1

The “Fasten your Seatbelt” sign lit up and you obediently tightened the seatbelt around your lap.  The flight attendant announced that your plane is about to start its initial descent and you will arrive at your destination in 30 minutes.

South Korea- your home country you haven’t visited in 5 years. It’s good to finally come home, you thought, although you will be staying in Seoul this time and not in your hometown in Daegu. Thinking if Daegu, the memory of your last week there, before you left with your family for the US, was still vivid on your mind…

2

“Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!” your boyfriend, Taehyung, excitedly announced as he carried a super-sized ice cream sundae onto your table.  As he approached, you scooted one place over on the bench so he could sit beside you. You were at an ice cream shop to celebrate his acceptance as trainee at a talent agency called Big Hit entertainment in Seoul. It was a really big deal- he was the only one who passed the auditions this year out of the hundreds of talented teens who signed up in your province. You have always thought he had something special in him and was not surprised he was picked by the talent agency.  But now, he has to go to Seoul to begin his training immediately. 

Looking at the sundae he bought, you frowned and said, “Tae, can we finish a sundae this big? Why did you order the largest they have?”

“Of course! You’re with me, aren’t you? I can even finish this size by myself,” he bragged.  Tae was always so confident, you thought; even at things he wasn’t sure he was good at. This made him a prime target for dares and pranks.  “You better eat fast or it will melt,” he added while scooping out the strawberry slices on top.

You started eating, but after a few bites, you asked, “What time is your flight to Seoul?”

“2pm tomorrow,” he replied. “You’re coming to send me off at the airport, right?”

You nodded and continued eating. You feel sad that he is leaving but there is more to your sadness that you can’t voice out to him.  Actually, you are slightly glad that he will be moving to Seoul- you will not need to tell him your own bad news.

He noticed your silence so he draped an arm around your shoulders and dropped a quick kiss on your cheek. “I guess you’ll be lonely when I leave huh?” he asked slightly jokingly.

You tried to smile but failed. You simply said, “I’ll miss you, Tae-bunny,” using your pet name for him.

“I’ll miss you, too. Very much,” he said, suddenly serious, drawing you closer to him. “But you’ll finish one more year of high school here and then move to Seoul for college, right? We’ll be near each other again.”

‘No, Tae,’ you thought to yourself. Instead of replying, you started eating the ice cream that is now beginning to melt.

“I’ll email you every day, text you every day, call you at least once a week,” he promised, crossing his heart with his hand that is holding his ice cream spoon, splattering his shirt with ice cream.

You laughed a little and grabbed a napkin to wipe away the stain on his shirt. You turned to face him, your eyes looking down with dismay on the amount of stain spreading and started dabbing at his shirt. He suddenly dropped the spoon he was holding, held your chin and lifted your mouth for his kiss, surprising you. You kissed him back as hard until you forgot to breathe. He still has that effect on you despite being in a relationship with him for over 10 months now.

Your eyes locked with him and he said emotionally, “I won’t let you forget me, so you better take my calls and respond to my emails, ok?”

You didn’t have the heart to lie to him so you just buried your face in his chest.

That night, lying in your bed, you stayed awake thinking about your decision to keep it secret from him that you and your family are moving to the US by the end of the week. Your dad was reassigned by his company to manage their US operations and you and your younger brother will be continuing your studies there.  The move is more or less permanent and that means you and Tae have to breakup. Just thinking about it breaks your heart. And you know Tae will feel the same. He jokes around a lot and he very seldom shows sadness in his face, but you know him better than that. You’ve been friends for 4 years before you became a couple after all.  You just can’t bear to add his sadness to your own. ‘Selfish! Coward!’ you screamed at yourself. Yes, you’re selfish for not having the courage to tell Tae the truth and to break up cleanly with him. But he has a lot of things to distract him in Seoul. He will soon forget about you, you justified.   You finally slept fitfully, with tears in your eyes.

3

The plane landed uneventfully at Incheon airport and you stood up to get your laptop bag from the overhead compartment. You were seated at one of the front row seats so you were able exit the plane immediately.

Breezing through immigrations, you were able to secure your luggage in no time and walked to where you can get a cab to your hotel. Outside, there were a lot of people waiting for their loved ones to arrive. You looked at them wistfully, feeling a pang of loneliness because you have no relatives to welcome you back to your country.

Your mom, dad and brother were all still in the US. In fact, they couldn’t understand your decision to go back. Your family is living well there and has made many friends. They weren’t happy you accepted a job back in Korea. You’ve worked at a US clothing company for a year when your boss asked if you’d like to work in their overseas branch. They are expanding their Korea operations- your good performance and Korean nationality made you a good candidate to help in making their overseas venture a success. The US never felt like home to you so you accepted the job, despite your family’s objections.

If you’d actually admit it to yourself, your longing for Korea might be due to a certain boy with charming eyes and infectious smile. It has been 5 years but you still think about him. He was your first love after all and has a special place in your heart even though you’ve had 2 other relationships since, and dated several other men in the US.  You know he’s very famous now, your Tae-bunny.  Well, not yours anymore, you corrected yourself. His group has been performing shows and concerts at different countries around the globe and they have released several albums and mini-albums, all sold out within 48 hours of release.  You’ve seen him on the internet, magazines and advertisements.  He has grown better-looking and probably has girls left and right despite the “pure” image Korean idols seem to adopt as a concept.  Tae has never been one to shy away from girls anyway. He may not think he is the most handsome in his group but he has full confidence in his charms.

Your internal musings made you almost miss the man in a chauffeur’s uniform holding a placard with you name on it and a logo of the hotel where you are going to stay while you look for permanent accommodations.  You gingerly walked over to the man, knowing that you didn’t arrange for an airport pickup with your hotel because of the expense.

“Excuse me, were you sent by my company?” you asked, naming your employer.

“Ah miss, I was sent by the hotel. I was not told who arranged for it, but there is a representative waiting for you in the car. He may have more details,” he replied apologetically before proceeding to verify your identification.  When all have been proven correct, he took your luggage and escorted you to the waiting car. Your eyes went wide when you saw he was putting your luggage in the trunk of a limo.

He then opened the car door for you. You climbed onto the car and appreciated the soft leather seats and plush furnishing. The chauffeur closed the door behind you as you seated yourself comfortably. After a few moments, you remembered there was someone who was supposed to meet you in the car and only noticed a person seated opposite you in the long limo, his face in the shadows of the darkened interior of the car.

This must be my boss or his assistant, you thought to yourself. You bowed a little and greeted the man, “Annyeong  haseyo,” and introduced your name. The man moved forward in his seat, nearer a ray of light coming from outside through the limo’s glass window.

You got the surprise of your life as you immediately recognized the man. “Taehyung?” you whispered unbelievingly as the car started to move.

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Thank you for reading.  To my subscribers :) I apologize that this chapter took a long time. I was busy writing the chapters in my other story. I hope you'll bear with me and read my other story as well.

Taehyung's story is not yet done.  I hope I can finish the next chapter during the coming holiday in my country this week.  Please leave a comment. Let me know your thoughts on this story. Annyeong!