Homme Fatale | KSJ | ✓

Faster

Han Jaehwa impatiently kept tapping her fingers on the seat as she urged the taxi cab driver to move faster.

"Can you speed up a little bit, Ahjussi? I need to reach the airport before 12:15."

"I'm trying Miss, but the traffic is crowded today. There was some program going on in the stadium nearby and everyone's leaving." The driver at the wheels explained kindly. Jaehwa leaned back against her seat, checking the time on her wristwatch. It was already midnight sharp and if she couldn't make it to the airport in about 15 minutes, she would miss her chance. 

The tapping on the seat became faster and more impatient as the time passed. The driver on the wheels was a kind old man who seemed to understand her desperation. He tried to speed up as much as he could, weaving carefully through the tremendous traffic. She eyed the wristwatch as the minute hand inched closer to 1 indicating five minutes had passed since the clock struck 12.

"Who are you trying to reach?" The driver asked. He might have already guessed from her lack of proper luggage that she was not the one who was leaving. Jaehwa's fidgeting fingers froze as his question sank in. Who was he?

"Someone important to me." She replied eventually and the driver nodded his head, content with her reply. He swerved, narrowly avoiding a car as he sped up the cab and she hung on.

Her anxiety was reaching its peak and she felt as if she'd burst. It was stressful. She was still looking at the minute hand and eight minutes had passed. Faster, faster. She mentally urged the taxi to move faster as if that would help with the traffic. Briefly, the driver glanced at her and spotted a stain of red on her hand. He frowned. "Miss, I think you're bleeding."

Jaehwa looked at her hand and sure enough, she was bleeding. When Sahan had thrown his glass, one of the pieces that scattered had grazed her arm. She looked around to find a napkin and when she found the box, she took it out and pressed it against her arm. It wasn't a huge cut but for some odd reason, it was beginning to hurt. Maybe it was the anxiety inside of her that made it worse.

Jaehwa anxiously looked back at her watch. It was almost 12:13 now. Two minutes before his flight left from the airport for France. She informed the driver about the time and he tried to speed up but the traffic wasn't moving. The lanes were so crowded that there was only so much the kind driver could do. Jaehwa contemplated getting out of the car and making a run for it but decided against it. She would never reach there in time if she were to run. Her best option was to sit patiently in the car. But there was only so much patience she could have when the time was ticking. Please, just move a little faster!

She desperately watched the vehicles before them, trying to send her telepathic message to the drivers to move quickly or just get out of the way but it didn't work. Time was passing. There was only one minute left.

There was not much she could do except pray to God that his flight had gotten delayed. Or else...

He would leave. She would never meet him again.

Jaehwa shook her head. No. It's not going to happen. She tried to convince herself as the minute hand slowly inched closer to 3. She will reach there in time. Just a little bit more. A little bit more.

The car pulled into the international airport and quickly paying the cab driver his fare, who in return gave her an encouraging smile, Jaehwa rushed into the airport. Frantically, she looked around, trying to get a glimpse of his jet black hair or that tall lean form. There was no such luck. The airport was so vast that even if he were there, she would miss him. What do I do?

She quickly spotted the departure board nearby and ran up to it. Her narrowed eyes examined the time, searching for the flight that left for 12:15. Maybe it will show her which gate he took to get to the flight. However as her eyes found the flight she was looking for, her breath hitched and she froze staring up at the giant departure board.