The Secret of Min's Castle

Chapitre 1

Korea, winter 1813,

Diary of Lee Ji Eun:

Here, they say that in 10 years even the mountains change. Yet as I look out over the landscape, my beloved Korea seems to have frozen. I left it ten years ago, when my father and I moved to the United States. This land held the promise of progress in my father's eyes. Poor thing, it's been three months now since I've had to live without him, without my only family. He was a brilliant psychiatrist. Certainly too far ahead of his time and often misunderstood.

But I understood him. As if I were an extension of him, I shared his dreams and his vision of the world. He gave me the desire to heal people's souls, and to understand them.

Patients are wary enough of the "charlatans" we are, so imagine their reactions when the doctor they see is a young woman. Their remarks only last until my words succeed in soothing them. I'm a good listener. And very often that's the only remedy patients need. They want to be heard at last, and to be given some attention.

Of course, these simple cases are not what motivate me; I love the complexity of the most unique minds. I inherited this trait from my father.

After we arrived in the States, he kept telling me the story of his "last patient". A certain Mr. Min. It wasn't until later that I understood my father's relationship with this man. It was when I read the notes he'd left that I understood. He had crossed the line and fallen in love with his patient. Breaking both the ethical and moral rules that reject love as soon as it escapes traditional patterns. My parents married out of duty. Did Mom know? I don't know. All I know about her is a phrase my father used to say to me: "She was so pretty, just like you"

This Mr Min was my father's biggest regret in many respects. He'd been with him for two years when he took his own life, exactly 10 years ago. And yes, you heard me right. HIS death was the real reason we left. My father refused to eat for a long time. He blamed himself and couldn't bear to live again in the place where he'd failed to save his loved one. I can only imagine a tiny part of his pain. He had failed as a caregiver, and also as a lover. My father has spent the last ten years teaching me psychiatry and recording, reading and re-reading the reports of his consultations with Mr. Min. Did this become an obsession? He didn't understand the illness that made him suffer, so he often talked about music. Music, music... it's all a blur to me.

Since then, Father had been very ill, and yet until his last breath he thought of Mr. Min. Dad, how much did you love this man? One day I'd like to feel that way too. I'd like the chance to see my whole world in someone else.

Now, dear reader, there's a question that must be burning in your mind. Why did I return to Korea? You're right to ask. After all, I'm almost a stranger here - I was 13 when I left.

But what brings me here is the desire to honor the promise I made to my father. On his deathbed, he asked me to take care of Mr Min's eldest son. Like him, apparently, the young man was suffering terribly. I'm here to help him, soothe him and perhaps understand what my father didn't have time to understand. I have little information about my patient. I have his name, Min Yoongi, and his age, 23. Age creates a common ground that will surely facilitate interactions.

 I, for one, am delighted. It's a new adventure, a frightening one I must admit. I have the impression that my present is linked to my father's past. Is life just a loop? The son of my father's last patient will be my first.

Oh yes, Father, I promise I'll help. Yes, I'll succeed.

I think that's enough for today, dear reader, my final destination awaits. In the distance, I can already see the tip of the Min Manor keep piercing the sky.