Daecheong, a rural village in Chungcheong. My childhood friend lived there. His name was Cha Taejun. He was a boy whose playfulness was practically overflowing, a brat the neighborhood adults called "Snot-nose" because he was always sniffling.

He was a full head shorter than me, and the way he ran around with his scrawny body made it look like he'd blow away if the wind caught him.

In that quiet village, Taejun and I were inseparable. Whether going to school, running errands, or on the rare occasion we went into town, we were always together. Wherever we went, it was the two of us; whatever we did, it was the two of us.

Those childhood memories ended right there, in the first year of middle school. Due to my father's business, my family moved up to Seoul, and my childhood came to an abrupt end.

On the day I left, Taejun followed me to the edge of town, crying his eyes out. His usual mischief was nowhere to be found, his face a mess of tears and snot. Even while sobbing, he gripped my hand tight.

"Promise me you'll come back."

Whatever those words meant, I nodded as I squeezed his hand back. That was our final goodbye.

And then, twelve years passed. Now twenty-six, I was utterly exhausted by city life. Since the old house in the country was still there, I returned to Daecheong. I quit my job without a single regret.

There were many reasons for coming back, but one of them was definitely that promise. The promise a fourteen-year-old Cha Taejun had left me with, gripping my hand with a tear-streaked face.

After twelve years, I stepped back onto the dirt paths of this village to keep that promise.