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"I never believed in signs — until you smiled, and suddenly everything started to mean something."
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It had always been one of my biggest dreams to one day travel to South Korea. And now, finally, that dream had come true. I was grown up, living off my own income, and I had reached that moment in life where I could afford a plane ticket to the country of my dreams. It was only the beginning of summer, true — but to me, this vacation meant more than anything. Even if I had no one to come along. But I could be happy on my own. Right?
I spent two whole weeks in the country, staying at a small hotel on the outskirts of Seoul. I went to countless events, stepped far outside my comfort zone, tried new things, and had a genuinely good time all by myself.
I felt a little sad when I realized just how fast time was flying by, but I tried not to get discouraged. The last few days still held countless unforgettable moments in store. I was on a bus, heading toward a small town near Seoul: Gwacheon.
The reason I was going? The town's famous highlight — the Gwacheon Festival. It happened to fall within the dates of my stay, and for that, I was incredibly grateful. I had always loved watching videos online of Korean festivals — the colorful lights, the buzzing food stalls, the music, and the pure joy reflected on people's faces. And now, finally, I could be a part of it too.
Since it was early summer, I confidently chose a sleeveless tank top with a high neck and a pair of shorts. The temperature was high, and the sun was practically blazing.
When the next stop was announced on the bus, I gathered my things and got ready to get off. I quickly opened the Maps app on my phone to find my way to the festival site with ease.
A few others got off with me at the stop — probably heading to the festival too. Luckily, I only had to walk 760 meters, which I was pretty relieved about. With all the running around and endless activities I'd been doing, every muscle in my body was sore at this point.
Despite the soreness, I walked on with excitement, eyes fixed on my phone's map.
Then I looked up and saw the festival flags fluttering in the breeze — no need to keep staring at the screen anymore. Once I arrived, I bought my ticket and immediately tucked it deep into my bag for safekeeping. I knew I'd want it later for my memory book. I also picked up some tokens to play the games with and slid them carefully into the front right pocket of my shorts.
The first thing that greeted me was a lantern path that must have looked even more magical at night. The lanterns weren't lit yet — it was still daylight — but I knew that when the sun set, the whole path would glow in a rainbow of colors.
I wandered forward slowly, taking in the nature around me and the people nearby. Everything felt so calm — not too loud, not too crowded. Comfortable.
Only one thought nagged at me: I didn't see a single person alone. Everyone had come with family, a partner, or friends. And there I was — just me. Alone.
I tried to shake the feeling off. I'd gotten by alone so far, and I came here to enjoy myself, not mope.
As I kept walking, a small sign caught my attention:
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"Wishing Lake"
"This game doesn't cost any tokens. Fold yourself a fish out of colored paper at the table, write your wish on it, and bring it to the lake.
If the fish swims back toward you, your wish will come true."
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I wasn't the superstitious type, but since it didn't require any tokens... why not give it a try? What harm could it do?
I folded a light green paper fish, picked up a marker, and wrote down the first thing that came to my mind:
"I wish someone would love me."
I held the little fish in my hands, walked over to the lake, crouched down beside it, and gently placed it on the water while taking a deep breath. Secretly, I hoped it would float back to me.
With a sad little smile, I watched it drift away — not even the slightest movement back. But this was all silly, anyway. It wouldn't define my life.
I sighed and sat down, when suddenly I noticed a guy setting a paper tray beside me. On it were two mouthwatering corndogs. He held a pink paper fish in his hand and gently placed it into the water. I didn't mean to peek, but I accidentally caught a glimpse of the message written on it.
"I hope I can make someone's day better."
It was such a sweet thought that I couldn't help but smile at it. I watched as his fish almost immediately swam back toward him. A smile played across his lips, too. I couldn't help it — something about him drew my gaze.
Then something else stole my attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my light green fish suddenly darting back toward me. My lips parted slightly in surprise, my head tilting to the side.
