7th October 2024
Hong-ju
Moo-young and I were waiting for the rest of our group at Incheon airport. We had booked a first class overnight flight. A familiar face entered the first class lounge with Rose, “Yeon offered to cover my flight back” Andrew answered me. We had a small snack in the first class lounge while waiting for our boarding gate to be ready. I reached out for Moo-young’s hand, thinking about my home of 63 years.
Once the flight had taken off, Rose and Yun tried their best to stay awake till after eating our late dinner. Both entered dreamland soon after. A tiny laugh left my mouth, spying Yeon and Ji-ha trying to not giggle. Checking my protection was still in place, it was safe to bring thoughts about our surprise to the surface. Yeon caught my eye with a knowing eye. The rest of the flight was peaceful, watching over the sleeping beauties in the middle.
Rose and Yun were woken up by the smell of breakfast wafting throughout the cabin. Any important conversations were saved till after breakfast. Once the doors were open, we waited for the non priority passengers to leave the plane. I was glad to see Rose’s wheelchair, along with a staff member waiting for us.
Rose
The 1st time we had to split up was at customs. Hong-ju went with Yeon, Moo-young, Yun and Ji-ha, leaving just Andrew and I. We got through with no issues and waited in the Arrivals Hall. Twenty minutes later they came toward us and we headed for the two cars sent by Matilda. Hong-ju and I went in separate cars so there was one English speaker in each car. Yun’s eyes lit up when we entered the city, my face broke out in a genuine smile.
As the car approached the office, Yeon turned around, with confusion on his face. “You’ll see’, a familiar driveway appeared out of nowhere leading to an underground car park. I was hit by a wall of mental noise, activating my fight or flight. An automatic barrier surrounded my mind palace, with my body frozen in place. I forced my body to breathe through the overwhelming pain. Half an hour later, my pain levels returned to normal and I was calm enough to leave my mind.
Three hours Later
This wasn’t the car, {Am I in the Infirmary again?} The room was dimly lit with enough light for me to notice the IV line leading to a blue bag. Starting with my toes, moving them to make sure nothing was wrong. A voice startled me, looking up it was Matilda and Andrew. Furrowing my brows and ignoring their silent giggles, I continued checking my body. {How long?}
“You’ve been non responsive for three hours” replied Matilda. {it felt like half an hour.} “What triggered your shutdown?” {the hidden entrance} and they understood right away. “I know you’ve checked your body for any physical damage, I’d like to do a cranial nerve exam”, Andrew asked me.
Matilda
I left Rose in the hands of Andrew and headed to one of the training rooms. The medical scanners hidden within all the external doors, had improved response time for the medical team. Allowing them to be prepared for when emergencies occurred.
I waited till Hong-ju, Bruce and Lee Yeon had stopped for a break before clicking my tongue three times. Bruce looked up, “she’s woken up?” confirming his question and glancing at the other two. Their bodies relaxed and Yeon gave her a bear hug.
“Andrew is with her, so expect her tomorrow”, I pulled Hong-ju aside. “What are their written English skills like?” Our translation rings were focused on spoken English. Her answer told me we needed to bridge the gap. I had a plan in mind, but I needed to run it by a few key people. Reminding her to check her emails, I left them to spar a bit more.
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Chapter 23: Jeju Island
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Chapter 25
