Summary

In Chapter 12, in China, Yeonmi and her mother were taken first to a small, unlit shack. The broker wanted to have sex with Yeonmi, but Keum Sook would not allow it. She insisted that he rape her instead. It was only later that Yeonmi learned what her mother had done to protect her.

When the broker saw Yeonmi and Keum Sook in the light of his apartment, he was angry because they had lied about their ages. His wife explained that if they wanted to stay in China they had to be sold to Korean men as wives. She ordered them to make their decision right away. Yeonmi was thinking only about her hunger when she said she wanted to stay in China. Yeonmi was humiliated as she listened to the Chinese broker argue with the Korean broker, Zhifang, over their prices...