“Because there’s someone I really want to see again. Whatever it takes.” A longing intense and sharp— a yearning that crosses into the world of superstition and prayer. From "Cocktail, Love, Zombie" to "Tropical Night," author Cho Yae-eun, who oft invites her readers into her world of eerie and airy horror thrillers served with a dollop of happy endings, has once again spun magic with "Waiting for High Tide" as part of the Wisdom House's short story series, WEFIC. The novel begins as the protagonist, Jeonghae, receives news that his childhood friend Wooyoung has died, having thrown herself into the sea at high tide. Jeonghae sets out to find Wooyoung's hometown, Mia Island, after not having visited for twenty years. In the middle of the island stood the solitary mountain Yeongsan. It is here that he finds out about an ancient legend that promises a reunion with the dead if their belongings or bones are buried (page 17). Wooyoung was the daughter of a family of mountain keepers who had managed Yeongsan for generations and had always wanted to be buried in the mountains. Jeonghae simply couldn't believe that Wooyoung had thrown herself into the sea. On the other hand, bolstered by the legend of Yeongsan, a pseudo-religious sect known as "Yeongsangyo" had grown in prominence, ensnaring unsuspecting people into Mia Island through televised media attention. For a long time, the youngest daughter of the Choi family, long touted as the ‘owners’ of Yeongsan, nurtured Yeongsangyo through so-called offerings, under the guise of prayers and devotion. Jeonghae plunges headlong into Yeongsangyo in pursuit of Wooyoung, who had been a devoted follower of the sect. He relies on a faith that he once ridiculed as superstition, all to "somehow meet Wooyeong again" (page 20). Just as mudflats are revealed at low tide, the truth of Yeongsangyo and Wooyoung, hidden within the dark tides of the sea, gradually begins to resurface. Reference: Wisdom House, Inc.. "Waiting for High Tide", https://www.wisdomhouse.co.kr/book/introduction/field/239167. accessed 27 June 2023.