eunjin
riki had been pushing himself so hard lately, always on the go, and it didn't take a genius to see he was running on fumes. he was good at hiding it, though. always the one with a smile, the one to crack a joke even when he looked like he needed a week's worth of sleep.
i figured if he wasn't going to slow down on his own, maybe i'd give him a reason to.
that's how i ended up buying tickets to geoje. i remembered how much he talked about wanting to visit someday, so i thought, why not make it a surprise?
he's always been so good to me—always going out of his way to be there when i needed some help with doing tricky moves. i wanted to do something for him for a change.
when i handed him the envelope, he looked at it like it was some kind of prank. his eyebrows pulled together in that way they do when he's trying to figure out if i'm being serious or not.
"what's this?" he asked, holding the envelope between his fingers.
"just open it." i said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. it was hard, though. i was practically bouncing on the balls of my feet, waiting for his reaction.
he slowly tore it open, eyes scanning the tickets inside. for a moment, he just blinked at them, and i could see the gears turning in his head as he processed what he was seeing.
"geoje? you're taking me to geoje?!"
"we're going together," i corrected him, grinning. "i figured we could both use a break. besides, you've been talking about wanting to go for ages."
he looked at the tickets again, then back at me, and then without warning, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. it caught me off guard for a second, but i quickly hugged him back, laughing at how genuinely happy he seemed.
"you're the best." he mumbled into my hair, and i could feel the warmth of his smile against my temple.
the next morning, we were on our way. the trip there was full of chatter and excitement, riki bouncing between being overly energetic and then nodding off on my shoulder.
when we finally arrived, it was like stepping into a different world. the air was crisp, the kind that fills your lungs and makes you feel more alive, and the ocean stretched out before us, a deep blue that seemed to go on forever.
riki was practically buzzing as we started exploring, pointing out things left and right. i swear he knows more random facts than anyone else i've ever met.
"did you know that geoje is the second-largest island in south korea?" he said, his eyes bright as he looked around, taking everything in. "and that it was a prison camp during the korean war?"
i shook my head, laughing a little. "how do you even know all this stuff?"
he shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets as we walked along the shoreline. "i like reading up on places i want to visit. makes it feel more... special, i guess."
"you're like a walking history book." i teased, bumping my shoulder against his.
"yeah? i know you want all of this." he shot back, grinning.
"debatable." i said.
we spent the day wandering around the island, stopping wherever something caught our eye. we ate at this small, tucked-away restaurant that served the freshest seafood i've ever had. riki kept making these little noises of appreciation with every bite, his eyes practically rolling back in his head.
