High on You (Choi Do Il x Oh In Joo - Little Women 작은 아씨들)

5

34 DAYS UNTIL THE GRAND GALA BALL

Incheon International Airport was its own city inside Seoul, and getting lost in it required zero effort, especially for someone like In-joo, who had absolutely no sense of direction.
"Sorry, sir, do you know where I'm supposed to head in order to pick up travelers?"
"The waiting area is just a little further down that corridor, keep going straight, you'll get there in a couple of minutes."
"Thank you!"
The old man nodded his head and signaled for her to go. In-joo started jogging, and soon enough she found herself in the waiting area. There were only 30 minutes left until In-kyung's flight would touch Korean ground, and to say she was happy to see her sister would have been a lie. She was ecstatic, euphoric, enthusiastic, and any other related adjective.
Only one thing was starting to nag her: her clothes. It was the end of April, and even if the mornings were still kinda chilly, the afternoons were becoming rather hot. Therefore, her morning outfits, which consisted of a light coat, a long-sleeved shirt, and a knee-high skirt, weren't exactly afternoon-friendly. She sat on one of the available chairs, and she was starting to take her coat off when someone announced that flight KE021 had arrived earlier than expected and was to be expected to land in 20 minutes, rather than what had previously been stated. The news made In-joo all the more excited to see her sister. Would she have changed a lot? Sure, they had been seeing each other through their cameras at least once a week, but screens deceived. Would it feel like it once did between them? Would they be able to go back to their usual chit-chat, or would they need some time to get acquainted again? To get used to each other's presence again? She rummaged through her bag and took out her phone to pass the time. There were two text notifications that she hadn't heard coming in.

From: In-hye

Unni! Today I'm crossing the border into China. Hyo-ryn needs to attend some kind of philanthropic meeting. I'm not going to be able to talk, at least not today. Hear from you soon!

She sent her a text back, saying not to worry about her and to have fun while there. She also told her that In-kyung was arriving today, in case she had forgotten. The other text message was from an unknown number, and it had arrived only a couple of seconds before.

From: unknown

Sorry for everything.

In-joo frowned and read the message one more time. She had no idea whose number that was, and she couldn't think of anyone who had to excuse themselves 'for everything'. A mother – running after her runaway child – rushed past her, toppling her bag from her legs, where she had balanced it. When she managed to catch the little boy, a scolding was the least that could happen, "Kim Do-il! How many times have I told you to not get away from my side while we're here!" Her heart sank when she heard the name. What were the chances? In-joo found herself speaking out loud, "Could it be?" she wondered. She lowered her hands and put her phone back in the bag. She didn't want to contemplate the thought. If it was indeed who she thought it was... How did he get her number? But most importantly... why now? In-joo shook her head and looked at her wristwatch. It was almost time, so she got up, her coat in her arms, and a little white cardboard that said "In-kyung, Jong-ho, welcome back!" in her right hand. She stood in front of the sliding doors, waiting for her family.

***

People started flooding the waiting room, and In-joo couldn't discern face from face. She had no idea where the couple was. Suddenly, though, a screeching sound came out of nowhere, and she knew that was her cue to stay alert for her sister. In-joo had heard her, but she hadn't seen her standing just a few feet away from her right side, arms down the length of her body, her left hand holding the right one of her man.
"In-joo-ah!" screamed In-kyung. Jong-ho at her side had the biggest smile ever witnessed on earth. In-joo turned around, her coat making a wide semicircle around her, clearing the space from other people.
"In-kyung-ah!" responded the girl, and started running toward her sister, who at the sight forgot everything she was carrying: her bag, her hand luggage, and if it hadn't been for Jong-ho's acute reflexes, she'd have let go of the cat's carrier as well. He took it from her hands, and the two sisters collided in the middle of the waiting area.
"Oh, goodness gracious, In-kyung-ah I missed you so much," uttered In-joo in her sister's neck. Her grip was deadly, her arms had flown around her sibling's shoulders, and she wasn't about to let her go anytime soon.
"Unni, I can't believe you're really here," In-kyung was crying, that much hadn't changed. Every time something remotely emotional happened, her sister would cry. In-joo raised her head to meet her sister's eyes while she said, "And I can't believe it either! You were gone for five years, In-kyung-ah!" She sounded somewhat mad, but all the girl was feeling at that moment was relief. She had never left her home country, but 'home' had left her, and now they were together again. In-joo didn't blame either of her sisters; on the contrary – she was happy for them to have found a way to cope with the situation, but either way, she had been alone, left to fend for herself in her most vulnerable period, and that somewhat made her stomach ache. But In-kyung was there now, and that was all that mattered to In-joo, who was also crying now, as was Jong-ho.
They all looked at one another, hugs were released in the end, and In-joo beamed, "Let's go home."