“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome on board on flight KE062. This is Captain Kim speaking and I have some information about our non-stop flight. Our flight time today will be thirteen hours and twenty minutes and our estimated time of arrival in Seoul is on Sunday, 06.00 local time. The weather in our route is good and the forecast says it will be cloudy in Seoul when we arrive. We remind you that if you need any special attention, all our crew will be ready to assist you. Latest update on weather at our destination will be given as we approach Incheon. Enjoy your flight.” TaeYeon then repeats the message but in Korean this time as the plane taxies out to the runway.

After getting an okay from the ATC, the plane slowly rolls down on the runway, gaining more speed and eventually altitude as it takeoffs. JongHyun makes report to the North Tower while TaeYeon retracts the landing gear. Once they fly past the cloud, the blonde turns off the ‘fasten seatbelt’ sign, letting the chief flight attendant to inform the passengers that it is safe to undo their seatbelts even though the plane is still ascending in order to gain its preferable cruising altitude. TaeYeon does another throughout check and all five eight-inch LCD color screens—two primary flight displays, two navigation screens, engine indicator, and warning system of the crew (EICAS) screen—on the flight deck are all showing excellent information.

After the plane reaches the desired altitude, TaeYeon’s hands are still holding on the yoke and foot plants firmly on the rudder bar. She can feel the fly-by-wire system alternating the controls JongHyun and her have made separately. With not much going on at the moment, she relaxes and leans back on her seat. Her mind immediately goes back to a certain beauty with short brown hair and the pair of most beautiful chocolate eyes she has ever seen and she can’t stop the upward tugs on her lips as she sighs happily.

“I hate to pop your pink bubble of happiness,” JongHyun’s voice came from the headset, breaking the happy reminiscence TaeYeon was having. “But it’s getting too big and unbearable for this small cockpit, it starts suffocating me.”

TaeYeon sticks out her tongue at him.

“Very mature, Romeo. Did you stick your tongue down as well?”

As expected, TaeYeon blushes furiously. “No! We didn’t—“

“I know, I know. It’s only dinner, walk, yellow rose, friend request, and a peck on the cheek. You told me while we were checking the plane, twice.”

The date sounds so plain when JongHyun sums it up like that and TaeYeon can’t help but huff. For her, it is a very important, a very pleasant experience. The blonde is satisfied she did not commit any grave mistake that might alter the outcome of her budding relationship. With such assurance, she can relive everything, step by step, from the beginning until the end, and finds a smile gracing her lips every single time the memory invades her mind. To put it simply, it is perfect.

“You are grinning like an idiot again,” JongHyun comments in a sing-song tone before his expression hardens into a serious one as he says, “I have something that will steer your mind away from your Rapunzel.”

TaeYeon catches on the sudden change and feels herself tensed with anticipation. “What is it?”

“News. Bad, worse, and worst. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“Easiest first.”

“The company hired a bunch of new pilots so they can start exercising the new FAA rules.”

The blonde nods. “That’s not so bad...”

The new FAA rules include new pilot fatigue rules. It restricts pilot flight time to eight or nine hours per shift and for two-pilot crews it is decreased from previously sixteen to just fourteen hours. It also requires pilots to get at least ten hours of rest in between shifts; eight of those must involve uninterrupted sleep, and to have thirty consecutive hours of rest each week. TaeYeon has predicted the mess it will cause, but JongHyun and her are working in two-pilot crews system for about thirteen hours flight and with average one day rest between the shift, they have covered the requirement. The blonde then groans when the big prospect of herself being tied in meetings—something that will definitely take place on the next few days—surfaces in her mind. TaeYeon prefers sitting inside the cockpit rather than inside the meeting room with a dozen other pilots.

“What is the worse news?”

JongHyun falls into silent before he sighs, torn between joy and grief. “I got promoted to Captain.”

The initial reaction from TaeYeon comes in the form of a proud pat on her partner’s shoulder. She would have hugged him if not for her hand being required to be steady on the yoke and the central console separating them. The taller man has been her partner for quite a long time, as co-pilot, it is time for him to get a raise in rank. The congratulatory words, however, dies down on when the less wanted consequence of JongHyun’s promotion slaps her straight on the face.

“They are going to make two captains for LAX-Incheon Boeing line?”

“No.” It is the worst news and JongHyun himself feels bad to be the one delivering it. “I get an Airbus. This is the last time I fly with you.” JongHyun made a mock salute, despite his own eyes betraying him. “They have assigned a new co-pilot for you, Captain.”

Their second date is an ambush. TaeYeon flied back to Incheon on Saturday and supposed to be back on LAX by Monday, but she never did. Her sudden time off before makes her one of the pilots who has not gotten briefing from their supervisor and she also has yet to meet her new co-pilot. So instead of TaeYeon, a male Captain Kim was the one greeting Tiffany on Monday. Confused from the sudden change, she tried to text TaeYeon but the time difference is playing against them. The ATC ended up not hearing a lot from her favorite pilot until Wednesday. It is so tempting to ask where the blonde had been through the communicator, but Tiffany successfully fought the urge and kept professional. Instead, she takes an hour break to wait for TaeYeon on the arrival gate.

