“Is this your first time on a plane?” Irene asks in curiosity, softening up after her seatmate’s confession.

Nodding, Seulgi replies, “Yeah, since I was a baby. Can you tell?”

“You know, people don’t usually talk to the other passengers on planes, considering we’re strangers and all….” As intrigued as she is by the girl, she’s still a stranger and Irene doesn’t tend to open up to strangers. 

“I see,” Seulgi admits, dejected. Suddenly a wave of regret and guilt overcomes Irene. The girl is clearly different to others, she’s a little innocent in a way. Maybe it’d be worth being a bit friendlier to her.

“So….where are you from?” Irene asks, striking up a conversation in pity.

Immediately, Seulgi’s face lights up with delight as the mysterious woman returns interest in her. “Well I was born in Seoul, but moved to Tokyo with my family when I was young. Now I’m returning to Seoul because my parents might have a cure for my condition!” she explains with enthusiasm. 

So there’s a supposed cure….where do I come into this then….? Irene wonders as she questions her importance in Seulgi’s life. Is it merely a coincidence that she can recognise Irene, or is there something deeper?

Curious, Irene wants to dig in further about Seulgi’s condition, but stays quiet and let’s the girl open up at her own pace, not wanting to pry.

“What about you?” Seulgi inquires in return. “Why are you coming to Seoul?”

After a moment of silence, Irene bluntly replies, “No reason.” Of course there’s a reason, there always is. But unlike the stranger sitting next to her, Irene isn’t as willing or ready to bare her life story to someone random on a plane. Not yet at least.

And so Irene doesn't answer, and Seulgi doesn’t ask further, accepting the silence as an answer in itself. Seulgi can feel that she’s hiding something and too decides not to push. But perhaps, maybe, in time Irene too will open up and Seulgi can hear her story. Maybe.

Just at that moment when an awkward silence overcomes them, the flight attendant comes.

“Hi! Here is your complimentary hot towel and bottle of water,” she kindly offers. In the corner of her eye, Seulgi spots the name tag “Sooyoung”, and notices that the girl is quite tall. Other than those two features, she and all the other flight attendants look almost identical with the exact same uniform, hair and shoes. It’s times like this that Seulgi curses her condition.

After first passing the items to Seulgi in the window seat, Sooyoung hands them to Irene next, but the girl accidentally drops the hot towel. Sooyoung immediately apologises, but it’s probably not a big deal. Maybe it was just too hot. Maybe.

Mindlessly sipping on a bowl of ramen in a bar off the illuminated streets of Tokyo, Sooyoung finds herself questioning the meaning of her life and what the future entails. All her life, she’s always had to work ten times harder, ten times faster to get where she wants to be. Her parents and younger sisters rely on her and often the pressure is beyond her limits. Now that she’s a flight attendant, her childhood dream, all is not what she’d hoped it’d be. The accumulating time spent away from home, friends and family is taking a toll on her, it’s a lonely life and she’s frankly dissatisfied. In this occupation, she only has herself to accompany her day by day. And so even the bustling streets of Tokyo feel lonely beyond comparison.

The ramen bar is rather silent, contrasting to the wild nightlife outside. Having ordered their meal through the machine outside, customers simply walk in and take a seat quietly, waiting to receive their steaming hot bowl of ramen. Out of courtesy, everyone enjoys their meal in silence so all she can hear is slurping and chopsticks lightly tapping on bowls. At least it’s a peaceful retreat from her busy life. Still, in a way it only amplifies her loneliness.

“Hey, is this seat taken?” she hears, mid slurp. Looking up from her half-finished bowl, she sees a girl, about the same height, pointing to the bar stool beside her. Surprisingly, the bar is actually full except for this one seat. Somehow she didn’t notice.

“Oh um, no it’s not,” she clarifies, allowing the girl to sit down next to her before continuing her meal (she’d like to shrug it off as courtesy, but in reality she’s a little taken aback by how pretty the stranger is).

After settling in, the tall girl turns to her, clearly more open than So