han jisung, the newly appointed flight attendant at SKZ Airlines, has a fear of heights. what happens when, on his first flight, he is paired with none other than the stern and unyielding captain, lee minho?
posted on ao3 user [aixichn] with the sam...
it was now the fourth day of their stay in japan, and they were supposed to return to korea today. however, the weather conditions forced them to extend their stay.
at seven in the morning, minho was on a call with their airlines, discussing the possible return date to korea. he was frustrated about the delay and expressed his impatience.
"three to two days from now? are those dates just estimates? i wanted us to leave as soon as possible! we should have left on the second day when the rain wasn't so intense!" minho vented his frustration over the phone. while he enjoyed being in japan, he was eager to be back in korea for his mother's birthday.
"sorry, captain, but we can't risk flying in such severe weather conditions. the impending storm is quite strong," the person on the other end explained, trying to appease the agitated captain.
"i understand that. i just want you to make sure of the weather forecast. once there's a chance of lighter rain, we'll head back immediately," minho responded, pinching his temples as he paced around the room.
"copy, sir. we'll inform you as soon as the forecast shows a smaller chance of rain. for now, please be patient and stay safe, captain lee and crew," the airline representative assured.
minho acknowledged the message with a hum before ending the call. he sat down on his bed, placing his phone on the bedside table and clasping his hands together, lost in thought about what he should do.
the early morning call from the airlines had rattled him, and he contemplated whether he should just wait for room service to bring him breakfast. as he looked at the clock, he murmured to himself, "i'll talk to jisung later..." the thought of confronting jisung made him feel nervous, but he knew it was necessary.
while he was lost in thought, his phone chimed, pulling his attention back. he picked up the phone from the table, seeing messages on the lock screen that needed his attention.
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with a sigh, minho decided not to reply to the messages. he stood up from his spot and made his way to the lobby.
-----
when minho arrived at the lobby, he found everyone there except jisung. he approached the group immediately, asking, "where's jisung?"
"he's still asleep in my room. last night, i found him sprawled out on the couch with his phone beside him. he fell asleep while on a call with someone, the person on the other end was even snoring," hyunjin explained with a light chuckle.
a smile tugged at the corners of minho's lips as he imagined how jisung must have looked when hyunjin found him.
"enough about jisung, captain. how about you? are you okay?" jihyo asked, getting straight to the point.
minho's breath hitched. he wanted to tell them what happened, but at the same time, he didn't want to invade jisung's privacy.
sensing his inner struggles, jihyo reassured him, "you don't have to tell us everything, captain. we just want to know if you're okay. if you're not, then you can talk to us about what's bothering you, even if not in full detail." the rest of the group nodded in agreement.
minho felt his heart warm at the comforting words, and he decided to confide in the group, at least a little bit of his problems.
he took a deep breath before starting, "it's just... i'm scared. i don't know how to confront my feelings and end up suppressing them, hurting both people involved."
the group immediately understood the situation, exchanging glances to see if anyone wanted to say something. since no one was volunteering, ryujin decided to speak up, "that's valid, captain, but you shouldn't be afraid of love. you've conquered the challenges that come with being a pilot, so why not the challenges of love?"
"ryujin is right. just go with the flow, captain. i can tell your heart is screaming for him right now, and you should really give it what it wants," yuna added, pointing at minho with a fork as she took a bite of cake.
"i know that now, guys. but still, thanks for all of your insights," minho replied, offering them a small smile.
"so, hyung... will you talk to him now?" hyunjin carefully asked.
"i will, later. hopefully, it goes well," minho replied.
"we're rooting for you, captain lee! minsung will... well, not sail, since we're from the sky, so minsung will fly!" sana exclaimed, her voice brimming with happiness and excitement.
everyone chuckled at her playful remark. "thank you, guys. i appreciate your support," minho said genuinely, his smile different from before, appearing more genuine. the crew members were a bit taken aback by the change, but they didn't comment, offering him words of encouragement instead.
-----
after the heartfelt conversation with the crew in the lobby, minho returned to his hotel room. he knew that jisung would be coming back to the room soon for room service, and he had decided that this would be the right time to have the talk he had been avoiding.
he stood in front of the mirror, meticulously checking his appearance while trying to calm his nerves.
"minho, you can do this," he encouraged himself with a determined nod, even giving an exaggerated thumbs-up to his reflection.
his self-pep talk was interrupted by a soft knock on the door and a voice announcing, "room service."
minho opened the door, allowing the attendant to place the warm food on the table. he thanked them and took a seat, staring at jisung's portion as he waited for the younger to return.
a little while later, the sound of a door opening filled the room, and a tousled-haired jisung entered. he moved slowly, avoiding eye contact with minho and mumbling a raspy "excuse me," indicating he had just woken up. jisung then approached the table, intending to grab his portion of food to take to hyunjin's room.
before he could even pick up the food, minho abruptly stood from his seat, his nerves evident in his tense posture. he addressed Jisung directly, his voice carrying a mix of nervousness and determination.
"jisung, let's talk."
----- ji's notes! sorry it took a little while shdshf i attended a university event earlier and when i got home i wasn't feeling really well. but when i woke up from my nap i found myself bored so i decided to write a chapter.
btw, new story idea: shin ryujin was arranged on a date by her mother, and since she wasn't interested, she made her cousin go—lee minho. meanwhile, jisung's best friend, hyujin, was also arranged on a date, but since he wasn't interested either, he made jisung go.
what happens when two different people who don't know each other go on a date?
