Seungwan and Joohyun had arrived at the Gimpo airport early in the morning. As soon as they entered the airport, Eunbi had approached them and glared at Joohyun.

'It's confirm. Eunbi is holding a grudge to me. But, I don't care. It is her mistake for not seducing my husband first and now you want him? If I were Eunbi, I would have been flirting with Seungwan since a long time.' Joohyun thought as she stood in front of Eunbi.

After they checked in their baggage, Seungwan, Joohyun and Eunbi sat at a cafe. Their flight would leave at 10 am.

Joohyun was sitting next to Seungwan and quietly listening to their work related conversation. Joohyun was having a fun while reading a novel when suddenly a plate of sandwich was placed in front of her. 

'Huh? I don't think I ordered any food,' Joohyun looked at Seungwan. Before Joohyun could open to say anything...

Seungwan spoken, "You should eat something . You might get hungry later." However, Joohyun was not in the mood to eat as she frequently had airsickness and nervous during the flight.

"Maybe your wife is afraid to get on a plane?" Eunbi smirked.

'told you so! She is feeling bitter at me. Even if I keep my silent, she is attacking me. It's okay Joohyun-aah..be patient.'

"Well, if that's the case, you should fill your stomach and you can just sleep later ," Seungwan said.

Joohyun was about to shake her head, when Seungwan suddenly fed the sandwich into Joohyun's mouth.

"Here," Seungwan said.

Joohyun glared at Eunbi and saw her giving Joohyun a displeased looked. "What? Is someone jealous now? Hah! Now please bear the feeling of jealousy by yourself!"

Joohyun found a good idea to add fuel on Eunbi's jealousy. 

"Mhmm..it's delicious," Joohyun had finished the sandwich.

"Can I have an ice cream?" 

"Order for yourself," Seungwan replied.

Joohyun noticed Eunbi was trying to hold back her laugh. 'Eunbi thinks she's already won. Don't look down at me. You haven't seen my skill yet.'

"But...I don't know how to order..." Joohyun tried to appeal at Seungwan.

Seungwan was just stared at Joohyun with no reply.

"Please..." Joohyun continued.

"I'm still hungry," she added as she patted her stomach. Coincidentally, her stomach rumbled on time.

When Seungwan heard the rumbling, he immediately ordered two cups of mint cholocate ice cream. 

After a few minutes, the ice creams were served. Joohyun pretended to eat heartily, "Do you want some?" Joohyun asked.

Seungwan shook his head no. Then, Joohyun noticed Eunbi was grinning. Eunbi thought to herself, 'Huh? Seungwan hates that flavour. Of course, he won't eat it.'

Joohyun knew the reason behind her grinned -- 'I know Seungwan hates mint chocolate flavour. But I purposedly said that to him, just want to make you jealous. Who knows, If Seungwan suddenly drools upon seeing me eating the ice cream.'

"If you don't want to eat the ice cream, I'll finish it," Joohyun stuffed the ice cream in .

Seungwan  watched as Joohyun dipped her spoon into the mint chocolate ice cream and lifted a scoop to . As she closed her lips around the spoon, her eyes fluttered closed and she let out a soft sigh of pleasure.

Seungwan had never been a fan of mint chocolate, but seeing Joohyun savor the flavor with such delight made him curious. As she opened her eyes and met my gaze, Seungwan felt an unexpected pull.

Without thinking, Seungwan reached across the table and grasped her wrist, startling her. Their eyes remained locked as he lifted her hand, still holding the spoon, and brought it to his mouth. Joohyun was suprised, looking at Seungwan's widened eyes.

While, Eunbi watched in astonishment, 'I can't believe he's actually eating that mint choco ice cream. He said that he hates that flavour! Why is he!??'

"Did you eat mint choco?" Joohyun can't believe him.

"Why? I can't?" Seungwan said casually.

Seungwan thought to himself, 'Weird, this mint choco is not bad. There's something else, something that makes it taste unique. It hits me - it's because of Joohyun's lips. Her saliva still lingers on the spoon, infusing the ice cream with her essence.'

'Son Seungwan, control yourself! You're in public,'  Seungwan gripped the table to calm himself, willing his expression to remain neutral even as images flood my mind - Joohyun's lips closing around the spoon, her tongue sliding against the metal. Seungwan swallowed thickly and remind himself where they were. Awaken desires within him that he knew he must suppress in this open setting.

