Went on a workshop to Jumunjin with my colleagues. We were so caught up in our project that it didn’t hit us even as we were driving out of the parking lot. Same for me. It wasn’t until I was getting carsick on the highway that I thought, ‘Wow, we’re really heading somewhere far.’
Since the tunnel was built at Daegwallyeong, it takes less than two hours to get to Gangneung from Seoul if you speed up. As a kid, the winding road of Daegwallyeong was my first real challenge. When we entered, I’d close my eyes like an astronaut returning to Earth, waiting for it to be over. Eventually, we’d reach the Daegwallyeong rest stop, where a chilly breeze always greeted us. Even now, the breathtaking view of Gangneung and the East Sea sometimes pops into my mind as vividly as yesterday. But now, the carsickness and the awe are locked away in life’s rearview mirror, thanks to the tunnel. Life’s just a series of those moments.
We arrived in Jumunjin around 7 PM, and it was pitch black, so finding our nearby lodging took a while. We dropped off our bags and walked leisurely to a crab joint a friend had found. As we strolled the dim, old streets toward Jumunjin Port, we passed shops selling dried seafood.
‘There it is.’
When I glanced in the direction they pointed, there was the crab place, with the sea beside it.
‘When was the last time I saw the sea?’
I couldn’t remember. Same with the last time I crossed Daegwallyeong. I’ll see the sea plenty more, but Daegwallyeong might be like an old girlfriend I never see again.
‘Over there is the lighthouse from the drama Goblin. You can’t see it now, but let’s check it out tomorrow morning.’
If it wasn’t for work, even a goblin’s lighthouse would’ve been fine. We gorged on crab, drank until 4 AM, and the next morning, we sipped coffee at the café by the lighthouse we talked about. Sunlight streamed in through the ocean-facing windows, and I mumbled to no one in particular, ‘It’s not winter yet if it’s this warm, right?’
‘It’s warm because we’re inside the café.’
Someone answered, and I wanted to say, ‘I wasn’t asking you!’ But yeah, it was definitely winter by then.
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