Passion and Power

Chapter 79

It was well past midnight before the crew and their beleaguered pilot began a trip towards the runway. Their mood had changed from excited joy to exhaustion and grim determination.

The Seoul PD had stopped their flight because Minji was wanted for questioning. There was no warrant for her arrest, but when her name went through border control as preparing to leave the country, her status as a potential witness or person of interest caused the police to stop the flight.

Once they realized the situation, Karina's immediate reaction was that they should just go. Fly away and deal with the consequences later. She hated that Minji was being put through this, and it was interfering with her wedding plans, and Karina felt she had the power to leave it all behind. Minji had talked her into her senses, reminding her what that would mean for her pilot's license, not to mention authorities would likely be waiting for them when they landed in Japan anyway.

Once Karina stood down, Minji began making calls. Within the hour she had a full team of her best lawyers on their way. On their advice she agreed to disembark and go on record with the police. She was infuriated at the situation, but she knew the best way to move forward would be to cooperate.

Not knowing how long it would take, Minji gave them all the option of deplaning and going to a nearby hotel to rest, however, they were all determined to wait as long as it took, or until it became clear that they were not flying that day. Or night.

Danielle went to Rei, who had moved to the back of the plane to zone out with her music. Danielle had really enjoyed getting to know Rei, but this is the first time they would spend so much time on their own. She was surprised to realize how strongly her mothering instincts were hitting her since she was essentially Rei's guardian during their travel. When she first began spending time with Haerin, Danielle noticed she was always careful not to include Rei. Without talking about it Danielle understood she was being careful to protect her daughter, not wanting her to get attached to Danielle at the early stages of their relationship, not knowing where things would lead.

One night she called to cancel plans with Danielle when Rei's sitter fell through. Danielle tried not to feel disappointed but had really been looking forward to seeing Haerin. Danielle knew she was falling for her, and the next time they spent time together Danielle asked if Haerin would consider introducing her to Rei in the near future. She told Haerin she wanted to be a bigger part of her life, and that she wasn't going anywhere. Danielle could tell that it meant a lot to Haerin that she had asked and said she would talk to Rei.

Rei was excited and nervous to meet the person that she could tell was making her mom happy. Haerin was anxious once they finally made plans, and then got over her fears very quickly after seeing Danielle and Rei together. She could see the genuine interest and care in Danielle's treatment of her daughter, and Rei took to Danielle immediately. As she spent more time with Haerin, falling in love with her and spending time with Rei, it was all happening very naturally. Seeing Haerin as a mother only made Danielle fall faster and harder. It also made her realize how much she wanted children.

"Are you sure you're OK hanging out here? We can go together to a hotel and come back if we get permission to go." Danielle asked Rei when she took off her headset.

"Nah, this plane is awesome! Nicer than a hotel." Rei grinned.

"Some people can get a bit claustrophobic on planes. And we'll have a long trip ahead if we ever get going."

"I'm fine, Danielle, promise. Mom and I went to Australia a few years ago and that was an 18 hour flight!"

"OK, OK. It's just that this is turning into more of an odyssey than any of us expected. And I know you've never traveled like this without your mom. Promise you'll tell me if you need anything, or you're getting worried?"