A shiny black car drives past a high iron black gate before stopping in front of the mansion’s lawn. Yubin gets out from the backseat and catches her reflection on the car window. She takes the opportunity to check her appearance; fixes her short hair, smoothens her suede jacket, and makes sure her white shirt is neatly tucked inside her pants. 

Yubin glances around the lawn. Well-kept green bushes and shrubs are planted along the walkway leading them to the entrance. She follows her agent closely as they walk to the main door. She looks up and sees the mansion’s front porch supported by four high columns, making the mansion looks royal and mighty. Seeing the mansion from afar, it definitely stands out, especially when it's located up on a hill, isolated from others. 

Up ahead, Yubin sees a couple waiting for them in front of the main door. A man—probably in his mid-30s—in his crisply tailored suit with his side-parting hair. If his expensive suit doesn’t scream my bed is made out of money, then the luxury watch around his wrist definitely does. Standing tall next to him, a woman—who looks like she’s around Yubin’s age—dressed in a knee-length emerald green dress, matching the gemstone pendant on her neck.  

“Yubin, this is Lee Dohwan, the sponsor I talked to you about the other day,” Kangmin, her agent, shakes his hand with the man as he introduces them. 

“Lee Yubin,” Yubin shakes her hand with the man. “And this beautiful lady is?” Yubin extends her hand to the woman, having to lift her head up to meet the taller woman's eyes.

"I'm—"

“My wife,” Lee Dohwan interjects, putting his hand behind his wife’s back, “Kim Yoohyeon.”

Yubin frowns slightly at the way he interrupts his wife but tries to hide it with a smile. Don't piss off the man sponsoring you, she can imagine Kangmin lecturing her. She turns her attention to the woman, offering a genuine smile this time, “Nice to meet you. What a beautiful name, Miss Kim.”

Lee Dohwan lets out a boisterous laugh, a bit too loud for Yubin's liking. “What a charmer! No wonder my wife is a fan of yours.” 

Yubin quirks her eyebrows, looking at the woman amusingly. The woman smiles, a tint of pink colouring her cheeks as she shakes Yubin’s hand, “There’s no need for formality. Just call me Yoohyeon.”

------

Since it hasn't been long since Yubin been living in Korea, she doesn't know much about Lee Dohwan and his family, who is apparently one of the big sharks in the trading industry in Korea. That explains the scale of this mansion. 

By the time they finished their dinner, they all moved to the tea room, drinking the tea served by the butlers. Kangmin and Lee Dohwan fall into a discussion about the logistics and the money needed for Yubin's upcoming flight.

Yoohyeon gets up from her seat across Yubin and walks to sit on the armchair next to Yubin.

"So, tell me, how does it feel to be up there?" Yoohyeon asks, resting her elbow on the armrest, palm under her chin. Her eyes sparkling in curiosity. 

"Well, firstly, it's very beautiful. And quiet too, I mean in a sense. Of course, the engines are loud, but up there, my mind and my thoughts are quietened down. It's loud down here. Everyone has their own opinion about me, everyone wants to say something about me, what I could and couldn't do, but I'm in control up there. I'm the one commanding the plane and my thoughts," Yubin muses, before continuing, "Honestly, being alone with the stars and the moon, I wouldn't trade it with anything in this world."

"But isn't scary? Up there all alone. What if something goes wrong?"

"Then, I just take charge and face it. One time, I brought the plane down way too low, so low that I could see the waves crashing below me. If I made one sloppy mistake in that split second, I wouldn't be here having this conversation with you. So I calmly got back on the controls, held the engine and pulled the plane up to a safer level," she recounts the moment, the one that almost ends it all. "The cockpit is a scary place, but I figured if I could handle anything that happened in there, I don't have to worry about what the world will throw at me."

Yoohyeon looks at her in admiration, "I wish I could see the world from your eyes."

"Would you like to try it tonight?" Yubin asks impulsively, she doesn't exactly have a plan in her head but she could figure it out later.

"What?" 

"Would you like to fly with me? Sitting next to me in the cockpit," Yubin asks her again.

"Tonight?" 

"Why not?"

Yoohyeon shifts in her seat, contemplating the offer, "But what about—" her eyes flicker to where her husband and Kangmin are sitting at. "I don't know..."

"Don't worry, we'll be back before they even notice we're gone."

Yoohyeon looks at her husband once again before deciding, "Okay, let's go."

"But first, do you have a phone that I can use here?"

Yubin doesn't usually ditch a meeting, especially the one where it involves her flight, one of her ambitious flight, even. But the way Yoohyeon's eyes sparks during dinner when Yubin talked about flying—the sense of freedom, the moon, the stars and how everything is beautiful up there—Yubin wants to share the experience with Yoohyeon. Besides, Kangmin can handle this by himself. It's his job anyway. And he's really good at doing his job, so Yubin gives her full trust to Kangmin and follows Yoohyeon out to the hallway.

------

"Here, the phone is in my study," Yoohyeon opens the door and leads Yubin inside. Yoohyeon switches on the light and Yubin can see books lined up in the floor-to-ceiling shelves behind a large oak desk. There's one leather sofa in the middle of the room. Yubin looks around the room; paintings of the sky, sea and nature can be seen hanging at the wall. And then something catches her attention.