“Where have you been?”

TaeYeon instantly snaps her head away from the conveyor belt she was staring at and comes face to face with Tiffany. “Tiffany? What are you doing here?” She snatches her black carry-on once it made an appearance on the belt then takes several steps ahead to close the proximity with the flustered ATC. “Shouldn’t you be working right now? Are you okay?”

“I am.”

For once, Tiffany shies away from TaeYeon’s questioning gaze. She twiddles with the name tag hanging in front of her chest, finding it intriguing after she has unceremoniously flashed it to the security outside the gate so she can get in without any question asked. It is an action that is so unprofessional and so unlike her, but she was dead worried about the blonde that she could not sit still and try to manage the planes before she sees TaeYeon—alive, breathing, and safe—with her very own eyes.

“I’m just wondring where you were these past four days...”

“Oh!” TaeYeon’s expression quickly changes to an apologetic one. She had only managed to send a very brief text to Tiffany during the said four days of her absence. “I’m sorry, I was busy. The company started making adjustment to follow the new FAA rules.”

TaeYeon sports a small relief smile when the other woman’s understanding shines on her eyes. Of course Tiffany will know which FAA rules and what kind of alteration she was talking about. Truth to be told, she both hates and loves the change at the same time. She had just lost her partner, have to adapt with a new one, and she is obviously not the best person to start making friends with, let alone adjusting to share plane control with a complete stranger. Less flights also means less money, but also more time to rest, which reminds her of the information she wants to share with Tiffany.

“So... Are you free right now?” TaeYeon fidgets a little, another rush of incoming passengers start filling the arrival gate. “Can we talk somewhere else?”

“Sure, I am on a short break.” Something I never did after two years, seven months, and one week of my career as an ATC in LAX, but Tiffany leaves the rest of the unnecessary information stored away and offers a suggestion, “We can talk over coffee.”

They walk together out of the arrival gate with Tiffany leading the way. She is far more familiar with the airport anyway. TaeYeon kind of presumes it will be either Starbucks, Euro Coffee, or the Marmalade Café—the typical over-priced big-name coffee place in airport—when the ATC brings her to the food court on the upper level. The whole floor is dedicated for restaurants, cafés, and lounge. Tiffany surprises TaeYeon by escorting her to a small coffee place by the corner.

The bright-eyed young man behind counter seems startled at first when he saw Tiffany at this time of the day, but it is immediately replaced with a smile. “The usual?”

Tiffany steals a glance at TaeYeon first, who nods back in agreement. “Make it two, please.” Then she proceeds to make a payment.

The ATC would have waited, as usual, but the man tells her that she and her pilot date need to grab a booth and he will bring the coffee to them later. It prompts redness to dust her cheeks as she does as he said. She lets TaeYeon pick a spot, even though there are not many to choose from, and the blonde takes one closest to the door. Thankfully for them, the shop is right on the corner so not many people walk passes it and it offers quite a semblance of coziness.

Only when TaeYeon starts ing the navy blue pilot-issued standard jacket that Tiffany becomes painfully aware of how attractive her date is in a pilot uniform. It is not a sudden revelation; she has known it from the moment she saw the blonde waiting for her outside the control room. But then again, at that time TaeYeon was wearing casual clothes, which, if Tiffany has to admit, made her look so young that she can pass as college student. This time, though, TaeYeon is the embodiment of beautiful and handsome at the same time. How it is even possible, Tiffany has no idea, but her breath hitches when TaeYeon peels off the jacket from her body, revealing soft feminine curves hugged by the crisp short-sleeved white shirt and decorated with the dark blue tie. Then the blonde slings the discarded jacket on top of her luggage, takes a seat, and time goes back on its normal pace again, leaving Tiffany standing beside the table with a flush on her face.

“Two Americano.” The man announces as he set down the order, effectively snapping the distracted ATC from her daze. “And free blueberry muffins for my favorite costumer.” He winks at Tiffany, who has finally sat on a seat across TaeYeon, with a knowing grin on his lips.

“You don’t have to do that, but thank you, Jake.”

“No prob Tiff.”

TaeYeon smiles and nods in gratitude at the man before he goes back behind the counter, leaving the two ladies on their own again. TaeYeon lit up after she took one experimental sip of the warm beverage. It is so rich in taste, better than any of the tax-laden drink she ever had in any airport. She then sips vigorously and eventually burns her tongue, earning a set of giggles from Tiffany. Despite the pain, TaeYeon laughs along. It is so worth it if she were going to hear the melodious sound coming from the beauty who has held her heart hostage for a while now.

“It’s so much better than whatever coffee I had on plane,” TaeYeon says with slight lisp.

“Try the muffin.”

