New Year’s Eve (not to be confused with Lunar New Year) in Korea tends to be a bit more laid back than what I’m used to in the US. That doesn’t mean that it’s any less enjoyable, though. Especially this year, when we decided to rent a pension on the beach.

My friends all gathered together and rented a traditional-style pension just outside of Busan. Thanks to our lovely Korean friends, we landed in a cute little pension with the sweetest ajumma this side of the 38th parallel, complete with an ocean-front view. “Traditional” in this case means there’s a grill outside, a fridge inside, table space for too much soju, and a heated floor that can sleep at least 10 people sardine-style when the night winds down. If you’re curious or need inspiration on how to tetris your group of friends into sleeping formation, check out exhibit a:

The night started as a bbq-fueled soju-fest around our grill, which led to 90’s k-pop dance tutorials, which then turned into a super cute toasting circle on the beach, almost ended in everyone falling asleep at the same time, and actually ended with all of us watching the sunrise with a beach full of strangers and floating lanterns. It was a really nice way to spend the night, and an even better way to spend New Year’s Eve in Korea.