A Boy on His Own

Sound Portrait, 2025

A Boy on His Own began with a photograph. My great-grandfather's portrait sat in a frame in the hallway of my grandparents' house. His wrinkled face, posture, and white hanbok felt both foreign and strangely familiar to me. Growing up, I heard pieces of stories from my emos (aunts): that he was cruel to my grandmother, made his grandchildren sleep outside in the cold snow once, and forced my grandfather to leave home while he was still just a boy.

In the summer of 2025, I sat down with my kun emo (oldest aunt) and my mother to hear the story again. This narration captures a small part of that conversation and became the starting point for a larger exploration of my grandfather's childhood, the life he built against extraordinary odds, and the people shaped by his journey.

A Boy on His Own
My grandfather as a teenager under Japanese colonial rule
My great-grandfather
A black-and-white illustration of two Korean men, one taller and dressed in traditional hanbok, and a young boy, standing in front of a traditional hanok gate. The man leans forward, and the boy looks up at him.
Two young men in white tuxedos behind a bar with bottles and glasses, smiling at the camera. A sign on the bar reads "WAITERS ONLY".
Three people standing at a bar in a vintage black and white photo, smiling or looking serious, with drinks in hand.
A vintage black and white photo of two adults and two children standing outdoors on a dirt street with wooden structures in the background.
A black-and-white photo of a family of seven standing outdoors near a stone structure and trees. The family includes a man and woman surrounded by four children, some of whom are being held or standing close. The group is dressed in mid-20th century