“Today’s the day.”
 

Seohyun hopped into the cab, clutching her purse against her worn, scarlet coat. As the car door closed shut, her eyes darted around in her bag in search of something, and she found it: a photograph of her mother, aged to a vintage brown. Her smile lit up the winter night. 
 

Today’s the day, Mom, she thought. I’m finally going to Paris. 
 

Streetlight by streetlight, she got closer to the airport. A sense of adrenaline boiled up within her, threatening to explode with every thought of her dream inching closer, nearer. It was finally coming true. 
 

The cab gradually came to a stop in front of a streamline of lights and people, all rushing in a frenzy of time. She kissed her mother sweetly and placed her picture back in her purse as she made her way out. Bags in hand, Seohyun paid the driver and bid him a polite farewell, a farewell to this place in all actuality. Home would always be precious to her, but a new home was awaiting in a faraway land just beyond her reach. 
 

A simple glance at her watch and Seohyun inwardly cursed to herself; she would soon become another victim in this mad rush of people among her also in a panic for time. Making her way through the automatic doors, she took in the scene around her.

 

It’s like Times Square, she immediately thought. There were the people who knew where they were heading to and were completely aware of how late they also were. There were also the tourists, gawking at this last stepping stone in their journey and snapping a picture or twenty of this foreign marvel. And then there were people in the middle kind of like herself: amazed, confused, and even a bit naive. She wasn’t amazed at the airport itself, but rather the destination waiting patiently before her just a few steps away, metaphorically that is. 
 

Seohyun sat down on a chair, unusually similar to the stiffness of bus seats, in front of a Starbucks after getting her luggage checked in and ready to go, took out her notebook, and scribbled down her initial thoughts of the place.

 

Rushed in hysteria,

Time is no longer an obstacle,

Rather a way to run;

Its control is inevitable.

Seohyun smiled bright, an unpretending rose in a valley of thorns. She tucked her notebook back into her purse and hurried off to the security checkpoints. The petite clock tower in the middle of the room struck seven, causing her to jump in between her hasty footing. 
 

It was like a game of checkers, she the sole advancing piece the player wanted to advance the most into the opponent’s sea of obstructions. People dawdled here and there, paying no heed to others out of inconsideration. Seohyun brushed it off but thought instinctively to herself that there was obviously a time and place for everything. She was pretty sure that that was a phrase she once read on the back of a milk carton or on the comics section of the daily newspaper, but it was profound enough for the moment.
 

“Gate 59,” she breathed. Her eyes scanned the signs in front of her and caught sight of what she was looking for. “There...perfect.”
 

When she reached the boarding area, she took a seat near the endless windows overlooking the runway. The planes filed in a diagonal line, similar to a military fashion. However, it was difficult to see clearly into the outside from where she was seated, not because of the incessant glares from the lights inside, but rather due to the rain threatening to slice through the thickly-paned glass in the unvarying routine of the darkness of the night. 
 

Seohyun, wide-eyed like a curious child, turned back around and sighed. She almost knew exactly what was going to happen next. An unnaturally polite lady would come up on the intercom and ask for the would-be-passengers in every gate to “please excuse this interruption on this pleasant evening”. Next, the lady would announce ever so hesitantly the delay of their flights due to not so pleasant weather conditions on behalf of everyone’s well-being and safety. She would then brace the oncoming responses of grunts and profanities; biting her lips and rolling her eyes, she tells them a scarily gracious “thank you for your understanding and patience, and sorry for the inconvenience” (even though she isn’t really sorry for the inconvenience) and continues on with her night pondering on why she has to deal with such people.
 

As soon as she finished the thought, a buzz on the intercom became audible.
 

“Please excuse this interruption on this pleasant evening.” Seohyun smiled to herself as she checked off that part on her list of expected scenarios. “But permitting the weather conditions tonight...all flights as of now are to be temporarily delayed until further notice.”
 

Footsteps neared towards Seohyun, but she was too busy reciting the words in her head.
 

“Thank you for your understanding and patience, and sorry for the inconvenience.”
 

