Echoes of the White Giraffe Read Online Free PDF Page A

family? Mine is very small, just my
oppa
and me and my parents.”
    â€œI used to have a large family in Seoul, but not here. At least not for now.”
    â€œWhat do you mean not for now? Are they coming later?”
    â€œI don’t know. I hope they will. During the bombing, we got separated. We weren’t able to find my father and my three brothers. Maybe they’ve joined the army and are fighting for us at the front. I don’t know.” My face flushed, and my head started to pound. “I might see them soon, or I might never see them,” I blurted out to stop the tremble in my voice. I didn’t want to talk about myself or my family or the war. Afraid of crying in front of Haerin, I started walking even more quickly toward the mountain.
    â€œYou two are in such a hurry,” called a low, soothing voice from behind us. “Slow down, let me catch up.” I wondered if Junho had asked his sister to detain me.
    Smiling, he walked toward us. I stood and watched him as he brushed his thick, dark hair away from his face. He was average height, but very well built, with fine square shoulders and a graceful stride. He had a broad forehead, a strong nose, round dark eyes, and a gentle smile. His ears were like those of the Buddha, with long, full earlobes. I knew Mother would take one look at his face and declare him a handsome young man with a kind heart. I clutched my shoebag even more tightly and twirled it nervously.
    He stood between Haerin and me, and smiling, he said, “Now, we can walk together.”
    We walked in silence. I couldn’t think of a thing to say. All too soon, we stood in front of their brick wall. For no reason at all, my heart throbbed and my shoulders ached. I jiggled my shoulders and coughed, wishing to be free of this strange discomfort. Junho quietly watched me and smiled. Embarrassed, I wanted to run away, but I stood there, trying to pretend everything was perfectly normal.
    He looked up at the mountain that rose before us, and asked, “Sookan, where is your house?”
    â€œWell, you can’t really see it from here, but it’s way up at the very top,” I answered awkwardly.
    With his head cocked back, he squinted inquisitively into the sunlight. As I watched his earnest expression, I suddenly wanted to tell him everything about my life up on the mountain. Before I could even think, I heard myself saying, “I can see the whole city of Pusan from my little front yard. Oh, look over there! Do you see the other mountain peak? That is where my shouting poet lives. Every morning he shouts good morning to all of us on the mountain. He is like our alarm clock. In the beginning, people yelled back at him to be quiet, but now everyone is used to it. No one seems to mind anymore, and I love it! What I like best is watching the moon from up there, especially the pale half moon that looks as if someone just sliced it perfectly into two. It’s so beautiful, and up on top of the mountain I feel close to the moon, as if I could almost touch it.”
    I rambled on so quickly that I barely gave myself time to breathe. All my senses were numbed, and I felt as if I had no control over my own tongue. Junho laughed heartily and stared up at the mountain. I flushed with embarrassment, and my face quickly turned the color of ripe raspberries.
    When he saw me, he said soothingly, “Oh, please, I think it is wonderful that you’re so enthralled with life on the mountain. It must be lovely there where the air is so fresh and clean.”
    I looked up at the humble shacks cluttering the mountain and felt worse. Staring down at my feet, I twisted the string of my shoebag until it was so tight that my fingers turned blue.
    Taking one step closer to me, Junho then said, “You know, Sookan, my sister and I have never been anywhere but Pusan. You have been through so much, and you now know so much more than we ever could. You must feel rich and