Work Text:
January 08, 2026
Travelling was a luxurious pastime that I often indulge in. It’s fun, really. But more than that, I personally enjoy watching co-passengers at the airport and on the plane. Some of them are travelling to reunite with friends and family, some with lovers. Some of them are bouncing in excitement because it was their first day flying on a plane and visiting another country.
It was a wonderful sight to see—their wide smiles and loud laughs as they plan throughout the duration of their trip. It was also nice to hear how they want to spend their days with their friends and family, excitedly telling whoever they were visiting that they were going to certain tourist attractions and try exotic food.
But of course, among the excited passengers, there are others who seem like they were born on the wrong side of the operating table. Sometimes it takes an unfortunate encounter to ruin someone’s whole trip. But after what I witnessed today, maybe having an unfortunate encounter with a demanding passenger was just the kind of push some people needed in order to find that certain spark within them again.
Hi, my name is Aeri, and today I witnessed the most beautiful organic encounter during my flight to Japan.
🛫🛫🛫
Baekhyun sighed as he finally found his seat in the fully booked plane—16C. The seat near the exit doors with lots of legroom and for someone who hates small spaces, it was perfect for him.
That all went down the drain in an instant.
“Excuse me, can you switch seats with me?” a shrill, haughty voice sounded from right above his head.
“I’m sorry?” Baekhyun tilted his head in confusion. He was sure that he got the right seat and he even paid for it, selecting the specific seat for his needs.
The woman with long black hair, red tipped nails, and eyelashes so thick and long they reminded Baekhyun of a beautiful horse (can she even see through bushiness?), rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed that she had to repeat herself.
“I said, switch seats with me.” she demanded louder, speaking slowly like Baekhyun was dumb and deaf.
“But this is my seat. I paid for it.” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, challenging her.
The woman huffed and opened her mouth to retort until a guy behind her started speaking,
“I’m sorry, sir.” he said before turning to the woman,
“It’s okay, Sierra, it’s just a two-hour flight, and it’s only two rows—”
“No! You’re sitting next to me. Either you move your seat next to mine or he does, and personally, I don’t want to sit next to someone with a screaming baby.” she said with so much disgust and her shrill voice made a baby already on board cry louder.
“Can you just settle something quick so we can get to our seats? You’re holding up the line!” yelled angrily by another woman two passengers back after the guy with her.
“Look, can you just switch? I want to sit next to my boyfriend and his seat is next to yours.” said the woman rudely.
Baekhyun was about to answer when a flight attendant finally came to their aid,
“Is there a problem here?”
Again, Baekhyun was going to answer but he was cut off by the banshee wannabe.
“Yes, this man won’t switch with me. I have to sit next to my boyfriend. He gets anxiety from flying and he wants me next to him.”
She even made a show to hold the guy’s hand and from Baekhyun’s perspective, it looked more like she was taking him hostage. She plastered a fake smile at the flight attendant before turning towards Baekhyun.
“Sorry sir, may I see your boarding pass?” the flight attendant asked nicely.
“It’s 16C. I paid extra to reserve this seat.” Baekhyun said, showing her the boarding pass. He didn’t miss how the woman rolled her eyes at him.
“And yours, ma’am?” the flight attendant asked the woman nicely but the other practically shoved her boarding pass to her.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but as per protocol, you have to take the seat booked for your ticket.” the flight attendant patiently said.
But of course, the woman would not have that.
“No! How much did you pay for it? I’ll pay double! Hell, I can pay triple! He can’t sit next to my boyfriend!”
“I’m sorry ma’am but please kindly move on, you’re holding up the line—”
“I don’t fucking care! I’ll take this seat!”
“Sierra, you’re making a scene.”
“No!”
“If you don’t comply, ma’am, we’ll be forced to kick you out of the plane for public disturbance.” said another flight attendant.
“Well, fuck you! Don’t you know who I am?! I can sue you—”
“Alright, that’s enough. Fine. I’ll move! Goodness.” Baekhyun finally yelled, taking his backpack with him and pulling his carry-on out of the overhead bin.
He wished his hand would slip and the heavy bag would fall over the rude woman’s head but alas, his heart was too kind to even cause accidental injury.
