Our especially distant spring

01. A Story Only I Don't Know

In 1905, the Eulsa Treaty was signed, and the Korean Empire gradually began to fall into Japan's grasp.
Five years later, in 1910, the Korean Empire... no, this country Joseon was officially stripped of its country...


Eighteen years after that, I was born. Back then, it only got worse: were you on Japan's side, or did you try to protect your homeland? It was split into just two paths. Those who were pro-Japanese lived in wealth, while the common people suffered and lived under oppression. The independence activists, of course, were no exception..

In that situation, I grew up very wealthy.
Because my grandparents were what people commonly called pro-Japanese collaborators. Naturally, I never gave that fact much thought. I grew up happier than anyone else, in a huge mansion, able to command the servants.

And it didn't take long for my life to turn 180 degrees.

I'll slowly unravel that story.

1940, Hanseong


-Mother!!
The heroine's mother: Shh. We have guests.
-Ah,.. yes..!
The heroine's mother: And I have something to tell you.
-..? What is it?
The heroine's mother: From now on, I plan to send you to school.
-School.. you mean?
The heroine's mother: Yes. I discussed it with your father. From now on you'll be attending school with Japanese children, so more than anyone else, you must act proudly as an outstanding subject of Joseon... no, of the Japanese Empire.
-Yes..!

The day I went to school for the first time, I went wearing the beautiful kimono my mother had given me. It was a little uncomfortable for someone like me, who always wore hanbok, but I was just happy to look the same as the other students. Until I saw that girl..

???:.....
-H, hi..! Seeing you in hanbok, I thought you might be a Korean..
???:Don't talk to me. (coldly)
-Ah, okay...
???:So you're the child of a pro-Japanese collaborator?
-Huh? Pro... Japanese..? What does tha
???:Enough.

Just as I was about to ask more because I was curious about that girl, the other female students came up to me and, in a sweet tone, said we should go somewhere else. When I refused, they provoked me, saying whether I wanted to stay with a filthy Korean.

Classmates: Hey, Yamamoto Fumiko! Let's go somewhere else!
-Uh..? Oh, wait, I was talking.. hehe
Classmates: Ahㅋ, talking with that filthy Korean? Right~ you're Korean too, aren't you? I almost forgot.
-Why are you talking like that?
Classmates: If you don't want to be treated the same as that kind of girl, think carefully~ Do you want to stay with her?
-..Who is she.. Judging by her clothes.. she doesn't look like a girl who should be attending this school..

I was flustered, but I followed them as my mother had told me.

The school I attended was fairly large, and most of the students were children of Japanese people or children of pro-Japanese collaborators. Of course there were many Koreans too, but usually the classes were separated. So who was that girl, really..?

Before long, I had gotten used to wearing a kimono and living the Japanese way, and it was comfortable. Sometimes I was looked down on just for being Korean, but for the most part people seemed to treat me well. So I was doing fairly well..

???: Hey,
-Y, yes..?
???: Do you think what you're doing is right?
-What are you talking about all of a sudden?
???: Noㅋ I hope you keep living like that and go down in history as a traitor to your homeland.

That girl, who had been picking on me from the very first day I came to this school, suddenly came over and hurled nothing but curses at me before leaving. I thought I'd at least give her a piece of my mind the next day..
Even the next day, and the day after that.. the girl didn't come. No one seemed curious about her, and if I asked about her whereabouts, I got harshly scolded instead.

-Even if I ask the teacher, they act like they don't know.. Will she come if I wait..?

And I thought carefully about what that girl had said. A traitor to my homeland in history... What on earth was she trying to say? I just couldn't understand it at all.

-Ah, I don't even know that girl's name.. If I meet her again, I should ask...
-So, a traitor to my homeland..? Why would she say that to me? Should I ask my older brother..?

(Home)

-Brother!!
The heroine's brother: Oh, Fumiko!
-I have something I want to ask you
The heroine's brother: What is it?
-A girl in my class called me a traitor to my homeland
The heroine's brother: And? Don't pay it any mindㅎ
-..No.. I just wondered why she said that to me.. But my name is Kim Yeoju, so why does everyone call me Fumiko?
The heroine's brother: Yeoju. Go inside and rest a bit. I have something I need to go out for too.
-Ah.. yes..

Even my brother, whom I trusted, didn't tell me. A pro-Japanese collaborator? Our family? Was there some story I was the only one who didn't know? No.. impossible, I'm the daughter of this house, there's no way I wouldn't know..
Yeah, like my brother said, let's not worry about it.. hahaha...