2 Back Home

Jinhyun was woken by the shaking of the plane. He opened his eyes to peer around. It took him a while to remember that he was on his way to Korea from England.

"Would you like something to drink sir?"

He looked up to see one of the air hostesses offering him some beverage to drink.

"Uhh...one Coke please," he said. The air hostess nodded and put a can of Coke on his table. Jinhyun thanks her and opened the can to take a sip. He was sitting at the Business Class section all by himself. He leaned back to reflect on the past two years.

He used to be the main vocalist of the popular Korean band EXOTIC. With legions of fans and immense wealth, EXOTIC was truly the pinnacle of success. But two years ago, one scandal shook up the entire group when one of their members turned out to be involved with criminal activities. Without one member and the scandals which kept on piling up, Jinhyun made the painful decision to move to England for further studies.

For the past two years, he had very little contact with anyone from his past life. He was not angry at them nor was he avoiding them. Over time, everyone had their own goals to fulfill and hence, Jinhyun quietly phased out of everyone's lives. He was not even sure if he would be contacting everyone again.

He sighed and put his headphones back on. The flight was long and he had fallen asleep. He would like nothing more than to go back to sleep and was almost dozing off when he felt someone softly poking his arm.

Startled, he looked around to see a small child standing beside his seat. The child looked around five years old and was wearing her hair in tiny pigtails with cherry clips.

"Jin jin!" the kid exclaimed. "EXOTIC!"

Jinhyun smiled widely. He held out his hand. "Yes, this is Jin jin!" he squealed. He loved children. Being an orphan himself, he took care of the younger children when he was at the orphanage.

He held out his hand to shake the child's wrist. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Chanmi," the child replied innocently.

"Do you want an autograph, Chanmi?" Jinhyun asked. The child nodded enthusiastically.

"Tell you what, I'll give you something even better," Jinhyun winked. He picked up a notepad from the seat's pocket and took out his pen. The child looked on curiously as he masterfully scribbled on it.

Finally after fifteen minutes, he showed her the paper. "Ta-dah!" he exclaimed.

The child squealed excitedly as she held up a small portrait of herself. On it was written 'Live happily, Chanmi! Lot's of love, Jinhyun-EXOTIC.'

"Pretty!" she squeaked.

"Not as pretty as our Chanmi!" Jinhyun replied. Just then a middle aged woman came in with the air hostess in tow.

"Chanmi!" the woman exclaimed and scooped the child up in her arms.

Jinhyun stood up and bowed. "I'm sorry if she bothered you," the woman apologized.

"Don't worry about it!" Jinhyun assured her. "She simply asked for an autograph. And how can anyone refuse her?"

He playfully pinched Chanmi's cheek. Chanmi giggled.

"Thank you," the mother said. "Say bye to uncle Jinhyun!"

"Bye!" Chanmi waved as she happily left with her mother, still clutching the portrait in her hand.

Jinhyun waved back and went back to his seat. He was about to wear his headphones again when he saw something glinting under the light. He picked it up to see a cherry clip. The little girl must have dropped it, he realized.

But the red cherry reminded him of something else. He picked up the notepad again and began to draw another picture.

He was completely focused on the drawing. It was from his memory and it had been two years since he last saw this person. But it was as if he had met her yesterday. He still remembered that mysterious and ethereal beauty in red.

Jinhyun checked his phone. It was 13th July 2022. Two more days, huh? He thought with a smile. He wondered if she remembered him at all. Chances were close to none but he still held out a hope that she would show up…

….

The plane finally landed in Korea. Jinhyun stood up and stretched his body. It had been a long flight and he was dead tired. He had to sell off his old apartment and hence, will have to stay in a hotel for a few days until he gets another apartment.

"What a drag," he complained out loud. He got off the plane and headed towards the terminal to collect his luggage. As soon as he stepped out of the boarding corridor, he was immediately surrounded by hundreds of fans and reporters.

"What the-" he exclaimed out loud. Even though he was a popular idol two years ago, he had not expected fans and media to show up.

"Oppa!" they chanted "Welcome back!"

The cameras flashed wildly as Jinhyun tried to make his way through. The reporters swarmed around him.

"Shin Jinhyun, are you going to rejoin the industry?" one of them asked.

"Why did you come back?" another one demanded.

"Now that EXOTIC is no more, what will you do?"

"What are your plans now?"

"I-I…" Jinhyun stammered. "I really need to go…"

But they would not listen. They were still demanding for answers.

"Move it!" a portly man screamed at a few of the reporters. "Coming through!"

He pushed past some of the paparazzi to reach Jinhyun. He held up his hand.

"Jinhyun!" he waved. "Here!"

"Manager Shun!" Jinhyun called him in relief.

"Get out of my way!" Shun thundered as he made his way towards Jinhyun.

"Manager!" Jinhyun bowed as Shun approached him. Shun Sekjong was a short, plump man in his mid forties. He was Jinhyun's old manager and he had gotten the word of his return.

"Jinhyun, my child!" he exclaimed happily as he hugged him. "Thank god I knew of your homecoming! I even brought some bodyguards for you."

Sure enough, the bodyguards arrived to move the reporters and fans back. Jinhyun thanked them and waved at the fans who went crazy at his gesture. Even though he wanted to return to Korea as quietly as possible, he was nonetheless overcome with happiness to know that his fans still loved him.

"Coming back home feels good," he commented with a smile.