01;

“My sweet mon Cherie, it’s time to wake up.”

She chuckled from the whisper he gave. When her eyes opened, the room was still dark but he was already dressed in his uniform. She groaned.

“Don’t tell me you have to go to work now?”

“Emergency call. I have to take the wheel since the scheduled pilot just fell sick. I’m flying to London,” he explained as he buttoned his white pilot shirt.

“Can’t you say you fell sick too?”

He laughed at her remark. “Darling, I’m finding all the extra money I can right now.”

“But your salary is enough for us!” She retorted.

He sighed and looked at her pouty face. He walked towards the bed and sat in front of her. He fixed her messed up hair and caressed her cheek. “He is a dear friend of mine. I’m willing to take his place,” he said softly.

“Take me with you,” she said softly.

He smiled. “I would want to. If we had a private jet and I was flying it and there would be no one in that jet but us. But this is duty calls, sweetie.”

“You sound as if you’re talking to San,” she mumbled.

He laughed. “Don’t you worry, my mademoiselle, you have all the courtesy to wave me good bye. Come on, we need to get going.”

She groaned. It was another routine of driving him to the airport and waving him goodbye. She woke their daughter, San, softly once she was dressed. She carried San, grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the room.

“Here, let me carry her,” he said as he took San from her arms.

“Since when do you want to carry her?” She joked. “Your luggage is lighter this time? So I can carry it?”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not using that excuse but about the weight, yes, it is lighter for you to help carry compared to carrying San.”

They walked out of the house and prepared to go to the airport.

x     x     x     x     x     x

Kim Jongdae and Kim Ryuki were married for 5 years and blessed with a daughter called San. For Ryuki, being married to a pilot wasn’t easy. The travels, unexpected times to fly, long distance – no, it wasn’t easy for her. But she chose him and he chose her. Jongdae had always wanted to be a pilot ever since they met each other in college. For a period of time, Ryuki thought Jongdae was kidding about really pursuing a career in piloting. But when they graduated and went for job interviews, he got accepted into the training academy of pilots.

When he got accepted, that was the moment he proposed to Ryuki. On the day the letter arrived at his house, Jongdae was waiting outside the house for the postman to arrive. When he did, Jongdae hurriedly searched for a letter with his name on it. With all anxiety in his heart, he ripped the letter open and laughed in delight knowing the results.

In an instant, he ran – he couldn’t think; he had a car and Ryuki’s house was 5 kilometres away from his house but he opted for running for God knows what reasons – to Ryuki’s house, bursting with happiness and excitement. Along the way, he was smiling and running, everyone looked at him weirdly but he had no time to pay heed to those people who stared. He had more important things to attend to – which was Ryuki.

Upon arriving on her doorstep, he was breathing out loud, trying to catch his breath. Before he could stand up properly and knock on the door, the door burst open with Ryuki’s worry evident on her face.

“Chen, what happened?!” She shrieked.

Chen; a name she opted to call him when she knew that back when he was in high school, he was in a boy band and his stage name was Chen. He left that name in college but while exchanging stories with Ryuki, it was a mistake to tell her since she kept on teasing him with the name. But it brought a sense of ease to Jongdae and he loved the melody she gave every time she uttered that name.

“I… I…” Jongdae was still catching his breath.

“Come on inside. You’re sweating madly!” She wrapped an arm around his waist, supporting his weight. He seemed so weak in her eyes, not knowing that he ran 5 kilometres to her house.

He sat down on the couch while Ryuki went to get a glass of water. Her parents were in the kitchen and they acknowledged Jongdae’s presence by greeting him when they heard Ryuki shout his name. He was already like a family member ever since Ryuki and he became friends.

Ryuki came back with the glass in her hand then handed it to him. He gulped it in one go, astonishing Ryuki. She glanced out the window, looking for Jongdae’s car.

“Did you walk here?” She asked.

Jongdae shook his head. “I ran.”

Ryuki’s eyes went wide. “What in God’s name possessed you to run 5 kilometres?!”

Jongdae laughed. He rummaged in his coat pocket and handed the crumpled paper to her. “This possessed me.”

She carefully opened the crumpled paper and read what was written.

“OH MY GOD! JONGDAE!” She gave him a tight hug that was bursting with joy and happiness. “I can’t believe it! You made it! Ma, Pa! Chen made it!” She was so happy for him.

“Really?!” Ryuki’s mother, Kiraa, came out and congratulated him.

“Ah, son. Now is the time, then,” Ryuki’s father, Kyungwoo, said after.

Ryuki frowned. “Is there something happening that I don’t know about?”

Her parents laughed. “I’m sure Jongdae will tell you in no time,” Kyungwoo said.

With a nervous sigh, Jongdae stood up, facing Ryuki. “I kind of made a deal with your parents,” he said.

Ryuki frowned deeper. “What deal?”

“I would get into the training and… well…”

“Well? Jongdae, come on. You know I hate surprises,” she whined.

“Okay, okay!” He took a deep breath as he stared into her eyes – the eyes that he always loved to gaze upon. As he bent down on one knee, he didn’t break the stare. Ryuki felt as if she was in a trance, gazing into his eyes, till she didn’t realize that he was kneeling down.

“Chen, what are you doing?” She asked, quivering.

He rummaged through his other coat pocket, a navy blue velvet box was in sight. Ryuki gasped softly.

“This was the deal.”

He opened the box and a ring with a small diamond latched onto it came to sight. Ryuki was in awe, she was at lost for words.

“Should I say the question or you already know what this means?”

“Damn it, Jongdae, you fool. Ask her the question!” Kiraa shouted from behind with a laugh at the end.

Jongdae laughed. Ryuki was already in tears.

“Oh Ryuki, will you marry me?”

With a sudden drop to the ground, Ryuki hugged him so tightly while whispering ‘yes’ repetitively. She wouldn’t think twice. It was a dream come true to marry him and he made it happen.

After 3 months of marriage, Ryuki got pregnant. Everyone was overjoyed. When the news was told by her gynaecologist, she broke into tears of happiness but suddenly, she remembered that her husband wasn’t around to hear it from her face-to-face. That broke her a little. Nonetheless, he was coming home the next day and she would tell him.

When Jongdae returned home, it was already 3 AM and Ryuki found him sleeping on the couch in the living room with his uniform on the next morning. She woke him up softly, asking him to sleep in the room. He wasn’t fully awake and he walke