Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
Atlanta, GA
United States of America
December 23, 2016
“Are you going home, too?”
Jian paused his music and looked at the source of the voice. There was a much younger female sitting across him, sunglasses perched on top of her head and regarding him with a curious expression. She had a rose gold tote bag on her lap and a similarly colored carry-on luggage next to her; Jian found himself staring before managing a short, reserved answer.
“I am. Where are you off to?”
“Back to Seoul; I’m staying for Christmas and New Year before coming back here.” Her phone made a noise and she excused herself to check the message; Jian took the chance to observe her further. The female wore a white hoodie with a shirt underneath, light-colored jogger pants, and white sneakers. She looked familiar, he realized, but couldn’t quite pinpoint who exactly she was. “Sorry about that, my friend just wanted to see if I was here already. And you?”
“Taipei.” She nodded slowly and it went quiet between the two of them; Jian glanced back down at his tablet and (tried to) resume reading, though sensed that the much younger other wanted to continue conversation.
Well. He couldn’t blame her, not really—it was the holiday season, after all. Around them were bunches of people, both family and friends alike, who were all chattering away with each other about plans and whatnot. It seemed like they were the few minority who were travelling alone without anyone else.
Jian glanced at her again and extended a hand. “Jian Lee,” he introduced. “Going back to Taipei for a bit to visit my family—well. My sister, pretty much, but I’m going to see the rest of them, too.” For a moment, she looked surprised that he bothered to continue the conversation; Jian nearly withdrew his hand but she took his and shook it with a small but warm smile on her face.
“Jin-kyong,” she said in turn. “Lee Jin-kyong. This might seem a bit forward, but—do you want to get some coffee elsewhere?” Jian’s brow lifted and she pinked a little bit, though went on without much embarrassment, “nothing like that, no. I just feel—it just feels a bit weird with all the rest of these people, you know?”
If it were anyone else, he’d disagree and claim that they made no sense.
But Jian understood and nodded, tucking his tablet back into his leather carry-on and standing up. “That would be nice, actually. My flight’s in two hours. I could use the company,” he told her. She beamed in response and stood up as well, tote bag slung over her shoulder and prepared to move.
“Great! Mine’s in an hour and a half. Close enough.”
--
Chapel of St. Cecilia
Atlanta, GA
United States of America
December 24, 2016
“Tony and I had to force Jin-ho to stop working,” Mathieu admitted.
He fiddled with his hands lightly, stared at them for a moment before glancing back upwards. Both were clasped in prayer, and in his right he held a rosary of white beads. “He has the tendency to overwork himself—even during the holiday season. So Tony and I stopped him,” he continued, pausing to laugh at what had happened. “If you knew Jin-ho, you’d understand.”
Mathieu’s smile faded eventually, and he heaved a sigh as he continued holding on to the rosary. “It’s…it’s almost been a year since I left her, maman…I know she’s forgiven me, she did a few months ago, but—I don’t know.” He sighs, “I don’t want to commit any mistakes anymore.”
There’s silence for a moment before Mathieu glances at the rosary then looks up. Hanging in front of the pews is the image of the crucified Christ; before coming back to Atlanta, the image would be judging, cold. Mathieu would feel guilty at the mere sight, ducking his head after.
But this time, it was different. Looking at the image, Mathieu simply felt how he’d feel when his mother asked him to do good. He spent a couple more minutes kneeling on the pew until murmuring, “I have to go back home now, maman…merci. Tu me manques.” He managed a small smile before making the sign of the cross, pocketing the rosary and then standing up.
There was no one there, as usual. There seemed to be no one whenever he would visit the chapel, making him feel both secure yet nervous at the same time.
Turning away from the pews, Mathieu quietly left. It didn’t take long until his phone rang, to which he answered as soon as he was a couple of feet away from the chapel and getting into his parked car. “What is it, Jin-ho? I’m about to start driving home.”
“Driving home—where are you?”
Mathieu hesitated. “I had an errand to run. Do you need anything?”
“I do, actually. You mentioned something about Aether playing the piano and wanting to get back into it, right?”
“I did.” He got into the car, fished for his keys, and slid it into the ignition. “Were you able to find something?”
“That I was.” Mathieu was sure that he could almost hear the other smirking on the other end, “Come over before you go home. I’m sure that Aether will understand.”
--
META Offices
London, England
United Kingdom
December 24, 2016
“Leaving so soon, Lysette?”
“Yes, Leo.” Lysette gave a smile and nudged Leo Vargas playfully, “I’m going to Winchester tomorrow, remember? I can’t stay up too late or else I’ll miss my train and then miss the kids. They’ve been waiting for the entire year,” she explained. At that, the taller figure ruffled her hair and gave an understanding nod.
“I was just kidding around, but really—it’s nice that you still find the time to visit,” he told her. “You stayed in the orphanage for how many years?”
“Since I was eleven,” she confirmed. “The owner and the staff pretty much raised me. They’re family—and I gotta give back, you know?” Leo gave a thoughtful nod and raised his bottle of beer to her, to which she raised hers back. Both took a drink and the male sighed, gesturing to the rest of the party. “What is it?”
“You could always stay a bit longer,” he sang. “Ramsey hasn’t even started singing yet. Are you sure you want to leave?” Leo waggled his brows and she snorted, shaking her head. “Emilie and I have a lot more planned for the night than just drinking and looking stupid.”
“Peer pressure,” she complained.
“Just saying.” When Lysette looked like she refused to budge, Leo could only give a warm laugh and clasped her shoulder. “But in all seriousness, Lysette—it’s good that you’re giving back. I mean it.” he offered a gentle smile, “It’s nice to see that there are still some good people left in the world.” Lysette was about to reply when Eugene stumbled in their direction, waving his drink and calling for Leo to join them. “This is my cue to go back,” he told her, smoothly stopping Eugene from bumping into any more furniture. “I’ll take pictures.”
“Send them as blackmail?” Leo nodded and gave her a quick hug before leaving (and dragging Eugene away), the sight of the two making her smile before she turned to leave the offices.
META held an annual Christmas party every year to celebrate; Lysette tended to be one of those who stayed until the very end, but that year she had left earlier than usual. She had told Eugene and Aaron beforehand, and the two had tried to convince her to stay, as Leo himself did. But they gave eventually, telling her to have fun and that they’d drink for her.
She loved META—she loved working there, she loved the people, loved that she could pursue her passion and at the same time make a living out of it. But if she had to be fair, she wouldn’t have been able to get there without the people at the orphanage, the higher-ups who assisted her along the way.
Lysette wanted to give back as much as she could. If that meant going back to the orphanage on Christmas and dedicating half of the day to making the kids smile, then she was sure as hell that she would do everything she could to be able to make it on time.
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