Brrring! Brrring!
The alarm blared at four-thirty in the morning. Sally groaned and fumbled for her phone in the darkness. Beside her, Sujin pulled the pillow over her head.
"No," Sujin mumbled. "Five more minutes."
"We have to go. Everyone's waiting." Sally forced herself to sit up. Her body felt heavy with sleep.
"I changed my mind. Sunrises are overrated."
Sally turned on the bedside lamp. Both of them squinted at the sudden brightness. "Come on. We already told Jenny we'd meet them."
Sujin sat up slowly, her hair sticking up in odd directions. "Fine."
They got dressed in comfortable clothes—leggings, t-shirts, and light jackets since it would be cold at that hour. Sally texted the group chat to make sure everyone was awake.
Derrick replied immediately: "Already up."
Warren: "Obviously."
Max sent a selfie of himself looking half-asleep with the caption: "Why did I agree to this?"
Warren also posted a short video of Vin Jin snoring.
They met in the hotel lobby fifteen minutes later. Everyone looked tired especially Vin Jin. Baki or Seongji Yuk didn't go with them this time.
They went to the meeting point near Seongsan Ilchulbong. Jenny's group was already there, standing by their van. Jenny waved enthusiastically.
"Good morning!" Her energy was concerning for this hour.
"How are you so awake?" Sujin asked.
"I went to bed at eight last night," Jenny said proudly.
"That explains it."
Moon Seong yawned. "She made us all go to bed early. I'm usually a night owl."
"Same," Max said.
They started the hike up to the peak. The trail was well-maintained with wooden steps, but it was steep. In the darkness, they used their phone flashlights to see the path ahead. Other tourists were making the same journey, all heading toward the summit.
"How much longer?" Max panted after ten minutes.
"We just started," Derrick said.
"I know, but my legs already hurt."
Warren was at the front of the group with Vin Jin, both climbing steadily without breaking a sweat. Their competitive nature was showing again. Both of them raced to go up first.
Sally and Sujin walked together in the middle of the pack. Jenny and Jaeryeong stayed with them. Heesu was bouncing between different groups, chatting with everyone.
"So what do you guys do?" Jenny asked. "Are you in school?"
"Yeah," Sally said. "We're all students."
"High school?"
"We will be in High school next year," Sujin answered.
"Oh! You guys are younger than I thought. I'm in my second year of High school. Most of us are," Jenny gestured to her group. "Except Joseph and Jinho—they are first years."
They continued climbing. The air was cool and fresh. As they got higher, Sally could see the faint glow of dawn starting to appear on the horizon. The sky was transitioning from black to deep blue.
"We're almost there," Moon Seong called from ahead.
They pushed through the last section and finally reached the summit. The peak of Seongsan Ilchulbong was a large crater with viewing areas all around. Already, dozens of people were gathered, cameras ready.
"Quick, let's get a good spot," Jenny said.
They found a place along the railing with a clear view of the ocean. The sky was lighter now—dark blue fading into purple and pink near the horizon. The ocean stretched out endlessly, dark and vast.
"It's starting," Jaeryeong whispered.
They all fell quiet, watching. Slowly, gradually, a thin line of brilliant orange appeared where the sky met the sea. It grew brighter and brighter. Then, the first sliver of the sun emerged—a burning semicircle of light that made the water shimmer like liquid gold.
Sally held her breath. It was beautiful in a way that made her chest feel tight. No one noticed, but Warren's eyes never went for the sunrise. Instead, it was glued on Sally, forming a smile on his face.
"Wow," Sujin breathed. Seeing Sujin so happy, Vin Jin was also enjoying. If it weren't for Sujin, he would have never come to see the sunrise in the first place.
Moon Seong stood at the railing, arms crossed. Suddenly his phone rang. He received the call, "Yes boss, we are with them. Should we tell them about it today? Or should we wait for sometimes?...No boss, they are all orphans, so the chance of any kind of problems happening is minimal."
Nearby, Max had his phone out, taking a video. "This is insane."
"Worth waking up early for?" Derrick asked.
"Yeah," Max admitted. "Definitely."
The hike down was easier but still tiring. By the time they reached the bottom, everyone was ready for breakfast.
---
Jenny leaned forward. "Hey, I heard about something cool. There's a cruise that goes around the island—it takes three days and stops at different locations. You get to see parts of Jeju you can't reach by car."
"A cruise?" Sally's eyes lit up.
"Yeah! It's not a huge ship or anything, more like a smaller yacht-style boat. They have rooms, food, activities. My cousin did it last year and said it was incredible."
Sujin looked interested. "That sounds fun."
"We should look into it," Max said.
Warren nodded slowly. "Could be interesting."
"I'll send you the website," Jenny pulled out her phone. "Oh, and we're thinking of doing it too. Want to book together?"
"Yes!" Sally said immediately.
They spent the next twenty minutes looking up the cruise information on their phones. The boat was called "Jeju Dream" and it offered three-day, two-night trips around the island. The itinerary included stops at Udo Island, hidden beaches, snorkeling spots, and a visit to a marine cave accessible only by boat. Meals were included, and there were various activities like fishing, kayaking, and evening barbecues on the deck.
"This looks perfect," Sally said.
"The next available trip is in three days," Moon Seong noted. "We'd have to book soon."