Chapter 6 – A comfortable, uncomfortable feeling

In an attempt to appear natural, I ended up sitting uncomfortable for the next thirty minutes, long after his gaze had left me. But for some reason my curiosity in this stranger remained, and every so often I found myself making discreet glances in his direction. Something about the man felt familiar, and even with this cold demeanour, I didn't feel inferior by him.

After myself and others observed him struggle with his newborn baby for some time. A female overseer decided to approach him, tucking her long blond hair behind her ears she stood before him, and spoke softly. "Are you okay? How old is your baby? She's so cute." she smiled sweetly.

Her demeanour was one of being more flirtatious than that of actually wanting to help him. Furthermore, she appeared to be unaware of how to even care for a child, but rather someone who could name you the top ten LV handbags for this season. I know one should not judge by appearance, however, often times am correct about a persons' character, by simply observing their outward appearance. She was a beautiful and lavishly dressed woman, and it was clear from the way she carried herself she knows of such a fact. From the moment she had entered the lounge earlier, she had a snobbish aura about her, as though advertising, 'I am rich look at me'. Even other men sat within the lounge would glance at her secretly ever-so-often.

Therefore, I had been expecting the man to be receptive of her, but seconds after she had approached him did he glare dangerously at her and said, "get away from us" with a cold and firm tone. At first shocked and humiliated, her face turned bright red from embarrassment. But seconds later her expression turned to anger and her earlier sweet disposition changed.

"Excuse me! I was only trying to help! How could you speak to me like that? Just make sure that thing doesn't keep crying when we get on the plan! I didn't pay thousands of dollars for first class, so I can be stuck my entire flight listening to some crying baby!" she spat at him.

Unfazed by her outburst, he ignored her, returning his attention to his baby, who in all fairness had been crying for a long time. Moments before she had stepped in, I was on the verge of approaching him myself. More curious was the fact that he appeared to be travelling alone with such a young child. Observed by the fact, he had one luggage with him, and no other person had joined him in the hour I have been waiting.

Without realising it, my gaze landed on him, and for a split second, the thought that his wife may not be around due to unfortunate circumstances made me feel sadness towards him. Believing his cold and indifferent demeanour maybe the cause of his heartbreak. It was with this unproven rational, that I decided to take my from when I sat and approached him. I gulped hard the closer I got and the larger he became, half expecting him to dismiss me in the same manner he had done someone else moments ago.

Taking a deep breath, I stood before and said, "hey". With that one simply phrase, my heart began to be fast and adrenaline coursed through my body, reading myself if he were to attack me. As irrational as it may sound, I have seen people attack others for far less, therefore I wasn't being completely irrational.

He removed his attention from the child in his hand, and at that moment I could feel the eyes of almost everyone in the lounge watching me, knowing they were most likely expecting a show. From the corner of my eye I could see some secretly recording our encounter, apart of me began to instantly regretting my impulsive decision to go over there.

For a few minutes he stared at me without saying anything, it was like he was in a dazed no, it was like he was mesmerised by my face.

Uncomfortable, I spoke again, "you okay, want some help?" I asked. My body moving on its own and impulsively began to reach for the baby in his arms.

At this point, I was certain to be pushed away by him because what normal person walks up to a stranger and with a few words dares to touch their child without their permission. Especially one that was dressed like a gangster rapper, at the time I had forgotten I was dressed in my favourite all black hoodie and baseball cap, with hoodie lifted on my head almost covering my face.

In that split second, I saw my life flashed before my eyes, as I picked the little ball into my arms. But surprisingly, still in his daze, he said nothing and allowed me to take his baby without question.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I acted as though this was a natural occurrence for me and proceeded to engage in conversation. "How old is she? ..... Oh, he's a boy" I corrected myself, realising the baby was dressed in blue after slightly parting his blankets.

After a light paused, the man finally reacted to me, "h…he's two weeks old" he answered softly, even his earlier cold expression soften. To the point I was a little taken aback by him, I wasn't confident if this was the same man from mere minutes ago.