Joohyun grinned, "Do you want more?" Joohyun asked again just to . Oblivious to the effect he was having.

Eunbi gritted her teeth as she saw Seungwan eating bites of Joohyun's ice cream.

"Eh..we're late," Eunbi interrupted them as she sat with her heart clenched.

______________

When Joohyun arrived at the boarding  gate, she was given the ticket and queued along with Seungwan and Eunbi. 

The queue to board the plane stretched long and winding. Eunbi, Seungwan and Joohyun stood huddled together near the front, impatient to finally board after a long wait.    

Joohyun had tried to stand closer with Seungwan but Eunbi deliberately stole his attention by discussing about work.

Eunbi cleared , prepared to steer the conversation towards herself and Seungwan in an attempt to capture his attention. 

Eunbi spoke up loudly, calling for his attention . "Seungwan, about those reports for work I sent you, have you had a chance to look them over yet? I have some questions."

Seungwan glances briefly at Eunbi, his expression distant. "What reports? The one Sehun forwarded to me? "   

Undaunted, Eunbi continued, emphasizing each word. "The quarterly projections I emailed you!"    

Seungwan looks vaguely confused. "Oh right, those reports. I'll take a look when we land." His eyes tried to locate Joohyun.

Eunbi's tone becomes sharper, filled with impatience. "But I need to finalize the numbers, Seungwan."   

Seungwan mumbles a distracted "Okay, sure," he pulled his phone out but still searching for his wife.    

Frustration burned within Eunbi. No matter what she said, she could not gain Seungwan's full attention. She listed off details from the fictional reports, highlighting what she hoped would interest him. But Seungwan only nodded absently, spared her brief, disinterested glances.       

Finally, Eunbi could take no more. She prattled on, her voice louder and more insistent as she desperately tries to steer the conversation towards work and herself. 

As the line moves forward, Joohyun had slipped away unseen. But Seungwan had not noticed her absence as Eunbi's voice was too distracting and he got too immersed with the email.

Seungwan and Eunbi had entered the plane as the stewardess said, "Welcome aboard! Next please!"

Eunbi grinned as she watched Seungwan made his way onto the plane, unaware to the fact that Joohyun had gotten behind a few steps.

When it was Joohyun turned, the flight attendant stopped her by asking Joohyun to show the ticket.

"Miss, your seat is over there," the flight attendant said with a sweet smile. 

"Huh? But I see my husband went over here..?"

"Over there miss, here is for the bussiness class holder," the flight attendant pointed Joohyun the aisle to her seat.

"Huh? How can our seats are at completely different aisles?" Joohyun tried to calm herself down as she walked to her seat. 

____________

Eunbi had deliberately chosen seats next to Seungwan for herself, hoping to capture his attention during the one hour flight.   

Seungwan found his assigned seat and just when he was about to sit down, Seungwan realised Joohyun does not have a seat next to him. 

Eunbi sat down in the seat next to Seungwan, a smug smile on her face. "Looks like we'll be seatmates," she said lightly.   

Seungwan looks up distractedly, "Where's Joohyun?"   

Eunbi shrugs dismissively. "I don't know. She's probably back in economy."   

Seungwan frowns deeply. "But we bought business class tickets."    

Eunbi falters. "Well, yeah, but..."   

Seungwan's eyebrows furrow in anger as he realizes Eunbi deliberately chose separate seats. 

"Why did you put Joohyun in economy class while we have business class tickets?  

" What do you mean?" She tried to play dumb.

"Don't play games. I know you chose our seats"

"It was just a mistake," Eunbi shrugged   

"You did this on purpose."

I just picked the next available seats," she claimed innocently.

"Stop lying. What do you have against Joohyun?" Seungwan annoyed.

"Nothing! I don't have a problem with her," Eunbi said while pretended to be hurt.

"Okay fine, I admit I chose the seats. But I didn't mean any harm."

"Then why separate us?" Seungwan asked skeptically.      

"I just made a mistake. I'm sorry."

"A mistake you wouldn't have made with anyone but Joohyun."

Eunbi sighed, "I'm sorry, you're right. I was wrong to choose the seats that way. You should talk to Chanyeol!"   

"Just...leave us alone."

Before Eunbi could respond, Seungwan turned and headed for the front of the plane where the flight attendants were preparing for departure.

