Work Text:
Checking his phone, Seung-gil stepped into his empty apartment that he had been sharing with Jean Jacques Leroy from Canada. The Korean had decided to train in a different country for a year to expand his horizons and take in the skating styles of other pros, unfortunately this led to him sharing an apartment with the loud Canadian. Today had been his birthday and he wasn't sure if Jean didn't know or was just too busy to do anything about it, but he was glad that he would be getting the apartment to himself at least for a few hours. Although those hopes were dashed the moment he sat down on the couch and the TV seemed to flicker on all on it's own. Something was off and Seung-gil could feel in his gut that the Canandian had something to do with it.
"I bet you thought I forgot your birthday, but I didn't. Instead, I've prepared a little game for you. 'But what happens if I don't play along?' I bet you're asking yourself, but all I'll tell you is that it would be in your best interest to listen. Now, for your first mission, I need you to leave the apartment and go to the Timmies down the street and ask them for the Skater's specialty." The Jean that had appeared on the screen said, clearly the video had been pre-filmed in the apartment.
Seung-gil was considering not playing along, wanting instead to relax after a long day of practice but something about the threat that Jean had said in the video made him feel the need to comply. Not only that, but for some reason, Jean's crazy schemes did always end up being a little fun. With a sigh, he slipped on his shoes and made his way out of the apartment and to the coffee shop Jean had mentioned in the video. It wasn't that of a far walk and when he asked for the specific item, it turned out to be his favorite drink that Jean had payed for ahead of time with a slip of paper taped to the cup. Taking a seat at one of the tables inside the shop, Seung-gil took a moment to read the note and sip at the warm coffee.
"I'm glad you decided to play, but now things are gonna get a bit more difficult. Your next job is to catch the next bus that will take you to the ice rink. Don't miss it."
With a sigh, Seung-gil pulled out his phone and checked the time. There was still a few minutes left until the next bus, long enough for him to enjoy his coffee on the way to the bus stop. Standing up, he thanked the lady that had given him his drink and left the shop, sipping at his coffee as he slowly made his way to the nearby bus stop. It was nearly empty by the time he saw the bus coming so he downed the rest of his drink and threw out the cup before boarding, getting ready to pay only for the bus driver to shake his head and motion for Seung-gil to take a seat. The first thing Seung-gil should have noticed was how empty the bus was. It was Toronto in the middle of the day, there was no way the bus would only have him as a passenger, yet he didn't notice that anything was wrong until the bus went off of it's normal course and reflected in the windows of buildings they passed the number that would normally be showing instead just said out of service. What was happening? His question was answered when the bus driver finally came to a stop and opened the bus doors.
"The guy in the red jacket... I think his name was Jay or something. He told me to tell you to go one block north and then three east and look for balloons." The driver said, seemingly unamused by the plotting of Jean's. Although right before Seung-gil could leave the bus, he spoke again. "You've got a pretty good friend if he's willing to bribe a bus driver to go along with his plan for your birthday."
"Yeah." Seung-gil responded quietly, leaving the bus before following his last set of instructions. He could see the balloons before he had even gotten to the destination and saw that they were bordering his favorite restaurant. A small smile broke out on his face and there was a slight spring in his step as he sped up to reach his final destination and the moment he stepped into the restaurant, a crowd erupted into cheers. It was Jean and his very large family and Leo who had also been training with them recently. It wasn't too large of a crowd, which Jean probably planned since he knew Seung-gil's distate for crowds. Jean made his way over and wrapped an arm around Seung-gil's shoulder and led him to a table that had been reserved for the party.
"Glad you made it here okay. I was worried you'd get lost." Jean said with a chuckle as he waved a waiter over and had them lay out all of the food that had been prepared. The more Seung-gil thought about it, the more thought he realized Jean had put into everything. It was only a few weeks ago that Seung-gil had complained about being a little home sick, and now here they were in a Korean restaurant that was comforting and a lot like something he could find in his hometown. He had also mentioned to Jean that he wasn't getting out enough between practice and finding time alone at the apartment so Jean had given him a reason to go on a walk and bus ride. Everything had been planned to perfection.
"Thank you Jean... for all of this." Seung-gil said quietly before looking back up at the Canadian who seemed ready to burst with excitement at the fact that Seung-gil was grateful for all of the planning that had gone into the event.