A TRIP TO THE AIRPORT

"TaeTae, hurry! We're going to miss our flight!"

"It won't leave without us, sweetheart. We have plenty of time," I reassured little Aein, who tugged at my pants.

In my peripheral vision, I saw her small frame retreat as I lifted another suitcase—one of hers and her brother's—into the trunk. At six years old, they barely reached my kneecaps, yet their bags seemed ten times bulkier than mine. I couldn't help but wonder what they had packed.

I let out a huff. "Why don't you go and join In-Su?"

"I don't want to," she pouted.

"Why not?" I asked, closing the hatchback door.

"Because I missed you, and I want to sit next to you and spend lots of time together."

A smile crept onto my lips. "Aww, is that true?"

My heart melted as she nodded her head eagerly. Aein was simply adorable and my favorite person in the world. Unable to resist, I scooped her up and planted a kiss on her chubby cheeks before walking us to the side of the car.

"Then TaeTae will sit next to his sweetheart and spend all the time he can because he missed her too."

She squealed at my playful tone, echoing my words, "Is that true?"

I pinched her cheek and scrunched my nose, prompting her to wrinkle hers in response. "Pinky winky true."

"Oh, get me some insulin, Jimin. This brother-sister reunion is too sweet for me to handle," Jungkook joked from the driver's seat, theatrically coughing.

Aein and I exchanged glances after hearing Jungkook's interruption.

"What do you say to him, sweetheart?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully with her finger before glancing at Jungkook and shouting, "Go away, Kookie Monster!"

In response, Jungkook feigned a dramatic gag, clutching his throat as if he were dying, then slammed his oversized head against the steering wheel, causing a comedic siren to wail in the quiet of the night.

"You can't die, Sire!" In-Su chimed in from the back seat, clearly taking cues from Jungkook. "At least say, 'I'd come back for you, Princess Aein,' as your last words. What kind of villain are you?"

He shook Jungkook, whose unblinking eyes were fixed on Jimin's profile, but it was no use. In-Su folded his arms and retreated to his seat, offering one last jab. "You're a disgrace to evil. Die as you deserve."

"Ah, you silly people," Jimin said, shaking his head. "I can't believe how much I love you all."

We let a moment of silence linger before the four of us closed in on him, screaming in his ears, "Love you too, Minnie!"

His yells and laughter, accompanied by his hands covering his ears, were our cue to erupt in giggles. I laughed so hard that my smile faltered into a straight line when Mr. Ryu came to stand beside me at arm's length.

"Oh, how much we're going to miss this, won't we, hun?" he said to his wife, who joined us wearing indigo-colored, wrinkled pajamas. "Waking up to groggy, sleepy heads and coming home to their bright, mischievous smiles and laughter. It's going to be a tough week without them."

She hummed in agreement, still weary from waking up before dawn.

"At least I won't have to endure their endless debates over whether Marvel or Barbies are better or which one is worse after coming home exhausted from work for another week. But being a news anchor truly sucks," she grumbled, her head lolling against her husband's shoulder. Unfortunately, the children overheard her.

"Don't worry, Momma," little Aein said, twisting in my hold to look at her. "I'll bring you lots of gifts to make you as happy as Daddy does!"

In-Su chimed in again, "Hey, don't leave me out! I'll make Mommy happy too!"

"You both make me so happy, my babies." She kissed Aein's nose and scooped In-Su into her arms, showering him with kisses on both cheeks. "Just knowing your father is behind the camera and that I have two little goofballs waiting for me at home is enough to get me through the day."

She tickled him, and the sound of joyful giggles filled the air, bright smiles spreading across the faces of both parents and their children.

The corners of my lips tugged upward too, though my smile was tinged with wistfulness as I watched them.

But the warmth of the moment faded abruptly when the thoughtful child spoke the words I couldn't bring myself to say.

"You forgot about TaeTae, Momma."

Apprehension crept up my spine as an unsettling silence stretched on for a few seconds. A heavy breath escaped my lungs as I met her gaze, searching for the answer she hesitated to voice. Her hazel eyes wavered, glistening with an unsettling layer of tears.

I couldn't tell if it was just me, but the stony silence felt inexplicable.

Thankfully, Jimin broke the tension. "Hey, the drive to the airport takes an hour. We should leave now."

"Yeah, you're right," I replied half-heartedly, moving to place Aein in the middle seat and fastening her seatbelt securely. I did the same with In-Su after gently lifting him from Mom's embrace, returning to stand by the car door, ready to get in.

But just as I reached for the door handle, Mom's hand stopped me.