He stepped into the galley and found a flight attendant stocking the beverage cart. "Excuse me, there seems to be an error with my seat assignment," he began.

"My wife has an economy seat while I have business class. Is there any way we can be reassigned together?"

The flight attendant gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry sir, but we can't make any seat changes once boarding has begun. You'll have to wait until after takeoff once the fasten seatbelt sign is off."   

Frustration welled up in Seungwan. "But my wife is seated all alone back there. We bought tickets to sit together."   

"I understand sir," the flight attendant replied politely, "but for safety and operational procedures, we cannot reassign seats during boarding. Once we're airborne, I'd be happy to help find your wife a seat up here."   

Seungwan took a deep breath, trying to keep his impatience in check. "Alright, we'll wait until after takeoff then. But please, as soon as that seatbelt sign is off, can you find a way to get us seated together?"

The flight attendant nodded reassuringly. "Of course sir, I'll make it a priority. Just have your wife come up here once we're airborne and I'll find a seat for both of you."

Seungwan thanked her and reluctantly returned to his assigned seat. The wait until takeoff would feel like an eternity. 

______________

Joohyun settled back into her cramped seat, relieved at least to have a window seat. 

"Does this has anything to do with Eunbi? I'm sure she was the one that gave me the ticket earlier. She's probably enjoying herself celebrating her victory. And Seungwan, won't he notice that I'm not by his side? Or does he know I was thrown here? Aishh..that's it. It's useless for me to think about something that had happened. I admit defeat..."

"Excuse me..is this your bag?" A man said startling Joohyun.

"Oh, sorry.." Joohyun reached for her bag so the man could sit next to her.

'I sit next to a man? Haish..I suddenly remembered my friend's experience of being d by one of them in a bus..'

"Airsickness?" the man asked.

Joohyun just nodded, scared to make an eye contact.

"Don't worry, let's hope the plane runs smoothly for take-off and landing."

Joohyun smiled awakwardly, 'Hmm..it would be good if the one who said it was my husband.'

Not long when the plane had started moving, Joohyun started to feel dizzy and so did her stomach. 

Fortunately, she managed to relax, leaning back in seat and shutted her eyes briefly after the take-off.

_____________

As soon as the fasten seatbelt sign turned off, Seungwan pushed the call button to summon a flight attendant. A woman soon appeared and he politely but urgently requests to be moved to sit next to his wife. She reassured him that she would do her best to get him seated next to Joohyun.   

Seungwan rushed toward the cramped economy section, duckling his tall frame into narrow aisle. But as his eyes scanned for Joohyun, his eagerness turned to confusion.  

Joohyun was asleep, her head rested on the shoulder of the man sitting next to her. Seungwan froze as a wave of subtle jealousy washed over him.       

However, Seungwan spotted her and noticed how pale and exhausted Joohyun looks. Soon, the subtle jealousy faded over by the concern when he saw Joohyun's strained, clammy features.

Seungwan walked over and greeted the man calmly. "Thanks for helping out my wife. She gets bad airsickness."   

The man smiled kindly. "I was happy to help. She seemed so nauseous during takeoff." 

Seungwan smiled tensely. "I appreciate you looking after her, let me take over from here. Mind switching seats so I can take over?"     

"Of course." The man carefully lifted Joohyun's head from his shoulder as she stirred slightly.   

Seungwan slided into the aisle seat and gently lifted Joohyun's head onto his shoulder. She settled against him with a soft sigh.  

The stranger extends his hand. "I'm Eunhyuk. Nice to meet you..."   

"Seungwan." They shook hands.     

Eunhyuk smiled. "She's lucky to have you."  

Seungwan softened a bit. "Thanks for comforting her. I wish I'd been here sooner."   

Eunhyuk shrugged. "It was my pleasure. I'm just glad she was able to rest. Plus, I get to change my seat to a bussiness class."   

"Well, I'll let you two be. Enjoy the rest of your flight."  

Seungwan nodded. "Thanks. You too."   

As Eunhyuk returned to his seat, Seungwan placed a gentle kiss on Joohyun's forehead. She stirred, murmured his name with a smile.          

Seungwan soothingly runs his fingers through Joohyun's dampen hair as Joohyun nestled closer in her sleep.

