Blessing in Disguise

Chapter Five

12/28/2016

The airport was filled with the soft hum of early morning activity, but to Y/N, everything felt distant. He stood alongside Yunjin and her family, a heavy silence hanging in the air. Mrs. Huh was speaking softly to Yunjin's younger brother, trying to soothe his nerves, while Yejin—Rachel—fidgeted beside her sister, her eyes puffy from a night spent crying. Mr. Huh stood nearby, a protective hand resting on his wife's shoulder, his face stoic but the sadness unmistakable in his eyes.

Y/N watched the scene unfold, his heart pounding as he realized how real this was. He glanced at Yunjin, who was standing beside him, her suitcases by her feet. Her expression was calm, but Y/N could see the flicker of emotion in her eyes as she looked at him.

"I guess... this is it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, as if scared to break the stillness of the moment.

Y/N swallowed, glancing down at his hand, where their promise ring rested. His mind flashed back to the moment he gave it to her, just days before. Now it felt like a lifeline, something to hold onto when the distance between them would seem too wide. "You still have it, right?" he asked quietly, his voice unsteady.

Yunjin lifted her hand, showing him the intertwined bands on her finger, one silver and one black. Her fingers brushed over the metal softly, and she gave him a small, bittersweet smile. "Of course. I'll never take it off."

Mrs. Huh approached, her voice gentle but urging. "Jen, sweetheart, it's almost time to go."

Yunjin nodded, then turned to Y/N, her gaze soft but filled with something that made his chest tighten. "I won't be here for New Year's," she whispered, her words laced with a sadness she couldn't quite hide.

Y/N opened his mouth to respond, but his words caught in his throat. Instead, he just nodded, feeling the knot in his chest tighten. "I know."

Yunjin stepped closer, her hand resting on his cheek as she looked into his eyes, her lips curling into a faint smile. "I guess... I owe you something." Before he could process what she meant, she leaned in, pressing her lips softly to his. The kiss was brief, gentle, but it held all the emotions they couldn't put into words. It was their first kiss, and as much as it felt like the world around them was slipping away, it was a quiet promise between them.

When she pulled back, her cheeks were flushed, and she smiled up at him. "That's for when I'm not there at midnight."

Y/N managed a smile, his heart racing as he stared at her. "I'll hold onto it."

Mr. Huh cleared his throat gently, and Yunjin turned toward her family. Her parents stepped forward, exchanging quiet words of reassurance, and Rachel wrapped her arms around her sister in a tight hug, her tears finally spilling over again.

As Yunjin turned back to Y/N, her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "I'll come back, Y/N. When we've both made it."

Y/N nodded, his throat too tight to speak, his hand brushing over his own ring. "We'll both make it," he whispered, though it felt like the words were too small for the moment.

With a final glance at him, Yunjin picked up her suitcase, her family close by as they made their way toward the gate. Y/N stood frozen, watching her as she walked away, the distance between them growing with each step.

She didn't look back, and Y/N understood why. If she did, neither of them would be able to go through with it.

As she disappeared into the crowd, Y/N's hand rested on the ring, the metal cool against his skin. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, the ache of her absence settling in like a heavy weight.

The promise felt stronger now than it ever had, but so did the distance.

Yunjin

Yunjin sat in her seat by the plane window, staring at the dark sky outside. The hum of the engines filled the cabin, and though the passengers around her were mostly quiet, the noise inside her head was anything but. She rested her forehead against the cool glass, watching the world below fade away as they climbed higher into the clouds.

Her chest felt heavy, a knot twisting tighter with each mile they flew away from home—away from Y/N, her family, everything she knew. It wasn't supposed to feel this hard. She had spent years dreaming about this moment, imagining the day she'd finally take this flight to Seoul, ready to chase her dream of becoming an idol. But in all those dreams, she hadn't counted on this raw, aching sadness gnawing at her.

She let out a shaky breath, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of the promise ring on her finger. The silver and black bands seemed to glisten in the dim cabin light, a constant reminder of what she'd left behind. Y/N's face flashed in her mind—his smile, the way his eyes had looked at her when he slipped the ring onto her finger, the way he kissed her before she left.

Her heart clenched, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She bit her lip, refusing to let them fall. She needed to stay strong. Y/N had been so steady, so sure when they said goodbye, but she could feel the cracks in herself now that she was alone.

But she couldn't let herself fall apart. Not here. Not now.

She shifted in her seat, closing her eyes as she leaned back, trying to find the optimism she usually carried with her. This was her dream—the start of everything she had ever wanted. The excitement was still there, somewhere underneath the sadness, pulsing faintly. She was going to be a trainee, and she would work as hard as it took to make it. She could already picture the lights, the stage, the way her voice would carry through the speakers as she sang her heart out.

But no one told her how much it would hurt to leave everyone behind to make it happen. She thought of her parents, her mom's gentle hug at the gate, her dad's strong hand on her shoulder, telling her they believed in her. Rachel, who had held on so tight at the airport, as if begging her not to leave. And her brother—her little brother, whose eyes had brimmed with tears even though he tried to hide it.

Her chest ached, and the tears she'd held back started to spill, one by one, silently streaming down her cheeks.

It wasn't that she didn't want this. She did—more than anything. But she hadn't realized how much she was giving up in the process.

She wiped the tears quickly, her fingers returning to the ring. She stared at it, as if it held the strength she needed to get through this moment. It was Y/N's promise to her, and hers to him. A promise that they'd come back to each other after chasing their dreams. It felt impossible now, like it would take forever for them to reach that point. But the ring reminded her that they had something to hold onto.

Her hand closed around the ring tightly, grounding herself in that thought. She would make it. She had to. For herself. For Y/N. For the future they both believed in.

Hours passed, and as the plane neared Seoul, the city lights began to sparkle below her. The sight filled her with a new wave of emotion—excitement mingled with the lingering sadness. This was the beginning of something huge, something life-changing.

But as she stared out over the city, the tears still clung to her lashes, her heart torn between the dream in front of her and the life she'd left behind.

With a deep breath, Yunjin whispered to herself, "We'll make it." The words were meant to reassure her, a quiet promise to herself and to Y/N, even if the road ahead felt harder than she imagined.

As the plane descended, she watched the lights of Seoul grow brighter, and despite everything, she felt a flicker of hope deep inside her. It wasn't going to be easy—but nothing worth having ever was.

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I apologize for not uploading this chapter, I completely missed it on my personal drafts, and it messed up the order in my google docs that I wrote this on.😭