|| One Month Later ||

“Cheers!” the seven of you scream as you raise your half-filled glasses to a toast before downing its contents.

Woohyun jumps on the leather cushion of his chair and sets one foot down on the marble table like a conquistador claiming newfound land. With a bottle of 1959 Dom Perignon in one hand, he carelessly pours each of you another glass, spilling some of the expensive champagne on the table. “One down, and who knows how many more years to go!” he yells, raising his glass once more.

The six of you roar after him, letting your voices fill the 250 sq. ft. private dining room Hansung’s beast booked for this special night.

Yes, all of you are under the legal age for drinking, but who would dare prevent super rich and powerful 17 and 18 year olds from celebrating the completion of their first year of college? No one, that’s who. Even the authorities have turned a blind eye for tonight…and many nights before.

And so, three hours, five bottles, and lots of laughs later, the seven of you are just about to call it a night.

“Is everyone ready?” Chunji asks enthusiastically as he pushes his empty glass away.

A chorus of “yes” and “yeah” answers his question, followed by a more-than-excited “definitely yes!” from Hana. She pounds on the table and closes her eyes, imagining herself in paradise. “I am so ready to spend a month waking up to the fresh summer breeze and picturesque beaches of Okinawa!” she exclaims, once again pumping up the room.

|| The Following Morning ||

The clock reads 3:58 AM, giving you roughly an hour to get ready for your early morning flight. Turning off the deafening alarm, you groggily crawl out of bed and make your way to the en-suite bathroom. As excited as you were to finish your first year of college, it was definitely not worth the last glass of that $49,000 champagne…especially when you’re scheduled to travel just a few hours after.

So, as fast as your body will let you, you chug down a bottle of that bitter hangover medicine and put on some casual clothes: ripped jeans, high top sneakers, loose crewneck shirt, baggy jacket, and your favorite snapback.

After re-checking your baggage, you tiptoe to your parents’ bedroom, leaving your chauffer to drag your suitcases to the car. You slowly enter through the double doors and quietly slide in their bed, hugging your mom.

“Yeobo…” your mother mumbles with a smile, thinking the arm around her belongs her beloved husband.

“No, mom, it’s me,” you correct her as you tighten your half embrace.  

She sluggishly sits up, rubbing her eyes followed by your sleepy father. They both glance at the clock, 4:45 AM, and softly sigh. “Mi Young dear,” they greet unenthusiastically, before falling back on their bed.

Taken aback, you get up and shake your parents’ arm in turns. “Omma, appa, don’t you want to at least say goodbye to me?” you whine like a little kid.

Your mom forces herself to sit back up, still with her eyes closed, and pats your head lightly, “Sweetie, darling, pumpkin, princess…your dad and I will miss you terribly. You be careful now and stay close to Myungsoo-ssi, understand?”

“Yes, stay close to LJoe…and don’t get into any trouble,” your dad adds.

You let out a laugh and crawl out of bed. Though it confuses you that they brought the two guys into your short conversation, you simply ignore your parents’ mumbo jumbo and let them go back to sleep. “Yes ma’am, yes sir,” you respond with a quiet salute and kiss them goodbye before heading to the airport.

|| East Asian Airline Private Airport ||

By the time you arrive, the rest of the gang have already settled in the waiting area, nibbling on their breakfast like zombies.

“Mi Young, over here!” your tired yet still excited cousin exclaims while beckoning you to her corner.

“They said we can board in a few minutes,” Hana informs you just as you take the seat across from her. She then slides her uneaten blueberry muffin in your direction and flashes a playful smile. “So have you decided?” she asks without context.

You glance at her, “Decided what?”

“Decided on who it will be.”

“Who will what be?”

“Who will you share this three and a half hour flight with?” she clarifies teasingly, “Will it be Hansung’s prince charming or Shinil’s—”

“Ya, Bin Hana,” you interject with a sigh and direct her attention to the row of half-asleep gentlemen whose heads are nestled on each other’s shoulders, “does it look like any of them care who they’ll be sitting next to?”

“Maybe not right now, but I’m sure Myungsoo and LJoe will,” she answers confidently.

“Huh? What are you—” you begin, but an announcement from the flight attendant interrupts your response.

She ushers the seven of you to one of Mr. Lee’s private planes, revealing a cabin with more than enough seats for each of you to sit alone.

As expected, the inseparable couple race to the very back, occupying the two seats on the left. Woohyun takes the seat across from them and closes his eyes, quickly dozing off to sleep. Changjo settles himself in front of the sleeping beast and tunes out world with his noise cancelling headphones. You occupy the set of seats on the second row while LJoe grabs the ones behind you and Myungsoo takes the ones across from yours.

Within minutes of settling in, the plane takes off…and as the distance between you and Okinawa shortens, the thought you’ve kept in the back of your mind marches front and center. In just four short hours, you’ll be much closer to where Suho is, and you can’t help but wonder: what are the chances I’ll run into him? Catch a glimpse of his smile? Or even just hear his name?

Beginning to feel uneasy, you lean your head against the small window and look down at the sea of clouds, gradually closing your eyes and letting such scenarios fade once more.

While you drift away to the land of dreams, Myungsoo keeps his soft gaze towards your direction. His eyes remain fixed on your sleeping face while LJoe’s are quietly pinned on him.  

Just then, Hansung’s prince charming unbuckles his seatbelt and stands up. He takes the throw blanket next to you and wraps it around your body, carefully tucking in the ends of the cashmere cloth around your shoulders to secure it place. Without hesitation, he pushes aside fallen strands of your hair and brushes your cheek lightly with the side of his thumb, flashing one gentle smile before going back to his seat.

Speechless, confused, jealous, and envious, LJoe can’t help but look away. As much as he wanted to do the same, he can’t bring himself to casually act on his feelings. Just where in the world, he wonders, does he get his confidence from? How can he act so calmly and follow what his heart is