Airplane

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

The sun is at its peak and  the streets are swarmed with cars and people. A girl with wavy bangs sips on her coffee cup, as she desperately tries to conceal how worried she is of the girl sitting just across her. That said girl, has her eyes glued to the untouched latte on her hands, fingers swirling against the side of the cup and mind fogged by indecision.

“Are you sure you won’t regret not going after her?” 

She opens to say something, but ended up heaving a sigh.

“Jeongyeon!” The girl with wavy hair spoke, forcing the other to take her eyes off the long forgotten coffee in her hands. “You do know that you’re running out of time, right?”

Jeongyeon turns her head towards the outside of the crowded café near Incheon International Airport where they’ve been sitting for the past hour. She sighs and lightly nods her head.

“Good. Try to knock some sense out of your stupid brain because you’re definitely wasting more than just time here.”

The short haired girl bitterly smiles. “I-I don’t know, Jihyo.” She sighs and raises her eyes to the girl sitting across her. “I don’t know what I should do.”

“whydo't you start by asking her to stay.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not? All you need to do is ask.” She says, as she set the coffee cup back on the table.

“I can’t. She wants this. She said so herself.”

“Are you even sure that’s what she meant?”

“I am.”

“Knowing you, you probably didn’t ask her and made that assumption yourself.”

“Well, isn’t it obvious enough?” She ruffles her hair. “She’s leaving me, isn’t that a good enough proof that she wants this?”

Jihyo laughs. “She wasn’t going to leave you, you idiot. You’re the one who left, remember? You broke up with her because that’s who you are. You’re stupid when it comes to these types of things.”

Jeongyeon squints her eyes. “She was going to leave, anyway. What was I supposed to do?”

Jihyo huffed. “That’s so you.” She points at Jeongyeon using her fork. “That’s just so you. You are so stupid.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on! You can’t be that dense? Oh wait, you are.”

“What are you saying?”

“My god, Jeongyeon! I can’t believe you’re majoring in law when you are this stupid.”

“Whatare you trying to say? I don’t understand!”

“I know you don’t. You’re stupid.”

“Jihyo what do you mean? We’re running out of time. Tell me.”

“Oh, so now you care about the time.” She says, as she looks at her wristwatch. “Hmm, you still have a few minutes to spare.”

“Jihyo!”

“Jeongyeon, why did you even break up with her?”

She turns her head left and right as to find the correct answer. “Well, she said she’s leaving Korea.”

“Leaving Korea. Did she say she’s leaving you?”

“Of course, she didn’t. She didn’t have to. She-“

“You left before she even got the chance to say anything. Gosh, are geniuses really this dumb when it comes to love?”

Jeongyeon sighs. “I’m telling you, I didn’t have to hear it for me to know.”

Jihyo smirks. “Then why did I bother waking so early in the morning just to wait here in the airport when you have clearly decided to let her go? Let’s just go home. I have a drama to catch up on.” Jihyo says, waving her hands to the waiter.

“Jihyo..”

“What?” She asks before smiling at the waiter standing by their table. “Let’s go.”

Jeongyeon opens to say something, but was caught up with trying to find excuses for them to stay.

“What?” Jihyo asks when she noticed her friend is still glued to her seat. “Aren’t you coming?”

Jeongyeon stared blankly at her for a little while with hanging open. “Am I really stupid?”

Jihyo nods dismissively. “Yes, you are. Now, let’s go.” She stood up.

“Jihyo..” She tugs on Jihyo’s bag. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Just keep being stupid and stay here or go home while Nayeon gets on the plane and possibly never ever come back because some douche broke her heart for no reason at all. Oh, wait, there is, it’s stupidity.” Jihyo finishes her sentence with Jeongyeon looking more confused as ever.

“…What?”

Jihyo rolls her eyes. “Oh my god! Go after her!”

A switch flicked in Jeongyeon’s mind then she starts to scramble her way out of the café and to the airport across the street just barely missing a few passing cars.

Jihyo smirks and mumbles to herself as she watches her best friend run like her life depended on it. An hour has passed when Jeongyeon came back with her shoulders drooping and her eyes puffy. She slumps in the chair. Jihyo doesn’t have to ask to know what happened.

“You missed the plane?” She quietly asks.

Jeongyeon sighs and grabs the cup of coffee in front of her. “No.” She sips. “I saw her. I asked her to stay. I begged her to stay. I cried my eyes out.” She puts the cup back down. “She left anyway.”

Jihyo taps her shoulder. “At least, you tried to stop her. No regrets.”

Jeongyeon stays silent for a while. “No.. regrets..but.. I don’t know Jihyo. I think I should’ve done something.”

“You did. You went after her.”

“Something more…. I should’ve tried harder. I should’ve gotten down on my knees and really beg her to stay. I should’ve never broken up with her in the first place. I should’ve listened to her. I should’ve.. done something.”

Jihyo sighs and forces a smile. “Oh come, cheer up! It’s not the end of the world. She’s not the last girl you’ll fall in love with.”

“What if she is?”

“She isn’t.” Jihyo notices a girl walk in the café. “In fact, a girl might walk in and approach you any minute now and say she’s sorry, maybe? or that the plane got delayed so she’s gonna hang out for a bit and listen to your misery.”

“What??”

“You know what, I’m gonna go get myself some nice hot chocolate. Excuse me.” She collects her things and quickly scramble to the counter.

“Uhh..Jihyo?”She watches as she makes her way across the café until her eyes fall to the only girl that makes her heart skip a beat.

“Jeongyeon.”

“N-Nayeon?”

Nayeon slowly walks towards her. “I-I’m sorry.”