on the north side of the shore, a man once waited for his lover to return from overseas. he perched himself on a degraded rock just a distance away from the shoreline in the ocean and indulged himself in patience.
he waited every day for four years. the people of his village began to pity him. even the sky began to pity him, going so far as to drop a little lower from the high heavens, pushing the volatile ocean waves down in a feeble attempt to give this man one more day, one more chance to wait.
he paid no heed to the people’s concerned whispers. he paid no heed to the split between sky and water. when this man died, the oceans grew quiet and no longer roared in fury. the clouds of gray haunting the sky never again showed their bleary selves.
some say the man dived into the middle of the ocean and the ocean embraced him, whispering condolences and promises of a better tomorrow.
this man was kim jongdae.