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“Who do you prefer, your mom or dad?” It’s the question that we have all often heard when we were young. Most people don’t hesitate to answer, “Mom!” In one television advertisement, a daughter looks for only her mom, and her father feels timid beside her. But things are slowly changing. The role of a father is getting greater with hit TV shows such as, ‘Where are you going, Dad?’, ‘Superman is back’, ‘Please take care of my dad’. On the other hand, there is some negative feedback and opinions like, "My dad didn’t raise me like that!" or ‘I can’t do that for my children.’ Not every father can be 'super-man', but every father is devoted and loves his children. Paternal love is hidden behind maternal love. They may not be like super-man, but their love is ultra-super. Let’s meet some super fathers.
It’s the story of a father who sells his blood for his children.
Chronicle of a Blood Merchant is a long novel by Yuhua, a bestselling author in China. Yuhua says Heo Sam Kwan is realistic and pursues equality. Let’s find out more about ‘Heo Sam Kwan’.
Heo Sam Kwan hears that only healthy people can sell their blood, so he goes out to sell his blood first. At first he is worried about what he will do with the money. He decides to find a woman to marry. He likes Heo Ok Ran, who is called ‘twisted bread stick Seo-si’ (beauty of Spring and Autumn period) because her job is to fry twisted bread sticks in fast-food restaurants. There is a young man, Ha So Yong, who is beside Heo Ok Ran; however Heo Sam Kwan visits her father and says that, “If Heo Ok Ran marries me, the family line of Heo will continue.” Finally, Heo Sam Kwan gains permission from her father. Heo Sam Kwan and Heo Ok Ran marry and have three sons, whose names are Heo Il Lak, Heo I Lak, and Heo Sam Lak. When the first son, Il Lak becomes nine years old, he starts to look like Ha So Yong’s face. Heo Sam Kwan knows that Il Lak is the son of Heo Ok Ran and Ha So Yong. After that, Heo Sam Kwan gives Il Lak the cold shoulder. Neither Ha SoYong nor Heo Sam Kwan recognize Il Lak as his son. So one day, Heo Sam Kwan sees that Ha So Yong’s wife ignores Il Lak. He gets angry and cares for Il Lak. Furthermore, when Il Lak suffers from a disease, Heo Sam Kwan saves money for treatment by selling his blood. At some point, Heo Sam Kwan treats Il Lak like his real son.
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★ Point: “Honey. Why are you crying again?” Then Heo Sam Kwan says wiping his tears, “I cried in a short time ago because I think Il Lak died. Now I’m crying because Il Lak is alive.” – from Chronicle of a Blood Merchant
Father’s devotion to a son.
Stickleback is a long novel by Jo Chang-In which shows a father’s love and devotion to rescuing his son who was suffering from leukemia. ‘Jung Ho-yeon’ raises Da-oom who has leukemia all by himself without a wife. Although he nurses his son day and night, leukemia is a horrible disease. Repeated relapses lead Da-oom close to death. Also, medical expenses are a problem. It’s painful for him to see his son suffering from the treatment. So he breaks off the treatment and takes Da-oom on a trip. Living in the mountains, Da-oom looks like he is regaining his health, but suddenly he loses consciousness and is moved to the intensive care unit. Thirty-six days after they leave the hospital, he makes contact with his wife and hears news about finding a bone marrow donor, which is the only recovery method for Da-oom. He is so happy, but he can’t afford to pay the forty-million-won medical expense. Even if he tries to sell his kidney to raise money, it’s not going to be enough. Rather he gets shocking news that he has liver cancer and has only six months to live. He has been worried about his son’s death but it is he who will leave first … he is so aggrieved, but he sells one of his cornea to do the father’s role for the last time. Da-oom finishes the treatment successfully and recovers his health after a two-year battle with leukemia. It’s very sad but he decides to send Da-oom to Da-oom’s mother, who claims custody after discovering her son’s genius when she see’s a sculpture Da-oom made. Finally, he tears away his son coldly in the end, but he can’t hug a crying son and loses him. Finally, he receives death forlornly.
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★ Point: “Stickleback is a strange fish. Mother Stickleback leaves somewhere after spawning. Father Stickleback takes care of the roe alone. He protects the roe devotedly, and does not eat or sleep. Stickleback makes me think of my father all the time.” – The lines of Da-oom in Stickleback
A love-filled life guide by daddy for daughters
‘Dad said’ is a book written about a daddy’s advise to his two daughters after his death. This book consists of five parts, ‘The day that you can see the sky, a smile must come’, ‘Make happy endings’, ‘When it rains, put flowers in a vase’, and ‘Life has the answer’.
- Dad said to his willful daughter, “In order to live together with people, don’t be solid, rather, flow.” To an obstinate daughter, dad said, “If you do that continuously, you will be broken. It is possible to live by being flexible and flowing.” “If you can’t choose the best thing, choose the next best thing, and learn how to live happily in that situation.” In the world, there are many things that we can’t do when we are hard like a solid, but we can easily do when we are naturally flexible.
- A little girl liked her older sister, so she always followed her older sister. At first, the older sister loved her but she started to avoid her. Thus, the sisters fought. The younger sister cried and thought that the older sister hated her, but the older sister also cried and complained that the younger sister always followed her. Dad said, “Find a balance between what you think and treat other people better than they treat you. Human beings are egocentric. So, people think they are right. Never grudge or be saddened.”
★ Point: For me, the best masterpiece is what the dad says. The story of a person who loves me best, knows me best. Thus, the story is warm and sometimes un-fancy like ice. So, now I think I am writing this book review like a book after reading the book called ‘Dad’. – from Dad said
Through these stories, don’t look back and cry out for the greatness of a mother’s love every time? The father’s love is also great. Sometimes it can’t be seen. Everyone cherishes each father’s image, but most people in their twenties say that, “I’m a little hard with my father.” We are here now because of our father’s efforts to work, earn money, feed, dress and raise us. Now as an adult, it’s our time to express gratitude for our fathers. It would be a huge task to reel off the story for fathers who finish working at their workplace like a battlefield and comes back home. The father who has raised us more than 20 years is already a true superman. Today, let’s go home and express our mind to our fathers. “Thank you, father. I love you.”
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 Reporter Kim Yumi and her Daddy
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