Side Story 1
Welcome Back
[11:25 KE7904 CAIRO]
Bom, who had been staring at the bright blue electronic display announcing international arrivals, adjusted her bag when she saw 'Go To Gate' appear.
The flight from Cairo, Egypt, had been delayed, but it seemed to have finally arrived and was moving towards the gate. Soon, the man she was waiting for would appear from that gate.
I can't wait to see him.
Bom stood for a while, her eyes fixed on the arrival gate, craning her neck. How much time had passed? Finally, the firmly closed gate doors slid open to either side.
The arriving passengers, each dragging a large suitcase, all had faces tanned a deep black. Which meant...
—I put a bit of a filter on this on purpose, it's alright, right? In case I was too dark to see. Idols use it a lot, you know.
If you had to use a filter, how tanned must you be, Jae-gyu?
Bom's curiosity only grew.
From Egypt, whether it was photos or videos, somehow he only sent blurry, smudged ones, so she couldn't tell at all how dark he had gotten.
He already had light brown skin, so even if he got tanned, it shouldn't make a big difference, but Jae-gyu stubbornly insisted on using that strange filter that supposedly gave an 'idol vibe.'
...An idol vibe, he said. Recalling her boyfriend's absurd remark, Bom shivered slightly.
Honestly, as long as he returned safely and healthily, without any major problems, none of that mattered. Ever since she saw the news that daytime temperatures in southern Egypt had reached a staggering 50 degrees Celsius, causing fatalities, she had been on edge.
He had gone to Egypt precisely when it was in chaos due to a heatwave, so she couldn't help but worry.
If I had known this, I wouldn't have pushed him to go. Bom sighed softly.
A few months ago, the government had recruited companies for a training program to support overseas expansion of solar energy businesses. Only a few companies were selected, and JK Power Energy was one of them. It was a golden opportunity that came at a time when the domestic market was already limited, and they were looking to expand overseas.
'I'm not going... I'm too uneasy leaving my Bom-Bom behind.'
'You said you wanted to become a solar energy tycoon. Hurry up and pack. Go achieve your dream and come back.'
And so, Jae-gyu had left for Egypt last month.
Perhaps because the duration was only about a month, Jae-gyu's schedule was quite packed. He toured the world's largest solar power plant located south of Cairo, attended a global renewable energy expo, and even had meetings with local Egyptian companies.
Even amidst his non-stop busy schedule, Jae-gyu called every day and sent many messages. Still, it wasn't the same as having him by her side, and the emptiness she felt was indescribable.
After that long, long month had passed, it was finally Jae-gyu's return date.
Come out quickly... Among the stream of returning passengers pouring out, Bom focused intently so as not to miss Jae-gyu.
Every time people reunited in front of the gate, her anticipation for her reunion with Jae-gyu grew, and the corners of her mouth naturally turned up.
"..."
But then, a problem arose. Even after waiting for a long time, Jae-gyu was nowhere to be seen. She had been watching intently, so there was no way she could have missed him.
Feeling anxious, she pulled out her phone and opened her message app. A pile of messages had accumulated.
[Han-gyeol💙][Did you meet Uncle? Have fun and come back.]
[Ha Jung-jin][Bom, you didn't come out today. Is something wrong?]
[Web Sender][Hello, Bride Yoon Bom. This is Planner Choi Jin-sol. Your reservation today for... More]
[My Mother][The director must be crazy, they're extending the shoot. Has Son-in-law Gyu arrived?]
[Lee Jae-hee, Choi Yeon-su][It's boring without you today ㅠㅠ Who did you go to the airport to pick up?? Your boyfriend?]
[Gu Philip][Sister-in-law~~ I can't reach the CEO, has he not arrived yet lol]
She scrolled further down, but there were no messages from Jae-gyu.
...Had something really happened?
The other companies in the training group were still in Egypt. This was because it was their pre-arranged schedule to tour Cairo for a week after the training before returning home.
Only Jae-gyu had paid out of his own pocket to move up his return flight.
That fact made her unnecessarily anxious. Had something gone wrong on his way back alone?
Now that she thought about it, his last message said he would sightsee due to a flight delay before leaving. He did get on the plane, right?
