Remember 1999

Chapter 29 - Flashback

Airport: Isn't it a place where airplanes take off and land? A place for new beginnings and departure. For some, it was like a starting line- a place from where they would start a new journey in their lives. At some point, it was a place people didn't like at all because it was where they wished their loved ones goodbye. For Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin, it was the latter.

"Call me when you got there safely, okay?" 

Ye Jin fixed Hyun Bin's collar and brushed his shoulders lightly, straightening his polo. 

"Hmmm?" she hummed questioningly when he did not answer at all. Instead, he gazed at her tenderly with a tinge of sadness. He was at it again, she thought. In the past few days, he had been constantly moody. He would sulk whenever they talk about his flight. They would be away with each other for two months and he wondered how he could survive without her. 

He couldn't even imagine at all. 

Would it be the same thing as he did for the past ten years? Waking up thinking about her early in the morning wondering if she was already awake or still sleeping. Going to work and aiming for perfect results to hide his lackings and emptiness. And then, going home... reentering a shelter that was deprived of cheerlessness from the lack of a welcoming face or voice. Cooking dinner thinking if  Ye Jin was already home and eating ravenously. At times, he would have these strange thoughts of her sick and it worried him so much. And yes, before going to bed too, he would think about her.

For ten years, his life was like that. It started with the thoughts of her and ended with the thoughts of her again. Two months was shorter, yes. But it felt like his longing was doubled or even quadrupled. Because now, he had better memories of her... Of her loving him. He would imagine how she laid her head on his shoulder comfortably, how she laughed with her crescent moon eyes, and how she whispered his name.

He would certainly yearn for the lingering feeling of their fingers' intertwined together, long for the warmth of their bodies in a tight embrace, and, crave for the ecstasy their lips brought to each other from a deep kiss. He would miss those badly. That even the promise of calls and texts couldn't suffice. 

"Yah! Bin! Don't give me that kind of face! Answer me," Ye Jin said, scolding him for acting unhappy again. As for her, she wanted to look stronger and a little unaffected for she did not want him to look more desolate. 

He sighed and nod a little, "If I could only call you even on the plane, I would do that."

Ye Jin chuckled a little and patted his cheek, "If you can't contact me right away, do not get upset easily. You know that I'm not always on my phone."

"Hey, Ye Jin! That shouldn't be the case. You should try to answer my calls right away. It is immediate and very important."

"Like... asking me if I've already eaten my breakfast, lunch, and, dinner? If what I'm doing during my past hours, or if I'm already asleep? Tch!" 

She rolled her eyes, teasing him. He was been such a clingy boyfriend for the past few days. He never left her side. 

"Knowing what you are doing is very important to me. I won't go easy with you if you miss one of my calls," he warned while pouting. And, she loved it. She loved his childish side.

"Alright, I will," she replied which pacified him somehow. An announcement of departure suddenly came up and Ye Jin glanced at her watch instantly to check.

"Alright. Now, go, so you won't be late," she said earnestly, exerting an effort to conceal the sadness in her voice.

Ye Jin stepped back from him but Hyun Bin caught her again for a tight embrace. He was doing that so many times now that his embrace became home to her. He's her home. She sniffled a tear and then gently tried to loosen his hold. She separated from him at once before she could betray herself.