“I feel like I’m missing something.”

“Woohyun, we’ve been through this.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, exasperated, as I looked into my boyfriend’s confused and wandering eyes as he tried to remember what he was insisting he had forgotten.

“Passport?”

“Yeah, I got that.”                 

“Airplane ticket?”

“Yes.”

“Your flannel pyjamas which you love so much and can’t sleep without?”

“Yes. Right here.” He chuckled as he pointed at a lump of dark blue cloth messily thrown into the open suitcase.

“Woohyun, I honestly cannot think of one more thing that you might’ve forgotten.” I exclaimed as I walked over his suitcase, not noticing the black cord of his laptop charger strung across the floor.

I gave a small gasp as I felt myself falling, only to be met by a pair of strong arms around my waist, catching me seconds before I would’ve impacted upon the floor.

“For goodness sakes, Sunggyu, be careful. How are you going to be able to survive a year without me if you’re going to keep tripping over cords and the sort?” He muttered in a slightly agitated voice as he turned me around to face him, our chests bumping together.

I felt the heat in my cheeks as I looked downwards, too embarrassed to look into the dark and intense eyes staring down at me. I shook my head stubbornly and squirmed, trying to get out of the strong grip Woohyun had around me.

“Please be careful, I’m not going to be able to catch you when I’m miles away, okay?” He mumbled as he leaned in the kiss me gently on the lips.

I nodded, still stunned and knees shaky as I relaxed into his arms,

“I think I realised why I feel like I kept missing something.” He mumbled as he smiled softly against my lips.

“Mm?” I hummed in reply, still too numb to construct a sentence within my head.

“I think it’s because I’m missing you already. I feel like I’ve forgotten a piece of my hear-“

“Oh shut up, you‘re seriously so greasy, Woohyun.” I slapped his arm gently as I turned away to zip up his suitcase, a wide smile on my lips as I listened to Woohyun chuckle loudly behind me.

“Alright, alright. I was just kidding, I think I forgot my recipe book. Yep, okay got it.” He confirmed as he held up his leather bounded notebook from where it previously lay on the marble kitchen bench.

I laughed and gave a brief nod before grabbing my keys,

“Alright. Let’s do this.” I said, my voice slightly quivering as I felt a rush of sadness and worry fill my senses.

Woohyun gave me a light smile and held out his hand towards me as he grabbed the suitcase in the other.

We walked out of the apartment with our hands in a tight grasp, not letting go through the whole car ride to the airport as we enjoyed the last few moments of intimacy that we would have to live without for the next twelve months.

“Flight number CC394X3 is now ready for boarding, if passengers could now make their way through the gates…” A loud broadcasted voice echoed around the airport as a group of business men and holidaying families stood up, satisfied at the announcement of their boarding call.

I gave a small sigh and wiped my hands on my jeans, my eyes staring everywhere but at the man beside me.

Woohyun looked at me and leaned to grab my hands in his, he drew me close and wrapped his strong arms around me. I inhaled his soft vanilla scent and leaned into his arms, not wanting to let go.

“I’ll miss you, Gyu.” He whispered gently as he landed soft butterfly kisses upon my jaw. I nodded briefly and closed my eyes.

“Remember to eat your meals.”

“Wash Matcha every week.”

“Be careful when you’re crossing the road.”

“Sleep earlier. I don’t want to see any eye bags when I come back.”

“And stop tripping over things okay? You’re too clumsy for your own good.” He chuckled lightly as he leaned in to peck me gently on the lips.

I nodded and gave him a small push as I scoffed lightly at him,
"Please come back in one piece.. Or at least try to." I mumbled against his neck as I felt his arms wrap securely around me once more.

I felt him give a small nod before silence resumed over us; there was no need for words. Being in each other’s presence was enough, and it was all we needed to convey to each other as we treasured the last few seconds.
“Alright, I gotta go.” Woohyun whispered, but making no immediate movement to let go.

I hummed and gave a small teasing laugh as I pushed him away,

“Okay, princess let’s get you on the plane.”

He frowned slightly before giving me a deep kiss, sealing an unspoken promise of commitment, respect for each other and of the time we’d spend missing each other over the next few months.

He turned and gripped his suitcase tightly, a white printed ticket in the other hand as he gave me a soft smile before walking towards the open glass doors people were rushing into, eager to board their plane.

My eyes never left him as I watched him hand his boarding pass to the security guard, and gave a light smile in thanks to the man before turning around to give me a final wave.

He smiled widely and I saw him mouth three words gently as he stared right at me. I felt my smile falter as I registered what he had mouthed towards me and I blinked, stunned, my heart quickening as I watched him turn around and walk through, the glass doors closing behind him.

By the time I had come to my senses it was too late to reply, but instead I never took my eyes off the doors and I stared right ahead, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Woohyun would be able to see me mouth the words that I loved him too through the blurred panel of glass.

