Last year Myungsoo met up with an old acquintance at a café, occupying one of the outdoor tables and sipping an iced tea. He hadn't seen the other since he gratulated the last year of college, out from what he could merely remember. In the seat before him was Soji sitting, fiddling with her thumbs awkwardly. She flashed a bright smile towards him, trying to make things less uncomfortable.

"So," she began, reaching out for her own beverage. "How's life? I heard you're doing successfully, but what else could one expect from the infamous Kim Myungsoo?" The nickname was from way back in high school, not that Myungsoo thought it should boost up his ego or anything, since he practically didn't really care.

"It's been fairly well," Myungsoo absentmindedly nodded, trying to not make it seem obvious, as he half-wondered when this 'meeting up' would end. "Not much to considerably complain about. You?"

"Oh, good actually. Wonho and I are great. He just got promoted on his job, and he's finally considering about marriage, isn't that wonderful?! We started to plan our honeymoon, just after he propos-" and yada yada yada... Myungsoo was starting to get weary of the whole conversation, pretending to be looking at his watch. 

"That's wonderful, really." He looked up to her and gave a smile that just didn't describe the lack of enthusiasme he was feeling.

"Have you seen to Hoya lately? I know he's been doing fantastic, who would have thought he'd hit the frontpage on last week's newspaper?" Soji told happily by the fact, that they knew someone was becoming some sort of a celebrity. She began to reminisce about the old days, where everyone was always around, including Myungsoo and several others. Soji suddenly thought of one person, and bursted out excitedly.

"Oh! I bet you're still as close-knit and good buddies with Sungyeol as in high school! How is he??"

Myungsoo immediately CRUSHED the plastic see-through cup containing his iced drink at the mention of SUNGYEOL.

".............. Is..- Is Myungsoo seeing anyone?" The lady inquired quickly, changing the topic.

"Oh," He reached for his napkin to dry his hand off, trying to seem unaffected. "No, I haven't. In fact I've been too busy with life and barely had time to meet up with people." He dropped the piece of cloth on the table, before rising up from his chair. "You know, I'd love to listen to the continuation of your lovelife and about the past, but I can't stay for long with such a schedule as mine."

Soji blinked in almost bewilderment at the sudden announcement, stopping with the twirling of her spoon in her ordered latte. Her delicate hand reached to grab his, pleading him to sit down again. "Wait-! Already? I've asked the waiter to bring dessert, though, won't you stay for a bit longer??"

No, not really. Myungsoo thought, but resisted from sighing outloud right in front of her face. He retracted his hand back to himself. "I can't. But it was nice seeing you, Suzy."

Getting aware of the man's departure was coming soon, Soji figured that she shouldn't keep the other around and sighed slightly. "I see. Then... please give my best regards to Sungyeol, when you see him." She thought that mentioning Howon was the reason why he reacted negatively before.

"..." Myungsoo flickered his eyes towards the side, barely nodding his head in reply. "I will. Have a good day."

- - -

Lee Sungyeol.

His head felt heavy, and thoughts started to flow into his already spinning mind.

Myungsoo looked up to see Sungyeol's face, the latter wearing a slight smile, this undeniably familiar smile. 

Why was he here? Why was it Lee Sungyeol out of all the people? He felt like his world was spinning around.

Once they had exited the office, Woohyun couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his friend. The moment where the two new workers were looking away, he elbowed Myungsoo's arm to get his attention, which of course the latter gave (along with a glare thrown in his direction, because of the abuse.)

"Okay, what is wrong with you?" Woohyun whispered rather loudly, but not enough for the two attendants they were going to guide around to hear. "You don't get tongue-tied on the spot. Especially not around newbies."

Myungsoo formed his lips into a thin line, trying to not let his mind wander into a maelstrom like it did moments ago. He sighed, restricting his palm from running through his hair in an uneased manner. "Look, I can't explain it right now. We're supposed to guide those two, right?"

Woohyun japed his index finger on his chest warningly, "Don't try to avoid this, Myungsoo...-"

He didn't manage to finish his sentence, when a voice stated an obvious question. "When are we going to start?"

"Right away," Woohyun quickly interjected with a reassuring smile, patting his co-worker's shoulder firm and hardly. Myungsoo felt the need to wince at each pat, though. "We'll talk later." Woohyun did the I-am-watching-you gesture with his two fingers pointed at his own eyes, only to be directed at Myungsoo's face seconds after. The latter gave him an incredulous look, before he turned away and headed straight towards the new recruits.

