A Body Of Water; A Mind Of Light

The Storm

Jeongguk loves the sea.

He loves walking across the beach after the storm. The smell of wet sand is soothing. It makes his soul feel at peace.

For the past couple of days, it has rained so much that the town people have been cursing at the gods above them.

Storms are now common in this small town near the sea. Jeongguk loves it but he never shares it, especially when he's around his boss, an old lady that owns a small souvenir shop by the shore.

Jeongguk has been working there for three years now. He decided to stay here and help his single mother make a living and pay her debts. Jeongguk is a good son. He loves her too much to leave her alone.

The young boy is also grateful for getting a job next to the sea. He enjoys looking at it during his breaks. His boss isn’t that bad either.

After so much time, he has got used to her strange whims and little unusual behaviors. He really doesn't mind her. Peuli-jeum, as she calls herself, is more interesting than any of the narrow-minded and brooding townspeople.

But she can also turn into a raging bull. Especially when he is late.

Now Jeongguk crosses through puddles and mud to reach the small souvenir shop. He is in fact late.

Today, the wind is saltier. It makes Jeongguk’s nose itchy. As he opens the salt-eaten door, the sound of the old bell floods the shop.

"Jeongguk!" The old lady by the counter shouts, her old yet wise eyes examining him from top to bottom. "You are late… again."

"I'm sorry, auntie. Our basement flooded again and I had to help my mom extract the water," the young boy apologizes, walking behind the counter to leave his bag.

"I swear, I'm going to move somewhere where there's no rain at all!" The woman then declares, letting her elbows rest on the counter.

Jeongguk nods. He has heard about her little plan multiple times. Yet she stays here. In this little town which is terrorized by storms half of the year.

"Where are you going to go, auntie?"

"The Sahara Desert!" The woman answers.

"And what would you do there? What would you even eat?" Jeongguk smiles a little.

"Sell sand to the mummies and eat lizards!" The woman now leaves the counter, walking to the wind chimes hanging from the ceiling.

Her fingers brush the glassy domes, letting the chimes produce a pleasant sound. Then her eyes turn to the beach, traveling all the way to the little lighthouse in the distance. "It looks like there's going to be a storm tonight."

Jeongguk nods. He can already feel it in his bones.

"Yeah…"

A smile forms on his lips as his eyes see the grey clouds moving towards them.

Grey… Jeongguk finds peace in grey.

"How is your mother by the way?"

"She's working a double shift again."

"That woman," the old lady murmurs, eyes finally turning away from the grey landscape. "I admire her."

Jeongguk nods again. His mother is the only person he has left in this life. His time with his father was short. His mother told him he was claimed by the sea on a stormy night that took more than one life. Jeongguk was only four.

Jeon Jung-hyun was a simple man. He had a boat and a goal in life; make a living and beat his wife to death after drinking himself to a stupor to forget his misfortunes.