Tiffany regrets her suggestion right away. TaeYeon practically moans after popping a bit of said cake. The constant buzz in the airport does little to nothing to hide the soft noise and Tiffany blushes beet red. In a panic of being noticed, the brown-haired woman distracts herself with her own drink. Who ever think a cup of Americano and blueberry muffin on the hand of a petite pilot can be deathly weapon for a certain stoic ATC?

“Jake passed the certification tests from level one and two in Barista Guild of America Certification Program. Most of the coffee here is his own recipe. I suspect he adds some spices to enhance the flavor, but he never shares his secret and I don’t want to pry.” Of course Tiffany will come up with the unnecessary information to hide her freaking out moment. “I found his blend far more satisfying than the usual big brand kind, although I do like some creative mix selection in Starbucks... Have you tried the elephant-fermented coffee beans?” She winches after the question left her lips, it is never a good idea to talk about waste product and if her quirkiness has not driven TaeYeon away before, she may have now.

“Elephant-fermented... As in elephant eats the beans and then...” TaeYeon trails off, but the laugh that follows after is from genuine merriment rather than to ridicule Tiffany. “I’d love to try it! I like the Luwak one.”

The enthusiasm settles Tiffany’s nervousness and she sighs in relief. She really likes TaeYeon ever since the first time the pilot asked her out through the communicator. She refused her advance purely out of professionalism. Not even TaeYeon’s obvious gender manages to deter the attraction because Tiffany is the kind of person who believes in ual fluidity. The ATC has both men and women as her prior lovers, simply because she likes people based on their personality, not because of their gender.

Tiffany is too enthralled in her own thought that she becomes confused when TaeYeon excuses herself. “Yes?”

“Sorry, I have to turn on my phone,” TaeYeon answers as the black device on her hand lit up. She waits for a minute for it to fully load but no message comes in so she settles the gadget down on the table, placing her hand over it as she frowns. The blonde feels like she is forgetting something important, but she can’t remember what it is and decides to brush it off for the moment. “Back to my disappearance earlier this week...”

TaeYeon goes on reciting her tale in a surprising ease whilst Tiffany listens to her attentively. The blonde only halts once, when her companion slips her slightly bigger hand over her own on top of the phone over the table. They both simultaneously blush from the contact; none of the two is a fan of skin to skin contact—the intimacy of such action sometimes feels too intrusive on their personal space—but this time they revel on the simple hand-holding. It is the reminder that while they have agreed on being friends first and are going through the slow pace, they are still pursuing more than just a simple friendship from the other. The contact, however, unfortunately has to end when all of a sudden, TaeYeon’s phone buzzes.

The pilot grins apologetically as she retreats her hand and the vibrating phone from under Tiffany’s. “Just when we start talking about her...” She mutters after checking on the name flashing on the screen. “Hello?” But no answer comes so she just hangs up.

Truth to be told, TaeYeon is far more eager to spend whatever minutes Tiffany has left from her short break rather than talking to her new co-pilot, even though she had promised to show the girl around LAX and had practically ditched her on the arrival gate. The blonde honestly has enough of the so-called prodigy, youngest girl ever made into first officer. A small part of her is jealous of the girl, because she herself is the youngest woman ever made into captain in Korean Air and her co-pilot may beat the record soon. The bigger part is just irritated because said girl is too energized for her taste and is apparently TaeYeon’s ‘number one fan’. After getting over the initial shyness, the co-pilot is exactly like the female version of SiWon, except for the preaching part. TaeYeon is in the process of telling Tiffany just that, earning a laugh from her date, when a hat lands on her head and she looks up in surprise.

“You forgot your cap, Captain.”

TaeYeon fights the urge to roll her eyes and plasters a smile instead. “Thank you, SunMi.” She then proceeds to stand up beside the girl to introduce her to the ATC, who not so furtively runs a pair of calculative chocolate eyes over the newcomer. “Tiffany, this is my new co-pilot—“

“Partner,” SunMi quips.

But TaeYeon ignores her. “Lee SunMi.” She stares at Tiffany, sending a see what I meant? through her gaze and the latter nods in silent agreement. “SunMi, this is my...” TaeYeon halts, hesitating over the correct term to address the ATC. Girlfriend? Date? “Friend,” she ends up with the most neutral one, “Hwang Tiffany.”

“Nice to meet you.” Tiffany got to her feet to match the other two and offers a handshake, which SunMi accepts. “TaeYeon had just begun telling me about you,” she comments out of politeness but the other woman takes it differently.

“Really?” SunMi perks up happily.

Without much consideration, SunMi links her arm with TaeYeon and snuggles herself closer to the latter as she radiates pure joy. The captain squirms awkwardly, sending apologetic look to the stunned ATC. It took them approximately six days consist of several flirting over the communicator, a note, a phone call, and a whole dinner date to be comfortable and brave enough to link arms with each other and yet SunMi does it easily. All of a sudden, Tiffany is no longer interested in being just a friend anymore.