Chapter IV
640 Words
The moment the plane landed in Incheon, Daisy exhaled as if she had been holding her breath for hours. She unbuckled slowly, letting passengers rush ahead of her. The slower she moved, the easier it would be to create distance between herself and Edward. He had said he packed light. No checked luggage. That meant he would be gone long before she reached the carousel. Perfect. Clean. Simple.
She slipped into the terminal behind the crowd, adjusting her backpack strap, keeping her gaze forward. If luck was on her side, this strange string of coincidences would end here.
But luck rarely cooperated with her.
When she reached baggage claim, she stopped short. Edward was there—again. He stood beside a trolley piled with bags: snacks, souvenirs, neatly wrapped boxes, and a few items too bulky to identify. Certainly not the luggage load of a man who claimed to travel light.
His eyes found her instantly. His face brightened with effortless warmth.
“Do you have someone picking you up?” he asked, stepping toward her.
“I parked here,” she replied, eyes fixed on the rotating belt. “Left my car for a month.”
He nodded. “Convenient.”
Silence settled between them. Suitcases passed, none of them hers. She could feel his presence beside her, calm and unhurried. He wasn’t rushing to leave. He wasn’t even pretending to.
When her suitcase finally appeared, she grabbed it quickly and walked toward the exit. This was her chance—clean break, clean air.
But when she glanced back, he was still following.
“You’re not heading out?” she asked.
He lifted his phone with a sigh. “Waiting for my manager. The car broke down.”
“At the airport?”
“Yeah. It’s over ten years old. The company won’t replace it yet.”
Daisy pressed her lips together. This was a perfect moment to walk away. No explanation needed. Just turn, nod, and leave.
But she remembered the flight: the way he covered her with the blanket when she fell asleep, how he woke her gently when meals arrived, how he glanced at her bag when she stepped away. Quiet kindness. Thoughtful without expecting anything.
“So what will you do now?” she asked despite herself.
“Wait,” he said helplessly. “He’s calling someone to come check.”
It was such a defeated answer that she let out a slow sigh.
“Come on,” she said. “You can wait somewhere warm.”
He paused, surprised, then smiled—a soft, grateful smile that reached his eyes.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
He walked beside her through the sliding doors. Cold Incheon air swept in, a sharp contrast to the Bali warmth they had left behind. She tightened her grip on her suitcase. He managed to match her pace naturally despite his handful belongings.
He didn’t talk much. He didn’t stare. He simply walked next to her in comfortable silence, which somehow made everything more complicated. She shouldn’t feel at ease. She shouldn’t feel anything at all. Yet his presence didn’t irritate her the way most strangers did. That annoyed her more than anything.
They reached a sheltered corner near the parking elevators, away from the wind. She stopped, turning toward him briefly.
“You should call your manager again,” she said.
“I will.” He gave a small nod. “Thanks for letting me wait here.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He didn’t move away. He just stood there quietly, watching the passing crowd, giving her the sense that he wasn’t trying to cling to her—but also wasn’t in a hurry to part.
She wanted distance. She had tried to create it.
But once again, separation had slipped through her fingers as easily as sand.
- Writer