I would've been lying if I said I wasn't affected when Woohyun left. I would've been lying if I said I didn't miss the corny lines, or his mischievous grin, or even his smirk which made it a little bit harder to breathe.

I would’ve been lying if I said I didn't miss him.
 
The first few days were terrible. I would pathetically ring up my boyfriend’s phone hoping to be greeted by his voice but instead an agonizingly long beep reached my ears before it was sent to voicemail, its owner unable to attend to the electronic gadget. I would sigh and twiddle my thumbs nervously as I watched casual joggers on their morning run from the outside of the college café, eager for some sign of a dark haired man walking with a strut in his stride. There were so many times I realised I was way too dependent on the man I never thought I would miss. The closest thing I had to contact was Matcha, and even the little pup had felt the effects of having a missing parent, a small whine to complement its pawing at Woohyun’s usual spot on the couch, where it remained unseated since.

Mornings were dull without Woohyun rumbling about in my kitchen frying eggs and bacon with pancakes. Lunch was lonelier without him visiting me during my short hour break, and days walking home from university were certainly colder without the warmth of his hand gripping tightly onto mine.
 
I slightly dragged my feet on the asphalt road as my shoulders slumped over. It had already been seven months after he left and I still found it difficult to do things as I normally would. I found myself investing in hundreds of ramen packets, simply staring at the colored noodles softening in the golden pot as I stirred it around with a pair of chopsticks, watching the small bubbles pop as they evaporated into thin air.
 

Sungyeol and Sungjong both still came over a lot with their drama books and scripts, demanding that it was an honor for me to witness their amazing acts of passion and talent. I would still go to the Nam’s house, as Mrs. Nam continued to teach me various tricks in the cooking feasts of poultry and seafood to even the most fragile of desserts with edible gold fragments. It was enough to keep me preoccupied and not completely immersing myself in my studies and nothing else, not to mention that the words of emotion and tone came at excruciating slow speeds into my thought process when I was handed yet another song writing assignment.
 
The only thing keeping me entirely sane was our one phone call every night. The time difference was not in our favor as we found ourselves tired and worn out, either it being way too late for me and too early in the morning for him, or the opposite.

It was strange how I would talk about a Monday morning which was still yet to exist over on the other side of the world. He would tell me everything he learnt that day, the things he grew to love every day, the people he met, the random English phrases he would teach me, and he would tell me all the things he missed back at home.

"Sunggyu you have no idea.."

“Like the food’s great, and my English is getting progressively better. The Head Chef here is amazing, I’ve learnt so much, but it’s not the ideal place I would want to spend the rest of my life.”

“Really? It sounds pretty awesome, Hyun, you’ll have to take me sometime.”

“I will, definitely, we can go visit the empire state and eat hot dogs and watch broadway and-“

“See the bright flashing lights of New York City at its best?”

“Oh yes, Gyu, you’d love it. It’s definitely more amazing than Seoul’s.”

“Mm, sounds like a plan.” I mumbled with humour in my voice as I felt the days hard work wash over me and my eyes drooping slightly. I had half of my face planted on my pillow, and my right arm wrapped around Matcha, the now medium sized dog squirming as it my face eagerly and demanded to be rubbed on its lightly furred tummy.

“Matcha’s grown, you’d be surprised to see, he’s like nearly at my knees now.”

“Ah, our baby’s growing up, huh?” He chuckled as I heard the slight sizzling of his pan as he cooked up his morning breakfast.

“And you’re not there to see it.” I mumbled, a light tone of bittersweet regret and a pout evident on my lips.

“Mm, I miss you, you and Matcha both. More you though.” He said, his voice filled with sincerity and truth. I nodded slightly, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be able to see me through the phone.

"Me too, Hyun, come back soon?" I whispered as I gave a light sigh, relaxing my limbs onto my soft mattress and patting the slightly snoring dog on my bed.

"I'll try my best."

"Alright."

Even though it wasn’t a confirmation of any sort, and I knew he was still stuck there for another couple of months, those four words were good enough for me. I lay down on my bed, my eyes slowly closing as I heard Woohyun humming lightly through the phone device. I let go of the worries and feelings of anxiety I felt for my boyfriend across the borders as I gently let my thoughts drift apart.
I didn't know how long it took me to fall asleep, or however long Woohyun sat there dully just singing into the phone, but I knew I fell asleep to the sweet voice of the person I missed the most. And for now, it was enough to keep me holding on that little bit more.
 

