The First Sea
"What? You've never been to the beach?"
At Hyeong-man's words, Cheol-jun shook his head.
"I told you, I saw it from Dandong and Dalian."
"No, no! Not just seeing it. Going there to play. The beach, you punk!"
"Oh..."
"You've never put on a swimsuit and splashed around?"
Cheol-jun nodded with an innocent face.
"Sigh..."
Hyeong-man shook his head, a look of sudden realization washing over his face.
Until now, he had thought it was enough to just let the kid do whatever he wanted, but now he felt strangely guilty, as if he had committed a crime.
"...What about an amusement park?"
"Oh, when we lived on the outskirts of Dandong, I rode some rides at a mobile carnival!"
"Is that an amusement park?"
"Dad said it was basically the same thing."
Hyeong-man's expression scrunched up even more.
A mobile carnival. Hyeong-man knew exactly what that meant.
A collection of rusty mini-Viking rides attached to the back of a truck or tiny, pathetic carousels—and the kid thought that was an amusement park?
That bastard Jaegang...
Then again, Jaegang hadn't exactly been in a position to take the kid on vacations.
Hyeong-man closed his eyes tight, then started asking about things one by one.
It seemed like this kid had missed out on almost everything other kids experienced before they even started kindergarten.
What were the things kids this age were supposed to do?
Honestly, Hyeong-man didn't really know much about that area either.
So, he could only think of a few things off the top of his head.
"A bicycle?"
Cheol-jun shook his head.
"You didn't learn Taekwondo either, did you?"
"Oh, I hit the punching bag a lot!"
"Sigh... I mean poomsae, you punk."
Cheol-jun shook his head again.
"Have you jumped on a bangbang?"
"A bangbang?"
"A trampoline!"
"Oh! I jumped on one in our neighborhood when we lived in Shenyang!"
"Okay. What about camping?"
"Sleeping outside?"
"Yeah!"
"I've slept on the streets a lot."
"No! Pitching a tent, making a campfire, grilling meat, and roasting marshmallows!"
"Why would you do that on purpose when you have a house? Why?"
"Well, that's true... No, that's not what I meant... Sigh... What about fishing?"
"I've caught fish before!"
"Really?"
"Yes! With my bare hands in the creek!"
"Sigh..."
Hyeong-man let out a deep sigh.
Naturally, the kid had never been to a water park, a sledding hill, or gone skiing or snowboarding...
Damn it...
Come to think of it, he hadn't even done anything special for Children's Day.
Hyeong-man felt increasingly uncomfortable.
"This won't do."
"What won't?"
"Just wait a second!"
Hyeong-man quickly turned on his phone and started searching.
Cheol-jun's summer vacation was almost over.
If nothing else, they had to go to the beach at least once in the summer.
It was too hot for camping, so maybe he'd rent an RV and take him somewhere along the East Coast to let him play to his heart's content.
There were joys that could only be experienced at that age.
"We're leaving tomorrow."
"Where?"
"The beach!"
"Uh..."
"What?"
"My placement exam for Rival is the day after tomorrow..."
"What?"
"The game!"
"No! This time, you're doing exactly what your uncle says."
"But I promised my friends..."
"Quiet. When you were doing that astronomy thing or whatever, you had no problem breaking promises with your friends. You can do that later!"
"..."
"We're leaving tomorrow, no matter what."
"...Okay."
Cheol-jun went to his room looking a bit dejected.
And the next day.
They arrived in Yongin to rent an RV.
"Whoa!"
Climbing into the RV, Cheol-jun's eyes sparkled as he started jumping around.
Hyeong-man smiled warmly as he turned the steering wheel.
This kid...
At the edge of the College of Natural Sciences, right in front of the Astronomy Department lab, stood a single large tree.
It was the only shade in the wide-open area, making it highly conspicuous.
Consequently, the astronomy researchers had started to notice a man who had been sitting there for days like a lingering ghost, staring endlessly at the lab.
Do Seon-ju, who was about to enter the lab, let out a deep sigh and walked toward the shade.
And she tossed a bottle of barley tea to the ghost.
"Oh! Thank you!"
