jihoon's muse

Chapter 88: Gifts Given and Bought

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Ok, then the next time we see you is in Seoul!" Nin exclaimed after locking pinkies with Chaerin.

Then she came up to me and held the same pinkie finger out. With a smile of assurance, I wrapped my pinkie finger around Nin's and made the promise as well.

While the details were not discussed, they made it certain that they would definitely come visit us in our home country. In exchange, Chaerin and I would host them and bring them to the best food spots - just as they did for us the past two days.

I glanced at the digital clock hung up high for most to see at the departure hall. 20 minutes until we head in. Nin, Kiet and blond guy - yes, I forgot his name again - had tagged along to the airport to send us off while the rest had work or class.

For some reason, Chaerin whisked Nin away to the bathroom. Blond guy also headed to the bathroom, possobly influenced by the two. That left Kiet and I standing in silence in a quaint area of the airport.

What now? Chaerin had been carrying the conversation earlier. I glanced around while Kiet dug his hands into the front pouch of his beige hoodie. He seemed pretty fidgety but maybe he was cold. He had on a hoodie though... I don't know. Maybe he was just as awkward about this situation as I was.

"Hey, Eunjae. I uh..."

My wandering gaze snapped back to him. He looked awfully anxious. His hands slowly left the pouch before retreating back in. He closed his eyes and shook his head. As if nudged by guardian angels - or dokkaebi - he finally brought his hands out. This time, they weren't empty.

"Give me your hand," he said, the nerves lingering in his constricted voice.

I held my right hand out to him with my palm facing up. An A5-sized brown envelope sat in one of his hands. His other hand was clenched so I couldn't see what else he held.

He exchanged looks with me who was utterly confused. A small smile adorned his face. Swiftly, he unraveled whatever was in his other hand and secured it around my right wrist. I heard a click before the envelope was gently placed on my open palm. Like some mailbox.

I took a moment to register everything. While I was buffering, he looked on. He shifted his weight from one side to the other. Eventually, I was able to carefully look at the new mail I had gotten.

The envelope was placed face down so I flipped it. On it was neatly written, "To: 은재". I looked up at Kiet who had suddenly grown an intense interest in the strings of his hoodie. Was it because he wasn't sure if he got my name, right? Well, I give him points for guts. And another for actually getting it right. Though small, this was a meaningful touch.

"Thanks," I said to him and he finally gained some courage to meet his eyes with mine. "You got my name right! Did you search this up yourself or did you consult someone?" I asked him.

Relief washed over his face. He scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.

"Well... I searched the Internet and maybe I checked your and Chaerin's SocialGram... I wanted to get it right. You don't post much, do you?" he answered.

"I only browse rather than post. I don't really have anything noteworthy to post anyway. But thanks for going through all the effort! It's impressive! Now I feel kinda bad... I can't write in Thai..." I lightly scratched my temple.

He waved his hands about. "No no no! That's alright. No need to feel bad," he reassured me.

Something seemed to run in his head as he looked off to the side. He snapped his fingers and grinned.