“See? Now that wasn’t so hard to do, right?” the woman said with a sickly sweet smile.
Baekhyun rolled his eyes before turning towards the guy with her, this time, he didn’t stop himself from saying,
“You really should think twice about your life choices.” and then he glared at the woman before turning back to him,
“My deepest condolences.” the guy bowed his head in embarrassment.
He heard the woman scoff before practically pulling the guy to sit next to her.
“I’m really sorry sir, we can refund you the fee you paid for the seat, I’ll inform the airline company.” the flight attendant humbly said, bowing deeply in apology.
Baekhyun sighed, calming himself before bowing back,
“It’s alright. Thank you for your efforts.”
“Let me escort you to your seat.” the flight attendant gently said, leading him to the woman’s supposed seat.
19B. He would have rejoiced if it was at least an aisle seat, at least he could have a bit more space on one side. He sighed before looking up and saw that most of the overhead bins were already filled. The next empty space was at least three rows up.
“I can take your carry-on and put it overhead, sir.” the flight attendant offered.
Baekhyun smiled kindly at her,
“Thank you. Sorry, may I know your name?”
The woman blushed a little more under her heavy makeup,
“Mayu, sir.”
“Thank you, Mayu. You’ve been very helpful.” Baekhyun bowed to her before watching her go and tuck his carry-on in the available space overhead.
Baekhyun sighed again, removed the straps of his backpack off his shoulders, and prepared himself to turn to the guy seated on the aisle to ask him if he could give him space so he could take his seat. Hopefully, this one is nicer than that banshee.
However, instead of speaking, he ended up letting out a small gasp.
The guy was already looking at him and smiling, showing off the dimple on his left cheek. He simply gestured next to him and Baekhyun nodded slowly in a mild daze.
By the gods, the guy was probably the most handsome being he had ever laid eyes on.
Baekhyun watched the man stand and goodness, he felt like swooning with how he towered over him. Baekhyun settled for blushing and giving a small bow of thanks before sliding himself in the cramped space and taking a seat next to a woman with glasses holding a kindle in her hand, and noise cancelling earbuds.
He guessed that she was reading/listening to a fantasy romance. He caught the words ‘demon’ and ‘magic’ and she was trying hard to conceal a widening grin. He found it endearing. She probably felt eyes on her that’s why she looked up. She blushed, but she gave him a small smile and a bow in greeting. Baekhyun smiled back before turning away, tucking his backpack underneath the seat in front of him and giving the woman some privacy with her fantasy romance novel.
“I heard what happened there. I hope you’re okay?” the tall handsome dimpled guy suddenly asked him as soon as he sat back down.
Baekhyun felt like whining helplessly at the sound of his voice. It was deep, a little husky on the edges, and it resonated in his ears, bouncing around the walls of his brain. He felt like wanting to listen to him say more, so he answered, steadying his voice as much as he could:
“Yeah, I am. I’m more worried about the flight attendants though, they have to deal with her throughout this flight.”
“Unfortunately, almost every flight has that one entitled passenger. Had it been anyone else though, they wouldn’t have given up their seat. What made you give yours?”
“The guy with her,” he sighed, “she said her boyfriend has anxiety issues and even though she was rude as fuck, if she could keep him grounded, I wouldn’t risk the guy having a panic attack while we take off.”
“Hmm… I hope what she said was true.”
Baekhyun shrugged,
“Even so, I know how it feels to be trapped in your own mind conjuring up the worst case scenarios until you can’t breathe anymore. Real or not, I wouldn’t wish that on someone else.”
The handsome guy smiled at him with a fondness that Baekhyun was slightly taken aback by.
“He’s lucky. Not many would be as understanding as you.”
Baekhyun sighed,
“I didn’t want to give the flight attendants more trouble. Besides, it’s not like I didn’t give him a piece of my mind.”
“Oh yeah? What’d you tell him?”
By golly, the handsome man’s smirk was sexy. Baekhyun had to clear his throat when his voice cracked at the beginning of his response.
“I told him to think twice about his life choices.”
Good lord, even his laugh was adorable yet sexy with that deep voice of his. Baekhyun internally cried. He was literally in a crisis now with how attractive the guy was. He was exactly his type.
