Flight 1: The Funeral and The Wedding

Flowers framed the smiling faces of Seri’s parents.

A small girl, wrapped in a black mourning dress, pounded the floor of the funeral home.

Her grandparents begged her to stop. To breathe. To eat. To sleep.

But she couldn’t. Seri had killed her parents. If only she hadn’t begged to move to America…

No. Seri would never sleep again.

4 Days Ago:

“Please keep seats in an upright position and buckle your seatbelts. The plane is experiencing minor mechanical issues and we have run into unprecedented bad weather. The pilot will do everything within his power to land the plane safely.”

“Save us. Please. Save us.”

The chants simmered just below a whisper, growing in intensity as turbulence shook the plane violently. Babies screamed and mothers did little to quiet them. Even mothers cry in fear of death.

Over the shouts and prayers, two voices rang clearly.

“Take care, my sweet baby. We love you. Take care of yourself. Grow strong.”

Seri’s eyes found her mother and father; hands clasped together, tears falling from closed eyes.

Her breath caught in . Seri had never seen her parents cry before.

She tried to run closer to tell them it was okay, but the plane jerked. Screams climbed higher as luggage came tumbling out of the overhead bins.

Seri looked once more at her sobbing mother and father before the lights went out.

3 Days Ago:

“A plane from Korean Air Flight was recently reported to have crashed on its way to Korea from USA. Flight 2021 had already been experiencing mechanical difficulties due to an erratic engine and was planning on landing at a closer airport when it ran into unexpected bad weather. The passengers have not yet been identified. Survivors have not yet been fou-“

Seri turned of the TV. She had to be dreaming… But no, she could see her grandparents watching her anxiously from the side.

“Baby… there are always survivors.” Her grandfather grabbed her shoulder and looked her fiercely in the eye. “Always.”

But Seri only shook her head and whispered, “Not this time.”

The Wedding: On the Day of the Funeral

“Woo Jae! Come back here!” A father, dressed nicely in a tux, called after his only son.

“No! Not until you tell me you won’t marry her!” The boy ran faster, cursing his fancy shoes. What he would give for a pair of sneakers right now.

“Woo Jae Oppa!!! Come back! Please?!” Hyun-mi, his soon to be younger stepsister cried out after him. “We’re siblings now! We can go through this together!”

Woo Jae only held his hands over his ears. How did his father expect him to live with a crazy stepmother AND an annoying brat like that? Furious, he ran out of the wedding hall. His father, Woo Bin, had driven away his real mother, and he would never forgive him.

Soon he lost sight of his dad and stepsister, and eventually he couldn’t hear their shouts either.

“Good. I’m never coming back,” Woo Jae grumbled, angrily wiping away stray tears as he turned the corner.

WHAM!

He jerked back in surprise before he saw a young girl fall backward from the impact of their collision.

Without thinking, Woo Jae reached out and grabbed her so she wouldn’t fall, wrapping her in his arms.

“Are you okay?” He looked at her face, only to see it marred by tears.

She only hiccupped and stepped away, bowing before continuing to walk down the sidewalk. He frowned, turning to watch her walk away. It was only after he continued his way down the opposite end of the sidewalk did he realize she was wearing a black mourning dress.

“So young…” He murmured. She only looked to be around 9. He sighed, scuffing his shoes against the concrete.

“I guess there are people who have it worse than me…”
Woo Jae changed course and found himself back at the Wedding Hall.