The song titled 'Live Forever', supposedly composed by Uncle Miller, was playing repeatedly on the smartphone.
An acoustic guitar-based country song.
The singer was a famous 20-something singer-songwriter from the US.
Refined sessions, perfect vocals, and beautiful lyrics.
It was truly a great song.
I sat on the hospital bed, lost in thought for a long time.
Memories began to resurface one by one.
Memories of jumping into the waterfall with Uncle Miller.
The strange acting of Uncle Miller, which I could only watch because we couldn’t communicate.
The moment I first learned to play the guitar in front of a campfire on a summer night.
My memories flashed by in an instant.
They seemed close enough to touch if I just reached out, but they simply passed by.
This left me feeling a sense of regret and sadness.
However,
That didn’t mean these memories were false.
Of that, I was certain.
I absentmindedly picked up Uncle Miller’s plane ticket.
I touched the letters he had written with my hand.
- To my eternal friend, Seojin. I hope a brilliant path lies ahead for you. -
I could feel the embossed and indented texture of the paper pressed by the pen in my hand.
‘Did Uncle Miller know things would end up like this?’
I felt frustrated as usual, with no one to ask.
Though I could find millions of answers on that smartphone playing the song, I had a feeling I wouldn’t find the answer I was looking for.
Before I knew it, the song ‘Live Forever’ had come to an end.
But immediately, it started playing again from the beginning.
The guitar solo from the intro played, and the singer began to sing.
As if nothing was wrong, as if nothing had happened.
It was a curious thing. Even though Uncle Miller was no longer here, his music remained. It kept repeating like this.
I searched for and listened to several songs composed by Uncle Miller.
And then I realized something.
Even if it wasn’t ‘Live Forever’, I could still recognize Uncle Miller’s songs just by listening to the music.
Each musician has their own distinctive tone.
Uncle Miller had his.
I have mine.
That, at least, will never change.
I decided to take comfort in that.
His music, which will remain forever, and me—who learned everything from him, from start to finish—were still here.
So, I didn’t need to care about what others thought.
I could let the shouts of others go in one ear and out the other.
Because, just like the lyrics of that song, some things are indeed eternal.
That’s what I thought as I harbored a bit of resentment toward that eccentric man, who didn’t even give me the chance to say goodbye.
I listened to his song over and over again.
* * *
“Yes, we’ve already arranged a taxi. One of our consuls will be waiting. Got it. I’ll inform Han Seojin. Yes. Please come safely. We’ll be waiting.”
– Beep. Beep. Beep.
Kim Young-hee, a consul at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Singapore, let out a deep sigh.
So much had happened recently.
Dealing with the aftermath of Flight AC 2505’s crash, contacting the families of survivors, counseling, handling insurance claims, persuading hospital staff, resolving diplomatic tensions, meeting with airline representatives, and so on.
It felt like 100 times the usual workload had piled up, leaving her utterly exhausted.
Amidst all the chaos, there was one piece of luck: this plane crash was exceptional in that there were no casualties.
Despite engine failure, a storm, and sporadic gusts of wind, the pilot miraculously steered Flight AC 2505 toward the sea.
The pilot managed to regain control of the plane during its steep descent and attempted a water landing.
Thanks to prior communication with the control tower, rescue teams were dispatched quickly. It seemed like everything had ended smoothly.
If only it weren’t for the disappearance of one person—Han Seojin.
Out of the 258 passengers, 257 survived.
Even that was a remarkable feat. The pilot deserved to be called a hero.
However...
A child went missing.
The media fixated on this point. Not only in South Korea but also in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and several other countries, this was the top story on the news.
And, of course, as time passed, the news grew increasingly pessimistic.
A child disappeared in the middle of the stormy sea.
Who would consider this just a case of someone going missing?
Even the rescue team, which had been actively continuing its operations, had tentatively decided to cease activities by the following week.
People began talking more about the pessimistic story of one person dying than the hopeful story of 257 people surviving.
But then, unexpectedly, Han Seojin was found.
At a point 250 km away from the expected discovery location.
According to the sailor who rescued him, Seojin was on a small wooden boat.
“It was something no one could believe.”
Because of this, various rumors had already started spreading. Some speculated he had been kidnapped, others claimed it was a plot by a certain country to garner sympathy, and there were even whispers that it was a fabrication.
The person barely managing to quell these rumors was Kim Young-hee, a consul at the South Korean Embassy.
Kim Young-hee took a deep breath and entered the hospital lobby. Among the many patients waiting, she spotted several passengers from the AC 2505 accident. After exchanging brief greetings with a few of the Korean passengers, she headed towards the elevator.
Ding!
With a cheerful sound, the elevator doors opened. Among the many people inside, one doctor caught her eye.
The blue-embroidered name tag revealed his identity:
Jang Loong, MD, PhD.
Dr. Loong, the doctor in charge of Han Seojin. Kim Young-hee gave a slight nod and boarded the elevator.
