"APPROVED FOR ADOPTION" "My name is Jung." "somewhere in Korea." "I left this country when I was five." "I'm almost 44 now and I'm returning for the first time." "So here is my story." "The story of a child who left his country because one day someone wrote on a form" "Approved for adoption" "Skin colour: honey". the border between North and South Korea has remained at the 38th parallel." "This fratricidal war has killed more than four million people." "Imagine all these divided families." "abandoned." "This dramatic situation caught the attention of Harry Holt." "he and his wife Bertha adopted eight Korean-American orphans." "His third trip to Korea brings the amount of children taken in by American families to 76." "This makes Harry Holt godfather to all these adopted children." "Bertha and Harry Holt continue their caring mission." "I only stayed with the Holts for six months." "My first adoptive-family-to-be backed out after hearing I had a scar between my eye and my nose." "It was actually a bruise." "I hope they took in a dog instead." "Norwegian." "000 Koreans have been adopted worldwide." "I ended up in Belgium." "On 11th May 1971." "here is your son." "You have his passport and health card." "Please call a doctor within 48 hours." "they have to see one." "next family." "Say hi to the camera!" "Are you happy then?" "Your little Korean is here at last." "Keep filming!" "Film his sandals." " Don't move." "Look at his bracelet." " I can take it off now." "no one'd think you're his dad." "stop it!" " When are we going home?" "Go first with Grandma." " All right." "Film us when we get home!" "How do you like your new brother?" "He seems tired but cool." "mine!" "you lot!" " Boys should sleep in the same room!" "He doesn't speak much." " He doesn't speak French." "he'll learn quickly." "Can we call him Igor?" " No." "darling?" "Are you sure you pronounce it "Yung"?" "Isn't it rather "Chung"?" "Or "Djung"?" "You're worse than the kids." "It's Jung." "honey." "What matters to you is that he's here." "he doesn't look like an Igor." "A dozen Koreans came to this village as well as me." "adopting a little Korean was chic." "but it needed more looking after." "But my adoptive parents didn't care about cars." "I always wondered why they adopted me as they already had four children." "was quite full on." "Cedric was the same age as me." "Coralie was girly." "She liked dance and romance novels." "And Gaelle was the little one." "Come with me to the swing!" "As if he understood." " I know he doesn't!" "Let's have a snack first." " Can I have a Coke?" "this is your home." " As if he understood." "He has a funny look on his face." " Yeah." "Goodness me!" " See that?" "He's drinking all the Coke!" " He was thirsty." "He's got a lot to learn..." "They're so adaptable at that age." "Want to ride a bicycle?" "A bicycle..." "Bi-cy-cle." "get on it." "Jung wants to ride the bicycle but he can't do it." "Coralie." "I'll show you." "Get on it." "pedal." "pedal!" "I knew how to ride a bike at four." " At four?" "As if!" "Careful!" "Oh dear." "That was bound to happen." "honey." "I'll take care of it." "you have to try again." "I can't say my new mum was patient." "But I didn't mind." "I loved her the way she was." "I'd never had that many toys in my life." "I had enough to eat every day." "the orphanage." "a second chance." "I even began to forget my mother tongue." "it's too dangerous." "Coralie." "I said no." "I'll tell Mum you pooed in the woods." "That's blackmail!" " I don't mind doing it." "it's dangerous!" "I know where your poo is." "You have no reason to be scared." "Look how well I aim!" "I'll remove the arrowhead." "I think this is a really bad idea." "stand here." "OK?" " OK." "don't do it!" "Coralie." "You're both insane!" " Shut up." "focus..." "Ouch!" "You poked her eye out." "What will you give me if I don't tell Mum?" "I don't think I can lie to Mum." "And..." "I'm scared she might tell her." "She won't." "I promised her two francs and a Mickey key ring!" "I may only have one eye but I know you're talking behind my back!" "And I don't like it!" " We weren't talking about you." "OK?" "Promise?" "Your poo!" "Grandma is coming for dinner!" "Go ahead." "I'll catch up with you." "as always!" "it's always the same." "I always have to make excuses for his messing around." "What happened to your eye?" "I fell on a stone." "You fell on a stone?" "let's disinfect this." "Grandma is on her way." "Jung!" "coming... you could have paid more attention." "Things always happen at the wrong time." "it