4 | Turbulence
-
“Good afternoon everyone, this is your captain speaking. We are now preparing for departure from Seoul. Our first flight destination will be Dubai, with an estimated flight time of around 9 hours. After a short layover we will continue onward to Portugal. We ask that all passengers please remain seated with their seatbelts fastened as we prepare for takeoff.”
The captain's voice echoes softly throughout the cabin before fading back into the quiet hum of the airplane.
Around you, people begin settling in fully for the long flight ahead. Bags are being shoved underneath seats, window shades are being adjusted, and the aisle slowly clears as the last few staff members hurry back to their seats.
You stare down at your phone, trying to find one song that could possibly calm you down from the situation you are currently up against.
Beside you, Jungkook stays quiet, seemingly on his phone. Out of every seat on the plane, of course it had to be next to yours.
You glance towards the aisle for half a second, spotting Mina a few rows behind you. The second she notices you looking, her expression shifts into amusement.
Absolutely not.
You quickly turn your head away before she can start anything.
The plane begins moving across the runway, the city lights of Incheon blurring together against the dark window beside Jungkook. You try to focus on literally anything else besides the awkward tension sitting directly next to you.
It doesn't really work.
You reach into your bag and pull out your headphones, untangling the wires carefully before slipping them over your ears. Maybe if you slept through the flight, this whole situation would somehow become less awkward by the time you land.
A quiet rustling beside you makes you glance over briefly.
Jungkook is pulling a blanket over himself, sleeves pushed slightly past his wrists as he adjusts himself comfortably in his seat. Not before he notices you looking though.
You immediately look away. Real smooth Y/N.
“Youre overthinking.”
Your eyes snap back toward him. He isn't even looking at you this time, attention fixed lazily on the screen in front of him.
He quietly adds, “I can tell.”
You can't help but scoff under your breath, “You don't know me well enough to say that.”
A smug smile appears on his face.
“I know that face you're making though.”
You hate the small part of you that wants to laugh, but instead of laughing, you lean back further into your seat and cross your arms.
“Youre very talkative for someone who said he'd keep it professional.”
That finally gets him to look at you.
Something in his expression softens immediately, like he realizes he accidentally stepped too close to the boundary once again.
“Right,” he says quietly. “Sorry.”
The guilt in his voice catches you off guard for a moment.
You look away first, catching his eyes on you for a few seconds longer before he turns back around and finally gets into a comfortable position.
The plane finally lifts from the runway, your stomach twisting slightly as the city disappears beneath the clouds. You close your eyes once the seatbelt sign dims, exhaustion beginning to settle deeper into your body now that everything has finally slowed down.
For a while, everything feels calm. The engines hum is low, the cabins dim lights, the quiet tapping of someone who must be replying to someone on their computer.
Until suddenly-
The plane jolts violently.
A few startled gasps fill the cabin almost instantly as the overhead compartments rattle above everyone's heads. Your eyes open immediately, your heart jumping into your throat as another rough shake movies through the airplane.
The seatbelt sign flashes back overhead.
You hate flying.
Another sudden drop makes panic rush to your chest before you can stop it, your hand instinctively reaching for the nearest thing beside you.
You quickly squeeze the armrest and just wait for it all to be over.
The turbulence continues for another few moments before finally easing, the airplane stabilizing itself once again.
Your breathing stays uneven for a moment, you finally look down and realize that what you were gripping onto for dear life wasn't an armrest.
It was an arm.
You were gripping Jungkook's forearm tightly.
Oh my god.
You pull away immediately.
“I- sorry,” you whisper immediately, putting your hands in your lap and giving a quick head bow before facing forward.
“I didn't mean to do that.”
“It's okay,” he says calmly.
You glance over expecting him to tease you, preparing yourself for him to make some joke, but instead, he just looks concerned.
“You alright?” he asks.
“Yeah, I'm sorry. I just really don't like flying.”
As if the universe enjoys humiliating you, another small shake runs through the airplane, making your shoulders tense. Jungkook notices, of course he does.
“Itll pass soon,” he says softly. “The pilot would've said something if it was serious.”
You let out a quiet breath, trying to relax back into the seat.
“I know that, obviously,” you mumble.
A small laugh escapes him.
“Obviously..” he repeats, in a mocking tone.
Your eyes flick toward him.
The cabin lighting is low now, soft enough that his features don't look nearly as sharp as they usually do. He looks tired, comfortable, he looks like him. You look at him for a second longer and then look away, sighing internally. Part of you wishing the turbulence would've just killed you while it had the chance.
-
You try so hard to sleep, but it never comes. You give up and decide to watch a movie, though you can't pay much attention to it.
Every few seconds, your mind decides to remind you that you quite literally gripped onto Jungkooks arm during turbulence, and you get hit with a wave of embarrassment, each time sinking deeper and deeper into your seat.
“You know,” Jungkook suddenly says quietly beside you, "that's probably the first time someone held onto me because they were scared and not because security was dragging them away.”
