As always, Bangkok airport was packed. Like ants, people were moving here and there. It was like an ant's nest. In order to catch their connecting flight to Seoul, the Tae family arrived in Bangkok. It was their first time visiting the country. They wanted to take a tour of the country but they had only two hours for the transit. No one had enough strength to speak. Even though the travel duration was just five hours, the family had already exhausted their energy at Delhi airport in the early morning.
Tae stretched his neck and legs to loosen up. The loose cheetah-printed shirt and baggy pants made him look like a model. No wonder he captured the eyes of the young ladies passing through the airport. However, his father did not allow him to enjoy all the attention he received.
"Tae, get moving. Let's finish the security check quickly and find our gate."
It's never too early, says Minjae. His past flight experiences have taught him that anything can happen at the airport. You never know what's going to happen next. There's always something that might happen and delay. He doesn't like it when people call him pessimistic. He's a very punctual and careful person inside.
Not in the mood to argue, Tae and Geetha increased their walking pace and followed Minjae like puppies. It took hardly fifteen minutes to finish their security check. Again, it was Minjae who didn't let his family do window shopping on their way to the gate. He convinced them that there would be the same shops near their gate as well.
Soon they reached gate number five. Few passengers already occupied the front row seats in the waiting area. They walked to the last row. Geetha sat in between her husband and son like a barrier to stop them talk to each other.
Having finished brunch on the flight, they had nothing to do till they catch the flight.
Geetha had been nagging her husband like a kid and asked him when they would reach their destination. Tae was scrolling his mobile phone. His father wasn't happy. In the end, he ignored his wife's nagging and concentrated on the person next to her who didn't care what was going on around him. He hated whenever Tae's focus was more on his mobile phone than his family.
"Tae. Keep an eye on the display. It is possible that they will change the gate at the last minute", Minjae tried to get his son's attention. His son may not even notice if someone kidnap his parents.
Tae rolled his eyes. This wasn't just today. Even at home, Minjae always starts a conversation whenever he sees Tae doing something on Mobile. Sometimes he complains that he hasn't spent time with his family. Other times he would lecture on how long screentime at the office and at home affects one's health. Tae used to argue, but stopped when he realized it was difficult to break his father's opinions. Several times, he tried to introduce social media to Minjae in hopes that once he became distracted by all of this, he would leave him. Unfortunately, that plan never worked.
"Dad, don't start again. They would inform us if there were any changes and even if we miss the flight, we can catch the next flight."
Kim Minjae's shocked face clearly indicated that he wasn't pleased with his son's response. He shouted, "How reckless and irresponsible your answer was!" By saying that, he moved a little forward in his seat to speak to his son who was sitting next to his wife. Geetha sensed the tension in that small movement and thought she should intervene now otherwise this would lead to an unnecessary argument.
"Ah Jae, I just remembered. Did you inform Ben?"
As expected, Minjae's face was brightened up by the mention of his best friend.
"Of course. He is coming to pick us up at the airport." Minjae gleamed proudly. "We must call him for dinner one day to express our gratitude."
Tae heard about his father's friend Ben a lot. Two friends worked together in Seoul when they started their careers. Then they had to split up to follow their own path when Ben got an opportunity to work for the Korean Embassy in the USA and Minjae moved to India to join the Korean Embassy. Their relationship took a pause after that. They lost touch but revived their friendship when they accidently met in Seoul three years ago. After that, Minjae learned Ben was working in Busan.
"Dad, why are you bothering him? We can manage on our own." Tae didn't understand why his father was bothering his friend to travel for two hours just to pick them up at the airport.
Ah my son, why is he picking with this man? Geetha gestured to her son to stop talking. She was surprised to find out why Tae initiated arguments with his father whenever he had the opportunity. Even though she understood he was grumpy because they had to leave India.
This time, Minjae unexpectedly agreed to Tae.
"I told him not to come, but he refused. Though you and Geetha have never visited Korea, I know the place very well but that poor fellow is not letting me. What shall I do?"
