<The Tunnel of Destiny> Astonishing Experiences of a Family from 1870s to the 1960s,
the Most Tragic Moments in Modern Korean History
Twin brothers believe they were born into an inseparable destiny, only to be betrayed by fate. Kim Hyung-cha is conscripted to serve as a student soldier during the Japanese occupation under conditions of severe cruelty, while his older twin, Kim Hyung-tae, who remained in the North after liberation, goes missing in the turbulence of the Korean War. Kim Hyungcha joins the allied forces and advances to the Yalu River with the war, where he miraculously finds his brother’s family and manages to evacuate them to the South.
Beyond stripping Korean contemporary history bare, this book forces an introspective look into the common yet esoteric concept of human
destiny. Through a most peculiar interlacing of events and encounters that confront the family, leading towards an uncanny untangling of ties,
readers will walk the “tunnel of destiny,” where mere coincidences are proven to be indisputable fate.
목차
Foreword _7
Translator’s Preface _11
Author’s Preface _15
1 Hanging the House Nameplate _19
2 A Soldier without a Country _23
3 The Dirge-like Farewell Banner _29
4 Across the Straits Again _33
5 The Black Wooden Barracks _39
6 An Undreamed-of Happenstance _42
7 To the Latrine and Back _45
8 All Punished for a Piece of Bread _48
9 No Time Even to Go to the Latrine _54
10 Inspection of Underpants _58
11 The Encouragement of Love _65
12 The Day My Wife Left Hiroshima _73
13 Boating and Tunneling Practice _77
14 Cadet Officer Training _81
15 The First B-29: The Time at the Engineering Academy _84
16 Fighting to Lose _95
17 Return to My Country and a Week in My Home Town _101
18 A Shame-Faced Visit to the Ancestral Grave _105
19 Father’s Final Instructions _126
20 Faith and Love in Opposition _131
21 “Nan Desuka?” _144
22 Shinto Shrine Worship _147
23 Preparing His Grave _151
24 Things Father Taught _156
25 Life in the Pyongyang Engineer Corps _161
26 Sergeant Arai _164
27 A Farcical Interview _172
28 Liberation, but Apprehension _176
29 Forming Ranks to Return Home _181
30 The World Upside Down _186
31 The Evil Hand Reaches Out _193
32 A South-Bound Coast Runner _198
33 Shoemaker in Freedom _202
34 The Last Day of Hiroshima _205
35 The Wave of the Korean War _266
36 Carried by the Flood _272
37 An Unexpected Trip to Japan _278
38 The First KATUSAs _284
39 Following the Historic Battle _290
40 The Advance to the Yalu _297
41 The Return from the Door of National Unification _305