As Seohyun giggled to herself, a pair of unsullied boat shoes appeared before her, a bit too close for someone simply just passing by. She tilted her head upward slowly, struggling to find a pair of eyes behind the finely-dressed man that he was.
 

Suave, she thought. Very suave.
 

She finally found a set of eyes to meet with hers; they were blank and redolent of the downpour behind the glass windows, struggling to look confidently at her.
 

“Sorry,” he managed to utter. “Is it okay for me to sit next to you...the other seats are kind of...taken.”
 

Seohyun didn’t need to look around for empty seats around her in a polite effort to tell him to go away. A smile drew across her face like watercolors, each beautiful color blending into another until it made a stunning masterpiece of complete serendipity. “Of course.” She motioned to the seat next to her. “It’s no problem at all.”
 

He nodded slightly, still reserved. The man set down his backpack in front of his feet as he sat down. He was silent and didn’t squirm the slightest bit; the sound of his breathing was nonexistent. 
 

Seohyun felt rather uncomfortable, so she decided to do what she did best. She took out her trusty notebook and felt inspiration rain down on her as she jotted down words, words to her that seemed to fit perfectly with each other like puzzle pieces.

 

Rainfall turned to drizzle, calm like brook’s waters;

Hushed was the caged bird.

Visceral fears shrouded its mind;

Sweet smiles and laughs to be heard,

Distant, locked away, tossed aside,

Chimerical fantasies brought misdemeanor,

As the words failed to gather,

To the bird that was once a dreamer. 

“Poetry.”
 

Seohyun was shaken out of her reverie. She turned to the direction the voice had come from, a bit anxious. She was welcomed with kind eyes, eyes that were nothing like the ones she had just met only a few minutes ago.
 

“You enjoy poetry?” He looked down, realizing his slight outburst made the situation quite awkward.
 

Seohyun nodded. “Very much, yes. Are you interested in it?”
 

“I’m not really a poet,” he replied in a hushed tone. “I was just curious.” 
 

“Oh.” Seohyun made a polite smile and looked down as well. For once, she was going to do something she had never done before, to speak without thinking. “Would you like to read some of them?”
 

He looked up, still just as shy and reserved, but this time the ends of his lips curved up the slightest bit. Content and a bit delighted, she presented her notebook to him in the same timid manner. 
 

“It’s nothing special,” Seohyun said. “It’s only a hobby.”
 

He flipped the notebook page by page; not a single word escaped his mouth, not a single breath from his lips. And page by page, Seohyun grew even more anxious. Was her work so bad as to completely silence a person, a stranger, with not a single emotion in plain sight? She mentally slapped herself and promised never to speak a single word to him ever again, not out of hatred but rather out of embarrassment. 
 

“This is magnificent.”
 

Promises can be broken for now.
 

“Really?” Seohyun couldn’t believe it herself. “Are you sure?”
 

He smiled, eyes hidden under his cap. “I’m sure.”
 

“I’ve never shown them to anyone before, so...”
 

He handed her back the notebook, peeked out from under his cap, and pierced through her with his eyes. “But you don’t know me.” Seohyun couldn’t tell if he was frowning or pouting. “Why did you show them to me, then?”
 

She held in her breath. “I don’t know.” And it was true. She really didn’t know.
 

The man in front of her raised an eyebrow and suddenly looked down again, his mouth agape in search for words that refused to come out. Finally, he managed to utter something, but his voice trailed off of its course. “I...”
 

Seohyun tilted her head innocently. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
 

“I’m...”
 

She couldn’t seem to figure out what he was trying to say. Poor guy, she thought. He’s so shy. Too shy. 
 

Seohyun gasped, causing the man stumbling on his words to turn to face her, mouth still slightly open. Her smile seemed to have conquered the storm outside for a moment. “I’m Seohyun.” She beamed. “What’s your name?”
 

He breathed a sigh of relief. The words seemed to come out easier now, no longer stifling within him, and flowed out of his mouth smoothly. 
 

“Luhan. I’m Luhan.”