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## Chapter 10 — Making the World More Beautiful
It wasn’t common for an unknown singer to get the chance to perform in front of a large crowd.
The owner’s proposal was for me to act as a substitute vocalist at a small music festival being held in Haenam, the
southernmost town of the country.
“The hyung running the band there is someone I know really well. He told me he’s having trouble finding a vocalist right
now. And judging from yesterday, you can play guitar too, right?”
“…Yes. I can play guitar too.”
“Then stop hesitating and try getting on stage at least once. It’s a tiny local festival anyway—the audience will mostly
be elderly people. Think of it like appearing on *National Singing Contest* or something.”
…A *National Singing Contest,* huh.
Thinking of it that way definitely eased the pressure.
“But I’m still traveling right now… I wasn’t planning on heading straight to Haenam.”
“Ah, that’s fine. I heard there’s still plenty of time before the festival starts. Enjoy your trip as much as you want
and head there afterward. I’ll contact my hyung beforehand, alright?”
“……”
There was still lots of time left, and the event was small enough not to feel burdensome.
But more than anything—
Thump.
Just the thought of singing in front of people again made my heart race.
After thinking for a moment, I lowered my head.
“Thank you for giving me such a great opportunity, sir.”
“What opportunity? Hahaha, just finish your soup.”
And so, I ended up becoming the substitute vocalist for the small music festival in Haenam.
After finishing the bean sprout soup with the owner and leaving the restaurant, I asked him:
“But sir… why are you being so kind to me?”
“Hm?”
“I mean, you gave me 800,000 won for yesterday’s part-time job, and now you’re even introducing me to this music
festival in Haenam. You’ve only known me for a day, but you’ve treated me unbelievably well… I guess I was wondering if
there was a reason.”
Even now, dealing with people was difficult for me.
It was because of my childhood trauma.
When I was young, every adult around me—except my parents—had been calculating.
They flattered and fawned over me because I was called a genius, hoping some benefit would fall into their laps.
And if things didn’t go their way, they wished for my downfall instead.
Part of me wondered whether the owner of this Live Pub was also expecting something from me like those adults from the
past.
But then—
“Seriously now, why ask something like that?”
“…Excuse me?”
The owner looked genuinely dumbfounded by my question.
Then, while casually picking his teeth with a toothpick, he answered:
“There are people in this world who hurt others for no reason at all. So why wouldn’t there also be people who treat
others kindly for no reason?”
“……!”
“Sure, the world’s harsh and cold sometimes, but don’t go questioning every bit of kindness people show you. If you
start worrying about stuff like that all the time, life’ll become exhausting.”
“…Ah.”
For some reason, those casual words struck deeply within me.
To someone like me, who had hidden away in his room after being hurt and disappointed by the world—
they felt like a ray of light slipping through a crack in the door.
As I stood there blankly, the owner burst into loud laughter and continued:
“Still, if I absolutely had to give a reason why I’ve been so nice to you… it’s because I completely fell for you.”
“Fell for me…?”
“Yep. Twice already. The first time was when I saw you playing piano in front of the curry shop. The second was when you
sang at dawn.”
As though reliving yesterday’s memories, the owner’s eyes sparkled with delight.
At that moment, his smile looked just like a child happily playing in a playground.
“I just want other people to hear your piano and your singing too. Art makes the world more beautiful.”
“……”
“So spread your talent to as many people as possible, alright? The more people who experience it, the more beautiful
this world becomes. Hahaha!”
Was there anyone more suited to the word *romantic* than this man?
Looking at the owner laughing heartily, I let out a quiet chuckle.
“And once you become famous, come back and visit our pub again! Wahahaha!”
“Of course I will, sir.”
Before I realized it, warmth had already settled inside my heart.
Gwangju Metropolitan City.
I had only stopped by this city briefly to earn money for my travels—
but I learned many things here.
Working at the curry shop led me back to the piano after more than ten years.
Working at the Live Pub taught me about alcohol—
and how to enjoy music together with other people.
In this provincial city, I learned that the world was still beautiful.
I also learned that even a small act of kindness, given without expecting anything in return, could become salvation to
someone else.
And so—
just like the kindness the people I met here had shown me—
I found myself wanting to make the world more beautiful by showing kindness to others too.
“Thank you for everything until now. Then… I’ll be going, sir.”
“See you again sometime, Piano Man! Hahaha!”
And with that, I headed toward my next destination.
---
After leaving Gwangju, the next city I arrived in was Suncheon.
My plan was to travel downward from Gwangju through Suncheon and Yeosu, then participate in the music festival in Haenam
before heading back up to Mokpo and taking a ferry to Jeju Island.
And the reason I specifically chose Suncheon as my first stop was—
“Wow… so this is Suncheon Bay.”
Because I wanted to see Suncheon Bay with my own eyes—a nationally designated cultural heritage site and a protected
Ramsar wetland.
The moment I saw the scenery spread out before me, my jaw dropped.
Nature on such a grand scale moved people emotionally.
The endless reed fields swaying in the wind.
The mudflats stretching endlessly into the distance.
The sunlight slowly settling across them.
And birds flying freely against that breathtaking backdrop.
I had only ever seen it in photographs before and always dreamed of visiting someday.
