"A Place Where No One Disturbs Me" The Choice of a Man Who Built a House on a Deserted Island After 30 Years of Working Life

30 years of working life, running without rest. A man who had to have a clear destination and lived as if always being chased has now chosen a life of "aimlessness." This is the story of Park In-gyu, who returned to his hometown in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. After retiring, he joined forces with his friends to create their own hideout on a deserted island in front of Beolgyo.

6 Months of Construction, a 'Men's Hideout' Built on a Deserted Island

According to the EBS documentary 'Journey Through Korea' footage, Park In-gyu and his friends built a second house on a deserted island over approximately six months, from January 14 to June 18, 2020. The small house in the forest, with the sea unfolding at a single glance, is more than just a lodging; it is like a reward he gives to himself after retirement. The reason he chose this place, even while enduring the inconvenience of transporting 6 tons of materials by boat, is clear. As he said, "Since it's a deserted island, there is no one else, and that is what I like most," because he wanted complete freedom without being disturbed by anyone.

Life here is entirely different from the grammar of the city. The toilet is designed as a 'Hae-u-seon' (Sea-relief), where one can let go of worries while looking at the sea. While a 'Hae-u-so' (place to relieve worries) using grass is common, he intentionally used the character for 'sea' (海) to create a space to relieve worries while looking at the ocean. He does not waste a single drop of water. He collects rainwater falling on the roof through a gutter for storage, accepting the resources provided by nature without struggling. Cooking is also a form of play. Instead of relying on smartphone recipes, he enjoys cooking itself by alternately making kimchi stew and saury stew based on the imagination he feels on-site. In the video, he said, "Cooking is like play, so I challenge myself with new foods every time I come."

The Vanishing Taste of Hometown, the Romance of Brewing Traditional Liquor

Park In-gyu's daily life does not stop at simply resting. Feeling regret that the traditional liquor of his hometown is disappearing, he studied traditional liquor for five years after retirement. Recently, he has been immersed in the joy of brewing alcohol directly with his friends. The most difficult part of the brewing process is making 'nuruk' (fermentation starter). In the video, it is mentioned that making nuruk is harder than making the alcohol itself, and it shows him carefully wrapping the nuruk with lotus leaves he picked himself. His touch in using lotus leaves to prevent moisture from escaping reflects his persistence and romance in carrying on tradition.

The process is sincere. After mixing nuruk with cooked rice flour and fermenting it, he makes steamed rice using wheat and glutinous rice and goes through another aging process. If hung in a warm place for three to four days, white mold grows inside, and the home-brewed liquor finally completed through this process is not just alcohol to him, but a fruit gifted by nature and time.

The Joy of Knowing Seasonal Tastes, Leisure with Razor Clams

The deserted island and the nearby tidal flats are his best playgrounds. In the Boseong Tidal Flat, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, he catches 'razor clams' that can only be tasted in the summer. He experiences firsthand the preciousness of 'seasonal food' that he did not fully realize in the city. The process of picking snails living on the coastal rocks and riding a mud boat to harvest razor clams that are only caught in the South Coast tidal flats is closer to childlike play than labor. He says, "The reason I came here is to harvest only as much as I can eat, without greed."

The time spent sharing with friends, blanching the freshly caught razor clams and seasoning them while pairing them with carefully brewed traditional liquor, is leisure itself. His image of tilting his glass with friends alongside razor clam soup at Naganeupseong Walled Town, which was his playground in childhood, is relaxed. His face is full of happiness as he says, "Is there a result to life? You just live meeting people and play wonderfully." His deserted island, where he lives by listening entirely to himself without being swayed by the gaze or speed of others, is a 'playground of one's own' that anyone might have dreamed of at least once.