Written by: Daniel Kim
Artwork by: Jihwan Lee
Recently, I have had the pleasure of going on several, rather adventurous, cycling trips with a few of my closest friends. It all began on a midsummer night when one of my friends called us all up and suggested that we go cycling by Hangang River. It was around 11 pm, and I had just changed into my pajamas to begin my two-hour binge of whatever was recommended on YouTube. So, needless to say, I was quite reluctant to join in on the “late-night fun.” However, it was summer break, and I had promised myself earlier that I would stay as active as possible and spend as much quality time as I could with my peers. Grudgingly, I got out of my pajamas and changed into a sporty attire. I switched my laptop off and bid farewell to a YouTube homepage that almost, just almost, managed to draw me back into the comfort of my bed. And then I headed out into the night.
My friends and I soon met up in our neighborhood. Four guys, four bicycles. And thus began our quest into the wilderness. Well, that is, if you count metropolitan Seoul as the “wilderness.” We headed towards Jamsil and cycled for approximately thirty minutes, and slowly but surely, we came upon a large river that expanded across the entire city. It was the Hangang River. At night, the river looked magnificent. The bridge that spanned the width of the Han stood tall and proud, shimmering brightly in the ebony night sky. We couldn’t help but take a breather to admire the view that we had stumbled upon. If you are still unable to grasp just how alluring the sight was, that night was the first time I felt genuine pride to be living in Seoul. My own birthplace, my own soil, had never looked so beautiful.
We took a seat by the river next to a convenience store and marveled at the view. But the night did not end there. We soon found ourselves engaging in a deep talk. About what, you say? About everything. About school, about relationships, about regrets, about the future, and about life. It was a strange night; at school, such topics were almost taboo to all of us. We spent the majority of our time together teasing one another. But for some reason, perhaps it was the view, or perhaps it was the midnight feels hitting, that night we felt free to talk about anything. It felt as though anything that was said was immediately understood, sympathized with, and empathized with. It felt as though we were in a safe space with the freedom to discuss all things life.
It was about 2 am when we started heading back on our bicycles. I was aware that I would likely get scolded by my parents the second I returned home. But for a brief while, nothing seemed to matter. We turned the speaker on and blasted nostalgic pop songs and sang our heart out. Nobody cared. Nobody was there to care. Undoubtedly, I was tired when I got home. I was practically on the verge of falling asleep standing up. But regrets? I had none. I had gone out earlier expecting a short and simple ride with my friends, but what I had gotten was so much more.
And so, the following day, we went out and did it all over again.
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