hurts!" "we'll put ice on it." "Ice cream?" "not the one you have for dessert." "Grandma's here and no one's ready!" " I'll get the door." "Grandma!" "my sweet heart." "Grandma!" "Grandma's here!" "Mum." "How are you?" " I'm well." "You look well too." " Are you coming?" "my dear grandchildren." "what happened to your eye?" "Er... it's a secret." "What a crowd you have." "Four children is quite something." "it's five of us." "er... isn't it?" "I'll always be a tourist." "people look at me like I'm Asian." "But here?" "I disowned Korea and its people." "I even held them responsible for my uprooting." "But something's been on my mind since I arrived in Seoul." "Do the Koreans see me as one of them? I observe them." "often..." "I think of my mother." "Not knowing your biological parents has an upside." "They can be just the way you like." "You were probably a single mother." "I'm sure you loved me with all your might until you couldn't take care of me any more." "I never blamed you for abandoning me." "I felt like you were right by my side." "You felt so close." "And yet so far." "I didn't think about my father much." "Or I picture him as a US soldier with Irish origins who enjoyed playing bagpipes." "Bagpipes..." "What nonsense." "Jung!" "I looked for you everywhere!" " I went for a walk." "For a walk?" "Why?" "It's so boring." "Look what I bought." " That's amazing!" "Stick 'em up!" " Cowboy!" "I'm not joking." "Don't move!" "Can I try it?" " I'll buy you one with Gran's money." "Come on!" "Let's go to the Willmotes' farm." "Let's pretend we're in Death Wish." "I'll be Charles Bronson!" "but I'm Eddy Merckx and I'm wearing the yellow jersey!" "it was your decision." "Is she called Jung?" " Very funny." "Dad?" " Lee Sung-Sook." "Say it." " Lee Zung-Chook." "Lee Sung-Sook." "But it's too complicated." "So Mum and I decided to call her Valerie." "I think she looks like Jung." "especially the eyes." "Valerie came to live with us at 11 months." "She was always ill." "And she needed all my parents' attention." "I hated meeting other adopted Koreans" "I had to live with one." "She was a reflection of myself." "I wasn't ready for that." "One more time." "Jung!" "darling." "honey." "you've got me by the chin" "The first one to laugh will earn a slap" "I'm the Asian in the family!" "I am!" "Here we are walking down the Mount Blanc." "watch your language!" "That's the day Gaelle fell in the river!" "You girls have exactly the same eyes." " Really?" "It's me!" " They're very cute." "you have the same nose as Mum." " That was the last one." "he's your brother." "It's not funny at all." "My siblings rarely spoke about my origins." "I was one of them." "it wasn't always that simple." "Coralie..." "Do you really think of me as your brother?" "Why do you ask?" "Are you sad?" "I also wonder if you really see me as your sister." "Of course you're my sister." " See?" "Same for me." "Jung!" "Coralie!" "Are you coming to help us?" "Or would you rather carry on playing couples?" "Very funny." "Take that!" "they're in love!" "come and help me!" "Come on!" "Yeah!" "Great!" "Put the snowball on it." " Here we go." "let me help you." "Let's all add something to it." "But he doesn't have a mouth or hands!" "keep them on." "You'll get ill again." " My marbles for his eyes then." "If you like." "we have to go home." "come on!" "Jung!" "I'll go to school without you." "Spontaneous strike at Sabena..." "Coralie!" "The next kid to slam that door will have me to contend with!" "I'd like to see that." "The restructuring of phone charges..." "That's not nice." "It's the same thing every morning." "I've had enough." "I've got something to ask you." "Would you like to have a go at kissing?" "Just to see what it feels like." " OK." "But no tongue like in those French films." "too?" " Are you crazy?" "how are you?" "wasn't it?" "Lucky you." "I couldn't watch it." "My mum was in a bad mood." "you could almost see her bum." "My dad went all gooey after he saw it." "Jung." " Hi." "Still not joining the football team?" " My mum doesn't want me to." "She wants me to do dance." "Just ask your sisters to go for you." "Imagine him wearing a tutu and tights!" "With ballet pumps!" "Very funny." "I can chat up as many girls as I like." "They're all head over heels for me." "I'm going to go say hello to Carole." "chinky!" "My brother is no chinky!" "right." "Are you blind or what?" "Of course he's my brother." "We have the same hair implantation!" "Coralie and I were in the same class." "I liked to sit next to her." "Just like at the table at