His only problem, the biggest one, was that he couldn’t see any hint of the man being gay or at least bisexual. He sighed before giggling to himself,
“Oh well, might as well enjoy his company for as long as it lasts.” he thought.
Their conversation was interrupted by the captain’s mildly muffled voice over the speakers, telling them about the weather in Osaka and for how long the flight would be. That small altercation, thankfully, didn’t cause much delays and they were still on time.
The same flight attendant that helped him earlier stood in between the aisle past row 16, already preparing for the demonstration of safety and emergency procedures. He noticed how the woman glanced towards the couple and subtly huffed before smiling her professional smile.
Baekhyun also noticed that the woman next to him took off her earbuds and proceeded to listen to the instructions and even took out the card to read through. He smiled to himself because not many really paid attention to those details like he does. Apparently, all three of them were interested and listened keenly to the instructions and watched Mayu.
“You know, I once wanted to become a flight attendant. Even a pilot.” the guy next to Baekhyun suddenly told him.
“Oh yeah?” he smiled at him slowly, remembering how he also wanted to be a flight attendant at one point.
“My parents took me and my sister to the US when we were young. Dad was friends with the pilot and they showed me the cockpit. It looked really cool to me as a six-year old. And then I heard that his friend’s wife used to be a flight attendant and that they got to travel a lot. I learned how their kids got different toys from different countries.” he chuckled,
“Of course, I’d be interested.”
“And I assumed you changed your mind sometime after?”
He saw the taller man nod,
“After hearing consecutive news of plane crashes at eight years old, I immediately changed my mind.”
It was Baekhyun’s turn to laugh. He missed the wondrous look in the taller man’s eyes as he watched him laugh.
“I bet that traumatized you. Oh my goodness, you poor thing.” Baekhyun said in between chuckles,
“Yeah, not a memory I want to reminisce about while we’re on a plane.”
“Yeah, let’s not—” Baekhyun gasped as he felt the plane pick up speed.
He noticed the woman next to him take a deep calming breath that he mimicked. He could feel the pressure in his chest and in his belly as the plane lifted off the ground. He clenched his fists over his thighs, and tried his best not to think of the worst case scenarios now that they were off the ground.
That topic of plane crashes made him worry a little that he didn’t notice his breathing turned shallow.
“Take deep slow breaths. Steady now. You’re safe.” he heard the taller male next to him whisper near his ear.
Baekhyun slowly nodded and controlled his breathing. He suddenly felt a light warm touch on his wrist over his pulse point. The touch grounded him and when the weird feeling in his stomach settled, he opened his eyes that he didn’t even realise that he closed.
“Heart rate is slowing down, good. Just take slow deep breaths. You’re okay.” he heard him quietly say next to his ear.
“S-sorry. Take offs and landings always make me feel…” he drifted off after seeing the taller man’s understanding smile.
“That talk probably didn’t help either. Do you want some water? I can call an attendant to get you some?” he offered kindly.
“No, that’s okay. I should be fine now. Thank you.”
And there was that dimpled smile again,
“Now I get what you meant about the anxiety during flights.”
Baekhyun gave him a sheepish smile,
“I had it bad as a kid until my teenage years. I couldn’t fly on my own until I was in my late twenties and even then, I had to take anxiolytics before I could fly. It isn’t so bad now, but I still get a little panicky at times.”
“Do you travel a lot?”
“For my work, now, yes. But back then…my dad was a labor attaché so me and my mom had to travel quite a bit to wherever he was to visit.”
“I see. That must have been difficult for you.”
“It was, but my mom was always there to hold my hand.” he blushed at the memory of him touching his wrist,
“That…helped too. When you…were you taking my pulse?” Now that he was calmer, he realized what the man did and what his touch meant.
The taller male chuckled shyly before nodding,
“I’m a doctor specializing in emergency medicine and surgery. Your breathing turned shallow and you were clenching too hard to be normal. Signs of an incoming panic attack and true enough, your heart rate was elevated. Any more shallow breathing and you would have passed out, especially with the changes in air pressure and altitude. I had to try and keep you grounded.”
“Well…it worked. Thank you. I swear I rarely travel on my own. It's just that my producer had a family emergency and couldn’t make this trip.” he shrugged.
“Producer? As in a movie producer?”
