So Eun glanced at her phone again, her third time in five minutes. Ugh, where’s the cab? It says here it's due to arrive in 2 minutes, but that was 5 minutes ago! She started tapping her foot in anxiety, mentally reprimanding herself for choosing to do her packing at the last minute which caused her to miss her alarms this morning.  

Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.

Ah, just about time you called me, Mr Taxi Driver. So Eun swiped her phone to answer the call without looking at the caller ID.  

"Yes? Where are you sir?! I've been waiting for you for the past twenty minutes!" she hissed into the receiver. 

"Hey So Eun! What are you getting so mad about? Did I even say I was going to pick you up?" Ha Neul responded, amused at her angry tone. 

"Wait, are you not the taxi dr....," she paused, realising that she recognised the buttery voice that came from the other side. She lightly smacked her forehead and carved an embarrassed smile.  

"Umm, I thought.....it was....the taxi driver," So Eun completed her sentence, her face flushed and deflated. 

Hearing her voice, Ha Neul could picture her face turn red and slightly giggled. 

"I knew it. I could never count on you to get to the airport by yourself on time. That's why I'm right by the next street coming to pick you up. Wait for me, I'll be there even before you finish saying my name," Ha Neul smirked and ended the call. 

"Yah, you don't have to..." she started but she already heard the beeping tone. Sigh really, this Kang Ha Neul. 

True enough, just as she completed her thoughts, Ha Neul appeared before her in his black sedan. She watched him getting out from the car in his light denim shirt and white khakis, lifting his shades to greet her with his beaming smile. She found herself smiling back at him. Thank God for you, Ha Neul.   

The dark-haired actor sauntered his way to her side and placed her luggage in his grip before lightly pulling her into the passenger seat. After making sure she got on the car, he quickly loaded her luggage and bags. Once he got back into the car, he saw her still looking at her phone. 

"Look, I'm already here aren't I? You can cancel the taxi booking," he sniggered. 

"Okay, I already did. But how did you know I was still here?" So Eun asked, curious. 

He smiled. "Come on, we've been best friends since we were 10. I know you like the back of my hand. Or maybe even better than that." 

"I know, but really, look at the time, I should have been at the airport by now," she mused. 

Ha Neul reached his arm out to ruffle her hair. "Just as I got back from filming in the morning, I saw you liking a post on Instagram at 2 a.m. I anticipated that you'd wake up late so I came to fetch you. And just in case you didn't notice, I called you 5 times this morning too." 

So Eun jolted and swiped her phone. "You did? I'm sorry, I left my phone to charge while I got ready and was too busy booking a cab to check my notifications." 

"It's fine. The fact now is, you're still here and I came before your cab did. So let's just get you to the airport quickly and safely before you miss your flight and blame me for it," Ha Neul laughed and tapped her nose, before speeding off. 

As soon as they reached the airport, both of them unloaded the bags and placed them on the trolley. Ha Neul offered to push the trolley while So Eun trailed off to find her check-in counter. She spotted the red maple leaf logo of Air Canada from afar and turned back to direct him towards the counter. He nodded and shadowed her from behind. They found the counter almost empty and heard from the handling agents that she was probably the last one to check in and she only had fifteen minutes to enter before the gate closes.  

Ha Neul saw So Eun starting to tremble in a state of panic and came over to squeeze her hand in assurance. Being more familiar with flying in and out of the country, he helped her out with the administration and they were done in a breeze.  

"Don't worry, you'll make it. I'll make sure of it," Ha Neul patted her shoulders. 

So Eun forced a subtle smile. It was her first solo flight and to think that she had to rush like this was making her lose courage and confidence. Nonetheless, she was glad that her best friend was right by her side helping her out. She pulled him in an embrace before placing a peck on his cheek. Ha Neul returned the hug by her hair.  

Checking his watch, he pointed towards the departure gate. As So Eun shuffled into the departure area, they waved their goodbyes. He gestured to her to call him once she got to Vancouver before casually moving his arms in a running motion, to signal to her to run to her gate. She nodded and turned her back before disappearing with her large strides. 

Now this is why she's an athlete, Ha Neul thought as he watched her sprint. Go catch your flight my girl, and come back safe. He let out a yawn, remembering that he only managed to get two hours of sleep this morning. Shaking his head, he left the departure hall. 

Aish why are my bags so heavy?! So Eun groaned as she dragged her bags to gate 13. It was quite a distance away and there was only five more minutes before the gate closes. Just as she was about to reach the gate, So Eun tripped on her luggage, causing her to crash into the man in front of her who seemed to be heading the same way. They both landed on the ground with a loud thud. Two officers in the hall rushed over to help them out. 

"Miss, you should be more careful, you know?" one of the officers said as he lifted her up, giving her a wink. 

Ugh seriously? Flirting with me at this point in time Mr Officer? She glared at him and mouthed a thank you. Her eyes darted towards the man in a fitted burgundy suit that she had bumped into earlier. His hand-carry suitcase was lying on the floor as a result of the collision, with some books and papers strewn about. 

She scurried over to offer her apologies while picking up the loose pieces of papers and books. She could feel her cheeks burn as she looked up to face him and hand him the items. She took a moment to take in his appearance. His features were sharp, enhanced by his chiseled jawline and charming eyes. So Eun could barely utter any words but managed to voice a sincere "I'm sorry". He took the items and shoved it back into his suitcase without looking at her. Her eyes lingered on his handsome figure. She thought she had heard a soft deep voice saying "It's okay", but she was not sure if she was imagining it.  

"Miss, your passport please? You'll be late if you keep stalling over there," the agent at the gate broke the silence. 

So Eun jerked. "Huh, oh yes! Here it is. I'm sorry." 

"Okay, you may proceed now. Please go quickly but be careful," he chimed.

So Eun nodded and said her thanks before making her way on the plane. Greeted by cheerful attendants on the flight, So Eun was escorted towards her seat. She was glad to find two empty seats, indicating that she could choose the window seat and have her own private time in the flight. However, not long after she has settled down and buckled up, she noticed a familiar man in a fitted suit walking through the aisle. She swiftly lowered her pink baseball cap in an attempt to hide her face but she felt his figure halt by her seat instead. He checked the seat number against his ticket. 

"Excuse me, Miss. I think you're sitting on my seat, 57A," a deep voice echoed. 

It was the same voice that she had heard earlier. So Eun froze. Again, she mentally scolded herself for not sticking to her seat number. The man probably saw her flustered self and smirked. Sliding his ticket into his shirt pocket, he removed his blazer and neatly placed it in the overhead storage, revealing the white shirt that he wore underneath.  

She could hear his deep voice reverberating, "It's okay. If you like it that much, you can have the window seat." 

He plopped into the seat beside So Eun and folded his sleeves up to his elbows before the attendant came to ask him to buckle up. It was strange how his voice sounded cold, but it had a soothing tone which peaked her interest. Beads of sweat started to form on her forehead as she felt her cheeks starting to turn red again. Why is he the one sitting beside me? How am I going to contain this embarrassment throughout the 13 hours flight ahead? So Eun groaned internally.