home." "Or in the car to go on holiday." "I secretly held her hand." "I didn't always mind that we weren't proper siblings." "15-12!" "Team A wins!" "Go to the changing rooms." "Everyone ready?" "quick!" "What are you waiting for?" "I can't find my lunch coupons." "I think." "Has anyone seen any lunch coupons anywhere?" "I did!" "They were on the bench." "Next to Jung." "What a coincidence." "Next to Jung." "Tell me." "I didn't." "Arnaud saw them just next to you." "I didn't." "You're lying!" "It's written on your face!" "You really don't know where they are?" " They're in my pocket!" "You're a thief and a liar!" "Jung!" "And a rotten apple among ripe ones spoils the others." "you stay away from my children." "he won't believe me." "I'll just put a B." "I'm so clever!" "So so clever." "Easy." "your school report." "I hope it's better than last term." "Or you'll be in trouble." "Let's see." "As and Bs everywhere!" "You even got an A in Maths?" "And a B in behaviour?" "That's much better." "I hope you didn't cheat." " I didn't." "You can't cheat on behaviour!" "I was just joking." "Congratulations." "I'm very proud of you." "Dad." "It's not that he isn't a nice child." "I wouldn't say anything if it was just for eating chewing gum." "But this is a lot more serious." "what's the matter?" "Didn't you hear what the headmistress said?" "He falsified his report!" "This is not something we can ignore." "His future is at stake!" "what will he do next?" "But..." "And Jung has been incredibly unresponsive lately." "I don't know why." "come here!" "I have a bone to pick with you!" "Why did you do that?" "Get here!" "You lied to me." "You betrayed me!" "You can't do that to me." "Look what you're making me do." "How am I going to believe you now?" "Who do you think we are?" "Strangers?" "Me..." "Your father." "drawing has always been both a way of escaping and a refuge." "I made it disappear." "I created a world that only I could control." "One day I was a Gaul a gladiator." "I discovered Japan." "I needed to relate to a culture from the Far East." "I don't want to be Korean!" "I want to be Japanese." "Japanese." "Banzai!" "Who was it?" "Who stole the breadboards?" "Jung." "Aren't you ashamed?" "Everyone to their rooms!" "I'm invincible." "I'm a warrior!" "my eye." "Coralie got the slap." "just leave it." "stealing breadboards." "I'm sick of your music!" "Yakasoto." "turn the music down!" "Jung!" "you're not Japanese." "I'm Japanese." "I'm Japanese." "When I saw another adopted Korean in town" "I usually crossed the road." "I wasn't like them." "I'm Jean-Edouard." " Your name doesn't match your face." "What's wrong with my face?" " It's yellow." "European." "you're Korean." "you Asian!" "I'm Japanese." " Japanese?" "didn't it?" " You traitor!" "you're not Korean." "You don't have a clue." "I bet your parents found you in a dumpster." "I bet your mum abandoned you because you looked ugly." "What's wrong with that guy?" "I have a better idea." "Now the hens!" "Shoot this one!" "Your turn." "It's not my fault." " Right..." "Just like your brother." "Get in." "Jung." "Education is repetition." "And I'll repeat it as much as I have to." "I haven't done anything." " Are you kidding me?" "Now you're not so smug." "Stay here!" "You dirty Asian!" "Our mother had trouble showing her feelings." "She wasn't very good at that." "Jung." "These punishments are going nowhere." "Listen!" "I've decided that if you cheat or lie again we'll shave your head." "Am I talking to a brick wall?" "shaving such nice hair." "shave it all." "Do you think Mum loves me?" "What?" " I'm not sure Mum really loves me." "What are you talking about?" "Of course she loves you." "I'm not sure." "Just because Mum likes cuddling the youngest ones doesn't mean she doesn't love us." "want to join?" "I'll start." "Am I a singer?" "Not at all." " No way!" "My turn." "Am I... a woman?" "she looks just like you." " That's mean." "yeah." "Of course not." "Your turn." "Er..." "Am I on TV?" " You are!" "At 5." " Shut up!" "Must be a Japanese programme." "Am I French?" " No." "My turn." "Am I a comic book character?" " Yeah." "I bet he's going to win again." "Am I a film actor?" " No." "you haven't." "your turn." " Am I a good or a bad guy?" "A very bad guy with a bad temper." "You're talking too much!" "surprise!" "Just like in real life." "Or I wouldn't have been abandoned." "so you weren't that bad." "Whose turn?" " Mine." "Am I a cartoon character?" " Yes!" "I'm Candy." " Nope." "My turn." "This is your file." "It's not very big." "But it has everything