Pyo Jeong-sik, a teaching assistant from the Philosophy Department, grinned and shook the bottle. Even in the shade, he was drenched in sweat because of the intense heat.
"You really have no tact. I told you I'd let you know if you just went and hid somewhere else."
"Yeah, I don't trust you."
"Sigh, seriously. And Cheol-jun won't be coming for a while anyway. He's busy playing games with his friends."
"Games?"
"Some shooting game, he said..."
"What is it? PUBG? It wouldn't be Overwatch or Sudden Attack. Wow, even kids that smart play games."
"Sigh... Oppa, do you still play games?"
"No, just occasionally these days..."
"Anyway, our professor told me never to associate with you. He said your intentions are obvious."
"Well, yeah. They are obvious. But it's not my intention, it's my professor's."
"Seriously, why are you coveting a kid who's good at math?"
"He says it's not math. It's philosophy."
"Oh, please."
"But hearing him talk, I really want to have a conversation with him too. The kid is truly special."
Do Seon-ju's shoulders puffed up with pride.
"Of course he's special. Just wait until the video of his final review in the small auditorium is released. That day, the math professors were practically crying. Even the dean!"
"Exactly. He's a kid who draws something humanistic out of a cold science. No wonder my professor is losing his mind over him."
"But his defense will be insane. And he's not even officially part of our College of Natural Sciences yet."
Pyo Jeong-sik's eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Really?"
"Ah... No, that's not what I meant. His guardian really hates him being tied down anywhere... But temporarily, he belongs to Astronomy! His name is even on the paper as the first author!"
"Oh, how did the paper go?"
Do Seon-ju tilted her chin up slightly.
"Passed review! The editor screening finished in three days, and the peer review took only two weeks! The final approval is basically done, so it'll be published in a month or two! Nature! Oppa, do you know Nature? We're in the celestial realm now. We're not at the level of lamenting our fates over drinks anymore."
Pyo Jeong-sik let out a long sigh.
"Sigh... It feels like just yesterday we were crying over drinks, worrying about department mergers... This mortal has forgotten her past so quickly and become so arrogant. How foolish. Truly foolish."
"Anyway, I'll really let you know when Cheol-jun comes, so go to an internet cafe and play those games you love so much."
"Hmm... Look me straight in the eye. Promise?"
"Yes!"
"Ah, Seon-ju. Even though I love you..."
"Yeah, get lost before I take it back."
Pyo Jeong-sik smiled brightly and quickly stood up.
"Unlike your looks, you really have a beautiful heart..."
"I said, get lost!"
Do Seon-ju walked back to the lab in annoyance, and Pyo Jeong-sik's eyebrow twitched.
A shooting game, huh...
What games do elementary schoolers play these days?
Pyo Jeong-sik ran toward the internet cafe with light steps.
"What? The beach? No! Why are you telling me this after you've already left? ... Did you pack sunscreen? Sigh, seriously. What if the kid gets sunburned and his skin peels! Life jacket? ... Are you crazy? The kid can't even swim, of course he needs to wear one! Where are you going? Goseong? Oh, seriously... Fine. Hang up for now."
Choi Yeon-mi scrunched her nose.
Then she looked at Myeong Hye-won, the PR team leader.
"Hey. Did I tell you to promote it or not? If you had just posted one feed on the Instagram accounts of our resting idols, we would have hit over thirty thousand viewers. What is four thousand? Four thousand?!"
"Well, he was using so much alien language and saying things I couldn't understand, so I didn't know it was that big of a deal."
"Sigh... Didn't you see the international reaction?"
"That was... later..."
"Oh, seriously..."
Myeong Hye-won clung to Choi Yeon-mi's arm apologetically.
"I'll make sure the YouTube video is amazing. I even got all the footage they shot during his research at Seohan University yesterday. I'll hire music video directors to make it a work of art, so please forgive me just this once. Pretty please?"
Choi Yeon-mi pouted and shook off Myeong Hye-won's arm.
"Sigh. Anyway, how was it? Now that you've checked?"
Myeong Hye-won's eyebrow twitched.