Yubin smirks as she approaches the wall, "Is that a newspaper clipping of my first solo flight? Framed and hanged on your wall?"

"No," Yoohyeon grumbles. "Maybe."

"Huh, your husband wasn't lying after all. You are my fan," Yubin laughs, "So he really going to sponsor me because of you? That's sweet of him."

"Sure, and he probably wants his name to be in one of the groundbreaking events in the country. Anyway," Yoohyeon groans, "You aren't supposed to see that. This is so embarrassing, now I look like a creep."

"Hey, I appreciate it okay? I don't think I have this clipping in my possession," Yubin looks closely at the clipping. A picture of her getting off her plane right after she finished her Atlantic flight. She has seen the article before but this one is reported by a Korean newspaper.

"You know, when I first heard the news about a girl who flew across the Atlantic on her own, I thought, 'Wow, that girl is so brave', and then I found out she looks like me and is exactly the same age as me. So from that day, I really look up to you. Not a lot of women here have the privilege to have what you have."

"I know. That's why I decided to start my flight from here this time. I want to show them that we, girls, can do anything. Even if someone might say otherwise. Besides, it's my parents' motherland."

Yoohyeon listens attentively, admiring Yubin's goals and intention. "That's good, Yubin. That's really great of you."

"You seem to be interested in flying. Do you want to learn it? I can introduce you to some nice instructors," Yubin suggests. "Or maybe I can be your instructor. I could give you private lessons." 

Yoohyeon lets out a light chuckle, one that sounds a little cynical, "That's nice. But I don't think my in-laws would want their daughter-in-law to fly around in a plane. I'm not even allowed to follow my husband on a trip. They expect me to be a nice, obedient wife, who waits for her husband to come back home, and give them heirs."

"Oh..." A beat of silence passes. Yubin doesn't know what to say to that. 

"It's okay, Yubin. This is what I signed up for when I married him," Yoohyeon smiles weakly. Perhaps already used to the sympathy look that people gave to her. "Anyway, yeah, the phone is on the table. You can use it."

"Right, the phone," Yubin almost forgot what they came here for.

She walks to the table, taking out a small notepad from her pocket, flips through the pages and dials the numbers on the paper. She's more determined now to show Yoohyeon what tonight can offer. She only hopes there's a spare plane she can borrow. 

At the sound of a dialling tone, she waits for her call to be picked up, "Hello?"

"Gahyeon! It's me, Yubin. Do you have an extra plane I can use tonight?"

"Wait, let me check," Yubin can hear the rustling of papers in the background before Gahyeon's voice comes back on the line, "Yeah, we have. What's up?"

"Great!" Yubin says in excitement. "Can you send someone to pick me up tonight? I'll give you the address."

Yubin passes the phone to Yoohyeon so that she could tell Gahyeon the address. Not long after that, a car arrives at the front gate and drives them off to Gimpo Airport.

------

Gahyeon greets them as soon as they arrived at the airport. Yubin introduces her to Yoohyeon and telling her to keep this flight a secret. Gahyeon, always a loyal friend, gladly agrees to her request.

They come down to the runway, walking to where the plane is parked. Yubin gives the woman next to her a glance and notices Yoohyeon's exposed arms, "Wait, it can be quite chilly in there," she shrugs off her jacket and drapes it over Yoohyeon's shoulders.

"Ah... Thank you," Yoohyeon shyly wraps the jacket around her body.

Yubin guides Yoohyeon inside, helping her to get on the plane. She carefully puts the headset over Yoohyeon's head and helps her with her safety belt. Yubin notices the way Yoohyeon's breath quickens, so she assures her that there's nothing to be nervous about.

(But Yoohyeon is nervous, not because of the flight, but the way Yubin's perfume invading her senses and making her heart thumping faster than usual and what is this feeling?) 

After getting clearance from Gahyeon in the Air Traffic Control tower, they take off into the night with Yubin at the controls and Yoohyeon in the copilot's seat.

As they climb the altitude, the plane rattles and wobbles a little, the loud noise coming from the engines overwhelms Yoohyeon. Yubin can see it from her peripheral vision the way Yoohyeon gripping her belt for dear life.  So she tries to level the plane as gentle as she can, and when it's finally done, she could see Yoohyeon heaves in relief.

Gliding through the skies, Yubin takes in the view before her. No matter how many times she has seen this, it still excites her every time. She takes a look at Yoohyeon and sees she is doing the same. Looking outside with wonders and bright-eyed. The ground below them become a vast field and the city becomes tiny specks of light.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," she hears Yoohyeon gasps through her headset. And Yoohyeon is right.

The night sky is clear, there are only a few cotton of cloud decorating the sky. The stars are twinkling as if they are saying hi to them. Their eyes are feasted with the bright and beautiful moonlight. 

Yubin is so glad Yoohyeon is seeing all of this tonight. 

As they both admiring the view, they fall into silence, but it is a welcomed silence. The hum of engines accompanies their peace and quiet.   

