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the airport buzzed with excitement. it wasn't just the usual chaos of passengers scurrying, but the tangible thrill that lingered in the air around the group of thirty students, all eager for their trip to japan. yuwon could barely contain her own excitement as she stood at the check-in counter, glancing at her ticket every few minutes as if to confirm that this was real.
"look at this" saeri grinned, holding up her phone and snapping a picture of their boarding passes. the bright display showed off the crisp letters and numbers, the flight details bold against the white background. "this is going on my story."
yuwon laughed, doing the same. her fingers moved quickly as she snapped a quick picture of her own boarding pass, the little thrill of posting it to her story already making her grin wider. the 'see you soon, japan" caption glowed on the screen, followed by an airplane emoji.
heeseung, who stood a little behind them in the line, glanced over his shoulder at yuwon. his fingers tightened around his phone, resisting the urge to just swipe away to another app, anything to distract him from how easy it would be to just ignore her. but he didn't have a reason to—at least, not one he could put into words. so, instead, he let out a small sigh, slipping the phone into his pocket as he caught up with the group.
"we've still got an hour to kill" jake piped up, leaning back against one of the plastic chairs near the gate. "wanna grab something to eat?"
yuwon nodded, but her mind was already racing ahead, imagining the streets of tokyo, the food, the lights—everything. she had never been to japan before, and now she could hardly believe they were so close to taking off.
the wait was agonizing, even as they snacked on overpriced airport sandwiches and shared small talk. every minute seemed to drag, and yet the excitement only grew, a slow, simmering anticipation that bubbled beneath their conversations. yuwon kept glancing at the large windows overlooking the runway, watching the planes take off and land, her heart racing with each passing moment.
finally, the boarding announcement rang through the airport speakers. there was a sudden flurry of movement as the group gathered their belongings, checking and rechecking tickets, fumbling with passports. yuwon felt a burst of energy, like a jolt of electricity running through her veins. the reality of the trip was sinking in now, and it felt exhilarating.
once on the plane, yuwon found her seat, settling between jake and saeri. they were practically vibrating with excitement, talking over each other about all the things they wanted to do once they landed. jake was already planning out a food tour, while saeri scrolled through an endless stream of pinterest photos of places she wanted to visit.
"look at this!" saeri shoved her phone in yuwon's face, showing her a picture of some quaint little café tucked away in a corner of tokyo. "we have to go here!"