Baekhyun nodded, his smile widening from excitement at the prospect of talking about his passion.
“I’m a screenwriter. Jongdae, the producer who hired me, was supposed to come with me to do site visits for potential places that we could do the shoot. We’ve got quite the list already but we kind of wanted to find more areas as back up. But for now, since I’m alone, I’m only required to go with the list.” he grinned,
“I’m quite excited. I’ve been to Japan a couple of times but never around the Kansai region.” he added.
“Oh, Kansai is beautiful in every season, but more especially in spring. I’ve been to different provinces in Japan but Kansai is my favorite. Japanese culture there is rich but also kept up with the modern era. It’s a wonderful mix of traditional and modern.” the taller male explained.
“I heard! I saw pictures online and it was beautiful. I can’t wait to see them with my own eyes. Too bad it’s winter and not many flowers, especially cherry blossoms.” he pouted.
“That’s true. But there’s still so much that you can do. There’s a festival in Osaka that starts tomorrow, the Toka Ebisu Festival? Have you heard of it?”
Baekhyun shook his head.
“It’s a festival that most business men attend to pray to Ebisu for wealth and fortune. There are lots of merchants that you can find there selling lucky charms and whatnot. But the best part of the festival is the dance and the food. It’s the best place where you can try local delicacies in one go.” the other explained enthusiastically.
“Sounds interesting! Are you planning to go?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Naah. At least not tomorrow,” he sighed heavily,
“I’ve got a medical conference to prepare for,” he explained.
“I see. Is that why you’re going to Osaka now?”
Baekhyun watched him nod.
“We’re presenting a unique patient case to student doctors from all over Asia. An unconventional yet effective treatment for emergency cases.”
Baekhyun tilted his head, trying to grasp what the doctor was telling him. He heard the taller male chuckle, not knowing that he was found adorable—like his puppy.
“Simply put, it’s the unconventional ways to use chest compressions other than for resuscitation.” he tried.
“Liiiike?”
“Finding the right airway along the throat in cases of severe bleeding in that area and a typical laryngoscope would be useless, is one.” (a/n: i don’t think this is really new or if it’s even allowed since I only saw it in a medical drama (The Pitt) and I’m referencing that. 😅)
“Huh. That’s…interesting.”
Baekhyun watch him nod slowly,
“It is. We did a lot of those after that news about the multiple car collisions in Han River Bridge last year. There were at least seventy patients that were brought to our hospital for emergency care.”
“Oh yeah, I heard about that. Because of the heavy rain, right? And some truck that collided with another causing a domino effect.” Baekhyun remembered.
“It was. It was a night I could never forget.” the taller male’s voice drifted to a melancholic tone.
Baekhyun understood that the sight of several injured patients being wheeled in, not knowing whether they would live or not, was a traumatic sight for anyone, even if they were trained to face those kinds of emergency situations. Baekhyun can’t imagine himself being in that position. He would’ve easily panicked.
Suddenly, he gained even more respect for the doctor next to him.
“Anyway, you said you travel for work, have you travelled anywhere else aside from Japan recently?” Baekhyun was a little grateful for the change of topic.
But he also felt giddy that the doctor was still trying to continue the conversation with him. That must mean something…right?
“Oh, get a hold of yourself, silly.” he chastised himself.
“I did! My favorite was when we went to Switzerland.” Baekhyun responded with a grin.
“Do you have pictures?” the other guy excitedly asked.
“Of course!”
Baekhyun took out his phone and showed him the photos he took of scenic spots that he and his team went to.
✈️✈️✈️
By this time, the flight attendants have started doling out their in-flight snacks. The woman next to Baekhyun seemed to perk up at the sight of the trolley and took off her earbuds. She sat up straighter and glanced at her seatmates who were still engrossed in their conversation. She noticed the pictures and videos that her seatmate was showing the guy seated on the aisle seat.
“Oh, beautiful…” she heard the guy on the aisle seat say quietly—as if it wasn’t supposed to be said out loud.
She noticed how the pretty guy next to her blushed a little but continued on like it didn’t affect him. She pursed her lips, trying not to giggle, especially with how the tall, handsome guy cleared his throat and pretended that he didn’t say that out loud.
