.”
Ianfu . I had heard the word once before, years earlier when I overheard Mother and Father talking in hushed tones about what had happened to an older girl who lived near us. I wondered what it meant so I asked Soo-hee. She told me to forget I heard the word, but I never did.
Now I was beginning to understand and my stomach turned into a knot. I had never been with a man before. I had never even imagined what it would be like. I thought about what had happened to Sun-hi in the truck only hours earlier. I could still hear her cries and see how she rolled up into a tight ball when the driver threw her back in the truck after he had used her. She hadn’t been the same since. And I knew I would not be the same, either.
I looked beyond the barracks over the brown wheat fields. The distance between the hills was much greater than in the hills outside of Sinuiju. I remembered Lieutenant Tanaka’s words; there is nowhere to run. I glanced at the post in the middle of the courtyard and a shiver of pain went through my legs.
I looked back at Seiko who glared at me. “Thank you, ma’am,” I said with a respectful bow.
*
An hour later, I had washed and even though I wasn’t hungry, I had eaten a small bowl of broth with a few mushy azuki beans. Seiko had given me a green yukata with small, white and pink flowers. She gave me white tabi socks and zori sandals. The yukata was too large for my slender frame and I tripped on the hem while walking back to the courtyard. Lounging on their steps, the Japanese women laughed at me without covering their mouths.
“Look at that poor little chicken,” one of them said. “She will squawk when the officers pluck her.”
The women laughed again, except for Seiko who stared at me and said, “Yes. And the officers will be here soon.”
When I entered the courtyard, the other Korean girls were standing awkwardly in front of their barracks. They were all wearing yukata s and there was terror in their eyes.
Soo-hee, wearing a yellow yukata , was on a step at the end of the barracks. I ran to her. I told her I was scared.
“We all are,” Soo-hee said. She scanned the other girls and told me to follow her.
As the Japanese women and Private Ishida looked on, Soo-hee gathered the girls around her. Then she said in a low voice, “We’re in a terrible place. We have to do what they say, or we will die. But we have each other and we must stay strong.”
“But I do not know what to do!” a younger girl cried.
Soo-hee nodded. “What’s your name?”
“Midori Sato,” she answered.
“No, no. What’s your Korean name?”
“Mee-su,” the girl said.
“I don’t know what to do either, Mee-su,” Soo-hee said. “The doctor said we would be all right if we do what they say. I think we should.”
“But I don’t know how,” Mee-su said.
Soo-hee put a hand on Mee-su’s shoulder. “You have to try. Remember what I said. Be strong.” Mee-su choked back a sob and Soo-hee looked at each of the girls in the eye. “We must be strong. We must help each other.”
We all nodded. Mee-su wiped her eyes and no longer cried. The girls went back to their steps. Sun-hi still
“And one more thing,” Seiko said, poking me in my chest with her finger. “Always remember you are a Korean. Do as we say or you will get a beating just like your friend over there. Now put your things in your room and follow me to the latrine.”
I went inside the room. It was dark and small and stunk like a toilet. Strips of sunlight showed through gaps between the boards in the floors and walls. The door hung loosely on leather hinges. Covering the floor was a small, thin mat. There was a chamber pot in one corner and in the other, a stool.
I placed my sack on the mat. I turned to Seiko. “What kind of work do we do here?”
Seiko scoffed at me. “You are a stupid Korean. You’re an ianfu —a comfort woman. You are here to service the soldiers.”
Ianfu . I had heard the word once before, years earlier when I overheard Mother and Father talking in hushed tones about what had happened to an older girl who lived near us. I wondered what it meant so I asked Soo-hee. She told me to forget I heard the word, but I never did.
Now I was beginning to understand and my stomach turned into a knot. I had never been with a man before. I had never even imagined what it would be like. I thought about what had happened to Sun-hi in the truck only hours earlier. I could still hear her cries and see how she rolled up into a tight ball when the driver threw her back in the truck after he had used her. She hadn’t been the same since. And I knew I would not be the same, either.
I looked beyond the barracks over the brown wheat fields. The distance between the hills was much greater than in the hills outside of Sinuiju. I remembered Lieutenant Tanaka’s words; there is nowhere to run. I glanced at the post in the middle of the courtyard and a shiver of pain went through my legs.
I looked back at Seiko who glared at me. “Thank you, ma’am,” I said with a respectful bow.
*
An hour later, I had washed and even though I wasn’t hungry, I had eaten a small bowl of broth with a few mushy azuki beans. Seiko had given me a green yukata with small, white and pink flowers. She gave me white tabi socks and zori sandals. The yukata was too large for my slender frame and I tripped on the hem while walking back to the courtyard. Lounging on their steps, the Japanese women laughed at me without covering their mouths.
“Look at that poor little chicken,” one of them said. “She will squawk when the officers pluck her.”
The women laughed again, except for Seiko who stared at me and said, “Yes. And the officers will be here soon.”
When I entered the courtyard, the other Korean girls were standing awkwardly in front of their barracks. They were all wearing yukata s and there was terror in their eyes.
Soo-hee, wearing a yellow yukata , was on a step at the end of the barracks. I ran to her. I told her I was scared.
“We all are,” Soo-hee said. She scanned the other girls and told me to follow her.
As the Japanese women and Private Ishida looked on, Soo-hee gathered the girls around her. Then she said in a low voice, “We’re in a terrible place. We have to do what they say, or we will die. But we have each other and we must stay strong.”
“But I do not know what to do!” a younger girl cried.
Soo-hee nodded. “What’s your name?”
“Midori Sato,” she answered.
“No, no. What’s your Korean name?”
“Mee-su,” the girl said.
“I don’t know what to do either, Mee-su,” Soo-hee said. “The doctor said we would be all right if we do what they say. I think we should.”
“But I don’t know how,” Mee-su said.
Soo-hee put a hand on Mee-su’s shoulder. “You have to try. Remember what I said. Be strong.” Mee-su choked back a sob and Soo-hee looked at each of the girls in the eye. “We must be strong. We must help each other.”
We all nodded. Mee-su wiped her eyes and no longer cried. The girls went back to their steps. Sun-hi still
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