Finding the necklace has fueled me with hope. I knew it was time to move on. There was another beach, near the outskirts of Mokpo. It was rumored to be one of the most romantic and mysterious in all of Korea. If I wanted to find anything special, this was where I would find it.

            I gathered up my tent and walked down the road into town. I caught a bus and asked for the driver to drive me near to the beach. He looked at my multiple bags and nodded, clearly thinking that I was crazy. But I wasn’t. I knew in my heart that this would be the completion of one goal. But he warned me, the ride would be long, a good four hours because it is located at the end of Mokpo.

            I leaned my head against the window and watched the villages fly by. The other traffic and stores reminded me that civilization did exist. An elderly woman came onboard and looked for an empty seat. I shifted a bit, trying to make room for her. She smiled gratefully at me and slid in.

            “Traveling?” she asked.

            I nodded. “Yes, I’m on a journey to find myself, and to get my best friend back. I want to prove to her that I love her, that someone in the world does.”

            She patted my arm. “Good boy. I knew you were the type. I wish you luck.” I thanked her and we fell into a comfortable silence. I looked outside once more and watched the sun set slowly. My eyes drooped and I fell asleep.

            “Donghae, hurry. Come to me.” I heard Coral whisper. I nodded and held out my hands.

            “Wait for me, Coral. I promise, I will find you!” She shook her head fearfully before fading away into a beam of silver white light.

            “Please! Wait for me, come back!”

            I felt a violent shaking and opened my eyes. The old woman looked at me in concern. “Are you okay? I think you had a nightmare. Look at you, you’re sweating.” She used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from my brow.

            “Oh, thank you. I just saw her again. She wanted me to find her, and I’m scared of losing her. I’m so scared.”

            She hugged me to her, like my mother would. “Oh you poor child. She has left this world hasn’t she? Do not despair. Live happily, love another. One day you will meet again.”

            I jerked out of her arms. “No! She’s still alive, she’s in a coma. No, no. NO! She’s not dead. I still see her. She’s still here.” The woman looked at me and nodded, simply accepting what I believed. But she wasn’t dead. If she was, I would feel it. I would.

            I now turned my body angled away, a clear sign of rejection. I didn’t want to have her sympathies anymore. It was clear she didn’t understand. The bus driver announced that we would have to stop here. It was the beach’s stop. I nodded stiffly at her before getting off.

            The moment I stepped off the bus, the wave of salt hit me in the face. Not only was this nearest the ocean, it was also the wildest of beaches. There was nothing beautiful about this. All the beauty is purely natural, purely wilderness. I rested my tent in a wild shrub of bushes and made sure there were no competing animals. I planned on staying here and finding the rock if it would kill me.

            The beach wasn’t huge. But it was large enough to be described as sprawling and the sand was crystal white. There were winking shards of sharp glass, a reminder that this place was still full of dangers. The shores led to a view of mountains on the right and an endless span of water. The seagulls swooped in the air, and the setting sun bathed the entire place in pale pink and yellow.

            I took my cell phone and flashlight and started off down the beach. It was autumn now, so nobody was out here. Normally in the summer, this beach is one of the most popular tourist attraction, especially for couples who believed that a dip in these waters would cement their love forever. I shook my head wistfully. It would be great to come here with Coral.

            I kicked the sand, revealing a colony of resting crabs. They shook their pincers at me angrily before scuttling away. Tiny snails rose over a small hill and continued on their path. Whirlpools created mini obstacles in the middle of the pathways. I looked down at one and saw a large pale orange starfish with its many arms flailed outwards. Hermit crabs stayed still in their spots, and I watched the tiny life surrounding me.

            Somewhere down the beach, I saw a large cluster of stones and rocks. My heartbeat quickened. This was it. Jackpot, I had a feeling I would find what I needed here. I scrambled down agilely and landed in a quarry of beautiful stones. Different nature-made shapes embraced me. My heart caught in my throat.

            There was one shaped in a glacier like peak with a curl that came from erosion. Deep blue rocks shone with various facets. I could make Coral a million necklaces from this collection. She always appreciated the beauty in gems.

            She saw every imperfection as a delicacy, a refinement that only enhanced the exquisiteness of the jewel. She was the only one who could find a troll to be cute, I smiled to myself. Ironic how she could never see the beauty in herself.

            I gently turned over a few of the heavier, lumbering stones. It revealed a crushed sample of purple stone. The stones used to be metallic in luster. I bent and sifted through the crushed dust. Sparkling dust fell through my fingers and created dots along the sand. Some stuck to my fingers and caused my hand to glow with a creepy fluorescent gleam.

            There was nothing of interest in the pile. Deflated, I turned to go until a small pile caught my eye. These were stones of different colors. I leaned in closer to look and saw a pink star. I moved these aside and found what I had wandered the shores of Korea for.

            Nested in between a jagged blue gem and an opalescent pearl, was a black heart. The heart was perfectly formed. The shine of the facets was perfectly sculpted.  I could see the polish and my own reflection, slightly distorted. What disconcerted me was its perfection. It was too good. And no heart was perfect.

            However, after picking it up, I saw that the entire back was indented. There was a gouge in the middle, and cracks down the sides. So this was what it was. I chuckled, appreciating how true it was. A black heart, perfect on the outside, rotten on the inside. I suppose this could best describe my love for her.

            Perfect on the outside, but so black. She could never see that I loved her. And it was broken inside now, because she never understood how much I loved her. Maybe it would take this much for her to realize. I had completed phase one of my mission. My mission to help her remember.

            I could picture it now. I show her this, and she will realize that the world believes in love. That even Mother Nature is a hopeless romantic. For her to create hearts, and to shape stones in this manner, shows that love does exist. And this was my proof to her.  

            I gently picked up the stone and placed it on a clean towel. Wrapping it very carefully in my hands, I placed it reverently in my bag. Now, I was off to scour civilization. This one task, I needed to go from town to town, city to city. Listening, looking, asking for a ballad without love in it.    

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