My mom only had one eye. I hated her. She was such an embarrassment.
She ran a small shop at a flea (跳蚤) market and collected old clothes and some other things to sell for the money we needed. Once during elementary school, it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed and wondered how she could do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school, my schoolmates laughed at me, "Your mom only has one eye!" I was so angry with my mom. So I said to my mom, "Why don't you have the other eye?" My mom said nothing.
I hated my one-eyed mom. I told myself that I would become successful in the near future, so I studied very hard. Later, I got accepted by the Seoul University. I left my mom and came to Seoul to study. Then I got married there. Now I am living happily as a successful man. I enjoy the life in Seoul because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom and my past. This kind of happiness was getting bigger and bigger, until one day I saw my mom. She was still with her one eye. Even my daughter ran away, scared of my mom's eye. I screamed at her, "Who are you? I don't know you! How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter?" To this, my mom quietly answered, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address." Then she disappeared out of sight.
One day, a letter about a school reunion (学校聚会) came. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, which I used to call a house. There I found my mom fallen on the cold ground. Then a piece of paper in her hand came into my eyes. It was a letter to me.
My son,
I'm so sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. When you were very little, you got into an accident and lost your eye. As a mom, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son to see a whole new world for me with that eye. During the couple of times that you were angry with me, I thought to myself, it's because you love me. Don't cry for me because of my death. I love you so much."