Chapter Text
Nam Ju-ri stuck her head out the window to feel the ocean breeze. She hadn’t been back in her hometown since she was sixteen, but her mother had gotten a new job as a hospital chef, and there was a spot for her to be a nurse there as well. Her mom had picked her up ahead of the moving truck, and they were headed to their new home for the first time.
She had missed her mom while she was working in a different city, and she was excited to not be living in a cramped apartment anymore. Although she already missed her former colleagues, the new place sounded quite interesting. Her mother said she knew the director, but wouldn’t tell her much more than that, insisting that it had been too long since she actually knew him for her information to be accurate.
Just being near the ocean here reminded her of the last time she was here – it must have been with Min-sik. She had heard that he had ended up working overseas with a big company, which was a far cry from his artisan dreams. But he was doing well, and she was grateful for that. Even though the end of their relationship had been weird and sad, she had really loved him. It just wasn’t meant to be forever.
A few days later, Ju-ri entered the hospital with her mother for the first time. She met the head nurse and several of her new colleagues at a morning meeting. After the meeting, the head nurse pulled her aside and asked her to look after a dementia patient who needed special care.
“Here’s his file, so you can learn a bit about him beforehand,” she said.
Ju-ri took the folder and abruptly dropped it. It was Ko Dae Hwan, Moon Young’s father. She hadn’t seen or heard of him since the family disappeared all those years ago. It was a small town, but this seemed ridiculous. Although she had been running from Seongjin City and her past there ever since her father died, it looks like she finally has to face it head on.