Soon the flight attendant came by, inviting them to move to business class.  "Excuse me sir, I have a seat available in business class if you'd like to be moved up to the front."

"Oh that's very kind of you, but my wife is sleeping."

"I understand, ma'am does appear to be asleep. We have about 50 minutes until landing though, plenty of time for her to rest in new seats if you'd like.

"That's very thoughtful of you, but I couldn't bring myself to wake her. She might has hard time to fall asleep back on planes and I don't want to disturb her now that she's finally able to rest."

"I understand, sir. Well the offer remains open if you change your mind. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make the two of you more comfortable where you are."

"We really appreciate that. My wife does struggle with airsickness, may I trouble you with some motion sickness pill if available or something to help, that could be useful."

"Of course, I'll bring you some motion sickness pills and bags right away. And feel free to ask any of the flight crew if you need anything else during the flight. We want all our passengers to have a pleasant trip."

"Thank you so much, that's very kind. We'll definitely let you know if there's anything that could help make the journey easier for her. "

'Wonderful. I'll be back shortly with those motion sickness supplies. Enjoy your flight!"

After around half an hour, Joohyun woke up feeling disoriented, her head rested on a broad shoulder. Memories of takeoff and her usual airsickness flooded back, overwhelming her.

She lifted her head and turned to apologize profusely to the man next to her. "I'm so sorry for falling asleep on you. The takeoff makes me nauseous and I must have dozed off."

The man gently squeezed hand, "It's alright, you needed the rest."

As Joohyun's vision focused, she realized with a shock that it was Seungwan sitting beside her. "You!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"That's quite a welcome."

Joohyun blushed, "I'm sorry, I thought you were a stranger. I didn't mean to fall asleep on your shoulder."

"Ahem, I don't mind."

"I thought you had a bussiness class seat?"

"I did...but I changed it." Seungwan said it casually.

Joohyun glanced around at the tiny economy seats, then back at Seungwan with a puzzled expression, "Why would you switch to these uncomfortable seats?"

Seungwan shifted in his seat and avoided Joohyun's gaze, "I just, uh...wanted a change of scenery."

Joohyun narrowed her eyes slightly, "Seungwan......"

Seungwan knew Joohyun wasn't buying his excuse. He sighed ,"Uhmm..the bussiness class seats were uncomfortable. It was really not that great compare to the economy."

"Is he really? I'm pretty sure it's because of me." Joohyun smiled at him with her eyes still narrowed, "Do you....really...?"

Her sentence was cutted off as the captain's voice came over the intercom announcing their descent into Jeju, Joohyun suddenly felt anxious.   

The telltale feeling of the plane tilted downward filled her with dread. clenched, hands turning clammy. Joohyun closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath.   

Seungwan must have sensed her anxiety. He reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze. "It's alright," he soothed. "Just focus on my voice. I'm right here."   

Joohyun opened her eyes and turned to face Seungwan with a grateful smile. He always knew just what to say, how to calm her fears. She squeezed his hand back. "Thank you," she whispered.   

Seungwan reached into his pocket with his free hand and produced a small packet of motion sickness pills the flight attendant had given him earlier. "Here, take one of these. It'll help."  

Joohyun nodded, swallowing the pill with a sip of water. As the plane started to descend in earnest, producing unpleasant sensations in Joohyun's stomach, Seungwan started to rub soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. His touch provided a calm amidst the turbulence.  

Steadily, the motion sickness pill began to take effect. Joohyun's nausea lessened, her clamminess faded. "Ahh..I think I'm the happiest person on earth right now!"

______________

The planes touched down with a bump and starts taxing towards the gate. Seungwan was still holding Joohyun's hand.

The seatbelt sign turned off and the passengers began standing up and retrieving their belongings from the overhead bins. 

Seungwan stood up and gathered their carry-on bags. Joohyun couldn't stand up straight due to her dizziness and Seungwan quietly took Joohyun's hand in his, lacing their fingers together. They made their way out of their row and shuffled along with other passengers towards the exit.

Once they got off the jet bridge and into the terminal, Joohyun let out a sighed of relief, "Ah, it feels good to stand up straight again and stretch my legs!"

Seungwan then excused himself to made a phone call to Chanyeol knowing the story.

"You purposefully bought the wrong ticket for my wife!"

Chanyeol tried to deny it but Seungwan cut him off. "You're fired effective immediately. Clear out your desk within 24 hours."

