The Kite Fighters: Chapters 1–4

Holding the kite at arm’s length in one hand and the reel in the other, he threw the kite up into the air.

Bringing in an arm’s length of line, he experimented, plying it to and fro.

Then, as if obeying his words, the kite leaped and rose to stretch the line taut.

Then he scanned the ground around his feet until he found a slim stick. He used it to draw in the powdery snow—a crude sun, a few clouds, a tree.

They were mischievous spirits but seldom caused real harm.

Kee-sup’s bumpy launching technique had often knocked the wooden frame askew.

Bold Chinese picture words like “Luck,” “Heaven,” “Happiness”—the intricate Chinese symbols were considered more poetic than their Korean counterparts.

Bold Chinese picture words like “Luck,” “Heaven,” “Happiness”—the intricate Chinese symbols were considered more poetic than their Korean counterparts.

But the kite bucked and kicked and crashed unceremoniously after only a few moments in the air.

A few moments later the kite plummeted to earth in a most undignified crash.

He experimented constantly, teasing the line this way and that, holding the reel different ways, even turning his whole body at varied angles, to coax the kite into following his commands.

The wind was always his partner, one he must strive to understand with the kite’s help.

The work was painstaking from the very start.

Kee-sup was making the pattern of stripes subtly different from his own tiger kite, so that the kites looked similar but not the same.

A soothsayer had been consulted and had chosen a propitious day for Kee-sup’s capping ceremony.

On the day chosen by the soothsayer, the family dressed in their finest clothes and assembled in the largest room of the house—the Hall of Ancestors.

The finest scrolls had been hung.

But not once did he flinch or wince, and Young-sup wondered if he would be able to be as stoic when the time came for his own capping ceremony.

Young-sup recalled his brother's sullen face as he left for the trip.

Children wore bright colors; when a boy became a man, he donned the white clothes of adulthood.

The capping ceremony was symbolic of a young man’s readiness for marriage; in fact, many families included it as part of the wedding ritual.

Surprise wrote itself on the man's face, for Young-sup’s words were not spoken in a voice of idle boasting.

“I will fly a kite here. If you sell five kites today, the reel is mine.” The man countered with another offer.

It took all of Young-sup’s skill to control the kite within the confines of the space in front of the stall, but as time went on, he grew more accustomed to its limits.

His spirits renewed, Young-sup found that he could perform some of his favorite maneuvers. The kite’s loops and twirls attracted more attention—and more customers.

He teased and cajoled his friend into buying one as well.

A small boy in dirty, ragged clothes was pointing to one of the kites. The kite seller looked dubious.

“Show me the money, urchin,” he demanded.

Defiantly the boy opened his palm and displayed a string full of won—more than enough for the kite he had chosen.

He walked toward them through the crowd, which was buzzing with the news of his accomplishment. Some of the people shouted or smiled as he passed, but he kept his head low and the reel at his side, for to display it or to acknowledge their praise would have been considered boastful.