Short Story: Between Two Countries

Min studied nursing at a university in Hanoi. Once she graduated, she would be able to work at a hospital. However, her monthly income would be at most seven hundred dollars. As long as her parents were in debt, she could not even pay for her younger siblings' tuition.

If you go to Japan, you can earn ten years' worth of wages in three years.
The words of the recruitment agency were sweet and lingered in her ears. Her parents hesitated, but Min did not. She went abroad even though it meant taking on debt.

The Japanese factory was cold. Surrounded by the sound of machinery, she worked overtime until late at night. Her monthly salary was higher than that of a doctor in Vietnam. But more than half disappeared into remittances, and the rest went to paying off her debt. Almost nothing remained in her hands.

One day, she met a Vietnamese man living in the same dormitory. As if supporting each other's tired bodies, they fell in love. Before long, Min discovered she was pregnant.

Fear outweighed the joy.
If I quit, I can't pay back the debt. But if I keep working in this condition...

If she consulted the supervisory organization, she might be forced to return home. If she confessed to the factory manager, she would likely be met with cold stares. The image of a friend who worked as a nurse in Vietnam floated into her mind. Even though she held a respected profession, her salary was half of Min's. Yet here she was, standing alone in a foreign land, protected by no one.

At night, she looked up at the moon from the small window of her dormitory. The same moon should have been floating in the sky over Vietnam as well.
Perhaps I am not free in either country.

Min placed her hand on her belly. Debt, contracts, laws—everything bound her like chains. Yet inside that, a small life was moving quietly.

For your sake, I must become strong.

When she whispered that, she felt as if she had heard the heartbeat of her own future for the first time, rather than the noise of the factory.

Choice

Min spent several sleepless nights.
Should she continue working to pay off her debt, or quit her internship to protect her life?

One evening, a colleague working at the same factory whispered to her.
Consult a support group. There might be a way without having to return home.

On the other end of the line she called with trepidation, fluent Vietnamese returned. A weight lifted slightly from her chest. She learned for the first time that it is illegal to be fired for being pregnant, that it is possible to give birth in Japan, and that support groups could help her with her daily life.

The next day, Min told the factory manager.
I am pregnant. But I want to keep working.

The factory manager's face hardened, but the discussion proceeded with the presence of the supervisory organization and the support group. She was exempted from heavy labor and given administrative work. Her salary decreased, but she no longer had to work herself to the bone.

A few months later, Min gave birth to her daughter at a small hospital.
The moment she heard the cry, it felt as if all the chains had vanished for an instant.

The debt remains. Her anxiety about the future is endless.
Even so, Min made her choice.

I will live with this child. I am not living to work. I am living to build a future with this child.

Outside the window is the Japanese night sky.
Her parents, far away in Vietnam, are likely looking up at the same moon.