It seemed like escaping the FT Island dorm was the most difficult part of Seunghyun's journey – what with Jonghun's reminders to double check his luggage to make sure he had everything, Hongki's warning to take care of himself but not have too much fun in America, Minhwan's clinginess that made it nearly impossible for him to walk out the door, and Jaejin's incessant nagging to bring gifts and souvenirs back with him. "You know what, bring back Natalie too while you're at it," he had said, nodding decidedly as if that would really happen.

The airport was a different story. Arriving there alone in his manager's car, he was thankful that word hadn't gotten out that he was leaving the country so that there were no fans around to deal with. He had managed to board the plane and quietly take his seat beside a little old woman who spent the majority of the flight watching dramas.

Seunghyun was used to flying. He and FT Island were back and forth between Korea and Japan so often that the trip just didn't faze them anymore. However, that was usually a short flight, and Seunghyun didn't know what to do with himself for the fourteen hours before reaching New York. He tried to sleep, but it turned out much more difficult than he had expected. He tried playing games on his phone, but he didn't want to waste the battery in case he needed to call Natalie once he got to the airport. He tried listening to music, and although it did help pass the time, he found his thoughts wandering a lot.

Would it be awkward once they finally saw each other? After all, it had been months of merely video chats and instant messaging between them. But he shrugged these worries away – any awkwardness at first wouldn't even come close to the excitement and happiness and relief of reunion. But that wasn't the only thing bothering him. Niko. Seunghyun still didn't know who this guy was, and was just as insecure as ever about meeting him for the first time. What kind of role did he play in Natalie's life while Seunghyun wasn't there? These were the things that troubled him, and Seunghyun soon found himself getting restless as the flight dragged through its final stretch.

He was more than thankful when it was finally time to land, as that meant plunging into tight crowds that flowed systematically out of the terminal, where he wouldn't have to worry about thinking outside of his physical surroundings.

It took a while to find the Young's, but the first thing he saw was Natalie's father, who was quite tall. His salt and pepper hair stood out above the crowd, and his hand rested upon the shoulder of a young girl who resembled him – Natalie. Seunghyun almost stopped walking when he finally saw her, because his legs weren't quite sure what to do. But the impulse to stop moving was almost as quickly followed by the impulse to run forward, and it took all his effort just to ignore both of these and walk calmly towards her. Before he had even taken three more steps, her eyes finally met his, and suddenly she was the one running.

Arms around his neck pulled him tightly into their embrace, and he spun Natalie around in joy. She landed firmly back on her feet, but didn't let go right away. Niko who? A