alcoholic beverages were served to help them sleep throughout the flight. she mumbled all throughout her slumber, cheek pressed against his shoulder and arms wrapped snug around the space offered for her. on the other side, there were conversations within vivid dreams but any words that came out in reality meant nothing significant. he was drowsy himself and only really chuckling in the subtlest way.
even with all the rest and comfort in the world, approximately three hours up in the skies had left jennie struck with motion sickness; her greatest travel downfall. but it was a fair trade for the service they’ve been provided once settled in their hotel at jeju island.
she had spent days riffling uncertainly through ideas just to come up with something he has already done in the past. yet in her defense, it seemed the most appropriate for the occasion. and with careful planning, she had thought through where exactly he wanted to visit for a while then. nothing was short of grand in how much jennie’s prepared for the day.
ten in the evening was a little bit of a cliche. just the start of it, in fact. stars were hard to come by during the winter but miraculously they felt closer that night. they seemed to be anyway, in her eyes. but they weren’t as bright as the person across the dinner table. “you clean up well.” she teased. “such a beautiful man.” the compliment was mumbled to herself, as if an old aunt reminiscing her exciting youth. he catches it regardless. he never misses his chances at making her light up. “you’re the beautiful one.” he pitched in amid the giggly staring contest that didn’t cease completely until their food was finished.
midnight started with him getting handsy and her gagging a bit. it ended with the view from the hotel window fogged up by her breath and the soft kisses followed, contrasting the chaste, the whole wine-sweet events from earlier. none of those were part of the plan. she intended to sleep early to prepare but the night went on, her fingers trailing across his warm skin.
it didn’t matter. all her plans never did push through the way she imagined it would, and they would still end on a good note. but it doesn’t mean she didn’t lay in bed restless about the coming hours. she knew if she had slept, she wouldn’t have been able to do what she was there for.
however stricken by conscience and a little exhausted, she got up from bed to take a shower. her wardrobe had been decided long before the day itself. this procrastinator was too excited to stall such important plans. all dressed up for the cold, a little worried about the possibility of a thick fog rolling in, she awoke hanbin to get prepared next. it didn’t take long until they were out on a rented mini van, though the entire ride jennie was persistently peering over the clock on her phone. finally, after the long anxiety distracting her from giving him any kind of attention, they arrived at gwangchigi beach. from the trunk, they sat comfortably with cups of coffee ready to fight off the cold winds and get them roused for the view.
and there it was. the kind of joy that could be seen tirelessly.
a feeling of deja vu established itself on jennie especially. it was just like the time he formally asked her to be his girlfriend, relived after two fruitful years of being together.
clouds reflected the scattered light particles, creating an astounding color combination. despite the wonder that had her jaw unhinged, she made sure to look all around, as advised from a travel tip site that she had read before, away from the sun to catch a glimpse of the alpenglow; when subtle blues and pinks fill the sky. it did happen. the sky erupted with a multitude of colors. it was slightly cloudy. the colors seemingly came from nowhere and disappeared just as fast.
nothing was more magical than this. the quiet world waking up, the couple watching and listening as the sun came alive and peeked out into a crest beyond the horizon.
the good part about it was how they were able to spend the period of sunrise in seclusion with the beach being long, lending them a spot very few of people around to ruin such precious moments. many of which were picture-perfect. jennie tried to take as many photos, of course, with the camera hanbin had gifted her for their anniversary. ninicam was on session on the sidelines.
with a pair of binoculars for each, they spent some time oddly bird-watching before seeking the marvelous view of the south-western face of seongsan ilchulbong, their boots shrouded in black sand. at low tide in the late afternoon, the sunlight illuminated a beautiful array of black, brown, orange, and green moss on the rocks as the contrast of the blue seawater flooded within its confined space. jennie was able to learn how to navigate the moss-filled terrain within minutes, thankfully without her klutz self getting hurt, and hanbin followed along closely with a hand assisting her.
the rest of the walk down the path had jennie fumbling through her pockets for a ring, quite a simple one just to show appreciation from the past one she had received from him. she stopped him in his tracks, clearing the lump on her throat with a cough, and breathing in deeply. “hey,” she spoke up with a small voice, one hand hiding the ring away from sight. “i’ve been meaning to tell you but i never really found a reason or a chance to.” her gaze averted down the sand that dirtied her shoes.
“remember that time before when you prepared the closest version of a prom ceremony just for me?” he nodded in response, giving her a bit of confidence to continue speaking. “i guess, i just never forgot about it. not the gesture. sure, it was nice. but that’s not the part i’m talking about…” she trailed off, only for a second. “i think what happened that day, you with my friends, me being huffy about it and practically making a scene out of what i thought was petty jealousy at the time, i didn’t really get over with. i’ve been very suspicious and doubtful of you since. any time there was a chance for my friends and us to hang out together, i avoided it because i didn’t want the same thing to happen again. i know i said before i’d tell you everything that ever bothered me… but that’s not always easy. i’m sure you can agree with me.”
of course he could. the couple didn’t fight very often. any instance that it did or almost did could be remembered by both. whether it was good or bad that it rarely happened, neither of them has addressed.
“so…” she revealed then what was in her hand. “i have this… promise ring.”
it was indescribable how nervous she was about sharing her thoughts and doing something so bold as to equal a proposal. she might as well have gotten down on her knees and popped the question herself.
but that’s something meant for another time.
“we’ve promised to each other countless times that we wouldn’t give up on each other so easily. this time, i promise to never doubt you again. i promise to trust you more, with your plans for our future… for the lifetime that we’ll spend together. i’ll trust you more now with anything and everything.”
it was a little unexpected for him, the turn from her somber tone transitioning into an atmosphere filled with hope. he hid how glad he was about it. he was fighting off a smile. it showed with how his mouth twitched. he always did like to look cool in front of her, no matter how much he ended up looking goofy or otherwise just cute and adorable in her eyes. soon enough, on the surface, he had on a smile so wide it must have hurt his cheeks. deep inside, he was leaping for joy. moments of silence with this visual message continued on but it made jennie feel all kinds of gratification.
sparks lit the sky and blood poured as the glory of paradise descended further behind the seam of the world. all as intense as the words that streamed past her lips. his eyes were steady on her, face aglow with the last orange rays before twilight beckoned the stars. his lips bore the semblance of a smile, just enough to show that he was enjoying his thoughts, whatever they might have been; most likely him keeping in mind how precious all this was. this moment. this ring, it was sacred.
she wasn’t sure where to even place the ring on at first. the hesitation was apparent for a second but the anticipation showing from his expression urged her to just go for it. impulsively, she puts it on his right hand’s ring finger for him.
the smile he offered was so genuinely sweet, and the way his one dimple crinkled evoked a warmth that rushed through her. every worry she had whisked away like fruit flies caught in a heavy gust of wind. “i’ll always be there for you. i’ll take care of this ring and this promise. i’ll take care of how much this means to us. i’ll keep on taking care of you.” his arms wrapped around her shoulders. pulled in gently, he rubbed on her arms. her stomach fluttered at the feeling of her body against his. she sunk into the warmth of him, appreciative of the simple gesture. his touch made the cold winds calmer somehow, her future within its walls seemingly promising.