"His star quality is off the charts. First of all, the 'young genius' title alone is an instant sell, but with looks that pretty, we could launch him immediately. Looking at the international reaction, it's definitely not just a matter of high mental math or memorization. And though I didn't realize it that day, the story has a great twist, a slight villain, and a perfect narrative arc. If we manage him properly, a star genius is absolutely possible."
"Hmm. Good. But we haven't gotten permission from his guardian yet. So just prepare. Just prepare."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Answering energetically, Myeong Hye-won peeked at Choi Yeon-mi's expression.
"But... Chan-woo. I heard he's been holed up in his studio since yesterday without eating anything... He only listens to you, Director. Maybe you should go check on him..."
Choi Yeon-mi bit her lower lip slightly.
Min Chan-woo.
Once a singer-songwriter who had taken South Korea by storm as a musical prodigy.
A genius who, from the age of fourteen, churned out massive hits every three months with his extraordinary talent.
He created songs of deep empathy while subtly avoiding mainstream clichés, and his clear, beautiful voice expressed those unique songs with unrivaled emotion.
Literally a fully-formed genius singer-songwriter.
Before the idol group K-Max became successful, he was the pillar of Playground Music (PGM). But after being discharged from the military, he had fallen into a severe slump.
Since he did nothing but drink when left alone at home, she had told him to stay in the studio.
She had been relieved because he seemed to be holding up when sober...
But she felt guilty that she hadn't been able to look after him lately because she was busy with the rookies.
"Hmm...?"
Choi Yeon-mi's eyebrow twitched as she pondered.
Does he know how to drive?
"Alright. I'll go see him now. Also, I'm taking a two or three-day vacation."
"What? So suddenly?"
"You heard the phone call earlier. His so-called guardian doesn't know how to take care of a child. I can't bear to see our Cheol-jun get sunburned. Do you know how beautiful his fair skin is...?"
"Ah..."
"Just make sure that YouTube video turns out spectacular."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Cheol-jun had his face pressed flat against the window.
"Hey, I told you to get some sleep."
"I can't!"
"Haha, seriously..."
As they exited a tunnel, another mountain appeared.
It wasn't his first time seeing mountains. He had seen them often in China.
But today felt different.
He thought about why it felt different for a long time, and he thought he understood.
Today, he was completely safe, and his mind was perfectly at peace.
That was why he could enjoy it so leisurely.
He loved the constantly changing scenery.
How long has that mountain been there?
It must have been there before he was born.
Before his parents were born.
Before his dad, Jaegang, was born.
Before Grandma Yu Ok-hee was born.
It had probably been there even when there were no humans at all.
It would have been just as green, even with no one watching, right?
Until now, beauty to Cheol-jun had been a perfectly balanced equation or a flawless chain of logic.
But the scenery unfolding before his eyes now brought an overwhelming emotion that no calculation could explain.
Every time the sunlight pouring through the clouds shattered against the leaves, something warm and soft welled up inside Cheol-jun's heart.
So, he temporarily erased numbers from his mind.
They entered another tunnel.
It was pitch black.
He used to hold his breath every time they entered a tunnel, but after encountering several incredibly long ones, he stopped playing that game.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
When he felt the darkness turn to bright light, he snapped his eyes open.
Without fail, a new landscape unfolded.
This time, he began to admire the clouds scattered across the blue sky.
Their shapes were all different.
A sudden thought struck him.
The sky I'm looking at right now is a sky I'll never see again, right?
Cheol-jun pressed close to the front windshield, quietly admiring the clouds.
Clouds that could only be seen today.
"Hey, I can't see the side mirror! Sit up straight."
"Ah. Yes!"
The sky was truly blue.
He knew that the sky was actually just a transparent layer of air.
He knew that it appeared blue because of light scattering as it passed through the atmosphere.
He had read it in a science book.
But suddenly, he wondered how those rules came to be, who made them, and who discovered them.
Where did that blue color come from?
It was a fascinating question.
It was a question without an answer, but it made his heart swell again.
He knew there were stars beyond that blue sky.
They were invisible right now because the blue was too bright, but they were definitely there.
Stars exist even during the day.
They don't disappear; they just only become visible at night.
The thought that some things exist even when they can't be seen was quite interesting.
