Jung Yonghwa’s oxfords quietly thudded on the off-white tiles, the wheels of his suitcase rattling on the uneven cracks. His 5-year-old daughter, Jung Hana trotted beside him, her shoes pitter-pattering loudly.

“Daddy, how long does it take to fly from Seoul to Los Angeles?” she suddenly chirped.

He smiled weakly down at her and squeezed her small hand gently. “About twelve hours, sweetheart.”

Hana smiled brightly in response. “Okay, Daddy. That means I only have to sit on a plane for twelve hours until I get to see Mommy!” She released his hand and skipped around, observing everything in the unfamiliar airport with wide, curious eyes. Her footsteps matched the tempo of Jingle Bells as the catchy tune played over her head, tinkling and jingling in the air.

Her pace slowed when she came beside large, mirror-like windows. After staring at her reflection on the surface for a while, Hana drew closer and leaned her face and hands on the cold glass. She exhaled softly, fogging up the window with her warm breath.

She jumped slightly when the intercom suddenly crackled and a scratchy voice announced, “Attention please: Flight 2349 from Seoul to Los Angeles at 9:45 pm has been postponed due to the weather. Passengers, please meet at Gate 42 to receive cots and blankets if you plan to spend the night here.”

Hana spun sharply on her heels, her shoes squeaking loudly on the floor. Flitting back to her father, the child looked inquiringly at him. Yonghwa simply nodded at her. “Looks like we’ll be having a sleepover here at the airport, honey. You’ve always wanted to have a sleepover, right?”

Hana beamed up at her father, shrieking in delight when he scooped her into his arms with ease. Suddenly energetic, Yonghwa galloped past the other commuters, his suitcase lifted off the ground and thumping wildly against his leg as he ran. The duo’s lighthearted laughter brightened the once-troubled atmosphere in the nearby airport stores as they zoomed past.

Huffing and puffing heavily, wide grins still adorned the father and child’s faces as they lay spread-eagle on the ground. Yonghwa slowly sat up with a grunt and turned to his daughter.  “Sweetie, want to help Daddy assemble our cot? I can’t do it by myself.”

Hana jumped up energetically, nodding enthusiastically. The cot clattered loudly inside its bag as she pushed it (with much difficulty) over to her father.

“Okay, Daddy, what do you need help with then?” Hana’s bright voice jolted Yonghwa from his thoughts. He looked at her and smiled warmly before standing up and helping her empty the sack’s contents.

After fumbling for a few minutes with the flimsy frame and canvas cover, they finally assembled the cot. The pair stood beside it, hands propped proudly on their hips. A loud snore from behind them interrupted their moment, and with one shared look, both father and daughter burst into muffled giggles.

Yonghwa coughed loudly, finally regaining his composure. “Sweetheart, we should sleep soon too. Are you hungry?”

The girl shook her head rapidly, her pigtails swishing around her. “But how will we know when the plane will fly away? Won’t we be late if we sleep?”

He smiled softly at her. “No, honey. The nice airport people will wake us up when they decide to fly to Los Angeles. Don’t worry about that.” Flapping the sheets out, Yonghwa watched the blanket flutter smoothly onto the cot. He plopped onto the side of the cot and then patted his lap welcomingly. “C’mon, I bet you’re tired. It’s already nine, way past your bedtime.”

Hana slowly climbed onto the cot. Making herself comfortable on her father’s lap, she yawned, “Daddy, can I have a lullaby?”

“Sorry, sweetie, but Daddy can’t sing here. It might bother other people.” The cot frame quietly creaked as he leaned over to cover the child with a blanket. “But Daddy will hum a few songs for you, okay?”

He her head softly before starting to hum a slow, soothing tune. After a few minutes, he felt his own eyelids droop…

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A muffled ringing from his bag jolted Yonghwa awake. Frantically grappling for the backpack and zipping the pouch open, he tapped the green button on the screen. “Hello?” He quietly croaked, careful not to disturb the people around him.

