As Jin Young settled down in his designated seat on the plane, he was feeling both nervous and excited at the same time. In two hours, he would be in the same country as Jackson. He could feel his lips turn dry at the thought of seeing Jackson again.

What should he say when they meet?

Jin Young was glad that he had gotten a window seat, so he could stare outside at the night sky, gazing into nothingness but his whole head was filled with only one man, and thoughts of what to say to that man. When the lights on the aircraft dimmed, he removed his face mask so that he could breathe better.

He did not turn on the reading lights, so that people would not recognise him easily. And also, he prefers to be in the dark. He was more comfortable this way.

It was well past midnight but Jin Young was not sleepy at all. The people all around him in business class were more or less fast asleep or in the midst of dozing off. He appreciated the silence, an opportunity for him to relax and recharge before the big day.

Finally, the airplane landed safely and Jin Young wanted to spring out of his seat so badly. He almost forgot to put his face mask back on as he grabbed the duffel bag in the overhead compartment. Luckily, everyone was too occupied to pay enough attention to him so he did not get recognised.

“Thank you for choosing to fly with China Eastern Airlines, we hoped that you had a pleasant flight.” Three air stewardesses lined themselves along the exit and repeated the same greeting over and over again with each passing guest. Jin Young pulled his cap lower as he approached carefully and nodded slightly in return when they greeted him as he exited.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

It has been a long while since he travelled without a manager and he felt free. Although he had to admit that he felt slightly afraid since he could not speak the language, it was exhilarating to be able to wander around without restraint. Jin Young followed procedures accordingly at the customs and then picked up his luggage from the conveyor belt without facing any issue so far.

His first obstacle would be to hail a cab to get to the hotel. There was arranged lodging for contestants but only for those who made it past the auditions. Before that, everyone would have to see to their own accommodation. Jin Young had booked a room at a hotel that was within walking distance from the competition venue. All he has to do now is to convey the hotel name to the cab driver.

“Jhian guo bei jhing fan dien.” Jin Young tried to enunciate every word properly and slowly.

“Okay, okay.” The cab driver answered, he even made an ok sign to let Jin Young know that he understood.

Jin Young was unable to relax yet, as he feared that the cab driver might have misunderstood the hotel name. There was no third party to confirm the accuracy of his pronunciation. It was only after the vehicle pulled up in front of a grand entrance with bright lights across the signage and exuded from indoors through the glass entrance, after making a quick comparison with the photograph he pulled from the internet, only then he let out a sigh of relief.

He paid the cab driver in cash and even added a bit extra as tips. The cab driver smiled widely, and he repeated “xie xie” a couple of times. Jin Young knew enough to understand that that meant “thank you” in Chinese. He nodded slightly at the man and got off the cab. The cab driver quickly ran around to the boot to get Jin Young’s luggage and it was Jin Young’s turn to utter “xie xie” now.

After making one final check that he did not leave anything behind, he hung the duffel bag over his shoulder and dragged the big black luggage into the hotel.

“Wait for me Jackson, I’m coming.” He thought.