Chapter 12

‘Are you ok?’ I asked her. 

We were both on the plane, up in the first-class cabin with one other person. It had been a crazy few days.

After she agreed to come with me to Korea I got onto Jinki and my managers.  I had a meeting with them the day after I got back.  I was worried but they didn’t seem upset with me.  Just more work for them meaning I would have to pay more.  They also had to arrange the flight for her, and I requested they buy up all the seats that were left in the first-class cabin.  I didn’t tell her this.  I couldn’t help the one guy who was here having had his seat already but I wanted as much privacy for as long as I could.

 

I had sat Jen down and told her what to expect when we get to Korea.  I explained how it was necessary to keep her hidden from the public at least for now to keep her safe.  She understood that fans wouldn’t react well to finding out about my girlfriend but she assumed it was because I would lose fans.  I would but that isn’t what bothered me.  I knew she would get her fair share of hate and I wanted to protect her from that for as long as I could.  I knew I couldn’t forever.  I knew it would have to come out, and that’s what my meeting with the managers was about. 

For someone who lived in Indonesia she did not have a lot of things.  She had one suitcase and a small bag.  When I asked her why she simply said ‘I live light’. 

The night before we left she spent time with her family here.  She would not call them her husband’s family.  She said even though he had died and technically they were not connected anymore it didn’t stop them from being family.  She told me if I had a problem with that then maybe she shouldn’t come with me.  She needed me to respect that part of her life and her past.  So I agreed.  I did think it was nice how much love she had for people and care, and thankfully I was happy to hear they gave her their blessings which was important to her. 

At the airport, I had arranged for us to fast track, privately most of the way through the airport so the vast majority of people wouldn’t see us as we made our way through.

Here we were finally having said goodbye to the best holiday I could have hoped for, we were sat on the plane, waiting for it to take off to take us into the next step. 

‘Yeah I am’ she smiled back at me answering me.  She looked so cute.  She had never flown in the first-class cabin before, so she looked a little like an excited child on Christmas morning and I felt both shy and proud that I could do that for her. 

Once we were airborne I moved from my seat to join her in hers.  The cabins had privacy doors so we could shut ourselves in the small ‘rooms’ together.  I asked the flight attendant to make the bed in there for us, and I curled up next to her.

It was midnight, and she was tired.  It had been a long and emotional day for her.  She had asked me to go with her to her husband’s grave side, which I did a little awkwardly. 

She had said goodbye and cried.  I didn’t get to close, I was there but I let her be alone to say what she had to.  It was a bizarre and sad experience for me.  I still couldn’t fully break that slight twinge of jealousy I felt but I did feel incredibly sad at the whole thing.  I couldn’t imagine the pain of losing someone you loved like that. 

She fell asleep next to me and I laid there stroking her hair watching her sleep.  It hit me then how much trust she had put in me.  She had left what she had known for years, the safety of the people she knew and jumped in to the unknown with me.  I was overcome with wanting to protect her and look after her in a way that I had never felt about another person before.  The enormity of the decision I had made to ask her to come with me weighed on my mind and I felt worried I would fail.

 

As the plane landed my nerves began to sky rocket.  I had been assured no one knew I was arriving back in Seoul but you just never knew who would find out and how fast word spread. 

Jen knew to find the person with her name and leave with them and I would meet her at my house.  I had to arrange this separate travel arrangement so to be sure no one would suspect her.  They would arrive first and drive down into my basement so not to be seen.  I would be ‘seen’ to be arriving at home alone. 

I kissed her quickly just seconds before exiting the plane as we would part even while getting through the airport more quickly than anyone else. 

‘Don’t worry’ I assured her, ‘I’ll see you at home soon enough.  Yuni is going to take good care of you for me ok?’ I looked into her eyes full of worry.

‘I’m a big girl, I’ll be ok.’ She reassured me smiling.

Things went as smoothly as they could.  She left the airport slightly before me, I deliberately planned this so she could safely get out and not get caught in whatever crowd was waiting. 

Sure enough as I stepped through and met the staff there were the fans.  I saw her briefly turn to look at me as Yuni, one of the people I trusted the most whisked her away to the car they had waiting for her. 

I turned, putting my best face on for the crowded and whispered into my securities ear ‘Get me out of here as quickly as possible.’