The First Meeting
The Little Things
December 1st, 2007
She never liked airplanes. The loud engines always managed to pierce through the music from her headphones. Flight attendants tended to be overbearingly cheerful despite being thousands of miles in the sky. Kids liked to kick the back of the seats when they were bored or run around the aisles. Seatbelts felt too restricting. And despite the fact she wore a comfy large shirt with tights and her worn leather jacket and boots, she still couldn’t feel good about being confined in a potential metal death trap for nearly thirteen hours.
Well, she thought grumpily as walked in the plane’s aisle, being careful not to hit anyone with the suitcase she dragged behind her. At least dad bought me a first class ticket. I’d much rather have to sit next to one person rather than two or three.
At seventeen years old, she was going abroad for the winter vacation alone. Her aunt had requested her to come so she help look after her niece and nephew while teaching them a little English. She readily agreed to her aunt’s request, wanting to experience Incheon’s snow and Oceanside scenery. Her father was initially supposed to come along, but his business had caused a change of plans.
She wasn’t surprised when her father had told her he couldn’t come along at the last minute. His business was his priority; she knew he loved her but sometimes, she couldn’t help but feel resentful that he seemed to love his CEO job more. But he was her father and he tried to do his best for her.
Especially since they were the only ones they had left.
Almost instantly, she found her seat. Thankfully, it was a window seat in the back of first class. A boy - or man? - was already sitting in the seat next to her’s. He had headphones placed on his head and was asleep. Already dreading having to wake him up to get to her seat, she bent over to pick up her suitcase to put it in the overhead cabinet.
Aish… This is heavy… She groaned internally. Despite the fact she managed to lift her bag, the cabinet was too high and her belongings were too heavy for her small stature. Frantically looking around for possible help from a flight attendant, she found everyone around her was busy with their own things. Sighing loudly, she stood on her toes to attempt to push the bag in.
One.. Two.. Three! The bag was suddenly weightless and easily slipped in the cabinet. Okay.. That’s strange. I should not have been able to just do that -
A pair of large brown eyes stared at directly into her own.
The boy who occupied the seat next to her was staring down at her silently. His light blue button up and jeans were casual but his height made the outfit look off the runway. She realized that the top of her head just brushed his shoulder. Examining his face, she saw clear skin, messy dark hair, piercing eyes that looked innocent yet determined… that were still looking straight at her.
Realizing she was rudely checking him out, she bent over in a deep bow. Her long wavy hair covered the blood rushing to her face as she said, “ Gamsa - I mean, thank you for helping me.”
“Cheonmaneyo,” a deep yet soft voice that caused a slight shiver up her spine. She looked at his face, surprised, but soon realizing her mistake. A small smile, no, barely a tilt of lips, greeted her. But his eyes told what his otherwise blank face did not. He motioned for her to go to her seat. Slightly embarrassed, she sat down and looked nervously at her furled hands. When she looked back up, the boy had his headphones back on and his eyes were closed again.
His eyelashes are kissing his cheeks. Unlike frazzled me, he looks so serene and calm, she thought, put out by the fact the boy had a prettier face than hers.
For the next few minutes, she unconsciously examined his face from the corner of her eye, strangely drawn to his beauty. An eye cracked open curiously and she tightly shut hers.
Okay, stop _____. You’re being extremely rude to the person who just helped you. Just listen to your music and go to sleep. Incheon International Airport is just thirteen hours away and you’ll never see this guy again.
And for the rest of the flight, they hardly talked. Other than the “Excuse me”s and “Sorry”s, there was no interaction at all. But she felt a little less nervous about flying, a little more comfortable knowing the stranger was next to her. At the end of the flight, he wordlessly handed her her suitcase and put on a pair of sunglasses. With an exchange of small smiles, they exited the plane and went their separate ways.
But in the back of her mind, she secretly store away the image of his eyes and awkwardly innocent smile.
Maybe flying isn’t that bad after all.
Author's Note: Has anyone here been to Incheon? I know that Seoul gets most of the attention in Korea, but after spending the majority of my summer there, I find Incheon just as beautiful. Definitely calmer than Seoul, though Seoul is wonderful as well (especially in Cheonggyecheon stream) I'm going back there this winter vacation as well.
And yes, Incheon just happens to be someone's hometown. If you haven't figured it out who yet, well, you'll find out soon enough. But of course, this could all possibly be a coicidence.
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