Kang Chi: Beyond Life and Time

Chapter 14: Beyond Time: Still The Same Person

Kang Cheol arrived at the Jirisan National Park as he had planned. He had been here two days ago but had to turn back because of an urgent call from Yeon Seok. This time, he would not let anyone—or anything—stop him from doing this. He wanted to get away from the busy life of Seoul so much, he woke up earlier than his usual wake-up time before Yeon Seok began calling him regarding his engagements for the day. He had told him he wanted to unwind today and even asked him to accompany him, but he declined.

He doesn't know what he's missing.

They used to hike in the Park whenever he visited from the US (under the pretense of Kang Cheol), which made it a not-so-frequent trip. Two days ago, he suddenly felt a need to unwind, and he would not stop feeling the urge until he gives in. So, he travelled the distance, but was urgently called back right after he arrived at his destination. Today, there would be no more excuses. He would temporarily detach himself from the world. The excitement brought about by the thought helped him cover the three-and-a-half-hour trip of 300-plus kilometers in just two hours and forty-five minutes.

For more than four hundred years, he had been travelling back and forth to this place to remind himself of his past. The mountain had been so much a part of his existence, the exact reason why he always comes back whenever he wanted to find and feel peace.

All geared up for the hike, he treaded the designated path, mingling with hundreds of others who were in the same place for various personal reasons. About a kilometer into the hike, he diverted into an illegal track, deep into forest, to deliberately stumble upon pile of stones that looked like the remains of someone's home. He smiled at the thought of himself hanging fishes to dry, harvesting potatoes and leeks that he had sown himself, and lying underneath his peach tree, looking up at the crescent moon against the clear, night sky.

He felt peace once again.

He spent a good hour or two just sitting on the pile of stones that used to be part of his dwelling. There was no cellphone signal, which made the time spent more peaceful than hoped for.

It was late in the afternoon when he decided to leave. He retraced his steps, returned to the track for hikers and went down as the sun begins to set.

He was on his way back to where he parked his car when a running boy collided with him from behind. He was shaken, but the boy fell down.

"Mianhaeyo, Ahjussi...." The boy apologized as he stood up.

"Eo...Aniyeyo. Gwaenchanhayo?"

"Ne! Gwaenchansseumnida!" He replied energetically after dusting himself off.

"I told you not to run." Said a man not so distant from where they were standing. Moments later, he is beside them.

"Jal jinaesseoyo, Choi Kang Cheol?" Asked the man with a smile that told him he knew he would be happy to see him.

Maldo andwae!

His countenance pretty much summed up his reaction to the salutation. He was speechless and dumbfounded at the same time.

"Oraenmaniya." The man continued.

"Eung...Ye...Oraenmaniya...." He finally managed to say. "Jeongmal dangshiningayo?"

"Geurae! Naya! Su Jungimnida!"

For the first time in four centuries, he finally met someone who knows and remembers him for who he really is. He grabbed him in a tight embrace, almost not wanting to let go. Su Jung hyung tapped his arms and his hold on him loosened.