CHAPTER 1
the beginning of an ending

It was about 5 in the morning when the deer nurse had bid goodbye to his family and friends in the lobby before slipping through the security check. Luhan placed his carry-on luggage up in the overhead bin and sat down in his assigned seat, an empty space near the window to his left. A bright streak of beaming white caught his eye. Luhan peeked out the glass to gaze out the window in awe, his breath taken away at the beautiful colors glowing in the darkness of Beijing from afar, twinkling like lights on a Christmas tree.

Luhan sighed. He hasn't even left the borders of China, and yet he felt homesick already. He was going to miss all of this.

"Ah," the deer nurse mumbled suddenly. "I should tell Ma I'm on the plane."

The honey brunet ped his backpack and took out his phone and opened his messaging app.

   To Mama
   From Lulu

I'm on the plane (o^^o)

Before Luhan could exit, a 'ping' went off.

   To Lulu
   From Mama

(^○^) call me when you get to Seoul

The twenty-eight years old male grinned as he quickly typed in ‘yes’ and turns on airplane mode. As he shoves his phone back into the zipper slot, a shadow loomed over the seated male. Luhan quickly turns to the lanky, honey blond man with the word 'nervous' etched on his face with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. The deer nurses notice a visible dimple on his right cheek. Cute.

"Excuse me," a small voice asked in broken English. "Is anyone sitting in there?"

"No," he blurted out in Chinese and Luhan's hands immediately flew up to cover his mouth and corrected himself to English. "I mean—"

A sigh of relief escaped the blond man.

"Thank god," he states in his native tongue. "You speak Chinese, too."

He scoots closer to the seated male, allowing the other passengers to board. Deer eyes gaze up at the crescent-moon narrow eyes, a dimple enhancing the bright smile. "Can you scoot in? I don't want you to get up just for the right seat."

"Ah..."

Snapping out of his trance all flustered yet determined, Luhan shifted towards the window seat with his belongings. The blond man stuffs his duffle bag in the overhead bin before shutting it closed and seating in, turning to face the brunet.

"My name is Yixing," the quiet man introduced, sticking out his hand. "You look young. How old are you?"

"Han but call me Luhan," Luhan replied, shaking Yixing's hand. "And I'm twenty-eight."

Eyes wide with bewilderment.

"For real? But you look so young. I'm twenty-six, and I look old!" he quickly comments, earning laughs from Luhan, his eyes twinkling under the artificial light.

"Thank you. You look young yourself, Yixing."

"Luhan-ge," Yixing said, revealing dimples as the corners of his lips lifted up. "I'm going to call you Luhan-ge! Where are you going after this flight, ge-ge?"

"To Oh Medical Center Hospital," the nurse replies with a smile, watching the younger male's eyes light up. "I'm being transferred. What about you?"

"I met my first co-worker of the day," Yixing cheered. Luhan laughs at the younger's antics, catching Yixing's attention before clearing out his throat flushing pink. "I'm an on-and-off doctor at the Oh Medical Center."

The two Chinese men converse freely in their native tongue, eventually finding out each other's occupation: Luhan as a CRNA and Yixing as a retina specialist, specializing in ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery. Before any of the two males could say anything else, the static of the intercom quiet the bustling aircraft.

“Good morning! This is Jung Jessica, your chief flight attendant speaking. On behalf of Captain Kim Heechul and the entire crew, welcome aboard to Korean Air Lines.

Our flight time will be approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes, and we will be landing around 7:40 AM, Seoul time. Now, we request your full attention as the flight attendants demonstrate the safety features of this aircraft."

Guilty as charged, the two medical staff had tuned out of during the demonstration. They shouldn't, but they did. They knew where was what. It was only a part of the flight crew's procedure to issue out the presentation for first-timers on an airplane. Yixing had started to doze off. Luhan only jumped back in during the last part.

"At this time, make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position and that your seat belt is correctly fastened. Also, your portable electronic devices must be set to ‘airplane’ mode or turned off until an announcement is made. Thank you."

The lights dimmed down, signaling the plane's first movement. Luhan nervously gnawed on his bottom lip and fiddled with his fingers—a habit he had picked up over the years—while staring out the window. He lay his palms flat against the panel and pressed his forehead onto the screen. Luhan realizes that—really—he is leaving Beijing in a matter of seconds. The sudden tap on older boy's shoulder brought him down to earth.

"Ge-ge," the younger called quietly. Luhan looked over.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to sleep," Yixing informed, adjusting the neck pillow yawning. "Wake me up when we get there?”

The older smiles and pats the younger male's head, assuring he will wake Yixing up. Through the corner of his eye, Luhan sees the plane turning towards the runway. Here goes nothing, the deer nurse thought.

"Night, Yixing," Luhan chimed, yawning as he laid his head against the window.

"Mhm..."

And the quiet rumble of the plane during take-off had lulled the doctor and nurse into dreamland, pulling them into a daze and full of sweet dreams.

Goodbye, Beijing.

"—lemen," Luhan jolted out from sleep. He squints as warm rays of light burst through the cold air. He blinked, shutting, and blinked again. Luhan yawns, managing to fully open both eyes. Small quiet chatter invaded the once silent plane. What was going on? The sudden memories of hours ago crashed into his head. Right. He was on an airplane to Seoul with a new co-worker.

"Welcome to Incheon International Airport. The local time is 7: 43 AM and the temperature is 23 degrees Celsius.

For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about. At this time, you may use your cellular phones if you wish."

Realizing what it was Luhan hurriedly sliding the window cover up. He gasps, his breath hitched. It was beautiful. The alluring sunrise and the geographical features: rivers so rich in blue, land as green as Earth's soul, and the warmth of the colors reaching out to his core. This was Seoul, the heart of South Korea. An excited Luhan turns to his sleeping seat partner and taps rapidly on the other Chinese boy's shoulder.

"Yixing," the deer nurse eagerly whispered in Chinese. "Wake up! We're here!"

The said Chinese boy turned his sleep, brows knitted and mumbling incoherently. He squints his eyes open to make out the sudden light. Yixing dazedly sat up in his seat, rubbing his eyes.

"What?"

"We're here!"

"Where?"

Luhan puffed his cheeks and pouted.

"Seoul, silly!"

"We are?"

"We are!"

They patiently waited—Luhan had ordered two cold bottles of water in order for them to be fully awake—until the plane had landed its wheels on the bumpy concrete. The plane bustled with joy. It felt like