Waking up beside someone you love surely feels heavenly. Synchronized breaths, synchronized heartbeats, everything seems perfect. Two pairs of legs intertwined under the sheets. A familiar body so close to your own and it seems to be feeling your warmth.

It’s a great way to wake up like that actually. It gives you energy to fulfill your daily duties. Hearing your partner’s sleepy voice that asks ‘How was your sleep?’ will never fail to give you a sense of belongingness.

Then when she gives you that morning kiss, regardless of where your partner chooses to, makes you want to cuddle. It’s a common doing for couples. It was a common doing for Jeongyeon and Mina.

Mina was always the one who slept with her head close to Jeongyeon’s chest. She had always found comfort in using her wife’s arm as a pillow. And as if Mina had intended to do, her heart seemed to beat in sync with Jeongyeon’s. Then slowly, their breathing slows and quiets down. Their heartbeats slow down too, slowly. Then they both fall asleep at the same time.

Jeongyeon was always the one who woke up early. She is a pilot, and she had morning flights. She always wakes up with Mina still in her arms, sleeping soundly. She never wanted to disturb the sleeping beauty, so she was always careful not to wake up her wife. But Mina always seemed to notice, therefore Jeongyeon will always feel her wife pulling her back to sleep.

There are times that she stays in bed for a couple more minutes, caressing her wife’s brunette locks. She takes time admiring Mina’s beauty marks, her moles. Jeongyeon traces them. It always tickled Mina whenever she was awake, but she was still asleep this time.

Jeongyeon loved her wife’s soft features. That’s why she always wakes up four hours before her flight at 8am. That way she could spend an extra hour beside her sleeping beauty.

After she had finished lulling Mina into a deep sleep, she carefully steps out of the bed. Then, as if she was programmed to do, she always stares at her wife for a couple more minutes, not minding that she had to quicken her preparations so as not to be late for her flight. It was kind of a bad habit for her, wasting time, but for her, it wasn’t wasted time at all. And along those moments she spent looking at the woman lying underneath the sheets of her bed, she always thought how lucky she was to have such a wife.

But things are now different these days. Jeongyeon always woke up with her hand searching for another underneath her sheets. And she had always failed to find one.

Right, Mina went away.

Jeongyeon couldn’t get used to this fact, and she will never be. Or at least it is what she wants, not to get used to it.

She prepares herself a lot quicker than what her usual routine was when Mina was still around. She never eats in the house, instead, she eats her breakfast in the airport terminal. The place seems to envelope her whole existence. She grew up loving airplanes, and she always spent a lot of time in airport terminals either waiting for her dad, or traveling.

Several weeks had passed. She still had no idea where Mina was. She kept asking Mina’s dad, who’s also her senior, but she never asked about her location. Jeongyeon just wanted to know how her wife was doing.

Mr. Myoui just replies, as if he didn’t have any grudges for the young pilot. ‘She’s not doing good.’ He always said that whenever Jeongyeon asked him, in the first week.

‘She’s doing great.’ He says the following weeks. And he always never explains. It deprived Jeongyeon of her duties as a lawfully wedded wife to Mina, but she felt like she had lost the right to know anyway. Although she will never give up on Mina, as what she had vowed to in front of the witnesses, in front of their parents, in front of Mina. ‘I will never give up on you.’

Today’s flight was a special one.

“You finally agreed to fly this new route to Bali.”

“I just felt like I needed some change too, Capt. Park.” Jeongyeon seemed so down in her response.

“Hey, cheer up.” Capt. Park tries to lighten up the young pilot’s mood. “You should be happy. Bali will surely surprise you.”

“I hope so.”

The pilots stepped inside an unfamiliar aircraft. It was new.

“This aircraft just finished flight trials last week, it did great and exceeded expectations.” Capt. Park comments on the new A350 that their airline had acquired. “You should be proud that you are one of the pilots to fly this plane first. “

New things really attract people. Jeongyeon was no stranger to being attracted to new things. The aircraft, Nayeon, wait.

She was attracted to Nayeon. She was new, different from Mina. She gave Jeongyeon quite a thrill in life, which Jeongyeon had never felt from Mina, who was more reserved.

Jeongyeon shook the thought about Nayeon. She wanted to forget the woman after a huge mess that had resulted from the scandal.

She immediately steps inside the cockpit. Of course it was familiar, Jeongyeon diligently applied for certification beforehand to be able to fly this aircraft. She started performing safety checks and proceeded to follow the checklists.

Jeongyeon decided to step out of the cockpit to freshen herself in the lavatory. As soon as she got out of the cockpit, she noticed that everyone had already boarded the aircraft, and a certain woman seemed to stare at her direction.

The woman approached her, “Jeongyeon.”

“Not now, Nayeon”, she glared back at the woman. “We’re busy. Just proceed with your duties and we’ll talk about it when we land.”

She stormed out of the encounter and went inside the lavatory. She wanted to take a good look at her good-looking but guilty face. She washed her face in an attempt to clear up her thoughts. It was successful, she felt better. Then she exited the lavatory and quickly entered the cockpit.