"I'm sorry, Taehyung," she whispered, her voice trembling.

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her words.

"Take care, Mom," I said, turning to kiss her forehead gently.

Her grip on my wrist loosened, and I climbed into the car reluctantly.

The door slammed shut behind me with a loud thud, causing Aein to flinch. I muttered an apology, but she shrugged it off with a gentle smile. How could she always be so graceful, my sweet girl?

The car came to life with a thrilling vibration as Jungkook revved the engine.

"Have a safe journey, kids," Mr. Ryu said, waving hesitantly yet smiling.

"Bye-bye!" four voices chimed in joyfully. Their excitement for the trip was infectious, and I hoped it would be engaging enough to distract me from the emotional farewell as we drove out of the suburb.

I let out a sigh. The journey to the airport already felt long. Counting down to an hour seemed futile, so I allowed myself to get lost in thought instead.

I gazed out the window, taking in the serene twilight sky. The stars twinkled against the periwinkle hues, offering a soothing view. In that moment, no words were necessary, and I cherished the quiet. But as the clock struck six, the sun emerged from behind the clouds to greet the day.

The road grew busier, with more cars joining us on the highway. My neck began to ache from staring out, so I shifted my focus to the lively atmosphere inside the car.

Soft music played in the background, bringing me comfort as we continued our journey toward Incheon.

The kids happily sang along in the anti-clockwise arrangement of their seats, and it was currently Jimin's turn to belt out Ruth B's "Dandelions." His honeyed voice matched his sweet persona perfectly.

As I watched him, I couldn't help but imagine Jungkook as the 'Winnie-the-Pooh' character, eyes dancing with glee at the thought of devouring Jimin's adorable presence.

A tattooed hand enveloped Jimin's, guiding it toward his pierced lips. But just as Jungkook leaned in to plant a kiss, Jimin withdrew his hand and playfully nudged his boyfriend's cheek, urging him to focus on the road.

"Eyes on the road, driver," Jimin teased.

Jungkook narrowed his eyes, sending Jimin a playful glare before slamming the brakes at a red light.

"Of course, Officer," Jungkook muttered. "Don't want to get fined by you, even when you're off-duty."

Jimin flashed a mock grin.

"Good. I could always charge you for blasting music at ungodly hours."

"Yeah? Do you have a ticket you want to impose on me, Officer Park?" Jungkook smirked. "I could shower you with bills if that's what you want. Me, my package, and my bank balance are all yours."

He wiggled his eyebrows, prompting me to intervene.

"We have kids with us, Jeon. Watch your language," I warned, glancing at the kids who were gazing out the window, engrossed in a make-believe race as they picked their favorite cars. My innocent little ones. "Let's keep it family-friendly."

"I forgot you were with us, dear Sister Tae. Mind if I join your moaning prayers sometimes?" Jungkook smirked, and I shot him a finger gesture that clearly said, "Not in front of the kids." Unfazed, he returned to the wheel, beatboxing to the new song he'd switched on.

I shot Jimin a look of disbelief.

Jimin chuckled and playfully thwacked Jungkook on the back of the head. That had to sting.

"Oww!" Jungkook exclaimed, rubbing his scalp.

"Tae said we have kids with us, you Baskerville hound! Change the song."

Jungkook complied but pouted, sulking about missing the "fun part" of Doja Cat's "Say So."

But my satisfaction didn't end there; I leaned forward and smacked his head playfully, saying, "It's 'Father' for males, you benighted devil dog."

The twenty-one-year-old infant whined, complaining about the insult while rubbing the spot I had tapped.

Mission accomplished for self-gratification, along with Jungkook's taped flip phone, ready to play something soothing jazz.

I cracked the passcode, thumping '6-9-6-9'—a detail I recalled from the prick's favorite fantasy about walking into a room filled with people engaging in, well, you know. He once confessed the imagery was filthy hot and that he'd want to try it for real.

System error: Blech. Blech. Blech.

A disgusting shiver ran down my spine, so I focused on replacing that horrible memory with the one where I chased a horrified Jungkook with a toilet brush afterward.

Now, that's better.

Glancing at the wallpaper, I quickly tapped the watermelon-colored app icon and entered the search bar.

"I Fall in Love Too Easily" by Chet Baker filled the speakers, and as I had predicted, the frown lines on my face softened while the little ones lounging beside me drifted off to sleep. They had to at some point, exhausted from waking up at the crack of dawn and being utterly useless. Tch.