A small giggle came from the other line, and then Seohyun spoke. “Did I wake you up? Sorry, it’s only about… 6:30 in the morning over here. It’s around 10:30 over there, right?”

He smiled slightly at her familiar voice, and then squinted at his wristwatch. “Yeah… How are you?”

“I’m okay. Just a bit sick.” A small bout of coughing interrupted her before she could continue. “It’s not as bad as it… Ahem.” She cleared , then coughed again, but softer than before. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. But enough about me. How is our little girl doing?”

He chuckled. “She’s doing great.” He looked down at his lap, checking that his daughter hadn’t wakened. She lay peacefully, inaudibly muttering about things in her dream. He lightly ruffled Hana’s hair before continuing, “Well, take care of yourself. We’ll be with you soon.”

“Yeah. I’ll have a lot of food ready for you. You two miss my cooking and Chinese yam shakes, right?” They laughed in unison, which quickly died off as they fell into silence. Seohyun let out a sniff before choking out, “I-I miss you so much.”

Yonghwa could feel his own throat constrict painfully, before gulping the feeling down. “I do too. Five months is… a long, long time. But we’ll be with you for Christmas, right?”

Sniffing a few more times, she replied hoarsely, “Yeah. Christmas.”

“And I’m sure you’ve already got the tree, just waiting for us to decorate it with ornaments.” A whimper. “Now, don’t cry anymore. Catch some sleep.”

Seohyun sniffled a few more times before taking a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”

He smiled, even though she couldn’t see him. “Good night. Sweet dreams. I love you.”

“I love you too. Bye.” The phone clicked, then beeped to signal that she had hung up. He gazed at his reflection on the phone’s screen until a tap on his shoulder broke him away from his reverie.

“Sorry to disturb you sir, but are you one of the passengers flying to Los Angeles?” He nodded at the flight attendant behind him. “Ah, we are boarding right now. Please be on the plane in ten minutes.”

Chuckling to himself about the special boarding time, he thanked the man before gently nudging his daughter. “Sweetheart, you need to wake up now. The plane’s ready to fly.”

Hana stirred and straightened slowly. Rubbing her eyes, she sleepily asked, “Are we going to see Mommy soon?”

Smiling at her question, he answered tenderly, “Yes, honey, we’re going to see Mommy soon. But you need to wake up first, sleepyhead.”

The child spent a few minutes stretching and yawning, until finally jumping up animatedly. “Let’s go, Daddy! We need to hurry up and see Mommy!” She began pulling him behind her energetically towards Gate 42.

Yonghwa stumbled awkwardly after his daughter, his legs both numb from having her rest on his lap for so long. “W-wait, slow down. Daddy’s legs kind of hurt.” He stuttered out, but Hana paid him no attention. Yonghwa could only nod hurriedly to the airport staff as they scanned the two boarding passes before Hana dragged him away again.

Finally releasing her father’s hand, Hana pounded down the hallway. She raced past the flight attendants and onto the plane. Looking hurriedly around, she turned back to see her father panting heavily behind her.

“Daddy, where do we sit?” she asked innocently.

He puffed heavily, hands on his knees while reprimanding her, “Ha… na… you… are never… going… to do that again. I know you’re excited, but you… can’t do that… ever again.” Looking up, he saw her bright face, and relented. “Alright, let’s go. We’re sitting over here.”

Twenty minutes after settling down into their seats, the captain announced over the intercom, “We will be taking off shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for take-off.”

Yonghwa fastened his daughter’s seatbelt first before clicking his own into place next. “Are you ready?” He murmured to her, to which she nodded giddily.

At that very moment, the airplane’s engines whirred, and the machine came alive. Hana giggled excitedly as the plane began to move. Yonghwa could only smile, lean his head back and close his eyes contently.

It was 11:11 pm.
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Oh, wow. That was a bad ending. I'm so sorry that the "11:11" theme was inserted so hastily. ><

Well, that's the end of my 11:11 series! Sorry for the long wait.

Actually, if I ever come up with more ideas in the future, I may add more chapters onto this story. :)))

Thank you all for reading.