The Girl with Seven Names: Chapter 21 Summary & Analysis

Hyeonseo can’t figure out how her mother is even calling China in the first place. They don’t have a phone, and all public phones are monitored by the Bowibu. She doesn’t sound angry, but begins speaking right away. The day after Hyeonseo left, inspectors arrived to register voters. Voter registration is just an excuse to find out if everyone is where they are supposed to be, since citizens don’t actually have any say in elections or government. Mother told them that Hyeonseo was visiting Aunt Pretty in Hamhung, but the banjang was with the inspectors and knew the truth. Chang-ho told Mother that Hyeonseo had crossed the river, and it wasn’t long before rumors started that she was in China.

Mother plans to take Min-ho and move to a new town where no one knows them and Hyeonseo’s absence will be less suspicious, and she tells Hyeonseo not to contact them for the time being and hangs up abruptly. Suddenly, Hyeonseo realizes that she may never be able to go home to North Korea. Aunt Sang-hee happily agrees to allow Hyeonseo live with her and Uncle Jung-gil long-term, and Hyeonseo accepts; however, if Hyeonseo had realized how much she was going to miss her mother and Min-ho, she would have gone back to Hyesan anyway.

Hyeonseo decides she must learn Mandarin if she is to stay in China, and she begins with television and children’s books. Each day, Hyeonseo grows more and more homesick and feels trapped in a foreign land without an identity. Uncle Jung-gil and Aunt Sang-hee are kind and accommodating, but China isn’t home, and Hyeonseo grows increasingly unhappy and depressed. She begins to have nightmares about the  Bowibu chasing her across the Yalu River, and she hears police dogs and whistles before waking in a sweat. 

Hyeonseo decides she must go back to North Korea, no matter what. She tries to call Mr. Ahn, but his number is disconnected. Her link to Hyesan is gone, and Hyeonseo is devastated. Aunt Sang-hee tries desperately to cheer Hyeonseo up, and one day, she comes to Hyeonseo’s bedroom and tells her she has a visitor. Hyeonseo excitedly jumps out of bed, hoping to find someone from Hyesan, but a young man she doesn’t recognize is at the door. Sang-hee introduces him as Geun-soo, and he bows deeply, handing Hyeonseo flowers without looking at her.