THE SEER OF SOULS // KIM NAMJOON

CHAPTER 14 - ONBOARD

    As the flight reached cruising altitude, Namjoon tried to settle in comfortably in his Business class seat. His eyes traveled and landed on Ha Yun in the seat across the aisle and decided to become her observer.

    She was writing and looked deep in thought. Her eyebrows wrinkled as she was trying to concentrate on something. Then, maybe after losing her train of thoughts she looked upwards and stared out of the window.

    He wondered what she was looking at outside the window when she suddenly had a moment of epiphany as if she found the answer to a question she was pondering about. He wondered what was written on the cloud outside to enable her to come to an answer. He stretched out his neck to peer out of her window.

    Then, she continued writing in her notebook whatever answer she had just found. He saw her smiling happily at her success and became more relaxed as if she had found the answer to the world's most complex problem. He found himself smiling too and couldn't help wondering what she just found.

"What are you writing about?"

    She was surprised at his voice interrupting her while she was still basking in her success. Her lips still maintain that triumphant smile.

"Now, I am really curious as to what you are writing?"

    He leaned out from his seat towards her to catch a glimpse of her notebook. She quickly closed her notebook and hid it away from him.

    Then, she smiled her mischievous smile and wiggled her index finger to signal that peeking at her book was not an appropriate thing to do.

"Mianheyo, Namjoon-sshi. This book contains the secret of the world. Not just anyone can read it."

    Then, she looked around quietly to make sure no one else was looking. She signalled him to lean closer so she could whisper something. He leaned away from his seat towards her and angled his ear to listen.

"If you read it without my permission, I have to make you disappear." she whispered.

    He jerked back to his seat and looked in surprised at her. He was sure, his heart skipped a beat. But whether it was due to her threat or her low voice and warm breath against his ears , he was not sure.

Then, he heard her giggled and knew he had been had. He stared at her in frustration.

"Mianheyo, you are so gullible. I couldn't help but tease you." She still had not stopped chuckling and he found her laugh infectious. He began to chuckle softly too.

"Since you made me laugh, I will let you in one small secret. Well, it is not actually a secret but many people don't realise it."

    She tried to compensate for his hurt pride and he leaned in again to listen. He started to like this banter of push and pull between himself and her.

"Do you want to know the solution to the world's most wicked problem?"

She began to tease his curiosity again and he was drawn in like a moth to the flame.

"You mean problems like world hunger, pollution, racism and war? She nodded.

"Those are complex problems. Surely they require complex solutions."

He guessed but she shook her head.

"Sometimes complex problems need a simple solution."

"............."

She intentionally delayed giving him the answer as she smiled in amusement looking at him.

He let a frustrated breath out.