Whether he was wandering in China, living with his dad Jaegang, or sitting next to his uncle heading to the beach at this very moment, those stars had always been there.
Regardless of whether he looked at them or not.
Regardless of whether he was struggling or not.
Regardless of whether he existed or not.
Thinking about that made him feel strangely at peace.
It meant that wherever he was, even if he disappeared from this world, those stars would still be there.
"Hungry?"
"Yes!"
"Should we stop by a rest stop?"
"A rest stop?"
"Sigh... I guess this is your first rest stop too. It'll appear after this tunnel. It's called Naerincheon. Let's grab a bite there."
"Okay!"
They arrived at the rest stop.
It was packed with cars and teeming with people.
"Hold my hand."
Cheol-jun quickly grabbed Hyeong-man's hand.
Honestly, he didn't think it was dangerous enough to need hand-holding, but he held it anyway.
He liked the feeling of his uncle worrying about him.
"What do you want to eat? Don't eat too much, though. We're grilling meat as soon as we arrive."
"Uh... that one!"
"Haha. Tornado potato?"
He chose it because it looked the most fun, and it turned out to be incredibly delicious.
Bang!
Cheol-jun's head whipped around.
As Cheol-jun stared with wide eyes, Hyeong-man chuckled.
"Want to try the punch machine? You've never done that either, right?"
"I've hit similar things a lot! Are you good at it, Uncle?"
"Haha. Your uncle, kid, used to break all the high records every time he stopped at a rest stop. Let's see, do I have change... Oh, you can use cards these days."
Inserting his card, Uncle Hyeong-man grinned and took a stance.
And then,
Bam!
"Sigh, getting a perfect score here is tough. The machine is stingy. Haha, but I'm still first place. See? Want to try?"
"Yes!"
Cheol-jun stood in front of the punch machine.
The target was a bit high.
He shifted his weight onto his lead foot, transferring the rotation that started from his back leg into his hips.
Bam!
As expected, the target was too high, so he couldn't put his full power into it.
It was a bit of a shame; he would have hit it better if he were a little taller.
Still, it was fun to see Uncle Hyeong-man's eyes widen in surprise.
The RV started moving again, immediately entering a tunnel.
"This is the longest tunnel in Korea."
"Whoa."
It really was incredibly long.
Rainbows appeared on the tunnel ceiling, followed by clouds.
Images made of light occasionally passed along the walls.
It seemed they had designed it that way because the tunnel was so long.
He appreciated the thoughtfulness of the people who came up with that.
Playing Rival with his friends was incredibly fun, but going out like this with Uncle Hyeong-man felt absolutely amazing.
The seemingly endless tunnel finally ended, and after driving a bit further...
"Look! See that? The horizon right ahead?"
"Whoa!"
In the distance, the endless sea stretched out.
It was a completely different sea from the one he had seen in China.
It must be the same ocean, but it felt entirely different.
Cheol-jun smiled brightly.
"Seriously, how have you lived to this age without even learning how to drive?"
"..."
"Take out your AirPods. It's rude when the director is driving."
"Sigh..."
"I asked what you've been doing without learning how to drive."
"I've had a manager with me since I was fourteen. When would I have had the chance to learn?"
"Sigh, you're proud of that."
"I do have a license, you know. Should I drive? I'm confident on the highway."
Choi Yeon-mi scrowled, muttering an "Oh, please!" before letting out a sigh.
"No thanks. I don't want to die today."
"That's why I said I wasn't going..."
"But you're a good swimmer."
"Ah, I'm not getting in the water."
"Get in. If my baby falls into the water, you have to save him. You even served in the Marines."
"Oh, seriously... You know how to swim too, Director."
"You expect me to wear a swimsuit and get in at my age? At a Korean beach, not even abroad? There are still plenty of people who recognize me."
"Me too..."
"Hardly anyone recognizes you if you don't dress up. Only your songs are famous."
"Sigh..."
"Anyway, your mission this time is safety guard. Okay?"
"Sigh, who on earth is this kid..."
Choi Yeon-mi smiled brightly.
"I told you. He's my baby."
"Ah, seriously..."
Min Chan-woo shook his head and looked out the window.
Well, coming outside did make him feel like he could finally breathe a little.