2nd floor, 3rd floor, 4th floor, 5th floor, 6th floor.
As the floors passed, the number of people in the elevator gradually decreased. By the time they reached the 9th floor, only Dr. Loong and Kim Young-hee remained.
Just as Kim Young-hee was about to exit the elevator, she instinctively held the door for a moment. She turned and looked at Dr. Loong. A brief silence followed. It was Kim Young-hee who broke the silence first.
“Excuse me, but may I ask you just one question?”
Dr. Loong looked at her sharply, as if he had anticipated something.
“What is it?”
“It’s about Han Seojin. I wanted to check on his condition.”
“...”
“I received word that Han Seojin’s parents boarded a flight just a little while ago. They’ll probably be at this hospital within three hours. Before that, I was wondering if there’s anything I should know in advance.”
“...”
“I understand that an MRI was taken while Han Seojin was unconscious. I’d appreciate it if you could briefly explain the general findings.”
“...”
Kim Young-hee was preparing for any possibilities. She had seen Han Seojin’s condition briefly in the morning, but it wasn’t something she could confidently assess.
He confused ages, searched for strange passengers, and screamed sharply, like someone out of their mind. Could this really be considered normal?
If not, preparations needed to be made.
If the condition of the last Korean survivor of the AC 2505 incident wasn’t good.
If the media, which would focus on his condition, found that he wasn’t normal.
Preparations needed to be made accordingly.
That was the embassy’s job, and that was the only way to protect the Korean child.
Dr. Loong stared at her intently before speaking.
“Are you asking me about the patient right now?”
“Yes. I’m asking you as a consular officer. It’s also for Han Seojin’s sake.”
“Then, does the Korean Embassy not know that such questions are taboo?”
“...”
“It’s a very basic rule.”
“...”
Kim Young-hee idly scratched the tip of her other fingernails with her thumbnail. Occasionally, she would pick at them slightly.
It was a habit that unconsciously came out when she was anxious.
Dr. Loong was talking about the doctor’s duty to maintain patient confidentiality. Of course, she knew that too. Isn’t it something akin to common sense?
Yet, she had to speak up.
There are things you must do, even if you don’t want to.
“I am well aware of that. However... If that child has developed something like delirium or schizophrenia, it would be difficult to face the media. We’d also need to reassess the situation, and the conversations between the insurance company and the airline would change completely. Dr. Loong, you know how chaotic things are out there right now, don’t you? We’re simply trying to prepare for that in advance. As soon as possible.”
Kim Young-hee’s lengthy explanation. Dr. Loong, rather annoyed, nitpicked in response.
“Delirium? Schizophrenia? Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
“I was just giving an example.”
“Just giving an example? Well, your words certainly come easy. You know, I also ‘just’ got my medical license.”
“...”
“So, I think you should leave now. I need to get to a meeting soon. I’m already late.”
“...”
At Dr. Loong’s firm response, Kim Young-hee reluctantly had to take her hand off the elevator door.
Meanwhile, Dr. Loong felt somewhat calmer only after watching the elevator doors close. But the irritation still lingered.
‘This is ridiculous.’
Since the AC 2505 accident, he had clashed with that Korean consul more than a few times.
He understood that, given that most of the plane crash victims were Korean, it was somewhat inevitable.
But wasn’t the child they thought had died now alive?
Even if the miracle child had been slightly injured, what of it?
That doesn’t mean hope is lost, either.
These days, people seem to have no idea what’s truly important.
So he took out his frustration on the consul. Though she seemed to be trying to come up with a solution in her own way, her approach was all wrong.
Dr. Loong suddenly thought of Han Seojin.
At first, Han didn’t even know how old he was and was searching for someone as if he had seen a hallucination. He even yelled like a madman. At a glance, he appeared abnormal.
But the information delivered by Nurse Lin just a moment ago was completely different.
Han Seojin was stable, quietly listening to music, and was calmer than anyone. He no longer claimed to be 15 years old, nor was he looking for the person he had been obsessively searching for, Mark Miller.
Does this mean his condition has suddenly improved?
Dr. Loong took out Han Seojin’s MRI film from the files he had. He carefully examined the brain scans.
“Hmm…”
He then quietly put the film back into the file.
Han Seojin’s brain didn’t show any significant problems. In simple terms, normal. There were no abnormalities from a radiological perspective.
So, was it a mental shock? A psychiatric issue. That could be something to slowly investigate.
On the other hand, certain aspects stood out vividly to Dr. Loong.
The mannerisms and behavior that didn’t seem typical for his age, his flawless English skills, and his pronunciation, which could convince anyone that he was an American.
These peculiar details lingered in Dr. Loong’s mind.
Ding!
Seeing the elevator stop, Dr. Loong straightened his clothes.
In any case, he would see Han Seojin again during his rounds tomorrow morning.
It wouldn’t be too late to reassess then.
With that thought, Dr. Loong quickly picked up his pace.