The picture was, after all, a close up of the pretty guy next to her, lying down on a pile of snow. It was obvious who the compliment was for.
The next thing they knew the trolley was already on their row. The woman was surprised when the flight attendant handed Baekhyun a full set meal that looked a lot fancier than the burger that she was given. And that was saying something considering that the burger was already fancy as it is—it was complete with potato chips!
“A complimentary meal upgrade for you, sir. After all the trouble that you went through on this flight.” the flight attendant said when the pretty guy looked dumbfounded.
“Oh! Y-you didn’t have to.” her seatmate said shyly.
“Please. We insist.”
“Well…thank you, then, Mayu-chan.” she heard the guy respond cutely with an equally cute, grateful smile.
She wondered what happened and what he did to warrant the favor of the flight attendant. Nevertheless, she was glad that she was seated next to a kind, and very pretty, man. She gave the man a small smile when he glanced her way and gave a short nod of greeting.
“Go on, try it. I believe that’s a first class in-flight meal. That’s generous and nice of them.” she heard the guy seated by the aisle said.
“Oh wow…is this…” she heard the pretty guy mumble.
The food was fragrant and was slightly steaming. Even the woman couldn’t help but exclaim quietly at the aroma. She blushed when the pretty guy turned to her and giggled.
“Oh wow, they served you wagyu. That looks amazing.” the guy from the aisle seat said with a grin, already biting through his burger.
“Thank you for the meal.” the pretty guy politely said before taking his chopsticks and taking a bite.
The woman nearly choked, luckily she caught herself, when the pretty guy practically moaned. The tall guy from the aisle seat wasn’t so lucky though. He started coughing after hearing the sound the guy made.
“Sorry.” the pretty guy giggled, handing his glass of water to the taller male.
“It’s that good, huh?” the tall guy asked with a chuckle after he cleared his throat.
“I mean…eating good food is one of my favorite things to do especially when travelling. Having wagyu never fails to make me feel like I just ate the most delicious thing in the world and I could die at this moment and not regret anything.” he explained with a laugh.
The woman couldn’t blame him. She felt the same when she had her first bite of wagyu—and that was simply grilled on a stick over charcoal.
“Well, you won’t be dying on my watch so enjoy that meal to the fullest.” the tall guy teased.
“Don’t mind if I do. If I start making weird noises, I permit you to pinch my arm.” the pretty guy said before taking another bite of his wagyu.
“Nah. Let them know you’re enjoying it.”
True enough, the pretty guy kept on making happy sounds and even gave a little happy dance whenever he took a good bite. It was an adorable sight to see, if she was honest. The pretty guy looked so happy and cute when eating and it seemed that the tall guy next to him agreed—if the fond smiles through secret glances were any indication.
For someone who was a fan of love, it was wonderful to see two men not afraid to show affection for each other. Aeri knows how difficult it could be for same sex couples to show even a little bit of PDA like holding hands without being judged by the general public. Thankfully, these past years, in some places, it was easier.
It was beautiful—seeing love prospering and glowing despite the cruelty of the world.
🛬🛬🛬
Baekhyun couldn’t help but marvel at the doctor’s laugh when he showed him videos of him and his corgi, Mongryong, who proceeded to lead him throughout his hometown like the dog was walking him instead of the other way around.
“He knows the route more than I do. Our neighbors even knew him and greeted us while he walked me.” he said with a laugh.
“And yet, you’re the one who has to pick up after him.” the doctor said with a chuckle.
“I’m literally his servant. He may be trained to follow commands but I think he’s also trained me to give him belly rubs and treats whenever I want to play with him,” he sighed,
“Too bad I can’t keep him with me in my apartment in the city. It’s always nice whenever he greets me at the door at my parents’ house. He’s old now so he needs constant supervision and scheduled meals which I can’t keep up with if I’m out of the apartment most of the day.”
“I know what you mean,” the other guy sighed too,
“Zzar is my princess, but with my unpredictable schedule, she’s almost always at my sister’s. I missed her yapping whenever I came home when my schedule was still freer.”
“How long have you had her?”
“Five years? She’s been with my sister for the last two since I started to become an attending. I would have kept her with me since my shifts are usually just for eight hours but…you can’t really stick to just those hours when you work at the emergency department.”