"We'll be on our way, then. Good luck with the other tour guide." Woohyun grasped the shoulder of his appointed follower, while waving at the other taller guy. Myungsoo rubbed his hurting shoulder, hearing the voice of his friend starting up with the explanations and soon disappearing from his ear-range.

He realized a second later that he had been indeed left with the other recruit. Alone.

- - -

Myungsoo had never really been fond of airplanes.

It wasn't just because he was cursed with airsickness for his entire life - or perhaps mostly it was one of the biggest reasons. It was just not really his thing to fly off and not being able to touch the safety of the ground underneath his feet. Walking simply seemed better after his opinion, and airplanes were just another transportation as much as busses and trains. Why some thought it was much more exciting to travel by flight, the man did not know, nor would he try to understand why.

At the beginning, when he was just a kid like everyone else with a huge ridiculous sense of wonder and fantasy, the only times he came to see a flight, was when it flew in the blue distant and left a white trail after itself. At some point, he had actually laid on the grass to watch how many airplanes would fly across the sky. During that moment, he wondered of how it would feel to be able to fly, as crazy as the thought sounded, and he was frightened to be honest. Because no man was born with wings like the birds were, and to fall down was a terrible thing to go through.

Myungsoo was no coward of heights. He was simply being realistic for a 12 year old boy. Plus, he liked the thought of having both of his feet steady on the ground, and it wouldn't be like so if he was inside a flight.

It meant no contact with the earthly surface and no balance at all, which was just 'no' to the clever Myungsoo at the age of 12.

Howon had other thoughts of airplanes, though, very different thoughts of them from Myungsoo's. He liked the idea of traveling, whenever it may be by sea, air or road, he simply liked it. It was for that reason he came to Seoul from Busan, his own hometown. And if Howon hadn't decided to study in Seoul during his days of High School, Myungsoo wouldn't have met this guy. His sight on the winged transports contrasted the other's, seemingly being enthusiastic about the well-crafted machines, allowing dreamy humans to know how it feels to be above the clouds.

It was true, that many joyed to fly, and it was also true, that many wanted to be closer to the sky.

But Myungsoo still saw nothing special in it.

If it's a human's dream to fly like a bird, then why create an airplane when you couldn't even touch the clouds between your fingers, because you were trapped inside of it? In the end, despite of being closer to the sky, you still wouldn't be able to feel it. There would always be a wall to hinder you from achieving that wish.

He was not being pessimistic. He was just being rational and stated an obvious fact people should have known.

But usually, Myungsoo never said anything outloud that would really offend others, so his opinion of aircrafts were kept to himself.

- - -

"Well, who would have thought," Woohyun was honestly surprised upon hearing the news, still holding his mug in midair as he glanced between his co-worker and the new recruit-who-he-didn't-show-around. "I only believed that Myungsoo had no friends. This is quite exciting to hear."

The said man simply lifted his lidded (unamused) eyes in the direction where Woohyun sat, silently telling him to shut up for once. But the latter replied with a silly grin, his head resting at the heel of his other hand with both of his elbows solid on the wooden table. "Tell me more..." He dared Myungsoo to interrupt, while his face was turned towards Sungyeol, highly entertained and interested. "Where you've been all these years?"

Myungsoo frowned. Deeply. After the tour was over with, the three of them met up at the break room. Sungyeol had told that he and Myungsoo were good friends ever since preschool, which was a surprise to Woohyun, who had questioned about his co-worker's behavior inside their manager's office a while ago. Puzzle pieces fitted together and formed an answer to the shorter man, and Myungsoo swore the other was in a death battle to not burst out into a fit of laughter.

Why Woohyun had decided to start rankling the other and see when he'll get a punch in the face was just... Woohyun-like. However, hearing Sungyeol's stories happened to be just a tad bit more interesting than to see his co-worker with a black eye, just a little bit.

"The United States." Sungyeol replied casually, twirling the spoon in his cup. "For at least 4 years, until I got homesick."