“KE 24 Heavy cleared for pushback.”

When the plane has been towed to a position parallel to the terminal, the pilots turned the engines on.

“That’s definitely quieter than the other models.” Jeongyeon commented.

“Our airline does everything for the comfort of the passengers, and we’ll be acquiring more of these soon.” Capt. Park stated.

Jeongyeon had successfully taxied the aircraft towards the runway, all they needed left is to receive takeoff clearance.

“KE 24 Heavy cleared for takeoff.”

As soon as they were given clearance, the two pilots pushed the throttle forwards. The aircraft’s engine screamed, but it was not unpleasant to Jeongyeon’s ears. It was her home, everything about airplanes was her only refuge nowadays. That’s why she had taken up this route, a seven-hour long flight. She figured it would help her battle her loneliness.

But despite her desperate battle against her loneliness, she can’t help but worry about her wife. She wants to know how she is doing. She wants to hear her soft voice. She wants to feel the warm breath that blows against her neck every time she hugs her wife. She wants to feel Mina’s lips with her own.

Jeongyeon just couldn’t get used to not having Mina around. It drives her crazy. Her room had been a complete mess every time she leaves, but was always neat when she arrives at home, although not for long since she always manages to mess it up all over again just to help her vent out.

This flight gave new meaning to Jeongyeon. She was lonely, a seven-hour flight would do her good. Seven hours to stare out in the open sky, with the clouds beneath them. She wishes she could see Mina up there, the sky, where angels like Mina belong.

Mina seemed to be enjoying her time in her home town. She was usually alone, staying in the house where she grew up and spent time with her family. Kai also visits her twice a week, making sure his little sister is doing well. No one would expect Kai to be warm. He always exuded a scary aura as he has a huge build. But he is soft, like his sister.

“I brought tangerines, hopefully it will help you with your colds.”

“Thank you.”

Mina had been lying in bed all day. She got sick.

Mina was alone in her old house most of the time. Kai visits her sometimes, her dad too. But he was busy, although he never forgets to call Mina daily. Sana and Momo, her two childhood friends, visit her often too.

These people made her feel less lonely. But she still felt empty.

Her other half is somewhere out there in the open world, working. Mina can’t help but think that maybe Jeongyeon has other flings, although Mina always tries her best to dismiss these thoughts.

Mina had quickly got used to the way of life in her hometown. It had been years since she had been here. A week was enough for her to cope up. She trims the garden’s plants once a week, rides her bike to the market every two days to buy produce, cleans her house, and stare out in the open.

It was quite boring, but it somehow refreshed her thoughts.

Mina got up from her bed, she fixed the bedsheets, the pillows, and the blanket to make it look neat. Then she went down to prepare her breakfast.

“Take a seat and eat.” Kai orders Mina to do so.

Kai had prepared breakfast for his little sister. And he has been doing this every time he visits Mina.  

Both of them started to eat their breakfast. It was quite a simple American breakfast with bacons, eggs, and bread, but both of them enjoyed it well.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how are you with Jeongyeon right now?” Kai asks out of nowhere.

Mina was quite speechless as she had really been thinking of what to do. She always wanted to go back to Jeongyeon and just forget about the incident. But by doing that, maybe Jeongyeon will think that Mina is easy, and Mina didn’t want to be taken advantage of.

Mina sighs. “Honestly speaking, I don’t really know.”

“My advice, I hope you don’t get offended.” Kai thinks over his words. He examines his sister’s face before continuing.

Mina was curious, she had been wanting to get advices from people she’s close with. And now that Kai was here to give her advices, she had a lot in mind.

“Just break up with her.”

Of course Mina had thought about this a few times, no, many times. In fact, she thinks about it everyday. But she wanted to forgive Jeongyeon, because Mina needed her wife’s warmth.

Mina suddenly breaks down, crying. “Why?”

Kai couldn’t help but feel sorry for her little sister. He wanted to teach Jeongyeon a lesson for hurting her sister this much. But doing so would only complicate the situation.

“She’ll be a habitual offender.” Kai answers.

Mina wasn’t able to utter any single words. Just sobs and constant sniffling.

“Look, Mina.” Kai reaches over the table to pat his sister’s head. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Kai truly cares for his little sister, Mina. Both of them were soft and warm for each other, ever since they were young. Kai had always been a shield for Mina, beating all the bullies who took advantage of his little sister. Mina was his soft spot and weakness, and he always was triggered when Mina was hurt.

Mina cried for a few more minutes, thinking about her decision. It had been weeks since she had last seen her wife, and by now, she should have had her answers.

Kai has only been looking out for Mina the entire time, worried about Mina’s emotional stability. He just kept quiet and patted Mina’s head.

“Fine.” Mina spoke softly. It still caught Kai’s attention, he was curious with Mina’s decision.

“I’ll divorce her.”

