Yoon Seri posts an inquiry about the mysterious piano song she heard in Iseltwald on an Internet forum and an anon commenter picks it up.
A Crash Landing on You AU fiction. #serihawky
Illustration by @chummychurri (Twitter)
Cover design by @edelweir...
To the tune of singing cicadas, Hong Chang-sik and Park Su-chan sat at one of the wrap-around benches around the children's playground. Su-chan was holding an ice-cream cone on one hand, and pushing and pulling a stroller with another to lull a baby to sleep. A sudden message tone had Chang-sik almost dropping his cone from scrambling for his phone in his pocket.
Even Su-chan had to pull the stroller brakes, "Who is it? Ms. Yoon?"
It was not Ms. Yoon, in fact. Chang-sik heaved a sigh, his goosebumps subsiding anew. "I don't know what is better, not hearing from her or this."
"Chang-sik, I think it's safe to say Ms. Yoon is enjoying herself and will not be messaging you until she returns." Su-chan resumed his motions when the infant inside made a noise of complaint, "So relax, enjoy your ice cream before it melts."
Chang-sik took the advice with some reservation, "Something doesn't feel right. What if she's had an accident?"
"Isn't she with her boyfriend? The captain you mentioned?"
"SHHHH!" Chang-sik darted a glare at Su-chan, his head whirled around with suspicion, "Don't say that. We're in public!"
Su-chan looked around them in confusion, "With children?"
"And their mothers!" Chang-sik retorted, shocked that his friend did not see the blatant danger of being within an earshot of middle-aged women armed with mobile devices subscribed to mom cafes.
Su-chan shook his head, "You're even louder than me...But Chang-sik, you can't act this way even if she's on her honeymoon..."
Chang-sik brought his finger up to his lips with a hardened stare, "Just eat your ice cream."
He couldn't discount, as he worked through the soft swirl of his Pangpare ice cream cone, that his friend raised a valid point. The pilot had proven himself reliable on the two occasions she took off without ceremony, and he had demonstrated his abilities to restrain and pacify her, something the manager had been confident no man could ever do. Chang-sik supposed he was also not used to 'sharing' the responsibility of managing his boss, much more dispensing it. He was on the CEO's speed-dial for as long as he could remember; it was odd that another person must take that place now.
So into the pocket his phone went and he concentrated his efforts in chasing his dribbling ice cream and later the drips of his sweat. When he was not going after the thoughts swarming his head, Chang-sik realized time was slower as minutes passed with only the squeals of children running around the slides and seesaw set. It was unfamiliar for Chang-sik to sit, observe, and be so physically present that he soon became bored. But it was a nice change. Later he would remark what good weather they had.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
July 17 2021 8:00 PM Eden Restaurant, Na Xamena, Ibiza
Maybe dinner wasn't actually a bad idea, Seri thought. They were already dressed up ready to go, her hair had the right volume, she liked how she did her eyes, how her heels clacked down the tiles and fitting her hand around the elbow of her date who happened to be a dreamboat.
