Jeju International Airport
The plane doors opened, and Jeju welcomed them with soft coastal air and the quiet hum of travelers finding their way.
Suho and Hauena stepped out together, the journey barely an hour long, yet it felt like they had crossed into a different rhythm of life.
Hauen stretched her arms and legs freely, a wide smile blooming on her face. "Ahhh, finally I'm here… with my husband," she said, excitement spilling from every word.
Suho glanced at her, amused, eyes warm. "You've never been to Jeju before?"
She turned to him, smiling. "I have. Once. A school trip, back when I was in high school."
His brows creased slightly, curious.
"But that was different," she continued with a soft chuckle. "Just teenagers following schedules, clicking pictures, rushing from one spot to another."
She paused, eyes drifting somewhere far away, as if those memories were unfolding right in front of her.
"Back then, I saw so many couples here," she said quietly. "Walking along the beach, holding hands, completely lost in their own world. It felt… fascinating. Like Jeju belonged to people in love."
Suho didn't interrupt. He simply watched her, the way her expressions shifted so easily when she spoke from the heart.
"I remember wishing," she went on, a little shy but honest, "that one day, if I had a boyfriend… or a husband… I'd come here again. Spend time like that. Romantic, slow, just us."
Her lips curved into a small smile, half nostalgia, half contentment.
"And you know what, Teddy," she added, glancing at him playfully, "some of my school friends actually had boyfriends back then. They secretly enjoyed the trip. Sneaking out at night, walking by the beach. Their boyfriends treated them like absolute princesses."
She sighed dramatically. "And then there was me. The one with the most boring trip ever."
He chuckled. Not a polite smile, not a breathy laugh. A real one that slipped out before he could stop it.
Hauen paused mid-step and looked at him, already smiling. "Wae? Why are you laughing?"
He shook his head, still laughing softly to himself, eyes crinkling. "Tell me already," she insisted, nudging his arm.
"You mentioned your friends' boyfriends, and you not having one," he said, another chuckle escaping him.
Her brows lifted. "So? Are you laughing because I never had a boyfriend?"
He laughed again, this time openly. "No. It's just…" He tilted his head, amused. "You sounded kind of jealous of your friends who had boyfriends."
She immediately smacked his arm, lightly but with feeling. "I was not," she said, clearly offended. "I was just sad that I had no one back then to treat me like that."
He looked at her, still smiling, fondness settling in his eyes. "Thank God you had none."
She stopped walking and glared at him, lips pushed into a dramatic pout. "Why are you saying that?"
Instead of answering, he pulled her closer, arm slipping around her shoulders easily, possessively."Because if you had one," he said softly, "how would I have married you, huh?" He leaned in a little, voice lower, teasing but sincere. "And besides… I want my Haueni to love only me. Not some random fellow."
She laughed and hit him again, this time without offense. "How selfish. You can have a girlfriend before me, but I can't have a boyfriend?"
He smiled, unbothered. "I know. But that's different." His tone softened. "Back then, I didn't know it was you. But now…" He looked at her carefully. "Now I wish it were you all along. And why didn't you come to me earlier?"
She smiled at that, eyes narrowing playfully. "Oh, really?" she said. "Did you even wait for me?"
She squinted at him accusingly. "And when I was having just innocent fantasies, you were probably dating Yerin, Mr. Kim."
He chuckled, tilting his head slightly. "Yaa… not really. How much younger are you than me?" he asked.
She glanced at him sideways. "How old are you?"
"Hm," he hummed thoughtfully. "I'm running thirty."
"And I'm twenty-six, running," she said casually.
He blinked, surprised. "Really? You're four years younger than me?"
"Mmm." She nodded. Then, with calculation, she said, "Seems like you started dating Yerin when you were… eighteen or nineteen? Basically, teens."
"Hm, yes. I was around nineteen," he confirmed.
She looked at him, unimpressed, lips pressing together. "So while you were romancing Yerin in college, I was 15 and still in high school." She sighed dramatically. "How sad. I was dreaming about my future partner back then, my dreamy Romeo. And my Romeo was busy romancing some other Juliet."
He burst out laughing, unable to stop himself. "Yaa… hajima," he said between laughs. "You're making it sound scandalous."
Then, softer, with a teasing defense, "If I had known it was you, I would have waited."
She continued to stare at him with an exaggerated, wounded expression, like a heroine wronged by fate.
His smile returned, gentler this time, and he pulled her closer, arm snug around her. "Hajima," he murmured, "Hauenie…" coaxing. "Now I'm here. Your Romeo." His voice warmed. "Now fulfill all your incomplete fantasies."
She looked up at him, completely unashamed. "I will," she said easily. "Not just here. For life. I have many fantasies to fulfill, you know."
He smiled. But something inside him cracked quietly at that word.
Lifelong.
His expression stayed soft, controlled, even affectionate. "I don't know about lifelong," he said gently. "But these five days…" He met her eyes. "They're going to be memorable. Forever."
She frowned, eyes narrowing just a little. "Why are you sounding like this is our last trip? Like after this… you're going to leave me?" she asked suddenly.
His heart stumbled, missing a beat.
Before the question could settle, before doubt could grow teeth, he chuckled lightly, waving it away. "Yaa… what are you saying?" he said. "When did I say that?"
Then, quickly, smoothly, he shifted the air between them. "And besides, why are we standing here?" he added, looking around theatrically. "It's getting dark. We need to get to the resort, keep our luggage," He smiled, cheerful, practiced. "Then our trip actually begins. Just like Hauenie wants."
She studied him for a brief second. Just a flicker. Something unreadable passed through her eyes. Yet she smiled. "Let's go."
They climbed into a taxi, the doors closing softly behind them. As the car pulled away, Jeju's roads stretched ahead, leading them toward the resort, toward the sea, toward five days wrapped in laughter, memories, and a love that was both blooming and quietly trembling beneath the surface.