Your head immediately turns towards him.
He smiles faintly, eyes still on the screen in front of him.
You stare at him for a second, grateful that you're not the only one who keeps replaying the moment in their head, before a laugh escapes you.
“That was horrible.”
“I know, your grip is actually really strong,” he voice seemingly pained. “..my arm felt like it was suffocating.”
You shake your head, fighting yet another smile.
The tension from earlier softens slightly after that, it doesn't disappear completely, but enough for you to feel a bit more comfortable.
A flight attendant approaches your row quietly.
“Would either of you like anything to drink?”
Jungkook looks towards you first before answering.
“Water's fine.”
The flight attendant nods before turning to you.
“Tea please,” you say softly.
A few moments later, she returns with both drinks before disappearing down the aisle again. You wrap your hands around the warm cup carefully, staring down at the steam rising from it.
“You really don't sleep much, do you?”
You glance toward him.
“What?”
“The eyebags.” he says simply, gesturing vaguely towards his own face. “Theyre kind of worse today.”
Your eyes narrow at him.
“Wow you're really good with compliments.”
His shoulders shake as he tries to quiet his laugh.
“Thats not what I meant,” he says, “You just look tired.”
You look down towards your tea, before you look back up to answer.
“Ive had a lot on my mind lately.”
The moment the words leave your mouth, you begin to regret them. The dim cabin makes everything feel much more honest.
Jungkook doesn't push further, he just nods in agreement.
“Yeah, I get that.”
For a few seconds, the only sound between you is the soft clinking of the ice in his cup.
Then-
“Can I ask you something?”
You hesitate briefly before nodding.
“Depends what it is.”
His fingers tap slightly against his armrest as if he's thinking carefully about how to word it.
“When you moved here,” he starts quietly, “were you scared?”
The question catches you off-guard, making you glance over at him fully now.
He's still looking ahead, expression unreadable in the low lighting.
“Yes,” you answer honestly after a moment.
“Terrified actually.”
His eyes flicker towards yours.
“But you still did it.”
A small breath escapes you. “I didn't really have anything left keeping me there.”
The next few seconds feel quieter than usual. You can feel yourself getting too close to a conversation you promised yourself you wouldn't have with him.
So you pull back.
“Enough about me,” you say lightly, trying to shift the mood. “Youre supposed to be sleeping before your schedules.”
He looks at me dumbfounded.
“Are you telling me what to do?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.”
You fight back a laugh,
“Get some sleep Jungkook.”
“Only if you do too.”
You open your mouth to respond, then pause when you notice how close he is.
Not intentionally. Just because the plane seats are small.
You feel your breath catch in your throat before you quickly lean back again.
Professional.
You clear your throat awkwardly and gesture towards his seat.
“Go to sleep before I throw your phone out of the plane window.”
He giggles before putting his phone away and closing his eyes.
After a while, the plane finally levels out completely. The turbulence doesn't return.
At some point, you forget about the movie playing on the screen in front of you, letting exhaustion pull at you whether you wanted it to or not, and you finally get about an hour of sleep.
-
You wake up to movement. People are gathering their things, stretching, slowly waking up as the captain announces descent into Dubai.
Jungkook is already awake beside you, scrolling on his phone quietly.
You sit up, a bit disoriented.
“We're landing,” he says simply.
You nod, rubbing your eyes. “I feel so out of it.”
“How long did you sleep?”
“..Like an hour.”
He briefly glances at you.
“Well.. it's better than nothing.”
You don't respond to that. Instead, you focus on gathering your things as the plane descends.
You can see Dubai from a distance, they are bright, scattered, looking almost unreal. Making you forget everything else for a moment, until the plane finally hits land.
-
The airport is massive, its loud, bright, and feels all too “alive” for how tired you are.
The staff move quickly, guiding everyone through the transit process. Cameras are thankfully gone here, replaced with walls and endless corridors.
Mina catches up with you during the transfer.
“Still alive?” she asks.
“Barely,” you mumble.
She laughs, “You and Jungkook were very quiet on the plane.”
“Dont start,” you glare at her, “You and Haeun must be twins..” you roll your eyes playfully.
She smiles, “I didn't say anything..”
You walk faster, making sure to try and get into the coffee stand line before anyone else.
-
Dubai's airport is bright in a way that is disorienting, the lights are bright, which makes you feel like you're in a hospital.
Mina falls into step beside you, rolling her suitcase with a loud clack against the floor.
“You look like you're about to die.”
“I am,” you reply.
“You are not going to survive Portugal like this..”
All you can manage is a small head nod.
You both eventually slow down near a cafe area in the terminal, letting the group spread out a little as everyone waits for the boarding time.
You order a coffee without thinking twice, stepping aside as Mina leans against the counter next to you.
“You know,” she says, “jet lag is going to suck in Portugal.”
You take your coffee from the order stand and take a small sip.
“I wont feel it,” you reply.
“Why not?”
“Because I'll already be dead.”
