Seven Days With You

10,000 Steps To Heaven

It was past noon when we arrived in Kyoto; I called the hotel to ask if I could check in right away because check-in usually started at 15:00. But luckily, they told me my room was ready, and I could check-in if I wanted to.

My thrill to check in faded quickly when I realized I had another problem.

“Have you decided what you want to do from here on out?” I questioned him about his plans from here.

He did follow me up until here; I highly doubted he had any idea how to get around Japan, and as expected, he looked at me clueless.

“Do you plan to follow me where ever I go?” I sighed and crossed my hands, but he still didn’t give me an answer. [In Korean]

“Fine, you sit here and decide what you want to do; I’m leaving,” I informed him and turned to walk away. I could hear him following me, which cracked me a little; of course, I didn’t smile in front of him.

Just before the ticket booth, I turned to face him again, “Have you decided?” [In Korean]

He was standing like a school kid that was being punished; hands clasped together and constantly looking down. “We have to take a local train to Nijo station; the hotel is near from there.”

…

The hotel was a 3-minute walk from Nijo station, “Welcome, Your name please?” The receptionist at the hotel asked.

“Hayat Akeel.”

The hotel was not a four or five-star hotel; it was one cozy apartment-style hotel with a few rooms and dormitories. The hotel seemed clean and had a bilingual staff that was a big help. I was worried that I might be disappointed, but it was the same as shown on the website, so that was a relief.

“You have booked a double bedroom, right?” the staff asked politely, and I replied with a yes.

Meanwhile, Yeo Han forwarded towards the reception, “Excuse me, do you have an extra room available?”

The receptionist looked with an awkward smile at us, “Aren’t you two together?”

“No!” I replied promptly while Yeo Han spouted, “Yes.”

The receptionist looked at us confused, so I decided to explain our situation, “Yes, we are traveling together, but would like to use separate rooms.”

“But Miss Hayat, there is only one room booked under your name.”

“Ah- Yes, our plan changed a little, and we didn’t have time to book another room; would you have another room available?

“For two nights?” the receptionist asked and looked up.

“Sorry Miss, the peak season has started, and we are fully booked for the next two months.”

I sighed, looking at Yeo Han, who stood looking like an embodiment of guilt.

Like that was going to help.

[Sigh]

“We can provide you with an extra mattress if you like.” The staff member offered politely.

Realizing there wasn’t much we could do, “Yes, please, that would be great.” Yeo Han accepted.

We settled in the room; the staff provided us with an extra mattress. The room wasn’t quite spacious, which was as expected.

I was tense, entering the room knowing; I had to share the room with him.

“Don’t worry; I’ll sleep on the floor. You can use the bed.” Yeo Han offered to let me use the bed, which only made me roll my eyes, “Of course I should sleep on the bed; it’s my room.” I pointed out the obvious.