Chapter 1

The Lighthouse

*Hums* 

Do you want to go to the seaside?

I’m not trying to say that everybody want to go

I fell in love at the seaside

Seungyoon looked up from his phone onto the wast open landscape. He’d been anticipating the views, looking forward to seeing it unfold before them as they drove out of the small town leaving it behind for the woods only for it to open up and reveal the was open sea before them. 

It was one of his favorite views, the slight curve of the earth, the blue skies and waters. It was home away from home in an odd way he couldn’t describe in any other way. 

Growing up in the city he’d been fascinated with nature and since one of his mother's closest friends were a biologist he’d love learning new things from her. As he grew older had she always offered him odd summer jobs with different kinds of field work. The only three years he didn’t work for her was while he was away for university. 

Now he’d just moved back to his hometown and seeing as he’d been unable to find a job yet had he emailed her once again after his mother had suggested it. 

And so there he was in the back seat of her car with his mom tagging along to see the views as they went. 

His job would be to walk the beaches on a look out for a couple of rare birds that the county was fearing was becoming extinct, at least in their area. Ten weeks of beach walks, he could only hope the weather would be good. 

It was early June now and the days had finally begun getting warmer. The sun hung alone in the sky with not as much as a cloud to see yet the wind was blowing quite fiercely since they had emerged out into the open landscape. 

He sighed and wondered if he would be lonely out there by himself for so long, but he figured he’d be fine. He got his books, guitar and a pile of video games an old friend had lent him hearing about his work in solitude. It was just as he was checking his phone for messages from this friend that the car made an abrupt turn and they begun driving in a straight line towards the sea down an extremely bumpy road. 

After driving up a hill and around a few very weathered trees he saw the small wooden cottage with the abandoned lighthouse in the far distance behind it. 

    «Here we are» Lena announced as his mother’s friend was named and pulled the car up on the side of the few weathered trees and bushes before jumping out of the car. She’d made it look easy, the wind was pushing heavily against the car door and he had to actually struggle to get the door open. 

Standing there squinting against the wind feeling the cool sea air properly for the first time in years he smiled. He could hear the waves crashing in on the shoreline way down on the beach and before he could comment on it were they walking over to the cottage. 

It was painted white with blue details like the typical seaside holiday home, but the paint was flaking in several spots and the decking looked a little wonky. 

    «If you feel up to earning a bonus then I’m sure I could get you that by having you paint the place» Lena said picking at the flaking paint beside the front door. 

    «Wont the humidity be an issue?» He asked almost feeling the salty sea water on his skin as he spoke with how the wind pulled the waves with it up the beach. 

    «Probably» she said shrugging before opening the heavy lock with a big slightly rusty key. 

The inside was scarcely decorated with a few a small rugs and a couple of cushions on the small blue couch. On the wall hung a single painting of huge waves carrying a tiny sailboat in between them. On the wall behind the entrance door had nails been put half way inn for people to hang their coats on and so they took off their shoes and jackets after fetching his luggage from the car. 

Looking around the kitchen he found the main switch for the power and in that second had the low hum from the refrigerator begun spreading through out the room. 

His mom had lit the fire in the old stone fireplace just to make sure his main source of heating worked while Lena checked the tiny bathroom and bedroom. 

    «Looks okay doesn’t it? Could do with some dusting probably but we’ll help you with that before we leave» Lena said poking her head out of the bedroom cobwebs visible in her dark curly hair. 

They had been warned about the state of the cabin, but he had boldly said as long as there was electricity, heating and a proper bathroom should he be fine. Looking around the place his spirit was a bit dampened, but he figured things would be fine after they aired out the place and he got his stuff set up. 

His mom began cleaning while he slowly unpacked and filled the small refrigerator and moved things from his cooler into the even smaller freezer. Hopefully wouldn’t things thaw out before the freezer started working properly. His mom had taught him to make bread from scratch and some basic dinners that could even be made over fire. He’d brought his coffee maker and enough coffee beans to last him his whole stay as he would have to rely on a local farmer to deliver him groceries every other week. 

It was already starting to get dark when his mother and Lena started saying their goodbyes and before he knew it were he left on his own. Life weren’t so bad there he was standing in a small wooden cottage nestled between hills right at the edge of where the grassland ended and the sandy beach begun. He could do this, a summer filled with nature before he took on job hunting for real in the big city.

Deciding to look around a little bit he fetched his jacket and started walking in the direction of the lighthouse up on the cliffs on the other end of the beach from the cottage. 

The sun still provided some heat with its last evening rays and it was a pleasant walk despite the wind. The sound of the waves and the wind along with the occasional distant seagull made him sigh with a kind of relief even he was surprised at. He didn’t feel alone, he felt at home. He was meant to be there that summer, there was no other way to describe it. 

It took him about an hour to reach the light house, it was a steep walk up the cliff following a winding path partially cut into the rock with metal chains fastened to the rock it self as hand rails. A few drops of evening rain had begun falling and he quickened his pace so that he at least would make it back before it got completely dark. 

Reaching the stony steps of the lighthouse he got an excellent view of the rugged coast ahead as his beach was a rarity around here, mostly it was all rocks and bushes and the occasional cliff side. He’d been warned walking the cliffs to be careful as the landscape was treacherous and help far away. 

Only a couple of farmers could be found further in land and except from them was there only a few salmon breeding facilities of the coast further north. He hoped to maybe ride his bike up there on a day with better weather to have a look because he’d never seen them up close.

Switching his focus from the view to the light house it self he could easily understand that it wasn’t