It has been years since I came back to my old hometown, Jeju. I missed the fresh and salty air that fills my lungs every time I breathe; a major difference to the air in Seoul. As my eyes feast on the beautiful scenery, it finally sank in that this time I am back for good, or at least for a long period of time.

Minho closed his eyes and inhaled deeply the smell of Jeju as if he wanted to be revived and rejuvenated by the air. Right now, standing at the balcony overlooking the sea, at his new apartment, he was slowly grasping the reality of being back. Moving in was easy as it was only a phone call away. He was too busy with tying up all loose ends at his former residency to be bothered by the details of the move. He just listed down his criteria and let the agent do all the work. Money was not a problem. So, needless to say he was detached from the emotions of uprooting himself from his comfort zone to back where everything began.

The offer came around a month ago, when he was head hunted by the current hospital to be the new head surgeon. He was already the second in charged at his former hospital and was quite content with the situation since he knew, sooner or later, the head position will be his. It was unimaginable to his team that he had accepted the offer in the first place but he did. He informed them that he wanted to give back to his local community and also said that the offer was too good to pass since the perks are extremely interesting. Besides, his omma and dongsaeng wanted him home.  Those were his explanations and people accepted them without further probing. In honesty, it was a decision that was more heart than brain.

Until now, he was still questioning himself with regards to his actions. He was not used to be spontaneous nor put much faith in gut feeling. However, this time around, logic did not win. Something was tugging him towards Jeju and he did not know why … or was it someone?

It was nearly 8 years ago that he left his birthplace in order to achieve his dream becoming a surgeon. It was a hard choice but one that he made anyway. He reminisced to a time long ago when he was content and happy to be a general practitioner with a clinic of his own, living happily with his future family and children. He would not call it a tragedy but at least for him the events that happened to him and loved ones, had given him no choice but to leave and pursue his goal further away from the island. They have changed his outlook on life and also him as a person. He now, closely guards his personal life and value privacy.

What time is it? I need to go and visit the hospital and have a brief tour of the place. I want to be prepared and ready for work, next Monday. Anyway, I should drop by my new office to unpack and organize my things. Then I would go to omma’s for dinner. She sent me a message this morning to come over today. I hope she cooks all of my favorite dish. I miss her so much. I miss Krystal too. Maybe I should get something for her since she works so hard at her job. Yes, yes … I should.

With that, Minho left the balcony and headed downstairs.