Flustered, I turned my face from him, returning my focus to the small child in my arms, and like a man who has had children of his own, I began to enthusiastically educate him on what I know of babies. Having helped my mother care for my brother Ryan since birth, coincidently he was also two weeks old when my mother had brought him home.

"With babies this young, you must check them regularly, they also need to be fed often and as the temperature is quite warm in here, he doesn't need to be wrapped in so many layers. Besides, you're quite a large man, so you will be radiating a lot of body heat yourself, as I notice you've been holding him in your hands. My guess is the poor little man is most likely uncomfortable from being too warm". I gently began to remove the extra layers off his small body, and slowly he began to calm down. Smitten by his handsome little face, I began to sweetly talk to the baby, forgetting where I was and to whom I did so to. "Was your daddy trying to cook you, little man" I said joking said to the now comfortable baby in my arms.

Right away, I became aware of the eyes that never removed from me, it was as though he was trying to see through my soul.

Feeling uncomfortable I returned the baby to him, relief when right at that moment, I heard our gate announced they were ready for us to board.

"Give him a check and bottle once you get on the plan", I hastily got up to leave but was immediately stopped when I felt a tight grip grabbing a hold of my wrist. Straight way, my body stiffen, adrenaline coursing through my body once again, in anticipation of what's to happen next. But this man's next words and tone was not what I was expecting at all.

"Let's board together", he spoke to me in Korean, my eyes widening in both shock and disbelief. First how did he know I was Korean and two why was he holding my hand so desperately?

To make matters worst, he didn't seem to take notice of the complicated expressions that were now directed at us.

"…errm mm…. Sure, but let go of my wrist, people are looking at us" I replied in our native language, both hesitant and annoyed at myself for not knowing how to mind my own business. No, at that very moment I blamed my mother! It was her fault I didn't know how to mind my own business because I learnt it from her! And now here I was trapped by some unknown man and his child for the next thirteen hours!

It was well established at this point he was travelling alone, and after an awkward check-in I felt further unfortunate to know I would be seated across from him. What made him even more odd was that he appeared both comfortable and nervous around me, or maybe I was my imagination.

Once seated on the plane, he made sure to do as I had told him and invited me along to change his son, looking to me at times for confirmation he was doing it right.

My initial plan at this time was to rest for the duration of my flight, seeing that I will have little time to do so when I land and having niot slept the past few weeks. Instead, here I stood in the first class bathroom stall with me looking like a fake gangster rapper and him harden criminal changing a dirty nappy. Internally, my emotions were of that of the full face crying emoji, I really wanted to bury myself in a hole. I noticed that the longer stayed around him, the more comfortable and familiar he became and for this reason I was extremely uncomfortable, there was just something about him that created an unwelcomed feeling within me.

After returning to our seats, and with his child asleep, I assumed he would ignore from then on. But that was not to be the case.

"Do you have children?" he asked, his full attention on me.

Not finding the question unusual, I naturally replied, "No, I know a lot about children because I have many siblings and I often help my mom to care for them. Though they're all grown now, the only baby we had was my little brother Ryan, but he's nine now and very spoilt having been the only one to have been brought home from birth." I divulge, forgetting to whom I was speaking too, only noticing my mistake when he challenged me.

"The only one to be brought home from birth?" he asked with a questioning look on his face.

Not wanting to answer his question, due to my embarrassment of talking so comfortably with a person whose name I didn't even know. I pretended to not have heard him, "Am I feeling tired, so I am going to sleep for a bit, wake me up if you need anything." I closed my eyes and made myself comfortable in my seat. Not only that, but I needed to keep boundaries between myself and this stranger. He was someone I would never see again, therefore telling him about myself is not necessary. I need only help him if needed over the next thirteen hours then part ways once we reached Seoul, the airport should be our last place of interaction. I reassured myself.