Chanyeol pleaded. "Boss please, it was a mistake. Don't fire me!"

But Seungwan was not sway. "You broke my trust. I can't have someone so incompetent and untrustworthy on my team."

Chanyeol packed up his belongings and left, still in disbelief that he had actually been fired.

A few days back...

Eunbi had made a call to Chanyeol. "So, Seungwan had asked you to buy a ticket for his wife?"

Chanyeol nodded. "Yeah, the boss has me arranging her flight."

A mischievous smile spread across Eunbi's face. "What if you... didn't arrange the flight properly?"

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Eunbi lowered her voice. "Seungwan's wife has been a distraction for him. But if they sit separately, he might be more willing to notice me."

A sinister smile now spread across Chanyeol's face. "I like the way you think."

The plan was set. Chanyeol would purposefully buy an inferior ticket for Joohyun, causing trouble in Seungwan and Joohyun's relationship. Eunbi hoped this would give her a chance with Seungwan. 

But alas, their plan had backfired.

__________________

They returned to meet Eunbi who was waiting at the arrival hall. Eunbi held an intense eye contact with Joohyun, as if wanted to start a fight.

Joohyun held her stare  with a poker face, "I know very well, she must be unhappy because her plan to impose me didn't work out. Serves her right!"

Joohyun was horrified when she noticed that Seungwan and Eunbi weren't talking. They seemed to waging a cold war. Joohyun was sure that it must be about her. 

Their arrival was then greeted by a driver who was on duty to pick them up at the airport. The car whisked smoothly through city streets, but the atmosphere in the car was tense and uncomfortable.

Eunbi took a seat at the front while, Joohyun settled into the leather seat at the back of the car, sitting next to Seungwan. Seungwan pulled out his tablet from his briefcase, tapping at the screen to check his emails.

Joohyun took a peek beside her and watched Seungwan's expression carefully. As his eyes scanned the email, his usual stoic expression slowly morphed into a deep frown. His brow frowned and his jaw clenched. Joohyun could practically felt anger radiated from his body. 

Seungwan let out a grunt of frustration. He flipped through some work documents, but he only paud half paying attention as his thoughts continued to dwell. Suddenly, he slammed the tablet down in his lap, taking Joohyun by suprised. 

Joohyun had never seen Seungwan lost his composure like this. His aura was filled with rage. 'I think this is my cue to continue mission #5!'

TIP #5 : He's angry / stressed? Do Something to Let Him Know He's not Alone

Seungwan's outburst startled Joohyun. But she knew she wanted to try to calm him.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Joohyun glared at him, thinking what should she do. 'He looks very stressed. But is it because of Eunbi or because of the work? I don't think I should say anything but then what should I do to calm him?'

Joohyun looked at his hand and got an idea. She gently reached over and placed her hand on Seungwan's clenched fist. Then, she quickly stared out of the car window, taking in the view of Jeju Island. 

Joohyun noticed Seungwan was looking at her. After a few moments, Joohyun could feel Seungwan's hand relax slightly under hers. Encouraged, she gently squeezed his hand. Seungwan took a deep and shuddered breath.  

Joohyun continued to hold Seungwan's hand, tracing soft circles on the back of it with her thumb. Joohyun could feel his tension from shoulders and fists were gradually released. 'Yes! I managed to get his attention. This is it. Even though, my husband is super into his work, but he has a super sweet wife.' 

He took another deep breath and let it out slowly.   

Seungwan then slid his hand out from under Joohyun's and gently thread his fingers through hers. Joohyun looked over and saw that his dark expression had softened. Seungwan met her gaze and gave her a small, apologetic smile.   

Seungwan stare out the window tried to act cool, he began to ponder. 'I wonder why I react so strongly to her touch. There's something almost magical about the way Joohyun can soothe me with a simple squeeze of her hand.'

Seungwan lightly tightened his grip on Joohyun's delicate hand, his thumb instinctively started to the back of her soft skin. As his thumb moved in slow, gentle circles, he marveled at how perfectly their hands fitted together, how her touched could so easily comforted and grounded him.

They rode in silence for the rest of the drive, Joohyun could feel Seungwan slowly squeezing her hand tighter as he continued reading the difficult email.

A short update.

P/s : I had the plot planned out, and the y time will come around chapter ~10. Stay tuuunee.