26. Waiting
WAITING
JIN — LONDON/AIR
The text exchange with Sang-hoon replayed in my head for what had to be the hundredth time. He was coming to New York. I would see him soon.
I lay staring at the ceiling for another minute, trying to convince myself to go back to sleep. It lasted about ten seconds.
I threw on a sweatshirt, slipped into the hallway, and practically jogged to Haneul’s room. He answered the door wearing sweatpants and the expression of someone who was contemplating murder.
“Do you know what time it is?”
“I had to tell somebody. He’s coming back! Sang-hoon!”
He smiled. “You’re impossible, you know? But I’ve never seen you like this, so happy.”
“I know.”
He studied me for a moment, then shook his head. “I worried about you after Cannes.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re happy, and I’m happy for you.” Then he paused. “But don’t let it distract you. We have three big concerts, New York, S?o Paulo and then Seoul. You’ve got to be your very best or we’ll start to lose fans, and then…”
“I know.”
He searched my face as though making sure I really meant it. Then he nodded. “Good.”
I started toward the door, and he said, “Don’t wake up anybody else. Idols need their sleep.”
I laughed. “If I stay in my room, I’ll climb the walls. I’m heading to the gym.”
This early on a Saturday morning, only two businessmen occupied treadmills near the windows. Neither of them seemed to recognize me, which was excellent.
Normally exercise emptied my mind. This morning it only made room for more thoughts. I had no idea how long the flight from Seoul took.
I only knew that every minute brought him closer.
For the first time in days, the tightness in my chest had nothing to do with fear.
By noon, everyone had assembled in the lobby. Suitcases disappeared onto luggage carts.
Jason spoke quietly with the advance security team while Sun-hee-noona checked names against a clipboard one last time. Outside, a handful of fans already waited behind temporary barriers, waving banners.
As we climbed aboard the coaches, I caught Haneul’s eye.
He smiled almost imperceptibly.
Still grinning? his expression seemed to ask.
I wasn’t just grinning. I was finally going somewhere I wanted to be. Every mile that the bus drove on the way to Farnborough, the private airport outside London, was a mile that brought me closer to Sang-hoon.
The BBJ waited on a private apron, gleaming white beneath a cloudless sky. Its polished fuselage reflected the noonday sun so brightly I had to squint.
Even after years of touring, there was something thrilling about walking directly across the tarmac instead of through crowded terminals. No boarding announcements. No security lines. Just our crew, the flight attendants, and the stairs leading into the aircraft.
“Welcome aboard,” the captain said from the doorway.
Within twenty minutes we were airborne.
England disappeared beneath a blanket of clouds, and then there was only ocean.
Most of the flight passed the way long flights always did. Movies, naps, card games and too much food.
I drifted between sleep and wakefulness, imagining the moment I’d see Sang-hoon again. Would he meet us at the hotel? If we were in public, would he pretend we were only colleagues? Would we have even a minute alone?
The questions chased one another through my dreams.
A gentle chime sounded overhead. The captain’s voice filled the cabin.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll begin our descent shortly into Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, United States. Cabin crew, please prepare the cabin for landing.”
“Teterboro?” Woo frowned. “I thought we were flying to New York.”
“So did I,” Tae said, looking around. “Did we get diverted?”
Aidan smiled from across the aisle. “No. Teterboro’s where all the private jets go.”
“New Jersey?” Haneul sounded skeptical. “Then how are we getting to New York?”
Liam chuckled. “Trust me. Jersey gets a bad rap, but it’s practically next door. Aidan and I both grew up there.”
“We didn’t know each other,” Aidan added. “Different towns, different lives. But from Teterboro, you’re only a short drive through the Lincoln Tunnel. You’ll be in Manhattan before you know it.”
I looked out the window as the first patches of land appeared beneath the wing.
Somewhere ahead was New York. And I would see Sang-hoon again.