from when you arrived at the Holt centre until you left." "This is your enrolment form with your registration number." "date of birth and date of arrival." "So Jung Sik is my real name?" "I don't know." "We can never be sure." "And my date of birth?" " Same thing." "Apparently that's the one you gave." "But what we would do is estimate your age according to your height." "Is it me on both pictures?" " Yes." "Six months between the two." "Six months?" "Looks like two different children." "Is this the day I was found?" " No." "It's the day you arrived at the orphanage." "What did I say to the policeman who found me at the market?" "I don't know." "The police didn't keep any records." "I'd go everywhere to find him." "For sure." "A child of that age must be able to explain things." "What's surprising is that nothing's written." "I think most children were abandoned." "abandoned. children were abandoned because of poverty and also because of race." "Many children were born of American or European soldiers." "And Korea doesn't like illegitimate children much." "it was the husband who decided everything for the family." "A divorced woman had no rights to the child." "And having children out of wedlock was a shameful act." "A single mother was left with no money and had only one option:" "abandonment." "Does anything in the file explain why I was adopted?" "your parents died." "There was no one to take care of you." "But we can never be sure." "That's what's written." "It's hard to know whether it's true." "THE JOY OF DANCING" "everyone." "Sorry I'm late." "we're starting." "you'll be late." "The international Brussels Motor Show is outstanding." "One must say..." "I'm listening!" "You and your damned cars." "Grendizer!" "To each his own." "Get a move on." "You'll be late again." "Dibs on the bathroom." " You do that every morning!" "be quicker then." " Gaelle!" "Damned girls..." "Lucky you." "This bed's too small." "No... not another spot." "That's too many pimples." "I look like Henri Vanderstraten." "would you like to go out with me?" "What a mug." "I'm glad Coralie didn't go out with him." "I guess." "I need the toilet too!" "To hell with big trousers!" "your bum leaves us in awe" "Wherever you go The girls want more" "Why are you half naked in my room?" "Are you crazy?" "I thought you'd left with Valerie." "Go play John Travolta elsewhere." "Off with you!" "You could have waited for me." "I don't want to be late." "We have a test in French." "I forgot." "It's a little late to revise." "Something smells weird." " I used too much aftershave." "Hey... my dear brother." "By the way..." "Is it serious with your boyfriend?" " Of course it is." "you know." " Sure." "That's not what I meant." " What did you mean?" "Nothing." "Kim." "Hi." "I've heard you draw comic strips." "just for fun." " Amazing." "I love comics." "Can you bring them tomorrow?" "If you like." "But it's not that great." "It's brilliant apart from the spelling." "Thanks." "we have to go." "Ever gone out with an Asian?" " No way!" "I never will." "You hear me?" "Never." "I was just asking." "I wouldn't do it either." "maybe." "You idiot." "I couldn't go out with an Asian guy." "It'd be like being with my brother." "How can you even think about it?" " I was kidding." "I like Italians." " What about an Asian-Italian?" "Jung!" "You received another letter!" "Who can it be from?" "rice bowl!" " Come and get it." "noodle face!" "you spring roll." "you gook." "Open this door!" "Give me that letter!" "Give me that letter!" "Thanks." "I'd like you to meet a couple of friends in Brussels." "They are both musicians and love drawing." "So bring your portfolio and meet me on Saturday at 12 at the bus station." "Kim." "who had resented adopted kids so much an adopted Korean girl." "I was 17 and had turned into a shy boy." "But I enjoyed being with her." "Kim came back here first." "she told me about her visit to the orphanage." "How her file took her all around the country." "The search for her biological parents." "And a beautiful Korean boy she'd fallen for." "You didn't say they were Korean." "I've never met real Koreans." " Or I a real Italian." "Very funny." "Kim!" " Hye-Won!" "You're already in your pyjamas?" "You need to take off your shoes." "want to play dolls?" " Sure thing." "Go and get it." "My husband doesn't speak French." "Do you speak English?" "A little bit." "My Flemish is better." "it's OK." "let me see." "What's your Korean name?" "Jun Jung-Sik." "According to the orphanage." "Do you know what it means?" " I do." "It means "Straight Plant"." " Straight plant?" "Really?" "I always thought it meant "Bright light"." "I saw you brought your portfolio." "May I see your drawings?" "Yes." "Kim said you were a great drawer." "She always exaggerates." "Let me make some space on the table." "This is what I draw for fun." "I'd like to become a cartoonist." "You draw traditional Korean dancers!" "I meant to draw... you didn't forget where you come from." "The sketches I drew without thinking didn't lie." "They'd opened a door to my origins." "boys." "I couldn't even get in!" "Jung?" "Your soup is delicious." "The day Jung talks and takes part in family life pigs will fly!" "come here!" "Answer when I talk to you!" " I can shout too!" "Lower your voice!" " You too!" "I've had enough." "You insolent boy!" "that was loud." "You won." "I can't shout any louder." "You really want to leave?" " Yes." "come back whenever." "Dad." "And be careful..." "I mean..." "What for?" "I don't even have a girlfriend." "Gaelle." "Do you need a lift?" " I'll take the bus." "I'll pick up your dirty linen in a few days." "there." "Jung." "Will I have the pleasure of seeing you at church tonight?" "but once a week..." "I'm not asking for the earth." "You do live here." "I'll see what I can do." "you don't look good." "Minh." "Where are you going?" " To the shop." "Can you buy me some cigarettes please?" "my former RE teacher." "I wasn't the only one living there." "There was also Minh." "A boat people from Vietnam." "We all ate together every now and again." "I ate on my own." "I had rice and Tabasco sauce for every meal." "It gave me stomach ache but I loved it." "You're avoiding me now?" "Aren't I your sister any more?" "Gaelle." "I..." "Home feels strange without you." "So spicy!" "You're not in bed yet?" "Minh." "You neither?" "Can I sit with you?" " Sure thing." "I'll feel less lonely." "Do you smoke?" "You want a cigarette?" "it's unhealthy." " You're right." "But always eating rice that spicy is not healthy either." "I love it." "You don't look happy." "Tell me what's on your mind." " I think too much." "Go see a doctor." "you're white." "I wish!" "Don't worry." "It just makes me throw up a bit." "I'm going to bed." "Thanks for keeping me company." "Gosh." "Jung." "Jung!" "Father Paul speaking." "Your son needs to go to hospital." "The hot pepper was wearing down my stomach." "I guess I wanted to end it all and get my mother back." "Other adopted Koreans I met at school went through this phase too." "This will to end it all." "it was much more brutal." "There was Soo-Ji." "Jong-Ho." "who spent time in a psychiatric hospital." "who took too many pills." "And there was Valerie." "Valerie and her strange car accident." "She was born Lee Sung-Sook." "And she died Valerie." "She was 25." "Adoption was a taboo for us two." "But we could have come here together." "We could have shared the strangeness of feeling so close and yet so far." "we used to put love letters under our adoptive mum's pillow." "Hoping she would love us more." "She never mentioned it." "But I found out she had kept them all." "We expected a lot from her." "But what did I have to offer her?" "Maybe I only wanted to receive." "bro." "You've got to stop this bullshit!" "You know how much Mum and Dad paid for your transfusion?" "I'm sorry." "Why would you say that to him?" "he's fragile." "I've never seen him cry like that." "I felt a protective hand on my shoulder." "My body remembered it liked this warmth." "listen to me." "There's something I've wanted to tell you." "For a long time." "I lost my first child at birth." "And..." "I think I've given you his place..." "in my heart." "I've never told that to anyone." "I knew I had a place in the family." "But I didn't know I had one in her heart." "I wasn't a rotten apple after all." "I would tell you I don't blame you." "I know you're the one who felt most guilty." "You're the one who worried all these years." "I've spent my whole life picturing my biological mum." "Drawing enabled me to create a new story for us." "To live an imaginary love." "But it was also a way to escape." "A way to fill the void." "And to avoid growing up." "That's it." "Going to my country of origin made me face up to reality." "You can't love an imaginary mum." "You can just dream her." "I already have a mum." "And she is real." "her eyes don't lie." "They are those of a mother looking at her son. just say I come from here and elsewhere." "part of me is Eastern." "I'm both European and Asian." "I'm neither white nor black." "The colour of my skin is honey."