1.
Make enemies
2.
cave
3.
Rahee
4.
White snake
5.
page
6.
Red Playground
7.
Liu Wei
8.
Funeral home
9.
escape
10.
reed field
11.
To Incheon Port
12.
home
13.
letter

Author's Note

* The psychology of the character delicately created with images of dirt and sand

The first scene of "Sandhill" begins with Ji-hoon refusing to go to school, lying down in front of the school gate and clutching the dirt.


Rahee grabbed my shoulder.
I dug my nails into the dirt.
He tried to wake me up, but it was no use.
Rahee gave up quickly and fell backwards.
I saw my father's black shoes in front of me, which was clouded by the sandstorm.
_From the text

Rebellion cannot last long.
Ji-hoon is lifted lightly by his father's hand and led into a dark classroom where not a single ray of light enters.
This is a private school in China called 'Fengdong', which means 'frozen land'.
This is the name of the unfamiliar school that Ji-hoon came to with his father after his older brother, the only person he could rely on at home, lost consciousness in a car accident and his parents divorced.

Ji-hoon struggles to survive each day in a sandy, dusty land with nowhere to turn.
Ji-hoon's only escape is to shape clay into pottery dolls using the carving knife he inherited from his older brother.
Suffering from the violence of children towards strangers, Ji-hoon keeps sculpting clay.
This work reiterates the image of numerous clay soldiers from the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang and the pottery dolls made by Ji-hoon, carving out Ji-hoon's psychology.


I placed a round lump of dirt on my lap and plunged the chisel into the dirt.
As the knife digs into the soil, expressions gradually emerge from within the soil.
It feels like blood is slowly flowing through my body.
If you want to meticulously sculpt each and every expression like the soldiers in the Terracotta Army, the children in the class who can observe it most closely are the best.
I imagine that the kids who bully me were my enemies in a past life.
After carving out a child like that, the hatred towards that child also fades.
_From the text

Ji-hoon appears to be cynical and compliant with violence, but he is constantly fighting a fierce battle inside through the act of shaping the earth.
In desperate situations, Ji-hoon often has visions of himself turning to sand and crumbling, or of his brother, whom he wanted to protect, turning to sand and disappearing.
Ji-Hoon's act of tightly compacting and stroking the soil is like a ritual to gather together his heart that keeps breaking apart.


* A true story of a teenager who struggles between identity and belonging.

Unlike Ji-hoon, who is not afraid of being alone, Ra-hee is a child who is anxious about being alone.
Rahee follows a group of Korean senior students and wishes to become 'strong' like them.
What is most important to Rahee is the power and authority to not be ignored even though she is a foreigner.


“Why are you so anxious because you can’t get in there?”
Rahee looked at me and said.
“You can endure it alone, but I can’t.
You and I live like this, being bullied and making clay.
Because I'm going to play with my seniors.
When I play with my seniors, I don't even blink.
As you gain confidence, your tics will disappear.
Remember those kids who bullied me a while ago? The seniors scolded them.
Now no one can squeak in front of me.
I don't know about outcasts like you, but this is what they call a sense of belonging.
okay?"
_From the text

Although they live their own lives in their own way, the commonality of being strangers enduring a 'world without trustworthy adults' is what binds Ji-hoon and Ra-hee together more than anything else.
Rahee is the only one who worries about Jihoon and talks to him even though they walk far away.
Ji-hoon doesn't understand Ra-hee's obsession with belonging, but he even steals the wallet that Ra-hee wants to have in order to fit in with the group.

Ji-hoon and Ra-hee's choices lead them into a whirlwind of unexpected events, but they still evoke compassion and empathy.
This is because the image of teenagers who are struggling with their identity and are sent to an unfamiliar land to go through the turbulent teenage years delicately reflects the adolescence that readers are going through or have already gone through.


* A narrative that runs across seasons and borders, from winter to spring.

Ji-hoon's somewhat passive resistance soon leads to an active and bold plan, fueled by his father's declaration that he will take the machine away from his brother.
With the help of his friend Zhang, who had built trust by standing up to Liu Wei, the instigator of school violence, the two agree to travel together to Dandong near the Yalu River.

The two's runaway from home was truly eventful.
Jang is tricked into buying a ticket on the black market, has his bag stolen, and is threatened by a drunken man, causing him to jump off a train and seriously injure his leg.
The worst development that rushes in without a moment to breathe immediately puts the reader next to Ji-hoon.
Adding to the captivating narrative is the allure of realistic depictions and lifelike characters.


“Where are you from?”
“What are you doing with your eyes closed?
"Do you think you're from America? Didn't you say you defected from North Korea earlier?"
“What are you doing in South Korea?”
“To study.
“Because tuition is free.”
“How are you going to get there?”
The short-haired man frowned for a moment.
“What kind of article are you writing? You’re rude when you’re getting paid for it.
I'm going from Dalian to Incheon.
Because the security is less strict than in Dandong.
“Is it okay?”
_From the text

The short-haired girl Ji-hoon met on his way to Dalian plays the song "Spring Day" in the dark truck, letting the warm spring breeze blow in.
He jumps out of the truck and runs without hesitation, as if he knows exactly where he has to go.
Did the back of his short hair serve as a fitting landmark for Ji-hoon? Korea, where his older brother still resides, is still a long way away, and he feels uncertain about the steps he takes.
Until the last page of the book is closed, readers will be asking and asking about Ji-Hoon's well-being.
And finally, you will see the work's message of hope at the end of a story that seems to be heading towards its worst.


* Beyond boundaries and taboos, the real world drawn by author Ha Seo-chan

Author Ha Seo-chan, who won the grand prize in the short story category of the 10th Woongjin Junior Literary Award and met readers with the children's story collection "Laundry is Boring," returns with a youth novel and speaks to those same readers again.

The title, 'Sandhill', contains a meaning that runs through the entire story.
Sandhill is a metaphor for 'Pungdong', a school that is the exact opposite of 'Summerhill' school in England.
Contrary to the educational philosophy of Summerhill School, which aims to be the freest and happiest school in the world, Pungdong, the school where 'Sandhill' is set, is oppressive, violent, and closed.
Author Ha Seo-chan vividly portrayed the somewhat unfamiliar subject of 'Chinese immigrant youth' based on factual research.
Even though crossing borders is no longer unfamiliar, the isolation and loneliness felt by young people has increased. Readers will be able to empathize more deeply with Ji-hoon's situation and feel solidarity and sympathy.