“I’m curious…how is it working at a hospital’s emergency department? You said you worked for Seoul University Hospital, right? It’s one of the busiest hospitals in the city, if not the most.”
“It’s a double-edged sword, to be honest. At one point, it’s fulfilling to save a life who was at the brink of death, doing all sorts of things, even the most unconventional, just to pull them away from death’s door. A 0.1% chance of survival for us is still a chance to save a patient. But at the same time, sometimes even on the same day, it’s the most heartbreaking to the point that I question myself why I chose this profession and why this specialization.”
“How do you…find balance?”
He felt the tall doctor shrug,
“I try to remember the number one reason why I do what I do—to help people and save lives to the best of my abilities. But…as embarrassing as it is to admit, I’ve broken down more times than I care to count. My therapist even calls me a ticking time bomb.”
Baekhyun tilted his head at him, his face marred with worry. The tall doctor gave him a reassuring, gentle smile,
“Not because of what you think, no. He said I’m lucky I have a good support system with family and friends. He meant that I have a tendency to bottle all my negative emotions up until I explode.”
“Oh…”
“It’s an efficient way to keep myself in check whenever I’m at work. I can compartmentalize my feelings and deal with them later but the problem lies when I actually open it…well, it affects me more than I want it to.”
“I don’t think anyone should be accustomed to seeing death.” he mumbled.
“No, you’re right. My therapist said the same—that letting yourself feel that pain is what makes you human.”
“Compassion is, after all, hard to come by these days. I’m glad not all doctors are money-hungry and actually care about humans.”
The taller male seemed to be surprised by his words that he turned his whole body to face him.
“You’ve had bad experiences with doctors?”
Baekhyun had to chuckle,
“A few, yes. One of them even judged me for being gay."
He gave him a rueful smile but also gauged his reaction at his admittance. He was not-so-surprised at the furrowed eyebrows, but what made his heart flutter was the tall guy’s response.
“That shouldn’t hinder any doctor from making an objective diagnosis, what does your preference have anything to do with it? You’re still you.”
“Well…a gay man going to a gynecologist to have himself checked and admitting to having quite a few partners…truly, I couldn’t blame her.”
“No, look,” the doctor sighed, now clearly distressed at what he was hearing,
“Who was this doctor? I mean, it’s true, sometimes, we end up meddling with some of the patients’ personal matters but only to help them, not judge them, especially if they were being abused. But to judge you? Right off the bat? Just because, what, you had fun?”
Baekhyun was quite surprised with how passionate the guy was arguing,
“Calm down, it was a long time ago, like REALLY long time ago. I think it was a couple of years when I finished college and she was an old doctor so I can’t blame her for stereotyping me.”
“Even still. It was not her place. You were seeking help, not judgement.” he said with hard conviction.
Baekhyun found it sexy how the man was passionate about defending him. He hid his attraction with a humorless chuckle,
“Well, anyway, when the results came out that I was fine and clean, I left and never came back. I switched doctors that my gay friend was going to and he was wonderful to work with. Come to think of it, I think he works at the same hospital as you. Dr. Kim Junmyeon?”
Recognition reflected in his handsome face,
“Ah! Junmyeon-hyung, yes, I go to him too when I need check-ups.”
Baekhyun blushed and with his curiosity, couldn’t help but tilt his head.
“What?” he blushed a shade darker when the man smirked like he was telling him something but wasn’t saying it out loud.
Of course, he didn’t want to assume and he was too shy to ask outright so he just kept mum and turned to face front, pretending that he wasn’t dying of curiosity.
“N-nothing.” he mumbled that earned him a chuckle—a really deep chuckle that seemed to echo in his head.
“Anyway, yes, I know him, and yes, he’s one of the few doctors who wouldn’t judge. Of course, he wouldn’t, he’s got a husband himself.” he smirked,
“He does?” Baekhyun turned back to look at the doctor to see him nod,
“Yixing-hyung, he’s a doctor too, cardiologist.”
“Oooh...that’s…no wonder he was so friendly with the gays. I guess he understood us more than most.”
“That he does. He and his husband are very lowkey at the hospital to the point that not many know that they’re married. Only the people who are really close to them know.”
