Landing in Your Inbox

67 - first homecoming

January 29, 2021 2:30 PM
Incheon Airport Terminal 2 → Incheon Airport Expressway

KR 908 landed safely in Incheon Airport, 20 minutes before its scheduled arrival. Jeong-hyeok turned the plane over to the engineering team in record time. He slipped out of the plane before anyone could recognize him and stop him for a photo or a conversation. He went through immigration without a hitch and intended to breeze by the office when he was told he had some visitors.

Twelve hours holed up in the plane with no greater desire than going back to Seoul, Jeong-hyeok couldn't help but grimace for being interrupted. But there wasn't any choice he had, the visitors were waiting in the meeting room so it meant they had some kind of influence, particularly, the CEO's sister who was also married to a pilot instructor in the same airline and was accompanied by two of her friends. Jeong-hyeok already saw the balloons and cake and wanted the ground to swallow him up.

"Captain," The pilot instructor welcomed him with a hearty shake of his hand, "I hope you're not in a rush."

"I am a bit..."

"This is my wife, Ma Young-ae, " He introduced a woman in a burgundy ruffled floral-print dress. "And she has been wanting to meet you badly."

"Captain Lee, forgive us for the intrusion. We are what you can say, great admirers of yours." Young-ae indicated herself and two companions who brandished wide grins behind her, one who seems to have come from a wedding with her hair in a voluminous updo, the other wore her lips so red they seemed on fire. "We want to congratulate you on your first flight of the year and we brought something simple." She indicated the tall floral cake, the three silver balloons, a bouquet of lily flowers and a champagne bottle. 

Jeong-hyeok had not even dealt with the cards and letters yet. He had been surprised by a heap of chocolates, cakes and flowers when he first reported for duty, they were already shared among the airline staff.

"That's really kind, but you shouldn't have..." He started.

"Please accept them. It is our humble way of sending our appreciation." Young-ae urged on. The woman's mannerisms were elegant and graceful but her gaze was persistent and unyielding. Her friends only nodded their enthusiasm.

Jeong-hyeok turned to Young-ae's pilot husband who seemed fully supportive at this show of blatant adoration.  He gestured for him to go ahead and take the offerings.

"Thank you..." Jeong-hyeok now was faced with the predicament of carrying the presents away as fast as possible. 

"Oh! You must be worried about carrying them. Let us help you!" But by we, Young-ae glanced meaningfully at her two friends to help carry all the gifts. "Are you going back to Seoul? We happen to have a van with us..."

"That's not necessary." Jeong-hyeok stammered. 

Three knocks on the door were to be his deliverance as Kwang-beom poked his head in the conference room. "Captain, shall we?"

The exhale of relief Jeong-hyeok made might have been too obvious. "It's nice meeting you, Mrs. Ma." He nodded at the two ladies behind her and then finally at the captain before collecting the presents with Kwang-beom's help. 

"Ah should we take a..." Young-ae's request for a photo died as the Captain disappeared as fast as he got there. 

***

Kwang-beom had stealthily given away the balloons to one of the airline clerks who he knew had two little children, but he cradled the bouquet with one arm and carried the cake with both hands leaving Jeong-hyeok to carry the wine bottle while pulling his carry-on luggage and a glossy green shopper bag.