But seeing it in person—
the emotion was even stronger than I imagined.
At the same time—
‘…I want to paint.’
A powerful desire rose within me to capture this scenery and the emotions I felt right now in a painting.
But there was a problem.
“…If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve brought my art supplies from home.”
I didn’t even have a single sheet of drawing paper with me, let alone proper painting tools.
Which honestly made sense.
When I first began this cross-country journey, I had sworn never to paint again.
If I hadn’t painted that mural at the request of the old man in Dalsol-ri, Jangseong County—
I probably still wouldn’t even be thinking about drawing now.
But once the limit was broken, suppressing the urge became impossible.
Like someone who quit smoking but takes one cigarette and falls completely back into addiction—
I desperately wanted to paint again after spending more than ten years avoiding it.
“But there’s nothing I can do… It’s not like there’d be an art supply store nearby.”
And even if there were, it would still be a problem.
I was currently walking across the country.
Carrying my current luggage across hundreds of kilometers was already difficult enough—there was no way I could also
drag around a full set of painting equipment.
“Ah… maybe I shouldn’t have brought this guitar after all.”
I lightly smacked my guitar case and continued walking along the trails built around Suncheon Bay.
Since I couldn’t paint right now, I at least planned to store every bit of this scenery carefully in my memory.
Flap—
“…Oh?”
While walking and admiring the landscape, a bird suddenly landed beside me.
Its feathers were bright and white, and even though I didn’t know much about birds, it was obviously the kind you rarely
saw in Seoul.
“So pretty. Hey little guy, what’s your name?”
Just as I curiously stepped closer toward the bird—
“Hey! Don’t go near it! You’ll scare it away!”
“…Excuse me?”
Startled by the sudden voice from somewhere nearby, I stopped moving.
And during that moment—
Flap—
the frightened bird flew away.
“…Ah.”
As I stared blankly at the bird disappearing into the distance, an elderly man hurried over toward me.
In his hand was an old digital camera from the early 2000s, and his face was filled with irritation.
“Seriously now! Young people these days! Why would you charge straight at a bird like that?! Of course it flew away!”
“Ah… um… I’m sorry…”
“You from Seoul?”
“Yes… It’s my first time visiting here.”
Maybe hearing that it was my first time in Suncheon Bay softened him slightly, because the old man clicked his tongue
and began lecturing me.
“The birds living here are completely different from pigeons in Seoul, alright? Wild birds are cautious creatures. If a
person even reaches toward them a little, they’ll fly away immediately.”
“Yes, I’ll remember that.”
Judging from the camera in his hand, he had probably been trying to photograph the bird before I interrupted him.
After scolding and warning me a few more times, the old man walked away again.
“…His temper’s really fiery.”
I honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone had scolded me like that.
Especially not a grandfather I had only just met.
As I calmed myself down, another photographer nearby who had been taking pictures of birds burst into laughter and spoke
to me.
“Looks like you got on White Goose Grandpa’s bad side.”
“White Goose Grandpa?”
“Yep. He’s actually pretty famous around here.”
The photographer then gave me a brief explanation about the local celebrity known as White Goose Grandpa.
Apparently, he was a lifelong Suncheon native who had spent the last several years wandering around Suncheon Bay every
single day with that old digital camera searching for white geese.
“He’s been looking for one bird for years…? Sorry, I don’t know much about this stuff, but are white geese really that
rare?”
“Absolutely. Among photographers, spotting one is considered insanely lucky because they’re so rare.”
“I see.”
Curious now, I searched the internet for information about white geese.
“It says there was only one sighting last year. So they really *are* rare… huh? Wait.”
And immediately, I noticed something strange.
“It says white geese are winter migratory birds. But… it’s summer right now.”
“……”
Aren’t winter migratory birds only supposed to stay in Korea during winter?
When I pointed that out, the photographer gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“Yeah. Most geese are winter migratory birds, so you only see them briefly during winter. But no matter how many times
we explain it, White Goose Grandpa refuses to listen.”
“…Excuse me?”
“He says he saw a white goose during summer when he was young. Which makes no sense. Spotting one is difficult even in
winter. But you saw his personality earlier, right? He’s not only hot-tempered—he’s unbelievably stubborn too.”
As he spoke, the photographer looked toward the direction the old man had disappeared with pity in his eyes.
“Among us photographers, people think he might have dementia. …A poor old man searching every day for the illusion of a
white goose.”
“……”
“Ah! Sorry, I rambled too much. You said it’s your first time here, right? Enjoy your time at Suncheon Bay! I need to
get back to taking photos.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you. I hope you get some great shots!”
After parting ways with the photographer, I fell into thought for a moment.
His pity-filled words lingered in my ears.
‘…A poor old man searching every day for the illusion of a white goose.’
A white goose.
A rare migratory bird difficult to spot even during winter.
And yet he searched for it in summer every single day.
Even to me, it sounded impossible.
Just what kind of story did White Goose Grandpa have that made him search for the bird day after day?
“Hmm… maybe I should ask him.”
And with that thought, I headed toward the direction where White Goose Grandpa had disappeared.
About ten minutes later, I spotted the old man busily taking photos of white birds with his old digital camera.