Baekhyun tried not to overthink his response. The doctor practically admitted that he, too, was gay. He did his best not to look too excited and overly curious at that tidbit of information.
“I’m curious…” he said instead.
“Hmm?”
“Do doctors really date only their co-workers or was that just the effect of close proximities?” Baekhyun tilted his head, he blushed again when the doctor smirked.
He only realized then how his question sounded and what it may imply.
“Well, being in close proximity helps. Especially since not many would understand or willing to put up with a doctor’s hectic and erratic schedule unless they really know what it’s like. But I’ve known quite a lot of doctors and nurses who date other people of different professions too. In fact, I know more doctors that date outside of their profession.”
“Ooooh…” Baekhyun slowly nodded, hiding the fact that he, somewhat, felt relief in hearing that.
“Sometimes it only takes a single meeting of the right person that they instantly clicked with.”
Baekhyun nearly froze in his seat and his eyes widened a little when he saw the tall doctor look at him with a teasing, yet soft, smile. His mind was whirring with thoughts and his heart was racing in his chest.
“What the hell, get a grip, Byun Baekhyun!” he chastised himself.
Suddenly, the voice of the captain was heard overhead, telling them that they were going to land soon.
“Already? That was two hours already? But!!” he thought.
For someone who gets anxious with flying, suddenly, he didn’t want the trip to stop. He didn’t want his conversation with the tall guy to end. He wanted to get to know him more, he wanted to hear him talk more. For the first time in a long while, he felt interested in someone without his instincts screaming at him to run.
And that’s what also scared him that made him NOT get the man’s number. Fuck, he didn’t even attempt to get his name. Should he? Will they even meet again after this? Or was this just a lucky encounter with a kind man? Like one of those ‘I met this wonderful person once and had a beautiful conversation with’ kind of thing whenever he travelled?
“Time flies, eh? This was probably the quickest yet the most enjoyable flight I had, with all things considered.” he heard the doctor say, glancing up front and gesturing to what happened before they took off.
“Yeah…that was…quick. I didn’t even realize it’s already been two hours…” he muttered to himself.
“It often happens when you have fun.”
Baekhyun just gave him a small smile. And before any of them knew it, they felt the plane dip lower. Baekhyun gasped quietly, feeling his stomach drop a little. He also felt, rather than see, the woman next to him take off her earbuds again and sat up straighter. She had been napping the past half hour since they had their in-flight snacks.
He also felt the tall doctor grasp his wrist, putting a gentle pressure over his pulse point—it was slightly raised. He didn’t even realise that his breathing has gotten a bit shallower, especially after every drop of their altitude.
“You holding up okay? Your pulse is quick but not too concerning. Try to control your breathing.” he heard the doctor next to him whisper.
Baekhyun simply nodded and whispered back a thank you before taking a deep breath and regulating his air outtake.
“Good. Keep at it. Steady breaths. We’re almost landing.” he heard him whisper.
He could feel the change in the air pressure and he could hear the wind whizzing past the wing blades of the plane and under its wheels, a signal that they were close to landing. He jumped when he felt the wheels hit the ground and gasped as he felt the momentum of their speed. He was nearly sliding down his seat as the plane steadied and slowed.
“Easy now, we’re grounded. You can relax a bit now, we’re safe.” he heard the doctor next to him.
Again, he didn’t realize that he had his eyes closed and he blushed hard when he opened them and saw his hand tightly gripping the doctor’s. He let go of his hand quickly but not before noticing how the doctor held on to him as well and how dainty his hand appeared next to his veiny, big ones.
“You okay?” the doctor asked kindly.
“Y-yeah. Thank you. S-sorry about…” he looked down at his slightly reddened big hand and noticed a small tattoo that read “LOEY” on the side of his middle finger.
Of course, over the haze of his anxious brain, his mind came up with a lewd image that he immediately shook off. Seriously, what was wrong with him?
“It’s not a problem. Just glad that I could help.”
The doctor grinned so charmingly that Baekhyun did whine a little.
Suddenly, everyone in front of them started to stand up and unlatched the overhead bins to take out their carry-on luggage. Baekhyun turned to look at the doctor next to him who had his mouth slightly open as if to say something.