If you ask Minjae how well he knows Seoul, he could name every street in the city. Before he moved to India twenty-four years ago, he literally lived like a street boy who always got scolded by his parents for wasting his time roaming around. But everything changed when he met Geetha. He fell in love with her when they both worked in the same department. It was love at first sight for him. But winning Geetha and her parents wasn't an easy job. Constant chasing for a year finally paid off. But his perseverance didn't change his parents' hearts. As there was no chance of approval from his parents, so he married her without their concern.
It's still a big deal for his parents and brother to hate him after he got married. Whenever Minjae visits Seoul, he stays in a hotel room for a week. In the beginning, he tried to convince them and break them emotionally after he became a father, forcing them to see his son's picture. But nothing worked. Despite always returning with broken hearts, he still visited them. It was like God answered his prayer when management pressed him to join Seoul office immediately. He was on cloud nine when he heard the news. Finally, he got a chance to introduce his family to them and establish a relationship.
"Is he living alone?" Tae asked his father.
"No, he stays with his wife Andrea in Busan."
Tae nodded but stopped his interrogation when they called for onboarding.
Thousands of thoughts, doubts, and expectations filled their minds as they boarded the flight.
*****
At 4PM, In Seoul airport,
Conveyor belt number five was crowded with international passengers from Bangkok. The eyes were all set on the moving belt ready to pull their bags before it moved away from them. The passengers looked like vultures, circling the conveyor belt looking for the freshest luggage to snatch up!
"Tae you remember the trolleys and the count, right? Watch carefully. Some might mistake our trolleys as theirs", Minjae asked, knowing what reaction he would receive.
"Dad, can you stop talking?" Tae asked irritatingly. "No one with proper eye sight would mistake those big yellow stickered trolleys for theirs. Even if they do, we can catch them easily."
Though his son was sarcastic about the yellow stickers he pasted on all of their trolleys to identify them easily, he was proud that they were able to find them all in no time.
After quick counting, Tae arranged all the trolleys in three luggage carts neatly. Each took one cart and pushed them to exit.
A sudden scream came from Minjae as he glanced at the exit.
"Bennnnnnnnnn, my dear friend."
Everyone who passed them panicked a bit but continued to walk past them.
Tae and Geetha looked in the direction Minjae ran. A man stood there dressed in a costume, grabbing everyone's attention. He looked like he was in his fifties. Wearing a big black cowboy hat, pinafore pants, and flashy embellished shoes. Surely, he must have vowed to embarrass them in public. They expected Minjae would run away from there. But to their surprise he hugged that man warmly and took that hat off his head and put it on his head. Their eyes widened in shock. Did they really know this man?
In the next few minutes, both friends began taking selfies near the big potted plant.
"Mom, what the hell is happening here?" Tae gasped, shocked and unable to comprehend the scene unfolding in front of him. "I never saw my father laughing like a maniac and wearing the cowboy hat. OMG! I can't stand it". Tae and Geetha looked at each other and couldn't help but quip, "Well, Minjae certainly has a unique sense of fashion!"
Finally, Ben noticed two humans who were looking at him from a distance with embarrassment in their eyes.
"Are they your family?"
They tried to smile when Ben noticed them but it was artificial.
"Oh, I forgot they came with me", Minjae winked at his friend and called his family to join them.
"Meet my son, Kim Taehyung and my wife Geetha"
Ben smiled and folded his hands, saying Namaste.
"Your son is a handsome man." Ben pulled his friend's leg and said, "I can't believe he is your son."
A look of admiration could be seen in his eyes.
"Reporters here would mistake your son for a celebrity", Ben who couldn't stop his excitement continued.
Tae blushed at the comments. He already liked this man not because he complimented him, but because of the carefree attitude he had. Now he had a lot of questions on his mind, how this man who had a complete opposite character as his father became friends.
After a short conversation, they finally left the airport. Ben had already booked a taxi to deliver their luggage to their home and then picked them up in his own car.
It was a luxury car. Tae lowered the car window glass and inhaled the Seoul air with a small smile.
Seoul I'm thrilled to know what you are going to offer me. Tae thought and deep inside there was a feeling he couldn't describe. But it made him think that his life was about to change 360 degrees soon.