Dunking in Slam Dunk, I Repeatedly Took the Exit

Gangnam Station Exit 12 is the place where I begin and end my day.

It is just a little over a 2-minute walk to New Hair, so once you come out of the exit, you can get there right away.

But starting last May, this Exit 12 was closed for a year because of escalator installation work.

At first it was inconvenient, but going around through Exit 11 was enough, so it was not a big problem.

Thinking, “It’s a little inconvenient, but there’s no helping it,” gradually became part of my daily life.

Following the triangular route connecting Gangnam Station Exit 11, Exit 12, and New Hair, I get off the subway and go to work every morning, and in the evening I go back down carrying the fatigue of the day.

Even though only one exit changed, my commute to and from work felt subtly longer.

The change was more troublesome than I expected.

At last, the construction at Exit 12 was finished.

The newly installed escalator was sparkling, carrying people along calmly.

Being able to walk my familiar route again made me feel oddly good that morning. I think I felt like, “My place has come back.”

But strangely, the next day I was heading to Exit 11 again.

Without thinking, out of habit.

While walking with my mind on other things, my steps carried me toward the familiar direction.

Only after I had climbed all the stairs did I realize belatedly, “Oh, right. There was Exit 12.”

Looking from a distance at Exit 12, newly finished and equipped with a shining escalator, I felt this anew.

Habit is not only about how long it has lasted; how often it has been repeated matters too.

Over the past year, I had gone back and forth through Exit 11 twice a day, more than 600 times.

It was only natural that my body remembered that path better.

In the comic Slam Dunk, Seo Taewoong says while taking a free throw,

“My body remembers it. It’s a shot I’ve taken millions of times.”

I think I was like that too.

“My body remembers it. It’s a route I’ve traveled back and forth 600 times over one year.”

I am a doctor who treats hair loss.

I often tell my patients that they need to change their lifestyle habits.

Sleeping late, sitting hunched over while looking at a smartphone, irregular eating habits. I tell them all of these are closely related to hair loss.

But when it comes to myself, even changing one exit takes this long.

Habits cannot be changed by willpower alone.

I am reminded again that time and repetition are necessary.

The time it takes to fix a habit is different for each person.

Some people change easily, while others have to repeat something many times before it finally changes.

What matters is trying again from that moment.

Tomorrow morning, after leaving the subway fare gates, I should consciously walk toward Exit 12.

Sometimes I may still go out through Exit 11 out of habit, but someday the day will come when I do not make that mistake. Repetition will eventually fix the habit.

Even today, as I climb the stairs at Exit 11, I quietly make a promise to myself.

“Tomorrow, I have to go out through Exit 12.”