Book Bearers: A Novel

By K. C. Dell

Book Bearers is a story of Yena, a girl at an international school in Paris, and Mujin, a boy monk in old Korea. When she was young, Yena came to Paris with her parents and grew up there. She happened to meet Madam Luna, who was working in the National Museum of France. Madam Luna helped Yena know about old Korean culture and legacy, particularly about Jikji, old Buddhist scriptures printed in old Korea. The scriptures were made by Buddhist monks of the Heungdeok Temple in the fourteenth century to promote the peace of the old country and her people. One of them is young Mujin, an assistant in the making of the scriptures at the temple. What he noticed in the process is well depicted in the novel. He came to save the scriptures from the temple on fire and hand down the books to descendants so he can be claimed as a book bearer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984545039

K. C. Dell

K. C. Dell is our project team name, which stands for the Department of English Language and Literature at Chung-Ang University (CAU) in Korea. This project was started with the support of the department. As a professor of English literature, Jae-uk Choo is the executive director of this project. Yumi Han has graduated from CAU, and she is a master's student of business at Seoul National University. Kyu Jeoung Lee is a doctoral student of English literature at Oklahoma State University after completing her MA at CAU. Ji-won Lee graduated with a degree in English language and literature at CAU, and now she works at GS Retail. Jihyun Choi has graduated from CAU and now works as an English teacher. Seung-Eun Chung has taken a short break in English literature at CAU, and she is recently a marketing intern.

Book preview

Book Bearers

A Novel

K. C. Dell

Copyright © 2018 by K. C. Dell.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2018909136

ISBN:                      Hardcover                978-1-9845-4505-3

                                 Softcover                  978-1-9845-4504-6

                                eBook                         978-1-9845-4503-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/15/2018

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Author’s Note

Chapter 1

Yena, why are you so stubborn! Her mother’s loud voice echoed in the house early in the morning. She looked quite tired of having trivial conflicts with Yena.

I don’t care whether you go to school or not. With these last words, her mother turned back abruptly and went into her own bedroom.

For a while, Yena sat on the couch with her hands tightly hugging her knees. Yena’s father followed her mother into the room, but he came out shortly. He walked toward Yena and started speaking to her with a gentle voice.

Yena, is there anything you’d like to eat? I will get it on my way back home.

Yena turned her face away from him and didn’t reply. He stroked Yena’s hair, saying, I’m leaving, Yena. Then he patted her head and left.

Yena, still sitting on the couch, didn’t reply, just like before. Shirley—probably Yena’s only friend for now—jumped onto the couch and rubbed her furry face on Yena’s legs. Yena picked up Shirley and cuddled her cat in her arms.

My little kitty, you are the only one who comforts me. Do you know why I don’t want to go to school?

The cat purred, as if she knew what was going on.

Because it’s no fun. All my classmates at school, they are, well, different. They are just too different, Shirley. Yena recalled the moment when she met her new friends the other day. The school building was tall and narrow, with the words Paris International School stamped above the entrance. Her teacher seemed like a nice person, but Yena still felt anxious walking down the corridor with her.

Don’t worry, Yena. All classes are taught in English. Well, except French class, of course.

Yena nodded, but she was still worried. Even Yena herself didn’t know where all these worries were coming from.

Students in other classes peeked their heads out the window and whispered, looking at Yena. Yena felt her heartbeat pounding faster with feelings of both curiosity and panic. What will my new friends be like? Will they like me?

As soon as she entered the classroom, however, she couldn’t keep anything in focus. Every classmate, with their different faces—faces so different from hers—turned and looked at Yena curiously. She turned and gazed at the wall of the classroom, trying to lie to herself that everything was okay.

The wall was decorated with paintings drawn by students. Some of them were paintings of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River. One of them caught Yena’s eyes. She figured it wasn’t the work of students. It was an oil painting of a lotus. Lotus? Then it must be Monet’s.

Yena, can you please introduce yourself to the class? As the teacher talked, Yena looked away from the painting.

Okay, she answered after a short pause, feeling her mind going totally blank. The short self-introduction Yena prepared was long gone. She started talking while her face blushed like a peach.

Bonjour! Je m’apelle Yena. Je suis, je suis c-coréenne, she stammered. She had barely started, and laughter filled the classroom. Yena couldn’t continue. Everyone in the classroom except the teacher laughed at her. The classroom was soon filled with chattering.

Stop! Please be quiet. Yena, we are so glad to have you. Please go in and just take a seat over there.

Overshadowed by shame, Yena walked slowly toward her seat with her head down. She wanted to run away. This situation was much different from what she had imagined. It felt very awkward and unfair. She regretted preparing a French introduction when even English was difficult for her.

Yena was still sitting on the couch as she replayed the moment in her mind. I was nothing but a monkey in a zoo yesterday. I blew up. Everybody laughed at me. I am just someone to be made fun of in my class.

Yena patted her cat softly while it was asleep comfortably in her arms. The door opened, and her mom appeared. Unlike the mad face Mom had when she went in her bedroom, her face now wasn’t that scary.

Mom made Yena sit up and said, Let’s stop being stubborn. Will you be playing with your cat all day? Come on! If we don’t go now, we will be late. I’ll give you five seconds! Five, four, three …

Yena stood up and resisted saying that she didn’t want to. Do I really have to go to school? I just want to hang out. Maybe I still need time to get used to my new world.

Your father is very busy with his work, Yena. I have a lot to do as well after I send you off to school. There are still things that need to be unpacked, and we are all trying to settle down here. Can’t you try to understand a bit more? Please, Yena.

Mom, I am a monkey in a zoo. At least you can hide out at home. I have nowhere to hide.

Mom looked puzzled by her sudden statement, but soon, she said, smiling, "It’s because they are curious