Serendipity

Chapter 25

When he pulls back to look in my eyes, I tell him, "I love you with all my heart, Jimin. This," I tap the back of his hand over my heart, then rub the ring with my fingers, "is yours, and it beats for you."

"I'll see you soon," he says, placing one more gentle kiss on my lips.

"I'll be waiting," I say, my lips trembling as he reluctantly pulls his hand away and steps back to the door again, a sad smile on his lips showing right before he pulls the mask up to cover it. Then they're gone, and I feel alone without him near.

As a lone tear slides down the side of my face, Anaïse comes up behind me.

"We'll see them soon, NaeYeong, we just need to get through this next part. We'll do it together," I hear her say near my ear as she places an arm around my shoulders and gently squeezes. It doesn't escape my attention that she has a catch in her voice when she says it, and I turn my head to look at her, seeing the sheen in her own eyes. I lean my head softly on her shoulder, nodding.

"Yes, we will," I respond, allowing myself to wallow in the sadness for a moment. But only a moment. Then I straighten up, wiping my face quickly. "Let's do this. The sooner we get through customs and security, the sooner we can be with our men!"

She hands me the suit I had pulled out when we came up with the final plan, and I go change quickly, putting my hair up in its customary chignon. When I leave the bathroom, I see she's also changed into the black jumper she wore the day we went to the office. I make a mental note that we need to go shopping for her, and soon. She'll need some suits before Monday.

With a nod at each other, we put our masks on and move to the door, pulling our rolling suitcases behind us, my briefcase slung over my shoulder instead of the customary bag I usually use away from work.

Thankfully, we're quickly pushed through customs and security, leaving through a different door than the one Jimin and Jae-sung took because it's quiet beyond with very minimal traffic, and not one camera can be seen in the vicinity. I find our vehicle nearby, the driver getting out when he sees us coming through the door, an airport employee pushing a flat cart of our belongings behind us. Once he introduces himself as someone from our company, I let him know our destination change, to which he only grunts quietly in acknowledgment while loading everything into the back of the vehicle. We climb into the backseat, and once settled I let Jimin know by text we are finally in the vehicle and on our way.

I take a deep breath from my seat next to Anaïse and let it out slowly as soon as the vehicle starts moving, watching the cityscape of Seoul flow past us as we move ever closer to my new home. Although it's only been a few minutes that we've been moving, we're both entranced with the scenery, and I unconsciously compare it to New York City. It's quiet in the vehicle though, the driver doing his own thing, having barely spoken a word to us.

"How far do we need to go until we get to the meeting point?" Anaïse asks into the silence, rousing me from my staring contest with the window.

"I'm not sure. Let me ask," I reply, looking up front and noticing the driver has a frown on his face.

"Excuse me. How far to Nanji Hangang Park?" I politely ask.

The driver looks at me in the rearview mirror and shakes his head. "No Nanji Hangang Park."

I look at Anaïse with confusion on my face. When I turn back, I see him looking at me again, confusion on his face as well. Then I realize I spoke to him in English. So I repeat my question in Korean.

"How far to Nanji Hangang Park?"

"Not going to Nanji Hangang Park."

"Yes, we are going to Nanji Hangang Park. Please take us there," I repeat.