Mina snorts at your comment, "You're so dramatic.”
“Am I wrong?”
She shakes her head still smiling.
You manage to sit for a bit, both of you leaning against your luggage while charging your phones near a wall outlet. Eventually, the calm starts shifting again.
People start gathering their things, the group slowly reforming, staff calling out times and gate changes.
Mina stands first, stretching her arms.
“Back to suffering,” she says.
You can't help but groan as you stand up, grabbing your bag.
“Please don't remind me.”
You both merge back into the group as everyone begins heading toward the gate for the next flight.
-
You shuffle forward with Mina and now Hauen, suitcases rolling behind you, eyes focused on what was ahead of you, coffee finished in your hand as you look for a trashcan to throw it away in.
The energy as you board the plane is drastically different, you can't help but notice that it is way quieter, everyone must have let the exhaustion win.
You begin walking down the aisle, scanning all the seat numbers.
Row by row, until you finally reach yours.
2F.
You stop, eyes flicking from the seat number and the man currently sitting in your seat.
“Jungkook, that's my seat.”
He looks up at you and quickly says, “You take the window seat this time.”
“What?”
He shifts slightly in his seat, already moving like he's making space for you to move to the window seat.
“You said you only slept like an hour earlier,” he adds, “Window might help you sleep.”
You hesitate for a second, still standing in the aisle while people move past behind you.
“Im fine,” you say.
He makes eye contact with you, but says nothing.
You wait for a few seconds and when you realize he's not changing his mind, you sigh under your breath and slide into what was once his seat.
“Dont make it a habit,” you mutter.
“No promises.”
You adjust your bag under your seat, and the plane begins to fill around you once again. Jungkook settled into his aisle seat, digging around his bag for what you presume are his headphones.
A flight attendant passes by, making sure everyone has their seatbelts on.
Jungkook clicks his first, then you proceed to click yours as well.
“Still tired?” he asks suddenly.
“No,” you answer immediately.
He hums like he doesn't believe you, but he doesn't push it.
As the airplane starts moving, you lean your head back on the seat, looking out into the fading Dubai skyline. You begin to drift into sleep, telling yourself you will only close your eyes for a second, but the exhaustion ultimately wins.
-
You don't remember falling asleep.
It happens somewhere between the hum of the engine and the darkness of the Dubai sky that everything started to blur together until your thoughts finally gave up trying to stay awake.
Your head slowly tilts, just slightly. Then a little more, and before you can register it, your weight shifts out of your control.
It lands against something warm, something solid.
You don't wake up, not fully anyway. Only enough to register that you're comfortable, so you stay there.
-
Jungkook notices almost immediately.
At first, he didn't move. His eyes flick down slightly, looking towards the weight on his shoulder, feeling the soft breathing against the sleeve of his shirt.
He blinks once, then looks forward, almost as if trying to convince myself that what he thinks is happening isn't actually happening.
But you don't move, and your breathing doesn't change.
His gaze drops on you again, you're fully asleep, completely unaware, your head resting on him like it belongs there.
He begins to shift his arm slightly, carefully, almost testing. You don't react, so he stops.
For a moment, he just sits there like that. Still- quiet, letting you sleep without interruption. The light above is dim, casting soft shadows across your face, making everything feel too calm for how loud his thoughts suddenly were.
He exhales quietly from his nose.
“..seriously,” he mutters under his breath, barely audible. Even then though, he doesn't move you.
Minutes pass.
At some point, he finally relaxes back into his seat, as if accepting that this is just how it is now. His arm stays still, careful not to disturb you, but his posture shifts subtly to account for the weight on him.
He picks up his phone, scrolling for maybe thirty seconds. His attention keeps drifting back, you don't move the entire time. Eventually, something in the quiet starts to pull him into exhaustion too.
His phone slowly lowers in his hand, staring forward for a little while longer, beginning to blink slower than before, once, twice, and his head finally leans back against his seat.
This time, neither of you notices anything. Your head remains on his shoulder. His head slowly begins to shift as well, giving in to gravity.
A quiet stillness settling over the both of you, two people who came onto this flight fully aware of the boundaries between them, now completely asleep against each other without realizing it.
During this time, people go about their business, walking up and down the aisle paying you both no mind. Haeun makes her way to the bathroom, but not before stopping by your aisle first.
She sees the situation in front of her, a small smile spreads across her face as she takes out her phone, and takes a picture of the both of you before heading to the bathroom once again.
-
Eventually, Jungkook stirs first.
He isn't fully awake, just enough to shift slightly, his brows tightening once he realizes the weight still resting against him.
He opens his eyes slowly, looks down, and pauses.
For a moment, he just stares at you again, like he's trying to process how long this has been happening without either of you noticing.
“..youre unbelievable,” he mutters to himself, with no real bite behind it.
He adjusts slightly in his seat, enough to get comfortable once again, and after a few seconds, without hesitation, he lets his eyes close again.
Just for a little while longer.