Into the Blue

Somewhere Only We Know

This is a short RiRi one-shot based on a random prompt.

*

"Close in twenty minutes, Jeong-hyeok!"

"Yes, Auntie!"

Clearing the last few tables of dirty used plates and glasses, Ri Jeong-hyeok carefully places them on two big trays, carried by his big calloused hands all the way back to the dishwashing area.

As he returns to flip the 'Open' sign by the entrance, the sound of bells clanging lets him know of the untimely appearance of a last-minute visitor.

Making his way towards the front, he stops walking when he sees her.

Clad in glamorous clothing he's only seen in magazines, the beauty of her garments pales to the vision that is her face, which he gets a full glimpse of when she lifts her head after struggling with her luggage.

She was stunning... even if he can see that her doe eyes are red around the rims, her pretty face streaked with tears that must have been shed not too long ago.

He sees her swallowing before speaking in perfect English. "Are you still open?"

Jeong-hyeok looks back at her, still wide-eyed in wonder at what this delicate beauty is doing in a place like this and at such a late hour. He summons his latent English-speaking skills to let his wayward guest down as easily as he can.

"Yes, we are. Please have a seat."

Where in the world did that come from??

Tongue-tied at his own idiocy, he doesn't even attempt to stop her when she proceeds to the farthest table in the restaurant and begins taking off her coat.

"Can I have some soju please?"

One bottle later, the woman lays her head on her folded arms, perched on top of the table, and Jeong-hyeok fights the urge to check if she were... okay.

When she stirs and lifts her head, her sad blinking eyes find him under the dim lights, and the longing they convey seem to bore into his very soul.

"Can you help me?"

Unable to resist, owing to the fact that she has thrown all English proficiency out the window in favour of her native Korean, which is telling of her drunken stupor, he stops his innocent little task of mopping the floor to approach her tentatively.

He is all but two feet away when she flops her head to the side, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

*

The smell of caffeine, forever her siren call, easily pulls Yoon Se-ri out of her unconscious state.

Dazed and confused, she looks around to get her bearings back, when she spots a steamy cup of coffee in front of her.

A true-blue coffeeholic at heart, she wastes no time in taking a generous sip, and immediately feels better, the hammering in her head slowly coming to a full stop.

"Are you okay?"

She turns to where she hears the deep voice, and sees the man whom she remembers had welcomed her to this quaint little place she chanced upon while running away from her life.

"Are you Korean?" She asks him, tilting her head to the side to regard him cautiously.

"Yes," he replies with a nod.

"And you gave me the coffee?"

"Yes."

Se-ri gives him a small tentative smile, sniffling as she starts to feel the after-effects of crying for hours and drinking on an empty stomach.

She peers around, curiosity marring her features. "Why is no one else around?"

"We closed an hour ago."

"But, I–"

He doesn't let her finish, holding a palm up as he steps back. "I'll be right back. I made some bean sprout soup. It should help with your head."

The kind man leaves for a moment to busy himself in the kitchen, leaving the confused woman to wonder exactly how long she's been sitting there.

When he returns, she sees him carrying a tray of not just the soup but also rice, egg rolls, meat skewers and various banchan, and her stomach positively grumbles like a madman.

"I... I didn't order anything. At least I don't remember that I did."

"I know. But I haven't had dinner yet. You're welcome to join me," he says with a shrug, gesturing his face towards the food that's obviously too much for just one person.

After eating and inhaling quite possibly the tastiest bean sprout soup she's ever tasted, Se-ri graciously thanks her companion for the night and apologises for all the trouble, likewise assuring him that her head has been cleared of all the liquor.

The tight yet sincere smile he gives her makes Se-ri offer him one of her own, with her big eyes suddenly shaping into little curves.

She bites her lip as she utters her next words. "I may need one more favour."

"What is it?"

"I-I don't know this place. It's my first time here. Do you know of any nearby hotel or inn that I can go to for the night?"

*

When Jeong-hyeok had seen her finally smile, the smooth skin of her face still marked with those tear stains, he felt the room brighten.

Maybe that's why he's now driving his car at midnight through the empty streets of Hakone, Japan, with a strange woman in his passenger seat, her doe eyes seemingly bright yet hauntingly empty, her petite stature lagging in its stead as it carries the weight of the world.

He sighs to himself. What are you getting yourself into, Jeong-hyeok?

-
Photo by Hotel Okada Travel Magazine