It took a lot of Mina’s courage to be able to speak out something like that. All this time, she really wanted to be with Jeongyeon, out of pure need to be with her wife. But it was time for a change. She took in to consideration that Jeongyeon might do something the same in the future.

Kai felt quite relieved. He felt that this was a start for her sister to move on. She only wanted the best for his sister.

“But only after I get to spend a day and a night with her.” Mina added. Tears still flowing down from her dazzling eyes.

“I understand.” Kai nods, hoping that Jeongyeon won’t do anything stupid if ever she gets back together with his sister. Although he really wanted Mina and Jeongyeon to be together again, he just wanted to protect his sister.

“I will accompany you back to Tokyo, any day you want.”

“We should go tomorrow.” Mina wanted to get over with this problem fast. But the main reason why she really wanted to go back to Tokyo is to see her wife, Jeongyeon. Mina needed to put on a mask, to toughen herself up. Not to fall again for false promises.

“Okay then.” Kai agreed. “You should relax, go upstairs, I’ll be doing the cleaning this time.”

“Thanks onii-chan.” Mina flashed her brother a smile. Then she went up to her bedroom.

Mina couldn’t wait for tomorrow, she really wanted to see Jeongyeon again. She wanted to feel her warmth again. But she had to decide if she should stay or not. Mina had mixed feelings. Part of her wanted to leave Jeongyeon forever, while another part of her wishes to stay, the former will probably break her.

She decided to take a nap. Mina was sick and needed to rest to prepare herself for tomorrow.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. In about 30 minutes, we will be commencing descent from our altitude of 30,000 feet to traffic altitude. Weather condition in Bali, clear skies and low winds, perfect day to hit the beaches. Please sit back and enjoy the rest of the flight.”

Jeongyeon’s 7-hour flight to Bali is almost over. It kind of drained her energy since she wasn’t used to longer flights like these. But she was excited to land, excited to see the beauty of Bali. It will probably help her distract herself from all the problems she has encountered the past weeks.

The cockpit truly is the best workplace. Spectacular cityscapes at night where buildings light up the view. And now, the tropical atmosphere that envelopes Bali, evident in all the green present.

“What a place.” Capt. Park was also marveled by the view in front of them. “It’s a shame we’ll have to fly back to Incheon by tomorrow night.”

“We still have this afternoon to hit the beaches.” It was still mid-afternoon, and Jeongyeon thought it would be nice to spend the rest of the daylight in the beach.

The flight was approximately 20 minutes ahead of schedule due to favorable winds that had managed to speed up the plane by a bit. As soon as they were given clearance to land, they expedited their maneuvers.

Capt. Park was the one to land the plane. Evident in his smooth and suave landing, he truly was experienced as a veteran pilot. Jeongyeon taxied the aircraft to their assigned gate. Everyone had been quick to vacate the aircraft in which Jeongyeon was thankful for because it meant that they didn’t have to stay in the aircraft for long. They exited the aircraft together with the rest of the cabin crew after all the passengers had vacated.

The immigration was quite a hassle to get through, long lines had filled that area of the terminal, but aircraft crew members have their special queue which made it easier for Jeongyeon to slip past the messy hall.

The crew were greeted by several black sedans as they exited the terminal. Capt. Park and Jeongyeon got to sit together while the rest of the crew members went by three on each car. Jeongyeon was thankful that she didn’t have to sit with Nayeon again.

“Good afternoon Captain, First Officer.” The driver greeted them. “We’re headed to InterContinental Bali as your company had requested. Expect to see the golden sunset as the resort faces directly west of Bali.”

It was what Jeongyeon needed, to relax alone, by the beach, under the colors of the sunset. The driver started driving. The resort wasn’t that far from the airport. It probably was the most convenient luxe resort for pilots like Jeongyeon as it was near the airport.

They arrived in the resort after a short drive. Porters opened the car doors for the crew. Their bags were then placed in a cart to be brought to their rooms. All they had to do was to check in first.

The resort exceeded the crew’s expectations. It truly was luxurious, and it wasn’t pretentious. They wonder about the price for one night, but it was the company’s duty to pay for the crew’s layover.

The pilots get to have their own personal suites, the Singaraja Premium, while the cabin crew are grouped by 4 in Premium Duplex Suites.

Jeongyeon immediately went in to her room. She was more than satisfied with the room’s premium feel. It was rather traditional due to the Balinese aesthetics that were the room’s main concept but still had a touch of modern flair. As much as she wanted to indulge herself with the premium room’s comfort, what she truly wanted to do was to relax on the beach. She took off her uniform and put on a red two piece bikini, and she sure looked stunning. With her perfect proportions, long legs, considerable bust, and a small face, it made up her seemingly perfect figure. And of course, she didn’t forget to put on sunblock so as to protect herself from the harmful UV rays. Then she slipped herself inside a cover up.

It didn’t take a long walk to reach the beach as Jeongyeon’s suite was situated by the beachfront. And as soon as she felt grains of sand with her bare feet she was struck by the serene turquoise beach water. H