On the first day of the year, Gyu-ho and I went on a trip to Wolmido Island. We ate hot dogs wrapped in thick, fried dough, and braved a Viking-themed ride on which the safety bar wobbled as if it would give way any minute. In our competition to outscream each other, my voice went hoarse in ten seconds. Right next to the theme park was a coin-op noraebang, where we sang breakup ballads that went up to pitches we couldn’t reach, as well as the usual joyous dance-idol songs. After about ten songs, it was time for the sunrise. Hoping to catch it, we walked to the beach. Despite my padded jacket, I was cold, and I slipped my hands into his armpits.

—What’s the meaning of this, Kumakichi!

I laughed and hugged him from behind. Intertwined, we waddled toward the sand. People were gathered at the shore. As the merciless winds whipped across my face, I wondered if Gyu-ho’s childhood winters by the sea were like this.

There was a crowd near the giant tetrapod breakwaters, which we approached. A woman with red lipstick, an upswept hairdo, and a gentle smile was passing out lanterns and markers to the people gathered. She handed us lanterns and markers as well, and said that if we wrote a wish inside, she would light the lantern for us to send it floating into the sky. Gyu-ho whispered:

—She must be Chinese.

I nodded, and the lady said:

—In China, we have a tradition where we write our wishes inside a lantern and send it up into the sky on the first day of the year.

We spread out the lantern on the ground and wrote our wishes. Gyu-ho seemed to be sure of what he was wishing for. Eternal love between Kumakichi and Usami, winning the lottery, conquering the universe . . . I thought about what to write at first but like Gyu-ho ended up writing whatever came to mind.

We finished up and handed over the lantern to the lady. She deftly handled the wires at the bottom to set it up with a tea light. I gave her a tiny wrapped chocolate that I’d had in my pocket for who knows how long, and she smiled at me like someone who had never known sadness in her life. A group of lanterns went up at the same time. We cheered as we gazed at the lanterns floating gently up into the sky. Everyone with their happy faces. As if our wishes had already been granted.

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As I left the hotel, I began walking wherever my feet took me. The sun wasn’t up, but there were already pedestrians in business suits on their way to work. I would’ve looked the same whenever I had a writing deadline. Wearing a suit and sitting in a café near my office at dawn, crouched over the table and furiously composing or editing something.