It had been three days and your cleaning weren’t done. When had you begun shedding like a husky dog? You made a face as you picked up your loose hair that had fallen onto the bathroom floor. You placed your ball of loss hair into the trash and tugged at your purple surgical gloves that protected your hands from bacteria unknown to men.

Your new phone was in transit to your apartment. However, when was it going to arrive? You didn’t know. But the fact that it was coming was enough for you to worry less. You wiped your bathroom mirror that had a colossal constellation made of dried spots of toothpaste. You were focused, pressing at some of the spots to dissolve them when a loud disturbing knock sounded from your door.

You opened the door to see a much older man with round glasses atop his long nose bridge staring down at you. His salt and pepper hair was tousled as if he had had a bad night of sleep. His short sleeves made you wonder if spring had bloomed overnight. Yet, as if mother nature heard your thoughts, the cold wind from outside blew into your apartment and you tried not to shiver.

“I got a phone call from your Grandfather to check your light source,” he stated and afterwards greeted, “Call me Mister. I’m the owner of this place,”

“Oh…nice to meet you…Mister…the light source is um…” you tried to direct him to the light source, but you really had no clue what he was talking about.

“I’ve already installed a backup electric generator out in the back. I heard a big snow storm is coming our way. You stay safe and call me if you need anything,” he stated and handed you a gray business card.

“Oh…thanks,” you replied while accepting the card from him. He gave you a generous smile before turning around to leave. You stood there still confused as to what he was referring to. But whatever it was, you hoped it was a good thing.

That night you warmed up a bowl of ramen and sat in front of your TV. As soon as you turned it on, all the channels were of news reports. You never could comprehend why every news channel was reporting the same thing. Yes, you got the message; it was going to snow for December and it was going to snow a whole lot but did they all have to emphasize it??

You flipped the channel until you landed on a documentary about beautiful places in the world. Your mouth gaped open while you stared at the shiny blue water on the screen.

“Impossible,” you whispered to yourself while you listened to the narrator explain that it was merely a depiction from the presence of bioluminescent bacteria.

“Maldives…Maldives Beach,” you repeated and instantly thought of Seungkwan. You had to share this news with him. If he liked the airport overlook, he would definitely like this beach. However, as soon as you were reminded of your phoneless fate you realized you couldn’t share this beach with Seungkwan after all. A sudden commercial break redirected you to your untouched ramen bowl that was still steaming and warm.

When the show returned you listened to the narrator explain that beyond the blue Maldives beach was also a place called the Reed Flute Cave located in China. Footage of the striking cave made of limestone triggered your eyes to blink rapidly. You had to clear your vision to make sure that what you were looking at was actually real. The shimmering wonderland was absolutely stunning. It was like a palace that was hidden underground and of course owned by dragons. Or at least…your imagination made you see it that way.  

You slurped your ramen and chewed slowly while your eyes remained glued to the TV. It wasn’t until the next area showed on the screen, did you almost choke and die. Your Grandfather’s spa was reviewed on the documentary. Although the camera crew definitely made the mountains appear more inviting than the real deal, you were shocked to see your home described on screen. The site of your Grandfather speaking, answering to a question of why he built the spa in the first place made you smile.

“I love it here and I want other people to be able to call this home as well,” your Grandfather explained, “I did this for my wife. She is my home. This is my home.”

His answer was disrupted by the narrator who described the white bricks and glass roof. She spoke, explaining the importance of natural lighting and the ability to see the stars at night. She even went as far as mentioning the history of the earthquake that had long been tucked away in the depths of your memory. Suddenly your Grandfather’s voice played over hers, “My granddaughter is my life. Without her, I wouldn’t have any life left. Everyone needs a motivation. For me, it’s her. It’s her happiness that is my motivation,”

You frowned at his words while blinking away the tears that collected at the brim of your eyes. Your Grandfather was such a workaholic yet he was always considerate of you. He had done so much for you, and you hadn’t truly thanked him enough.

You sighed and wished your phone wasn’t dead. You wanted to call your Grandfath