“I’m Baekhyun, by the way. Byun Baekhyun.” he blurted a little too loudly.
He didn’t see how the woman by the window seat whipped her head in their way, her eyes nearly bugging out in surprise and jaw slowly dropping low.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Baekhyun. I’m Park Chanyeol.”
Finally, a name to a very handsome face.
Chanyeol held out his hand to shake that Baekhyun immediately took, only to feel the warmth it gave him one more time,
“Chanyeol…it was a pleasure talking with you. And thank you for…yeah…” he said shyly, gesturing vaguely about how he calmed him down.
The doctor seemed to understand.
“It’s not a problem. Enjoy Osaka, I guess? And…I hope I bump into you again soon. It was truly a pleasure to talk to you.” Chanyeol said with a charmingly soft smile.
“Y-yeah. Yeah, I hope so too. Uhmm…have fun with the conference?” Baekhyun gave him a sheepish grin.
Chanyeol chuckled with a shake of his head,
“I doubt it but I’ll try.”
Chanyeol then stood up and took out his carry-on, glancing to his left and hoping to find Baekhyun’s when he saw Mayu already taking out a red one from three rows up.
“Thank you, Mayu-chan.” Chanyeol said with a deep bow, “I’ll take it from here, thank you so much for your help.”
The woman glanced at Baekhyun who gave her a nod of thanks before she handed the carry-on to Chanyeol. He moved aside and waited for Baekhyun to jump in the aisle and gave him his carry-on.
“Is someone picking you up or are you hailing a cab?” Chanyeol asked.
“I’m taking a cab.” Baekhyun said as he followed Chanyeol out of the plane.
“Oh…damn, uhmmm…” Chanyeol scratched the back of his neck.
He wanted to spend more time with Baekhyun but his co-surgeon was already waiting for him to arrive to drive him to their hotel only to drop off their bags and do a quick debriefing for the conference the next day.
Baekhyun noticed his struggle and gave him a small smile,
“It’s okay, I’ll manage. I’m sure you’ll be busy with the preparations for tomorrow.” he said.
“Yeah, but still, just in case, may I ask where you’ll be staying? I promise I won’t be a creep and stalk you or anything.” Chanyeol laughed awkwardly.
“I’m sure you won’t, but in case otherwise, I’d tell the hotel staff to ban you from the premises. I’m staying at the Hotel Royal Classic in Namba.”
Chanyeol’s face instantly lit up,
“That’s quite close to our hotel! Come on, I’ll convince Jongin to drop you off first. We’re going to our hotel to drop off my bags too anyway so we can pass by yours before we go.”
And then suddenly, he turned awkward and shy again,
“That is…I mean, that is if it’s okay with you?”
Baekhyun giggled at the sight of the tall, buff man being flustered. His ears that were sticking out of his cap were turning pink and it was a sight adorable.
“How is it that he looks so hot but so cute too?” he internally whined.
“It’s alright. I really appreciate it. If you’re sure I’m not…interfering with anything?”
“No, of course not. Let’s go? Do you have checked-in luggage?”
Baekhyun nodded and proceeded to follow Chanyeol towards their conveyor.
🧳🧳🧳
January 08, 2026
Maybe if I had paid more attention to them I would have realized it but I was so engrossed with my book that I missed it. I only heard bits and pieces and really, in my eyes they looked like a couple or at least friends. Imagine my surprise when the pretty guy introduced himself just as we started disembarking.
It was…so beautiful to see. Especially when I heard the tall guy offer to drop him off like a gentleman with that shy hopeful look in his eyes. I was so sure that he wanted to spend more time with the pretty male and get to know him more. And it was wonderful that the pretty male agreed.
Now, I feel like I’m a witness to a very well-curated cliffhanger. Will they meet again? DId they exchange numbers? Did they go on an official date? Or…
Was it really just a beautiful single encounter? If so, will they remember it for as long as they live? Or will they eventually forget about it?
I’d like to hope that they will meet again sometime after today. Maybe in another coincidence or as I would like to imagine, a work of destiny. They just…looked that good together and with those yearning in their eyes, and their chemisty…oh, it was heart-fluttering.
I wish I’d be right. After all, we could use a little more love among us humans over this cruel world.
xoxo,
Aeri-yah