Unexpected

Part 25

The next morning I feel much better after sleeping. After breakfast we take a tour on the city circle tram, seeing historical sites and buildings such as the Melbourne Museum, Parliament House, Docklands, Federation Square, and the Princess Theatre. Then we ride to floor 88 of the Eureka Tower, where both Sangil and I are scared of the observation area with its glass floor. He teases me about driving over 350 kilometers per hour, but not handling heights well.

Several cities where a Grand Prix are held have Ferris wheels, and I want to ride them all. Here we get on the Melbourne Star, which takes half an hour to complete a rotation.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he ask me.

"Sangil, it's not like you loved the Edge of the Eureka Skydeck. When this airs, the viewers will see your knocking knees."

"I was fine," he scoffs. "I was the one holding your trembling hand."

"Sure," I tease. "Or maybe you held it because you love skinship."

"You love skinship," he retorts.

The pods on the observation wheel are large, with a surfboard shaped bench in the middle. Before it rises high enough to properly see the city, we sit on the bench and talk.

"What was your favorite part of this weekend?" I ask him.

"Watching the race. I was in the garage with a pair of headphones, and there was a big TV on the wall where I could see it live. And I heard all of your radio messages. Most of them I didn't understand, since they were in English. And then I saw you come in to change tires. That was ridiculously quick!" He sounds truly impressed.

I nod. "Under three seconds. If it's more than four seconds, then you've failed."

"They didn't show you very often on television."

I shrug. "They usually show action, or the leader. I wasn't either."

"What was your favorite part of the weekend?"

"The race, of course. My first Formula One Grand Prix. I am so thankful that I finished. And in the points! It was amazing. And I can't wait to do it again in Bahrain."

We stand up and look out over Melbourne. "I'm thankful that I get this opportunity to sightsee many of the world's greatest cities. Being with you makes it sweeter." Sangil says the nicest things. But I think if the cameras weren't here he would confess to wanting to experience this with his family and Snuper members, too. We're not intimately close yet. Although the kiss in the car did signal a shift in our relationship.

We hold hands as we stare outside. "Sangil, would you be willing to sing a song for me?" I ask.

He looks down at my upturned face. "Of course."

"Rain by Kamenashi Kazuya. I was watching the drama he's in now, and he sings the theme song. I love it. If you could learn it and be willing to sing it for me, I'd appreciate it."

"I'll get on it," he tells me.

"It doesn't have to be soon. Besides, I want to record an instrumental version with Orien."

"Orien?" he repeats.

"My older brother. He plays cello in an orchestra."

"Ah. Ja, will you do something for me if I ask?"

"What is it?"

"Dance."

"By myself, or with you?"

"By yourself. A choreographed dance to a piece of music."

"Okay. But I've never done this before, so I don't know how well this will turn out."

"It's just that you've opened your world and let me in, and I can't think of how to make you a part of mine, but this way you can experience it a little."

"Do you have a specific song in mind?"

"You can choose."

The ride ends, and we go to our last destination in Melbourne, the Royal Botanic Gardens. It's huge, but we cover only a small area. We may not know the names of the trees and plants that we see, but we appreciate their beauty. Before we leave we have high tea at a cafe on the grounds. I've always enjoyed tea. And they serve such delicious sandwiches and sweets.

We fly to Cairns in early afternoon and are out on the boat by four. You can see through the glass bottom to the Great Barrier Reef below. And at one point the captain turns off the engine and lets us dive below to get a closer look. We only have goggles, and aren't able to stay down for long periods at a time, but it is nevertheless remarkable.

And then our first Formula One weekend comes to a close. At the airport we're in different waiting areas, but since Sangil's flight leaves first I hang out with him. We've been sitting for less than five minutes before a tween fan comes up to me and shyly asks if I can sign something for her.

"Sure," I reply, taking her pen and paper. "To whom shall I make it out?"

"Ashley," she says.

After I return her paper she also requests a selfie with me. This makes other fans brave, and I'm taking pictures and singing things for several minutes. After it calms down, Sangil is looking at me with big eyes.

"You sign and pose for free?" he asks.

"Yes. At the races there are events that you pay for. But fans are always welcome to ask. And I'm welcome to decline, which I don't as long as I have time."

He shakes his head. "Snuper could never."

"Your job is different from mine," I say, feeling a tad uncomfortable.

"Yeah." He pauses. "Do you really make over two hundred grand a year?"

"Sangil! I know this information is easy to find, but honestly." My face burns red.

"It was Sebin!" He throws his member under the bus. "After your tweet about us he was on a YouTube binge. This video about F1 driver salaries popped up, and we watched it."

"Yes, that video is correct. You should be more shocked at Lewis' salary. It explains why he owned a candy apple red private jet."

"That amount is insane. But he is a multiple world champion."

I think about how much my dad makes a year, but I keep quiet. They call his plane to start boarding, so I give him a long hug before he gets in line. I wave one last time before he walks away. 

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Rain by Kamenashi. The music video isn't on YouTube (at least not in my country)