━━THE FLIGHT FROM guangzhou to seoul was smooth, but that didn't help calm the storm brewing in daiyu's stomach. even as the plane glided through the air, the young teen could not help but grip the seat's armrest as uncertainty clawed at her lower stomach.
the chinese-korean's seat was crammed in the back, a single seat with little to no ventilation. her legs, hidden away under a pair of baggy sweats, were cramped between the small space between her seat and the one in front of her. at least she had a window to look out of, she reminded herself repeatedly. it wasn't much, but at the very least it provided a small bit of distraction from her jittery fingers and helplessly distraught appearance.
daiyu was anxious, picking at the skin around her fingernails, fiddling with the sleeves of her sweater. she was beginning to regret ever booking this flight in secrecy. her father would surely be worried endlessly over the safety of his one and only daughter as soon as he got home from work to find an empty house.
hopefully he didn't get too angry when he read the note she left. otherwise she'd be done for real this time.
clutching her backpack filled with just enough money and clothes to last her the 2 weeks she planned to stay, the teen gently lifted the small, torn up piece of paper out of her bag.
i want to meet my daughter. to tell her why i did what i did. please give me the chance to make up for my cowardice. i left my address down below, if you ever decide to give me the privilege to apologize face to face.
—best wishes,
[——————]
the last part of the note seemed to be heavily scribbled off, as in anger. the drawn over words were dainty and gentle, as though pondered for minutes before being written down in paper. daiyu never expected a single torn up letter to have her on a 2 hour flight from china to korea. but here she was, making what was probably the biggest mistake of her life.
stuffing the yellowish paper back into her backpack, daiyu slouched in her seat and closed her eyes, hoping to catch some sleep. no matter how nervous she was, she could always take a nap.
━━WHEN DAIYU AWOKE, her neck ached from sleeping upright, a mark on her face from where it had been pressed against the cool window. giving a yawn, the chinese-korean girl took notice of the people exiting the plane. in surprise, she quickly unplugged her phone from the charging port and yanked the cable into her bag, gasping as the screen flashed on and a flood of missed calls and unread messages appeared on her notification center. hoisting the heavy luggage on her back, daiyu got up from her seat.
cursing lowly, she turned off the 'do not disturb' button, which she had forgotten to do earlier before she took a nap. her legs ached from the slight, and it took a while for her to walk without feeling like her muscles were tearing.
weaving through the hoards of people on their way out, daiyu put her earbuds on and blasted music to drown out the loud talking from other passerby. their words were faintly familiar, and she understood a few phrases here and there, but for the most part the conversation was far too rapid for her to keep up with. instead, she tuned them out, like she usually did.
the airport, as always, was crowded. people were walking every which way, towards one of multiple directions that daiyu had no clue as to where they led.
luckily, a large sign in different languages labeled 'exit' caught her eye, and she hurried over. as soon as she found a place to sit once she was outside, she called her father. at least now, there was no way he could possibly kill her when she was in a different country.
