The Concept Game, Volume #2

You have been dreading the arrival of the month of October. This means that your employee exchange program comes to an end. It's currently your last full week of your time in South Korea and your coworkers have been trying to make the most of your last few days there. You had one last company dinner, eating to your heart's content. You all then went to karaoke and had a blast. During the weekend, your friends in the country tried to celebrate you as best as they could. Like right now, you're at a going away party hosted by one of them.

Despite it being 5 am, you watched the moon take its rest as your friends talked in the other room. The sun was slowly but surely starting to rise. You've seen the sun rise before but something about this particular one felt bittersweet. You sighed as you went back to the main room where everyone is.

"Ah, there you are! Where did you go?" One person asked.

"I was watching the sun rise." You said, fighting a yawn.

"And you didn't think to call us?" They asked.

"Hey, cut them some slack. We see these sun rises all the time." Another person said, coming to your aid. You smiled as they bickered afterwards. Your phone rang and you smiled as you saw that your significant other was calling. You go back into the hallway so you can answer.

"Hello?"

"____, are you still awake?" They asked in shock, not expecting you to answer the phone.

"Surprisingly yes." You answered with a yawn.

"Uh oh, send me the address so I can come get you." They said, wanting to make sure that you can get some rest.

"Alright." You said through a yawn. You then hang up, texting them the address. Walking back to the room, you see that breakfast is in the process of being made.

"____! Is everything okay?" One of your friends asked you, noticing that you came back.

"Yeah, my partner is on their way to pick me up so I can get some sleep."

"Oh good! But make sure you eat some breakfast first before they get here." A few minutes later, breakfast is ready and everyone made sure you got your fill first. You ate the delicious breakfast and gave everyone hugs and took pictures with everyone before your significant other arrived. Shortly after, your phone rings and you see their name pop up. You look out the kitchen window and see their car outside.

"What is that on the seat?" One of your friends asked you, squinting as you all headed outside to say goodbye one last time.

"I think that's a blanket. They're really serious about me getting my sleep." You said. You were still feeling sleepy but you were more alert as you ate breakfast. You gave everyone a big hug, promising to keep them updated on life and hopefully to come back to Korea for vacation. After getting in the car and giving your partner a quick kiss, you wave goodbye to your friends as you two drove away.

Once they were no longer in sight, you leaned back in the passenger seat with a sigh. You unraveled the blanket and covered yourself, then looking over at your significant other driving. A sleepy smile starts to form on your face as you take in their details. When reaching a red light, they look over at you.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" They asked you.

"I want to spend time with you while awake."

"You have a long flight, you need proper rest." They said, expressing their concern.

"I can sleep on the plane." You said stubbornly.

"I'm gonna miss that stubbornness of yours." They said, rolling their eyes before bringing their attention back to the road as the light turns green.