"Can you check for me the location for the Light Garden." Hanni asked Minji while she's driving carefully on the roads of Jeju. "Light Garden... light garden..." Minji began searching for the location on her phone before finding it. "Found it. We're going here?"
"Yup, I heard the place is so aesthetic and beautiful. What do you say?" Hanni asked. "I'm down baby, but we're still two hours behind before the park is open." Minji reading an online page regarding the mentioned place.
"Then I want to go to a book store, there's something I want to look for." Hanni took a left turn and driving her way into the market area. "Book store~? Wow this is a first experience, Pham Hanni and book store." Minji jokingly teased as Hanni just scrunched her nose with a pouting lips.
As they arrived at the market area, Hanni and Minji just casually walking past shops, stopping over clothes shops and looking around before buying a pair or two.
"Yah, look at that squid hat." Minji burst out laughing as she saw one of those hilarious large beanie with the shape of squid or octopus with big eyes. "Try wearing it." Minji took one while couldn't control her laughs.
"What no~" Hanni whined in embarrassment as Minji was already getting the hat over her head and eventually, Hanni's head is one giant squid with the tentacles were dangling down to her torso. "Ah you look hilarious." Minji immediately took photos of a pouting Pham Hanni before she herself couldn't contain her laughter.
Making it fair, Minji also got one over her head as Hanni's turn to take her photos to make them even. "Why don't you wear this while working? Might attract more attention from customers." Hanni joked as Minji glared playfully at her. "Then you have to wear it at Uni as well."
"Definitely a no." Hanni snickered as the two moved on from the stall until eventually Hanni found a book store at the other end of the area. "Yay found one." She excitedly brisk walking towards the store as Minji was following behind her.
To be honest, Minji was quite confused at the sudden interest to book store from Hanni as she of all people knew how uninterested Hanni used to be towards the book store. Minji could easily recall how many times she saw Hanni went into book stores.
But she kept a positive mind on that matter nonetheless.
Minji walked into the book store and she realized that she lost Hanni. Walking past sections, thinking she would be within the education sections of the store but she wasn't there as she had anticipated.
As her worries began growing she moved over to the other side of the store, passing the comic books section, passing the magazines and children books until Minji saw Hanni's back view from a distance.
Having a sigh of relief, Minji was walking her way towards her friend as she eventually noticed.
Hanni's at the poem section, apparently reading a poem book.
Minji took her time, standing at her spot while observing her friend from a far.
She could see, how she's immersed in reading the book she's holding, it's visible in her eyes and immediately, Minji thought about you.
Was you the reason Hanni's now getting into poems, nobody knows, not even Minji.
"You okay?" Hanni asked Minji who snapped back into reality as she looked at her friend. "You done?" Minji asked trying to sound calm. Hanni nodded with a smile as she holding two books in her palm. "I'm just going to pay for these first, you can wait outside if you want, I won't be long."
Nodding her head, Hanni then made her way to the front counter while Minji got out of the book store and wait for her friend. She had a lot she wanted to ask Hanni but as things stood at the moment, she doesn't want to ruin the mood and let Hanni be.
If Hanni's now enjoying poem, Minji should be feeling more than happy for her and that's what Minji felt at that moment.
"Okay I am done~" Hanni walked out the book store as happy as ever as she went over to Minji. "Anywhere else you want to go?" She asked as Minji shook her head with a smile. "Sun's going down, we better get to the Light Garden ASAP."
"Oh right..." Hanni eventually noticed the sky's reaching its dusk. "Let's go~" She headed straight back to the car as Minji tried to keep up.
Back in the car, Minji immediately got the navigation ready as Hanni's turning the engine on and immediately drove off the market area.
The sun's setting down as eventually, the two ladies arrived at the location, got a parking spot after a while. The two had to queue up and eventually got their tickets.
Excited as ever with the entrance already showing so much beautiful lights and designs, Hanni and Minji made their way into the park and the two could only squealed in joy with the dazzling lights surrounding them.
As they're walking, they made their way into a tunnel with see through walls and lights of different radiant and colors decorated the walls. "Move closer and try leaning your face closer to the light with your eyes closed." Hanni did exactly what Minji told her as her photo's being taken for the nth time that evening.
After Minji got the same treatment, two went deeper into the park, enjoying the brightest night of their life, capturing moments and memories left and right. Eventually they found a wooden bench in the middle of a circle made of lights wired into animal shapes.
"I love Jeju..." Hanni whispered as she leaned back against the bench, closing her eyes and inhaled the night breeze showering them with a smile. "I would love to come back here one day." Minji whispered as she's having the time of her life as well.
"Hopefully with your other half one day." Hanni said as Minji's trying hard not to lose the smile in her face. "I don't know about that." Minji whispered to herself.
"Enough about me, what about your other half?" Minji tried to revert the topic but didn't thought enough about that question before she realized but already too late. "I don't really know how to answer your question to be honest."
"Can you tell me more about it?" Minji went 'screw it' inside her head as she asked calmly. "Tell you what?" Hanni asked back as she's confused.