I didn't have much time to process it, because the stranger sitting next to me suddenly spoke.
"Want one of the corndogs? I don't think I can finish both." he offered me the tray with a warm smile.
"Thanks, I'll take one." I said as I lifted one and returned his smile.
"I'm Seokjin, by the way." he reached out a hand.
"(Y/N)." I shook his hand.
"Did you come alone?" he asked gently.
I only nodded. I didn't want to put it into words — I was afraid I'd sound too sad, too honest.
"Me too," he said softly. "How about we spend the day together? I think it'd be more fun than being alone." he said, those big brown eyes meeting mine.
"I like that idea. Some company would be nice." I nodded with a smile.
We quietly finished the corndogs, then set off together on what promised to be a pretty adventurous day.
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I had a wonderful time with this stranger — with Jin.
It didn't feel like we'd just met that morning; it felt like I'd known him since forever.
We laughed so much — when we messed up games, when he told goofy ridiculous dad jokes... We fished for plastic toy fish, tried ring toss, steered marbles, popped balloons, searched for treasure, and flew paper kites.
It was already dark. Time had flown by, especially in such great company. Unfortunately, we'd run out of tokens, so we couldn't release a lantern into the sky, but we agreed to stay and watch as the colorful lights rose to fill it.
As the evening cooled, my earlier outfit choice didn't feel so smart anymore — I was shivering.
Jin noticed instantly. Without hesitation, he reached into his bag, pulled out a large pink hoodie, and slipped it over my head through the neck opening. I just stared at him with questioning eyes.
"You're freezing." he replied simply.
"Thank you." I gave in, because I really did need the warmth of that hoodie.
I tucked my hands inside the sleeves, and the comforting warmth started to spread through me.
The lanterns were being released into the sky. We watched in silence, eyes gleaming. After a while, I spoke up.
"It's a shame this moment's going to end soon. I had such a good time, and it just flew by." I glanced at Jin, a trace of sadness in my voice.
"Then let's give it a chance not to end." he said, pulling out his phone and handing it to me — with his number on the screen.
My heart skipped a beat.
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It's been a year since I met Jin. Since then, he's become the highlight of my days, the reason I laugh, the calm in my storm. This time, I didn't enter the festival alone — we walked in hand in hand. I wasn't just collecting memories anymore — I was sharing them with him.
We dove into the games once again, laughing and messing up just like before. Then suddenly, we spotted the Wishing Lake. We looked at each other in unison and smiled.
"I'd love to write a wish again," he said, gently squeezing my hand. "But I already have everything I truly wanted. So... this year, we are writing on a lantern."
He didn't even wait for my reply — he was already pulling me excitedly toward the table, where colorful lanterns lined up side by side like they had been waiting just for us. Behind the table sat a sweet elderly lady, who smiled as she reached out her hand toward us. I handed her our last token, and she nodded, making a small gesture that said we could choose a lantern.
With childlike playfulness, he immediately reached for the pink one—but suddenly stopped, pulling his hand back as he glanced at me. Of course he wanted the pink one.
"What color do you want?" he asked softly, as if afraid of taking the choice away from me.
"Pink." I answered, carefully picking up the very same lantern he'd had his eyes on.
The moment I touched it, a wide, warm smile lit up his face.
"What color should we write with?" I asked this time.
"Light green," he said, taking the marker I had already been eyeing.
We knew each other too well by now. As soon as the marker touched his hand, he took off the cap and began to write on the lantern.
Jin + (Y/N) = ♡
As I read it, a warmth spread through me. Both our hands rested on the lantern. We lit it, and let it rise at the exact same time.
Jin wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder, and I gently placed my hands over his. We stood there, watching our lantern slowly lift into the sky. When the glowing dot finally disappeared from sight, he pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.
Then, hand in hand, we quietly walked home.
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"In a place far from home, under lilac skies and lantern light,
a quiet wish found its way back—and turned into something real."