Yubin flies them around for about 30 minutes before making a turn back to the airport. She lowers the speed as they descended to the ground. The tyres hit the runway making it bumps a little but in the end, she manages to land the plane safely.

Yubin moves the seat down a little and leans her back against it. Stretching out her limbs, she looks over at Yoohyeon who's still beaming in awe. 

"How was it?" she asks while smiling at her. 

Yoohyeon turns to face her and gapes, "That was… amazing! It was so breathtaking," she says. Yoohyeon is wonderstruck, still taking everything in. "Everything is beautiful up there. And you were right, it's quiet and peaceful."

"I'm happy you could experience this tonight," Yubin offers her a smile.

"Yubin…" Yoohyeon gazes at her, "Thank you so much for showing me this. I've never felt like this in a long time." Her voice is serious, she wants Yubin to know how grateful she is. 

Their eyes bore into each other, silence enveloping them.

One is happy she could show the other what flying feels like, and one is happy she could taste a little bit of freedom even though it's just for a moment. 

Maybe it's because of the lack of light, but Yubin misses the way Yoohyeon's gaze flickers from her eyes to her lips. So it takes her by surprise when she felt Yoohyeon's lips pressed down against hers. Soft lips roughly kissing her in urgency. Yubin blames it on adrenaline but she can't help but to pull Yoohyeon closer, pulling her jacket—the one Yubin put on Yoohyeon's earlier—and deepening the kiss. 

Yoohyeon pulls away, wide-eyed, still dazed from the kiss. Then the realisation crashing down on her. "! I'm sorry," that is the first time Yubin hears the well-put woman curses. "I'm sorry, Yubin. I shouldn't have done that. God, I'm married for god's sake. I have a husband." Yoohyeon says as she gets up and moves further away from Yubin. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay, that was a mistake," Yubin tries to calm her down. "I should've stopped you."

"No, that was not okay! What was I thinking? What if someone else sees us? What if someone knew? Yubin, I'm done for." Yoohyeon is pacing back and forth in the cockpit.

"Yoohyeon, I'll make sure no one knows. This will be only between us." Yubin promises to Yoohyeon.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this, I can't. Let's go back."

(Yoohyeon is scared. Scared of what people are going to say. Scared of her parents' disappointment. Scared of what this kiss means. And most importantly, she is scared she's falling for Yubin when she shouldn't.)

------

The car ride back to the mansion is quiet. But the silence is not welcomed this time, the air is cold and heavy. 

Yubin catches a glimpse of Yoohyeon's hands fiddling with the hem of the jacket, still wrapped around her body. Yubin reaches her hand out, trying to comfort her but Yoohyeon flinches when Yubin's skin touching her. Pulling her hand away like it's been struck by a blazing fire. 

"Sorry," Yoohyeon quietly apologizes. 

"It's okay. Hey, Yoohyeon, look at me," Yubin gently lifts Yoohyeon's chin. "I won't tell anyone, don't worry."

Yoohyeon only nods and averts her gaze outside. Yubin lets Yoohyeon have her space. 

Once they arrived at the mansion, Yoohyeon goes straight to her room, leaving Yubin walking back alone to the tea room.

And true to Yubin's words, the men didn't even notice they were gone. They thought Yoohyeon was giving her a house tour. 

After that night, Yubin only met Yoohyeon a couple of times but it was all business. They didn't even have the opportunity to talk. Well, they did but seeing Yoohyeon avoiding her after a few tries, Yubin gets the message and stops trying. She respects Yoohyeon's wish.

When Yubin successfully finished her flight across the Pacific—the one that Yoohyeon's husband sponsored—she wondered if Yoohyeon put up the newspaper clipping of the flight on the wall of her study. The flight happened thanks to Yoohyeon, after all. 

Yubin never met Yoohyeon ever since, and no one ever knew about what happened between them on that night. The kiss that only both of them knew. Not even Gahyeon, who knew where they were. The secret remained just between the two of them. 

Five years after the Pacific flight, Yubin went on the monumental flight of her career. Flying around the world at the equator; her goal ever since she made her first solo flight. Everyone thought it was impossible, but Yubin showed them otherwise. 

Lee Yubin, the first Korean woman to fly around the world, alone. 

But her life is short-lived. Weird to say that about a woman who brazen through the skies, but it happened.

A deadly pneumothorax killed her. The pressure of build-up air in her chest took her life away, only a year after her historical flight. 

Lee Yubin, the first Korean woman to fly around the world, died at the mere age of 31.

(Yoohyeon breaks down in tears when she reads the news in her study. She looks through hazy eyes at the wall where news clippings of Yubin's flights are hanged. She opens the drawer and takes out a treasure she has cherished the most.

She has kept Yubin's jacket folded neatly in her drawer. Hidden safely away from prying eyes, from her husband, from her two-year-old daughter. Maybe someday she will tell her about Yubin. How a brave woman once showed her the moon and the stars. 

Yoohyeon brings the jacket closer to her and buries her face in it. Through her sobs and cries, she basks in the comfort that the jacket gave.

Yubin's perfume still lingering on her jacket, though it's slowly fading after these years.

But it still smells like the night they met, it still smells like her.

A reminder of hope and freedom.)