Enchanted (Bbangsaz)

8

As soon as Hanni hopped into Minji's car, she could tell this was going to be anything but an ordinary night. The streets were quiet, a calm contrast to the buzz inside her head, and Minji's car sped smoothly through the city.

"Okay," Hanni said, glancing over at Minji, "why are we doing this at 2 a.m.?"

Minji flashed her a grin, keeping her eyes on the road. "Because it's the best time. No people, no noise, just us. Plus, if we're lucky, we'll catch the sunrise."

Hanni shook her head, laughing softly. "You're definitely out of your mind. What if I wanted to sleep?"

Minji gave her a mock look of disbelief. "Sleep? Who needs sleep when you can drive aimlessly through the city in the middle of the night?"

Hanni rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, aimlessly. You definitely have no idea where you're going."

Minji shot her a playful glance. "Hey, don't underestimate me! I have a vague idea."

Hanni chuckled. "Vague is not comforting."

"Trust the process," Minji replied with a wink.

As they drove, the conversation meandered from random jokes about the city's layout to teasing each other about their wildly different music tastes. Hanni confessed to her guilty pleasure for old cheesy pop songs, while Minji argued for the superiority of indie bands no one had ever heard of (just to annoy Hanni, Minji likes pop).

"I swear, you'd love them if you gave them a chance," Minji said, pretending to be offended when Hanni wrinkled her nose at the band names.

"Or," Hanni countered, "you could stop trying to make me listen to bands with weird names and just admit that catchy songs are superior."

Minji sighed dramatically. "You just don't appreciate the art of music, Hanni."

"Maybe not," Hanni said with a smirk, "but I bet you secretly know all the words to 'Call Me Maybe.'"

Minji's shocked face made Hanni burst out laughing. "I do not!"

"Sure you don't." Hanni leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms with a smug grin.

After about half an hour, they pulled up to a quiet stretch of beach, the sound of the waves in the distance filling the silence as they parked.

Hanni stepped out, breathing in the cool night air. "Wait, what are we doing here? The beach?"

Minji grinned and reached into the trunk, pulling out a blanket. Hanni raised an eyebrow. "What's that for?"

"For us," Minji said casually, "to sit and watch the sunrise, obviously."

Hanni blinked, taken aback. "Oh. I didn't realize that was the plan."

Minji gave her a soft smile, her tone light but sincere. "You need to learn how to relax, Pham."

As they spread out the blanket and sat down, a quiet calm settled over them. Hanni couldn't help but smile to herself, feeling those familiar butterflies flutter in her stomach. There was something about the thoughtfulness of Minji's gesture that made her feel... special.

Minji stretched out on the blanket, leaning back on her hands as they both gazed at the horizon. "So," she said after a moment, "tell me about Australia. What do you miss the most?"

Hanni sighed, her eyes reflecting the distant waves. "A lot of things, actually. The open space, the beaches, my family... It's strange being so far from them. You get used to it, but it's always there, you know?"