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Matthew arrives precisely twelve minutes after boarding was supposed to start, frantic and in half a panic. Outside, heavy rain is hitting the windows. The seats near the gate look suspiciously occupied.
“Sorry,” he says to the first person he sees. A guy around his age. He has a cap on and airpods in, but Matthew takes his chance. “Is this still for the flight to—”
It feels like fate, the way the announcement rings through the terminal before he even finishes his sentence.
“Dear passengers, flight ZB195 to Jeju Island has been delayed indefinitely due to weather conditions.”
It would have rattled him, if only he hadn’t been having a stressful morning already. Now it just brings him relief.
“Oh.” He pauses, then lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. At least he won’t miss his flight.
“Yep. We’ll be here for a while, I think,” the stranger finally says. His voice is nice. Smooth, velvety. Oddly comforting. And that does rattle Matthew, just a little.
He looks at Matthew, then removes his backpack from the seat beside him. “Do you need to sit?”
Matthew feels tired, suddenly. So he nods before plopping down with a Thanks. He was already feeling airport-gross, now he’s slightly unsettled too.
By hour two of nothing, an e-mail notification pops up on his phone, telling him that the airline is giving passengers a voucher for a drink or a snack while they wait, Sorry for the inconvenience! attached underneath.
Matthew turns to the stranger. They’ve only made a little bit of small talk, occasionally sharing updates as they waited. “Hey, do you want to get a coffee together or something?” he asks, showing his phone.
When the man leans in a little to read his screen, it’s the first time Matthew really gets to look at him. He’s pretty — gentle eyes behind his glasses, some freckles dotting his face, mouth slightly parted.
“Wow,” he says, “shouldn’t you at least ask me my name first?” He shoots Matthew an awkward smile, like he’s cringing at himself. “Sorry, too much? It’s Kim Taerae.”
“Oh, um. No,” Matthew mutters back. “Seok Matthew. Do you— coffee?”
When Kim Taerae just smiles at him to break the tension, Matthew just thinks, Shit, his smile is pretty too.
Why is he stumbling over his words right now?
“I’d love to, really. But everything’s a bit far from the gate and I don’t want to actually miss the flight, just in case.”
At least the weather is clearing up. In the distance, the rain is making way for a fresh blue sky.
“God, yeah. Imagine.”
There’s mirth in Taerae’s eyes. It unravels something within Matthew.
“And I really need to be in Jeju by tonight.” He pauses, suddenly aware he’s about to overshare to a complete stranger. “But I overslept and had to take the all-stop train because I missed the AREX and panicked, and security took ages. I really thought I was screwed.”
“Big plans?” Taerae asks.
Matthew grimaces. “My childhood crush is getting married tomorrow. Not to me, obviously.”
“Oh,” Taerae matches his expression. “That’s rough. Are you—”
“I mean, he’s my best friend in the world. It just sounds more dramatic like this.” He laughs a little, but in truth, Matthew does feel a little dramatic. Maybe conflicted, too. And gloomy. About this delay since it’s not only stormy in his mind, about showing up to Hanbin’s wedding and being genuinely, sincerely happy nonetheless, about how oddly lonely this trip feels. “Regardless, I figured I’d make a trip out of it. Do some sightseeing around the island, go on some hikes.”
Then, “And you?”
Time slips by as they talk. Matthew learns that Taerae is a music teacher, that his friend owns a bar down in Seogwipo and he wanted Taerae to play a couple of gigs this summer. That he also has his reasons to make the most out of it. “Just… you know. Tough semester. Bad breakup. I needed this.”
They get called for boarding shortly before their delay can hit the three-hour mark.
“It was nice meeting you,” Taerae says as Matthew’s boarding group gets called first. “Maybe we’ll run into each other while we’re there.”
“Oh, maybe, yeah,” Matthew nods as he bids his own goodbyes. Yet, as he makes his way onto the plane, something feels off, unfinished. Because Matthew wanted to ask more, wanted to know more.
The feeling stays with him as he gets settled, as the plane taxis into takeoff, as Matthew spends the full flight looking out the window, pondering.
Only when he miserably wonders if a missed flight might’ve been worth it if it meant he’d gotten to talk to Taerae for longer, something clicks.
The deep blues and tropical teals of Jeju Island welcome him soon enough, but all he thinks is Fuck.
Fuck.
It’s probably really rude, the way Matthew impatiently tries to push past the other passengers. He feels a little out of his mind, trying not to look too desperate as he power-walks out, looking for Taerae.
It’d been nice, passing the time with someone — with him — even in such a predicament.
So why, why did he realize so late that he didn’t want it to be over so soon?
Why did he realize so late that this trip doesn't have to feel lonely?
By the time he makes it to baggage claim, he feels like it’s too late.
And then, “Hey!”
Matthew whirls around and sure enough, there Taerae is. And he looks like he’s been looking for Matthew, too.
“Just wondering: will you be around Seogwipo, at any point?”
“Yes,” Matthew says breathlessly. To more than just the question itself.
And Taerae smiles — the same one he’d given Matthew hours ago. “Then, how about that coffee, once you’re there?”
It gets a giggle out of Matthew. “Wow, at least give me your number first.”
“That won’t be a problem, Seok Matthew.”
“I’m glad to hear it, Kim Taerae.”