"Let me rephrase that... Do you have an ideal type you look for in a partner?" Minji asked again as Hanni looked up to the sky, thinking. "I don't know... I mean the last time I spoke about it was... during camping back in high school. But I don't really pay too much attention to it as I'm growing older"
"Maybe you've been with Yongjae for a long time and you don't feel the need to have an ideal type because he's always there for you." Minji said as Hanni looked over to her with unreadable expression.
"Maybe... I don't know. I'm happy that he's been there for me all this time. Our friendship feels like the most important part in our lives which is why, I don't really have many opportunities to think about ideal types." Hanni answered as she looked down to her shoes, with her fingers secretly fidgeting under her sleeves.
"What do you think about Yongjae honestly throughout the long years you're with him..." Minji asked as Hanni bit her lower lip in nervousness. "...I'm not trying to play cupid here, but what if Yongjae's not the one that fits your ideal type whenever you figured it out but he's the one you truly need?"
"I don't know Minji..." Hanni let out a sigh in frustration as she finally looked over to her friend. "...It's been years since I last talked about my ideal type. And as for Yongjae, I'm really sure I don't know Youngjae's as well, maybe I don't even fit his style even in the slightest. Maybe he already found someone, maybe he's searching for that someone secretly while still being there for me..."
In the mist of that, Danielle suddenly crossed Hanni's mind and it got her feeling down instantly. "...but maybe I am fine with that idea that he's the one I needed. On God I don't even know what my heart wants at the moment... I'm lost in the drought."
"I'm sorry for asking you such difficult question, the question I asked was meant as a simple conversation. I just hope you understand Hanni." Minji shed tears as Hanni just nodded her head with a weak smile as she immediately pulled Minji closer into a hug.
"It's okay Minji. But if you really want to know... I'll try to recall some of it..." Hanni slowly closing her eyes, trying to recall some of her memories from the camp fire. "...maybe a man that's taller than me, would always be there for me when I needed him most and someone who always be himself when he's with me."
"Anything else? This is exciting to hear..." Minji whispered rather in excitement as Hanni just pursed her lips at her friend. "...probably being able to comfort me even when I'm down and being understanding. Accepting me for who I am and not judging the things I love doing would be great."
Minji's been listening carefully and amongst all the traits that Hanni's pointed out, Minji believed that all of the descriptions fits you perfectly if not mostly perfect and hearing that brought a bit of a comfort for Minji to hear.
"Oh probably if he has ear piercings... that's a bonus for me. I told Yongjae about this back in the camp fire and he just laughed at it. I mean guys with ear piercings can sometimes be attractive. Not a must for me but just a small bonus." Hanni finished her probably updated ideal type as Minji just nodded her head.
Probably minus the ear piercing for you, Minji thought to herself.
"W-what do you mean by that actually?" Your lips felt heavier by the minute after hearing Yongbok's sudden question. "Am I wrong?" Yongbok asked again calmly as he turned to his side, now facing you.
"What kind of question is that? Stop joking Yongbok-ah." You tried hard to evade that question as you forced a chuckle. "...don't be ridiculous okay? I'm not. I don't have a crush on Hanni. We're just best friends."
"Really?" Yongbok asked with unreadable expression on his face as you nodded your head. "Well... okay then." The heartbeat in your chest slowly getting calmer by the minute as apparently Yongbok bought it.
"Then I can safely tell you this now..." Yongbok spoke after a short silence as you just listened to him. "...I'll probably going to confess my feelings to Hanni tomorrow."
"What!?" Your voiced raised in shocked as Yongbok looked at you before a bitter smile slowly appeared on his face. "You're not a good liar apparently Yongjae..." At that moment you gave up. You're caught.
"I lied. I don't have feelings for Hanni but you surely do. And I am not here to mock you for it." Yongbok gently patted your back a few times. "I am happy for you brother."
"How long have you known?" You whispered in defeat. "Pretty much since high school. It's getting obvious every year that's passed." Yongbok answered honestly.
"Does Minji knows about this?" You asked as Yongbok nodded. "Oh yeah she knows. She knew the first time she joined us back in eleventh grade."
"I can explain okay-"
"What do you need to explain for? You're not doing anything wrong..." Yongbok countered as he placed his palm on your shoulder. "...No one can tell you you're doing something wrong when it comes to your feelings."
"I'm scared Yongbok. I'm scared that this will turns out to be nothing more than just friendship between us. I don't think I can handle that disappointment." You whispered your concern as your friend could only nod in understanding. "I might be the last person you'll want to hear this from, but I am rooting for you and just so you know, whatever happens between you and Hanni eventually, just know that I will always be there for you and for her as well."
"You want another advice from me?" Yongbok asked as you nodded slowly. "Ask Minji for her advice tomorrow." Yongbok answered with a smile.
"Minji?" You asked in confusion as Yongbok nodded. "Trust me. She'll help you."
So leave a vote and comments(?) maybe, I would love to read your comments. It'll motivates me to write more, it really does.
Loves lot ❤