A couple of months on, I stand proud with a finished food science technology degree majoring in coffee with honors, and a song I had written entirely by myself without help and the chords on the guitar to accompany it. Having finished half of my degree, I had a lot more time to practice the dreaded nylon strings which at the start gave me such pained fingers and mentally draining nights of repetitive strumming. I would play plain, simple songs into the computer mic just to see Woohyun smiling proudly back at me through the computer screen as we skyped for hours and hours, chatting about the randomest of things, and making the future travel plans which we promised over the connection line.

Before we knew it, Woohyun was coming home. His placement chef was more than satisfied with Woohyun’s work in his restaurant, and wished him all the best with a recommendation letter and a promise of a future as a Michelin chef. I could not wait, and a smile had not stopped appearing on my face throughout the whole week of waiting. Just waiting, but I guess you could say, it was totally worth waiting for.

“Geez, Hyung, you look like you’re about to go to your first birthday party.”

“More than that, Jong, It feels like it’s been years.”

“Alright, alright, just let me go grab some MacDonald’s, kay? I’m starving.”

The feminine boy walked briskly away from me towards the brightly lit yellow ‘M’ in the distance. I glanced nervously at the clock as I set out in search of the flight information board.

The slight echo of the plane engines buzzed in the airport, amongst the loud chatter of families getting ready for their annual holiday, or of businessmen saying bye to their wives as they went on yet another work trip. Then there were people like me, standing there waiting anxiously for their loved ones to return back into their arms. I gripped my jacket tightly in my left arm as I held my mobile in the other, waiting for the buzz and the consecutive sequence of beeps to signify an incoming call. I stared at the notice board, the flashing of lights and the light click of each letter as it changed, displaying yet another set of flights scheduled. I looked for the familiar set of numbers CX1739. My eyes lazily scanning through the white letters etched onto the black plastic until I found the match. I looked across it as i saw the status of the flight.

Landed, it flashed in large capitalized letters.

Any second now.
 
A large crowd had gathered, some with massive signs saying "welcome to Seoul", or "here for the tours r us guide" as we all stood in a semi circle around the glass doors, waiting silently.
I smiled as I saw a young woman holding a bundle of clothes in her arms, with a small newborn hidden amongst it as she kissed the baby's forehead gently, a happy and excited expression evident on her face as she stared into the distance where the exit gates were.
I gripped tightly on the iron handle bars that fenced the visitors off and flipped through messages on my phone, hoping that I didn't miss any from Woohyun. 
 
A notification flashed as I pressed the inbox.
Hi.

The single word stared back at me, not one letter less or a syllable more. I looked up in surprise and looked around me, trying to find the real life source of the text.

A whole group of arrivals had already passed by, only a few rushing out of the doors and into the arms of their families who had been eagerly awaiting their return. Trolleys were pushed from here to there, and the volume of chatter inside the airport raised dramatically as hugs, kisses and every gesture in between were exchanged with smiles.

I looked for a familiar face but couldn't see it until I decided to call the man who was yet to appear. I anxiously waited for the dialing tone to connect through as I searched my eyes through the sea of people, none catching my eye and not a sense of familiarity. There was a group of foreigners who looked like they could need some help and I started towards them before I felt a pair of arms wrap securely around my waist. I gave a light gasp in surprise and immediately turned around to look into the eyes of the man I had not seen for months.
 

The familiar scent hit me and I felt myself relaxing in Woohyun’s arms. We simply stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, just simply taking in the sight of each other, not wanting to let go, on my part, just in case he would turn into a figment of my imagination.

"Hi." I whispered gently, as I smiled the first genuine smile I had given for the past month.

Woohyun gave a soft chuckle before leaning in to place his lips in mine, starting with soft butterfly kisses before leaning in deeper, savoring the taste of each other.
 
"You’ve lost weight." He whispered, a small scolding tone evident in his husky voice.

"You've gotten tanner." I teased, looking daringly into his eyes.

"Did your eyes get bigger?" He gave a short gasp, before leaning in to examine my eyes closely, his warm breath against my already heated face.

"No wait it’s just the light."

I scoffed and lightly slapped him on the arm as I watched him chuckle at his own joke.

I leaned my back onto his chest as I felt his warm envelope around me, just like old times.

"I missed you."

"I know." He smirked back at me,  his infamous glint of mischief in his eye, the look i had arguably missed the most.

 
"I missed you too, Gyu."

#

This chapter is a bit of a filler, but i did have to get woohyun out of the country and back again within the time frame haha!

so i had this written up for you all a week and a bit ago, but my Beta had her art assignments due in which are worth like 99% of the year, so i can't blame her anyway :)

but thank you all for being so patient, and im still so surprised to see people subscribing! it means so much to me, and thank you all for commenting and gah everything, i love reading and replying to comments!

anyway, last chapter is next! im going to miss this so much, but of course miss you all reading and telling me about how you're dying from the fluff, i think im doing my job right then yeah? LOL

i'll try to get the final chap up for you guys soon! thank you all for reading <3