I had just checked into an Airbnb by the shore—Panpo, Jeju, a shoreline dotted with offshore windmills.
The night air carried a faint saltiness. The kind that lingers quietly, not sharp, just present. Through the slightly opened window, I could hear the ocean—steady, rhythmic, almost indifferent. Waves arriving, retreating, repeating themselves without urgency.
I lay there for a while, listening.
At some point, without quite noticing when, I drifted.