Later, when we reached the airport, we were among the first passengers to arrive for our flight departing at 10:30. We had a handful of hours to kill, which meant we could loiter around and mess with the escalators until airport security labeled us as pubescent maniacs on crack and sent us to rehab.

I was sure Seokjin wouldn't be disappointed if that happened. He often joked that we must be on drugs, given the countless pranks we pulled on each other. Yes, that included the time Jungkook made us sugar-free tea and replaced the sugar with talc powder, insisting that a whitish powder was "customary" for tea. What a dolt, Jeon Jungkook.

Aein stirred in her sleep, mumbling gibberish as I carefully picked her up. I wasn't worried about In-Su; Jimin, being the compassionate friend he was, helped carry my baby brother while Jungkook flexed his muscles, dragging our luggage on the cart behind us and mindlessly whistling a tune he was probably working on.

The rest of the gang—Namjoon, Seokjin, and Hoseok (who I had only met twice)—were waiting for us at the terminal. Seokjin had gone all out, booking an entire jet for obvious reasons; he wanted everything to be smooth and flawless for his wedding, and that extended to our hair colors too.

"Well, shit, Jorah. Did you seriously have to dye your coconut mop purple when the invitation clearly mentioned it would be a blue-and-pink-themed wedding?" Seokjin grimaced, his tone dry.

"What? It's the exact shade when you mix blue and pink together," Jungkook replied, looking genuinely puzzled.

Seokjin rolled his eyes, and we all chuckled at the scene unfolding before us.

"You better dress nicely on our special day, asshat, or forget about eating shin ramen at 3 AM in my house," he threatened.

Jungkook muttered something along the lines of, "Talk about your pink Barbie hair, old man," which made Seokjin's lips twitch and opened the floodgates for a barrage of playful insults between them.

"And there they go again. I just hope they don't end up pulling each other's hair out to prove who has the better shampoo by the end of this banter," Jimin remarked as we watched the two grown-ups compare their hair texture yet again.

Hoseok and Namjoon were at the counter checking in, and we decided to join the line rather than witness Jimin's hopes being dashed. But checking in might be worse when you're with a group of sexually active friends.

The vicarious embarrassment of having security sift through your belongings and call you out on your BDSM collection is marginally humiliating. I could only imagine the details they might find in their bags-especially Jungkook's.

He didn't shy away from sharing his extensive knowledge with the female officer about every sex toy he had with him. But what shocked me more was the Durex Play Kit they found in Hoseok's carry-on. His ears were still flushed as we waited in the lounge.

Seokjin, looking equally flushed, was nestled against his groom-to-be, interrogating his best man about his love life. Hoseok blushed but answered all of Seokjin's questions with good humor.

Meanwhile, Namjoon, Jimin, and I were browsing the internet, looking up places to visit in Corsica when Jungkook chirped that he was going to the washroom. In-Su and Aein grunted about needing to relieve themselves and wash up after their uncomfortable nap. They returned with a collection of goodies: figurines, dolls, Beyblades, milkshakes, and cookies.

"You're spoiling them, Jungkook. They already have a massive collection of toys back home," I scolded as Aein and In-Su rushed over to show off their haul.

"Say no to their faces, I challenge you," he shot back after In-Su looked up at me with big, innocent eyes and asked for help fixing his Beyblade.

I pursed my lips.

Jungkook had a point. Men like us were weak when it came to children. I couldn't really blame him for something I did regularly, anyway.

"See? Told ya!" Jungkook grinned, gesturing for me to play a match with him as he moved a thrilled In-Su aside.

It took us fifteen minutes to turn the airport lounge into a makeshift Japanese tournament arena. And less than half that time for the officials to kick us out for causing too much commotion. But that didn't stop us from fooling around once the jet left the runway and soared into the sky.

Looking out at the city below, I was reminded of Augustus Waters taking his first flight. The buildings and the world below seemed so small and insignificant, as if we were born for nothing special. It felt like ordinary was our peculiar destiny, and we were merely pawns, expected to move as directed.

Maybe this was how I was meant to meet her.

As I wandered through the beach resort under the quiet night sky, the crescent moon shone brightly on the horizon.

Getting jet-lagged wasn't on my list of things to do, but the anticipation was palpable. I learned coincidences didn't arrive on cue; they just happened, leaving you marveling at their randomness. Like I did.

Her signature camera rested in her hands, and the shimmering water reflections cast a magnificent glow on her skin, making her appear almost celestial.

Perhaps she truly was a celestial being—exquisite and serene.

It was her tranquility that drew me in.

So entranced by her presence, I lost all awareness of my surroundings and fell for her, both literally and figuratively.

In the pool.