Life in Switzerland

Crash Landing on You

A short one shot, inspired by a paragliding incident I witnessed a few months ago 😅😱 (it ended well 😌)

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Ri Jeong Hyeok was not actually scared of heights. 

Not really. 

Let's just say he would rather have both of his feet on the ground, all the time, as much as possible. Of course, as a former soldier, he had undergone air training, with brio and, unseen from his hierarchy, a lot of sweat and retching. The Air Force was not for him, which made him opt for serving his country on the ground.

He could fight hand-to-hand against ten gunmen while being wounded, sleep in the mud and cold for days, crawl through a collapsing tunnel for hours to save the woman he loved, but skydiving or paragliding, no. Never. 

He had done it during his military training, and then only one single time, because Seri was in danger, Cho Cheol Gang and his troops were coming and it was the only way to escape. He still wondered how he had managed to jump, without even being properly harnessed, his only safety being the strength of his grip on her. He would do it again, no doubt, because saving Seri, ensuring her safety, had always been and always would be his priority. 

Getting on a plane was not a problem, not really. Not to mention that besides when he was a student, the few times he took a plane were to go to Switzerland and be with Seri. He even would have piloted the plane himself if it meant being with her.

But he was fine on the ground, human beings were meant to be on the ground anyway, they weren't birds, and he didn't see the point in defying nature.

Except Seri didn't see it that way.

"There is too much wind..." he said worryingly. 

"The wind is perfect, Ri Jeong Hyeokssi... And I need wind to fly..." 

"What if there is a storm?"

"We checked the weather forecast..." 

"What if there is a tornado?" 

Seri raised her head and stared at him. She would have laughed if he didn't look so worried.

"A tornado in Switzerland?" she asked skeptically, reporting her attention to the gloves she was putting on. 

"It happened in France two months ago!" he argued, eyeing the sky with obvious concern.

Seri followed his gaze, noting how clear the sky was in this early morning. It was the first time she was about to paraglide since they finally settled in their house, together. They now had a place of their own, their home, an improbable dream come true. Before that, she usually went paragliding when she was alone. They only had two weeks a year, and there was no way she was spending one single minute up in the air, away from him. 

"If there is a tornado, then I'll crash land on someone..." she said, matter of factly.

She felt his dumbfounded eyes on her and had to hold back a smile.

"It's not funny..."

"Maybe I'll crashland on some german soldier, a big and strong and handsome man..."

He almost choked, his cheeks flushing with annoyance.

"Or maybe I'll land on a sweet French hiker..." she added, now checking her paraglide and trying hard not to look at him. 

"Seri..."he growled, narrowing his eyes at her.

She giggled and carried on.

" Or maybe on an Italian model, we're not that far away from Milan, with a strong tornado, it could happen... "