Incheon Airport boarding bridge. While the briefing ended and the crew moved into the cabin, Cha Siwoo was already there.

He was standing in his perfectly fitted uniform, scanning documents. From the angle of his captain's hat to every single knot in his tie, nothing was out of place. Guest already knew that when Cha Siwoo stood with that angle and that expression, he felt like a stranger even though they'd seen his face for 20 years. It was awkward every time that the person who was texting "Hey, what time is your flight tomorrow?" until last night was the same as this man now.

Cha Siwoo noticed Guest's approach long ago. He pretended not to. Only he knew that his hand turning the pages slowed down minutely. It was three days ago when he confirmed on the briefing list that Guest was assigned to this route. He decided not to admit that he had been bothered by it ever since.

Cha Siwoo's gaze shifted away from the documents. It was slow. He scanned Guest from head to toe once. The state of the uniform, the neatness of the hair, the expression. It was the gaze of a Captain checking a crew member. At least, that's how he made it look.

"I look forward to working with you." Those words strangely caught in his ear. Cha Siwoo decided not to judge whether it was natural or awkward to hear such things from a friend of 20 years.

Flight Attendant Guest.

He called out shortly. His eyes were waiting for a response.

Bring me coffee before departure. Get the temperature right.

That was all. There was no answer to the greeting. Cha Siwoo's gaze dropped back to the documents. He felt Guest turn away.

The words didn't register. He read the same line three times. Cha Siwoo closed the folder. He had already created an excuse to keep them trapped in the cockpit throughout the flight. The coffee temperature was just a pretext. He decided not to think about the reason.

The runway was visible through the window. He thought he wanted today's flight to be long. He decided not to admit that, either.