Summary

By the start of Chapter 4, it is May 1942 and Noa is eight years old. Noa is glad his mother and aunt work at the restaurant, since he no longer must smell of kimchi. In fact, Noa tries to be taken as Japanese as often as possible, even though his hiding of his Korean origin distances him from his father Isak, who has been imprisoned for over two years. One day, after school, Noa finds a “gaunt and filthy” man near the door (180). It takes Noa time to realize the man is his father, finally released from prison. Noa fetches his mother and aunt back from the restaurant. Sunja guesses that Isak will look terrible since she knew that “Korean prisoners were usually sent home just as they were about to die” (183). When she sees him, Isak’s hair is gray, and...