TRACK 20 #2
He nods with a quick jerk of his chin before he stands, navigating around everyone surrounding him and walking out with Dav En's hand on his shoulder.
There seems to be a collective sigh of relief as we all look at each other.
Even though we can all feel it. It won't fully be right until she's back home with us.
Sometimes, I don't understand how time works.
Three weeks have flown by and dragged all at the same time.
I don't know about the rest of my members, but I am a nervous wreck on the flight to Thailand.
We'd had to book it in secret so that we weren't stalked at the airport.
Somehow, we managed not to get spotted anywhere and made it onto the plane without a scene.
Of course, I think a lot of that had to do with the company manager feeling guilty for his part in what's happened and seeing firsthand how it's affected our team.
Once we land, we have our one security guard that we brought with us drop us off at the village so he can go check in at the villa we're staying at and drop off our luggage.
We stand out like a sore thumb the second we get out of the van.
We get curious stares, but no one approaches us at first. We've walked halfway toward the middle when an older woman finally comes up to me speaking Thai.
Unfortunately, I'm not fluent enough to understand her.
I try speaking English, but she shakes her head.
"Elizabeth," I try instead.
Her eyes light up as she motions for us and turns around to start walking.
We get to one of their homes with a net covering the door that she pulls back and ushers us inside.
As soon as I walk in, I know we're in the right place.
It has Lizzy's stamp all over the place.
The neatly made small cot in the corner with the colorful blanket spread across it.
Personal photos on the little table beside it, including the one Kyung gave her for her birthday. It even smells like her in here.
Once we all cram ourselves in her small space, the woman makes a motion with her hands for us to stay and holds up a finger. Kyung takes the seat against the wall, looking at the floor. The rest of us find a place to lean or sit while we wait. Dav En paces by the door like a caged tiger.
We've been waiting for only ten minutes or so when we hear loud voices of children outside.
Through the netting, we can see them as they round the corner into the village.
Towards the back of their group is our Lizzy.
She's carrying one of the smaller ones on her hip and has another one clinging to her back.
The older ones are chasing a ball as she sets the other two down and the rest of them follow behind them.
She smiles fondly at them as she crosses her arms on her chest. It's only a matter of seconds before that smile slips, though.
"Screw this," Dav En says, marching toward the door.
"Stop," I try.
But, it's Kyung's voice that makes him halt. "We shouldn't have come. She looks happy."
Dav En whips around on his best friend like I've never seen him do. "Happy? Stop letting your pain blind you, Kyung. She's not happy. Look at her. I've waited long enough."
He says the last, throwing the net out of the way and jumping the step to the ground. She's already turned to walk away when he barks out her name.
Turning back so fast that I'm surprised she doesn't slip, I can see it when her lips mouth his name before she takes off running.
She jumps into his waiting arms, both of them hugging tight.
He starts walking them back inside, so she wraps her legs around his waist to make it easier.
She's still kissing his cheek as they make it inside and the netting snaps shut behind them.
His hand links behind her neck and pulls her in for a kiss before he presses their foreheads together and sets her on her feet.
As soon as she turns, I'm there. I drop to my knees and start apologizing, explaining everything she heard was just misunderstood. Our girl doesn't let me grovel and barter for peace on the floor by myself. She lowers herself until she's on her knees in front of me.
"Don't apologize, Seong Su," she says while reaching for my hands. "Even if it wasn't misunderstood, you were doing what is best for your team. They come first always."
I nod. "You're right. But you're a part of that team now. Anything we do from here on out, is for us. Yeah?"
She dips her chin in understanding as a few tears slip down her cheeks.
I reach out and brush them away, leaning across the space to press a kiss against her lips.
She stands first, holding out a hand to help me up.
In Se bombards her the second she's on her feet, sweeping her up into a tight hug and kissing all over her face until she's laughing and trying to push him off.
Minsul and Jae-un don't even bother fighting who goes next as they make her the middle of their sandwich hug.
Yoon Ji and Yeon take the longest. Yoon Ji talks her ear off in low murmurs that none of us can understand until she's laughing again.
Yeon just holds her tight the longest without saying a single word.
I have a moment where I think we're going to be okay, and then she turns to find Kyung who still sits staring at the floor.
Her eyes fill with tears again, and she swallows hard as she walks over to him.
I can see her hand shaking as she reaches out to touch his shoulder.
That one small act is what breaks the dam.
His arms link around her waist, pulling her to stand between his legs as he buries his face into her stomach and cries.
She cries with him while running her fingers through his hair and apologizing in whispers.
It chokes me up, and I'm not the only one. When Kyung finally lifts his face, she takes advantage, pressing kisses all over it while drying the wetness on his face.
"I'm never leaving again," she promises.
"I'm holding you to that," he replies hoarsely.
She leans down and kisses him again before he hugs her even tighter. When she turns her head to us, he still hasn't let her go. "I need to pack my things."
"We've got a few days off," I tell her. "So, take your time if you need to finish up some stuff here. We can always go back to the villa and wait if you need us to."
My entire team, her included, looks at me like I've lost my mind, and I start laughing. "Never mind. We're waiting here with you until you're ready to go."
Kyung pulls her across his lap, and the rest of us get comfortable again. He's just opened his mouth to say something when a small boy runs through the netting with a baby on his hip. He's speaking quick Thai, but she stops him before he can get too carried away.
"English," she corrects him.
He stops and thinks for a second. "So, it's true. You are leaving?"
"It is, but I'll be back soon, okay?" she tells him, and I selfishly hope that it's not too soon.
He drops the baby in her lap and runs off, shouting in Thai.
"Wait, take your sister!" she says, raising her voice at his disappearing back.
Her eyes turn back to the baby in her lap. "Well, he'd just hand you off to anybody, huh, pretty girl?"
There's something happening to the functions in my brain, seeing her holding the baby and Kyung holding them both.
What if something you never stopped to consider you'd ever want was sitting right in front of you the whole time?
In Se leans over her shoulder and the baby peers up at him with a grin.
Inconspicuously, I pull out my phone and take a quick picture of them.
I want to capture this feeling and never let it go.
In Se asks to hold her and the baby goes easily, but that's no surprise since he's so good with kids anyway.
"You're working with the kids on their English?" Yeon asks her.
She nods, "Yeah, most of them remember a lot from the last time I was here. I was here a lot longer then."
The baby starts getting fussy, so Dav En steps over to In Se and starts making faces at her as Liz tries to stand. Kyung won't let her go at first until she leans down to kiss him. When she's free, she goes over to In Se and Dav En. I can't stop my grin at the sight of them.
"Is it just me feeling this?" Yeon asks quietly.
"What?" Minsul asks, also watching them. I have a feeling that he already knows what.
Of course, leave it up to Yoon Ji to state the obvious truths. "Liking the way they look holding that baby."
I cut my eyes over to Yeon who does the same to me. Our smiles are the same as we look away. Liz takes the baby from In Se and says she's going to go find her mom and that she'll be right back.
"Lizzy," Yoon Ji calls out before she can leave.
She turns instantly to look at him.
"Will you have our baby?" he asks.
No one laughs at him like usual. Even with all of our eyes on her, she doesn't hesitate for one second. "Someday. Yes."
Like I said, something I didn't know I wanted, answered with two simple words.
So, it would seem that we're only halfway there to fulfilling our dreams. While we reached for the moon with GR8VITY and landed among the stars, we now realize that our universe still needed a sun, and we just so happened to get lucky enough to pull one into our orbit.