Chapter 2: Freedom?

It was the next morning on Monday the 25th of September in 1930. 'Now that I turned 10 yesterday I have a chance to get a job', I think to myself in my bed. I get out of bed, I get dressed for school, walk downstairs, eat something for breakfast and leave out the front door. No one said anything to anyone, not even a 'have a good day'. That's the usual for my family now that my brother is gone, he always used to set the mood in the morning.

When I get to the front of the school there is a boy that is twice my size,with friends about the same size as him, that is standing next to a big billboard sign that says 'Haggyo Middle School' on it. He stands there figuring out a way to push my buttons. I keep walking and as I walk, half way he stops in front of me, "Hey nerd!" He says giggling with his friends around him. I respond with in a annoyed way "Yes?" , and again in an annoyed way I say "Do you need something from me that you can't get elsewhere?". He stops laughing and with an angry face and tone he replies with "What'd you jus' say tuh me?!" and throws a punch to my stomach with a full fist of anger and I fall to my knees from the pain of the punch that is now mixed with the pain of the bruises from last night. No one knows I'm abused, day in and day out, so I can't blame him for not knowing, although I wished he wouldn't still continues to push me to my limits. To the point where I don't get back up, or when I snap.

Laughing with his friends he says "You know maybe if your stupid bro' were here, you'd be cooler and maybe even get to hang with us, but your nothin' without him!" I stand up to get ready to walk away, 'I don't have time for this.' I think to myself and just before I walk away what comes out of the boys mouth is "I bet you yer brother is as stupid as you, heh heh maybe that's why he died!" He says while laughing with his friends once more. 'I suddenly have time for this.' I think to myself once again. I swing my left arm and punch him I then jumped on him and began to swing my fists at his face. I swung until his white shirt turned red. He fights back and does the same, with my right blue eye now purple due to his punch.

I see Professor Sun-woo Jung-il walking towards us and before I could get away he grabbed both of us. "What is going on here?!" He asks, but before I could say anything the boy blurts out with tears "H-he hit me first Mr. Jung-il!" which is technically true, I did hit him first but he was also at fault for pushing me to, cause nobody talks about my brother that way and gets away with it, no matter who you are. "Seon!" the Professor yells as I jump from the stern aggression in his voice. "Is this true?" he asks, but yet again before I could say anything the boy blurted out again "Of course it is, just look at me! There's hardly any scratches on him!" He turns and has the look of disappointment and anger on his face, my head falls towards my chest in an apologetic way. He points to the boy yet again, "You! Go clean yourself up!" he demands, "And you! You're coming with me!" and in fear of what my punishment is, I walk with him.

We arrive at his office. "This is ridiculous!" he yells. "This is the sixth time in a row Seon! THE SIXTH TIME!! Since after the break." "But…!" I try to say as he cuts me off, "NO! No-no more, okay that's it, that was your last chance this time." he tells me as my head is again down towards my chest wondering what my punishment will be.

Then two people walk in, one with a rope and one with a gun. "It has been confirmed that you are now old enough to be put out to war." he says. In fear I respond with the most natural response "NO!" I yell while trying to escape the grip of the strange men. As they get ready to carry me off and tie my hands behind my back the Professor says " This is the only way to make sure you're free, I'm so sorry Seon." As they carry me off to their vehicle I yelled at the top of my lungs, loud enough to shake all of Japan, "I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!" As we travel down to the registration center I, while having a panic attack, am trying to kick the car door down. They open the tall dented car door, pull me out and escort me to the front desk for registration. "Please-please don't make me!" I plead to them. They knock me out with a sedative. "P-please." I say fragili and weekly as I fall into their arms and am taken away.

A gush of water splashes on me. "Get up maggot!" I hear a stern voice say. I wake up in a room with a guy that's dressed up like a barber, yeah then cuts my hair short enough for it to be qualified in the military, they dress me into new attire of a black shirt, a black pair of pants and black, stone hard boots. They take me towards a big, tall building and open the door, throw me a blanket and pillow and push me inside. I look around at what looks like a cabin room. "Who are you?" a voice asks. I try to find, what sounds like a boy, in pitch black darkness wondering where he is to answer him. While trying to follow the sound of his voice, I stumbled and fell onto something. A light above the ceiling turns on. A boy of dark skin and black hair caught me before I fell.

In embarrassment, and blush, I back off of him. "How did you get here?" he asks, I don't respond. "Not much of a talker, huh?" He says, I nod my head from left to right. He's wearing black clothes just like me, "Well, I can tell you that I'm not a really big fan of bullies, are you a bully?" He asks in a protective way. I nod my head side to side again. "Ok great! It looks like me and you are gonna be great friends." He said with joy. 'Friends?' I thought, 'why would you want to be my friend?' I thought once more. I hear a giggle from a corner of the room, "Ooooh!" I hear a little girl say, "A new one." She says. "Ahh! Can we keep him Estan?! Can we, can we, can we!?" She blurts out. "Hold on I don't know for sure yet." He says. "Leader!" A stern voice yells, "Front and center!" He yells once more. "Yes, sir!" He answers. While they talked, I made sure that I wouldn't be any trouble and took the bottom bunck all the way in the corner of the room. "Yes, sir." I hear him say, he comes back. "Well looks like you're with us." He says smiling. "YAY!" The girls says. "Oh silly me, since we don't have time today I'll introduce you to the family tomorrow, okay?" He says. 'Family?' I thought as I nodded my head up and down.