Kyrah and Seo Jun arrived at Incheon International Airport early in the morning.
She stood at the entrance for a moment, staring at the familiar surroundings. This was it.
Goodbye, Korea.
Goodbye to her youth.
Goodbye to the memories she had spent so much time trying to forget and the few good ones she wished she could keep forever.
She took a deep breath and looked down at her stomach, resting one hand over it.
"Ready?" Seo Jun asked.
Kyrah turned toward him.
She smiled, but there was something uncertain behind it.
"Yes."
At least she wanted to believe she was.
Her biggest problem had always been trusting people too easily. Jinyoung had been her friend for years before he became the person who hurt her the most. She had trusted him with her heart, her secrets and eventually her future, only to discover that the person she thought she knew could turn his back on her without a second thought.
So she wasn't going to make the same mistake with Seo Jun.
She trusted herself now.
More than anyone else.
Enough to take a chance on a new country, a new career and a completely different life for herself and her baby.
The only person she knew she would genuinely miss was Linda.
But Linda wasn't going anywhere. They talked almost every day anyway, and Kyrah knew their friendship would survive a few thousand miles between them.
Her father?
No.
She wasn't going to miss him.
Not after everything.
Her landlord had shown her more concern than her own father had throughout her entire life. He complained about her rent, complained about everything under the sun, and had threatened her with eviction more times than she could count, yet when she was struggling, he never actually put her out.
Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness came from people who weren't obligated to care.
"Kyrah."
Seo Jun's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
She looked up.
"Yes?"
"Let's check in your bags before you start getting lost in your head again."
She smiled.
"Was I that obvious?"
"Very."
He reached for the handle of her suitcase.
"I can carry that."
"I know."
"Then why are you carrying it?"
"Because you shouldn't be."
Kyrah stared at him for a second.
Seo Jun had already started walking.
She hurried after him.
"You know, you don't have to do everything for me."
"I know."
"Then why do you?"
He glanced at her.
"Because I want to."
That answer left her with nothing to say.
They reached the check-in counter, where a staff member greeted them and requested their passports and identification.
"Here you go," Kyrah said, handing over her documents with a polite smile.
The staff member checked them before handing them back.
"Thank you. You can proceed to the business-class lounge."
Kyrah froze.
"Sorry?"
The staff member smiled.
"The business-class lounge."
Kyrah turned slowly toward Seo Jun.
He looked completely unbothered.
"Business class?"
"Yes."
"You booked business-class tickets?"
"Apparently."
"Seo Jun!"
He laughed.
"What?"
"That's expensive!"
"It's fine."
"No, it isn't. I can't just let you spend that much money on me."
"I didn't."
Kyrah narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Come on."
He gently took her suitcase again and continued walking.
Kyrah followed, still suspicious.
When they entered the lounge, she stopped in her tracks.
She had never been inside anything like it.
There were comfortable sofas, charging stations, large windows overlooking the airport and a buffet filled with food she had only ever seen in hotel advertisements.
She looked at Seo Jun.
"You seriously expect me to believe this is normal?"
He sat down.
"It's an airport lounge."
"For people who fly business class!"
"Exactly."
She sat beside him, still unconvinced.
"I'd be imposing heavily."
"You're not."
"But—"
"Kyrah."
She looked at him.
"Don't worry about it. It's free."
"Free?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I travel a lot for work. The company covers my flights, and I have enough flight hours to qualify for business class."
Kyrah nodded slowly.
"Wow. Your company must really take care of its employees."
Seo Jun smiled.
"Something like that."
It was a convenient explanation.
The truth was that Seo Jun rarely needed commercial flights at all. His family had access to a private jet, and his position as the head of Jun Chao Group meant he could travel however he wanted.
But he knew Kyrah well enough by now to understand that telling her any of that would only make her uncomfortable.
She wasn't someone who enjoyed feeling indebted to people.
So he let her believe the simpler version.
Before she could ask another question, Seo Jun pointed toward the buffet.
"Look."
Kyrah followed his gaze.
"There are strawberries."
Her eyes immediately lit up.
"And chocolate cake."
"Let's get some."
"You really know how to distract me."
"It seems to work."
They walked toward the buffet together.
Kyrah picked up a plate and began choosing her food.
Seo Jun stood beside her.
"You're getting that?"
"Yes."
"You like it?"
"Obviously."
He picked up the same dish.
Kyrah looked at him.
"You like that too?"
"I guess we have similar taste."
"Maybe."
They continued choosing their food until they returned to their seats.
Kyrah noticed that almost everything on Seo Jun's plate was also on hers.
She laughed.
"We really do have the same taste."
"I told you."
They ate while talking about random things. Nothing important. Nothing heavy. She could simply sit there and enjoy breakfast.
Then the announcement came through the speakers.
"Flight A05B6 to Hong Kong is now ready for boarding."
Kyrah immediately looked up.
"That's us."
She quickly grabbed the last piece of strawberry chocolate cake from her plate and stuffed it into her mouth.
Seo Jun watched her cheeks puff up as she chewed.
She swallowed and smiled.
"That was good."
Then she did a tiny dance in her seat without even realizing he was watching.
Seo Jun turned his face away, but not before the corners of his mouth lifted.
"What's so funny?" Kyrah asked.
"Nothing."
"You were laughing."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
He stood up and picked up their hand luggage.
"Come on before they leave us behind."
Kyrah followed him, still smiling.
They made their way to the boarding gate and soon took their seats on the plane.
As Kyrah settled into her business-class seat, she looked around in amazement.
She touched the armrest.
Then the screen.
Then adjusted her seat.
Seo Jun glanced at her.
"First time?"
"Obviously."
"You look like you're about to take a picture of everything."
"I should."
"Go ahead."
Kyrah pulled out her phone and took a quick picture.
"This is going to be my first business-class experience."
"Then you should enjoy it."
She looked at him.
"You really are strange."
"How?"
"You make expensive things sound ordinary."
Seo Jun smiled.
"You'll get used to it."
Kyrah shook her head.
"I don't think I ever will."
The plane eventually began moving toward the runway.
Kyrah looked out the window.
Seoul slowly disappeared beneath the clouds.
She watched until she could no longer make out the familiar streets below.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
She brushed it away quickly.
She wasn't crying because she was sad.
She wasn't mourning the life she was leaving behind.
She was happy.
For the first time in years, she felt like she was moving toward something instead of running away from something.
She placed her hand over her stomach.
"I'll work hard for you, baby," she whispered.
Her eyes filled with more tears.
"But I'm going to work hard for myself too."
She leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes.
This was a new beginning.
Not a perfect one.
Not an easy one.
But hers.
Hours later, the captain announced their arrival in Hong Kong.
Kyrah opened her eyes and looked through the window.
The city appeared beneath them, enormous and unfamiliar, its buildings rising toward the sky and lights stretching farther than she could see.
She sat upright.
"Wow."
Seo Jun looked at her reaction and smiled.
"Welcome to Hong Kong."
When the plane finally landed at Hong Kong International Airport, Kyrah unbuckled her seat belt and stared ahead.
She had spent so long wondering what her future would look like.
Now she was standing at the beginning of it.
She picked up her handbag, placed one hand over her stomach and followed Seo Jun off the plane.
For the first time in a long time, Kyrah wasn't looking back.