All sorts of thoughts flooded her mind. Anxious, Bom alternated her gaze between her phone and the gate. Just then, the surroundings grew noisy.
"What's with that guy?"
"Huh, he looks suspicious."
Following the gazes of the murmuring crowd, Bom turned her head and spotted a man just emerging from the gate.
"..."
Who is that?
Amidst the bustling crowd, a strikingly conspicuous person caught her eye. Among the hurrying people, he was a large man, a head taller than everyone else.
With dark skin, and distinct features that drew attention even though they were hidden by sunglasses.
He was grinning, showing his teeth like someone excited, and his pure white teeth, contrasting with his coal-like face, were striking.
The clothes he wore were also unusual. The white fabric, which enveloped his muscular body down to his ankles, looked like a long-sleeved one-piece dress at first glance, but it was a traditional Egyptian garment called a Galabeya. He didn't look Egyptian, so she couldn't understand why he was wearing it.
More than that, what caught her eye was the man's nonchalant attitude despite the torrent of stares.
That vibe. He resembled someone.
Blink, blink. Bom's eyes, which had been curiously observing the man, slowly began to waver. As the man approached, an undeniably familiar feeling washed over her.
"..."
And when the man was about ten paces away, Bom spotted on the suitcase he was carrying the luggage tag she had personally attached.
It was a luggage tag she'd made a few months ago during a 100-won event on a merchandise production site, using a photo of Bom-sik.
No, then... really?
To be honest, she'd had a hunch from the start, but...
The man, who stood before her in an instant, opened his large mouth wide and laughed aloud.
"Bom!"
"Jae-gyu, how did you—"
"—end up like this?" Before she could even ask, his door-sized body enveloped her in a hug. The familiar scent of the man filled her lungs.
Perhaps because of his body heat, warm as if he had just walked out of the desert, Bom's body also grew warm. Bom stretched out her arms and tentatively hugged his thick body.
"Bom, haaah... I really missed you, truly. I could see you right away, even from far away."
"...I almost didn't recognize you."
"Your jokes have gotten better."
Chok. His lips pressed firmly against the top of her head, then pulled away.
"You didn't contact me after leaving the hotel, so I thought something had happened."
"Something did happen, but more than that... Ah, Bom, why are you so pretty...? Are you trying to kill someone?"
Are you 'Killer Bom'? He even muttered strange things with a serious expression. She hadn't particularly dressed up, but perhaps he thought she looked pretty after a month apart.
"What are you doing, seriously?"
He kept showering kisses on the top of her head, and though she told him to stop, it was no use.
"Didn't you miss me?"
With a voice full of emotion, he only hugged her tighter.
In the past, when she watched dramas and saw scenes of people parting or reuniting at the airport, she used to wonder if it was really necessary to cry and make such a fuss. But this time, seeing Jae-gyu off and then coming to pick him up, she realized those were all natural emotions.
So this is what it feels like to be so happy and touched...
"..."
"..."
But weren't they hugging for too long? Bom, who had been held for a long time, slowly pushed Jae-gyu's chest with both palms.
"Um, maybe we should go to the car first..."
As soon as she managed to pull Jae-gyu away, perhaps due to Jae-gyu's peculiar appearance, the people who had been murmuring and surrounding them also dispersed.
"L-let's go quickly."
Bom led Jae-gyu and hurried towards the airport parking lot.
"Bom, I'll drive. Give me the keys."
"Huh? Aren't you tired, Jae-gyu?"
"I rested on the plane, so I'm perfectly fine."
All the way to the airport parking lot, Bom kept glancing Jae-gyu up and down, and as soon as she got into Hin-suni's passenger seat, she blurted out what she had been wanting to ask.
"No, seriously, why do you look like this? And what's with this outfit?"
Jae-gyu, who had been adjusting the driver's seat back and forth to his liking, stopped what he was doing and slowly turned his head.
"..."
He didn't answer, and because of his sunglasses, she couldn't even tell what expression he was making.
Something was definitely suspicious. Bom reached out her arm and quickly pulled off Jae-gyu's sunglasses.
"What happened to your face!"