Woohyun nodded his head in a very attentive way, as if the other was the most facinating person he had ever met. Myungsoo knew otherwise. Because really, if being in Woohyun's shoes, stumbling upon someone his knife-glaring co-worker hadn't talked about before? It was enough to make things appear a tad more eventful. "Wow, the States? I knew something about you seemed a bit foreigned."

"I might have grown used to the American ways."

So far, Woohyun and Sungyeol had been talking approximately throughout the break, the main topics consisting about the latter's life in America and his previous job, and about embarrassing moments in Myungsoo's, courtesy of the only Nam within the walls of the company. Myungsoo had long since ignored it, as things couldn't possibly get any more worse today.

But Sungyeol's laughter was like church bells in Myungsoo's ears, and he cringed at the harmonous sound that was just too familiar and foreign to him on the same time. It felt like it had been a lifetime, since he heard that kind of laughter.

There was a silence, but he didn't notice it until seconds after. Soon he realized that his co-worker and his old friend were expecting him to say something, once he had lifted his gaze towards them. Woohyun's expression was undoubtedly amused and teasing, the lop-sided smile threatening to grow wider, While Sungyeol's looked more confused with a hint of concern.

"Anything you would like to share with us?" Woohyun chuckled casually with his mug tipping over his lips.

Usually, Myungsoo knew what to say without looking like he hadn't been listening, but he felt so unprepared to the point where he simply didn't know how to form a sentence. It didn't help with the fact that Sungyeol was staring at him expectantly. His brain ran to think of something, landing on the first thing that came into thought. He blurted out, "Suzy told me to give her best regards to you."

The taller man blinked, taken aback. "Oh? She did?"

"Yes." He almost rushed the word out, mentally slapping himself across the cheek because of the slip-up.

"Well, that's nice of her."

His lips thinned, as his eyes flickered towards the side. It was clear to see how awkward and out-of-place this situation was growing, and Myungsoo was dying to get himself excused about a non-existing pile of reports he hadn't worked on since he got them. Woohyun, of course, wouldn't buy it. But it would give the desperate man enough time to get up and walk off without having to dash out of the room.

When Woohyun caught Sungyeol's attention again, making the other to turn his head towards him, Myungsoo smeared his own face.

Why was he suddenly reminded of meeting up with Soji out of the blue?

He blamed the instant coffee. It didn't taste good this morning.

But suddenly he felt a palm clasp on his shoulder, both of the two men seating with him looking up in surprise. "Enjoying your break?" Myungsoo recognized the voice as his senior, and sure enough turned around to give an annoyed face. The voice had been cheery and friendly, and the senior was well-respected. But it was Kim Sunggyu, the supposedly ill tour guide.

"Seriously? Weren't you supposed to be sick?" Woohyun scoffed while leaning his chin in his palm, eyeing the older one.

"I still am," Sunggyu told frankly, his voice evidently sounding like his nose was stuffed. "But I managed to finish my report last night, so I thought: why not?"

"You're a moron."

The senior just scraped his nape with a slight shrug of his shoulder, smiling despite of the offense. He noticed a face he didn't recognize, though, his attention directed at the tallest one. "Oh, you're new?" He grinned slightly, saluting with a bow of his head. "Kim Sunggyu. Usually I do the touring."

"Lee Sungyeol." The newer guy introduced, never forgetting his trademark smile.

"Actually, now that I'm here," Sunggyu suddenly said, his gaze turned to Myungsoo as if he had been reminded of something. "Myungsoo, you got my message, right? About the celebration with the guys?"

"What? Oh," Myungsoo hadn't exactly forgotten about the voice mail, but he didn't think the senior would mention it now. "Yes, I did." In fact, he didn't mind the occasional times where Sunggyu would invite him to a drink with the boys, but the senior's timing was just so awful. 

"So you'll come?" Sunggyu looked at him with expectations and a hopeful smile, and the usual monotonous man saw it to be rude if he flat out declined. He scratched the side of his neck a bit, avoiding eyecontact with anyone, quietly agreeing. "Sure.. I'll come." Sunggyu was beaming with a brightful face. Sooner or later, Lee Sungyeol was invited as well (to Myungsoo's distraught), and the latter accepted gladly the kind offer.

"Great! I'll give you the details later. And Woohyun, you better not forget it either."

"Yes, commander." The shorter man replied with a roll of his eyes, sarcasm clear in his tone. But again the senior seemed to be unaffected by the obvious lack of interest the other showed.