Lines Crossed - Volume 1 Chapter 55 Arrival

I walked through the Bangkok airport scanning the rows for the familiar face from four years ago.

Looking for the guy who was as tall as I was in the middle of an airport of people shorter than our one hundred and eighty-eight centimetres wasn’t hard.

And Saint never changed, in all the years we had known each other he was agelessly the same. Same ebony hair, same dark eyes, same demanding personality.

My long legs me down the halls faster than most people even though I was only walking at a steady amble.

I had been here a few times in the last few years, so the layout of everything was easily navigable even though I spoke and understood more Thai than I could read.

And understanding the signs was actually rather hard.

I remembered how confident I had been in my skills just yesterday when Kit had asked me if I needed anyone to pick me up from the gateway drop off point rather than near the doors for leaving the terminal.

Why I had insisted I would be fine.

‘Lucky streak of stupidity,’ I thought as I crinkled my nose and stared at the map on my phone.

Boy was I regretting it now.

‘Hey, Seungwoo the next time they ask you if you want help. Just say yes, pride is your downfall sometimes I swear…’

I paused, my steps coming to a complete stop in the busy hallway as my thoughts paused and hung on that.

‘Swallow your pride, accept someone into your life.’ Miran’s voice from last year played in my mind in her beautiful silky smooth falsetto.

My chest ached.

I pulled out my phone and pulled the app up.

I hadn’t told her at all that I was leaving; I didn’t even say a word of goodbye.

I stared down at their Line conversation.

Actually, calling that a conversation was a stretch. It was really only a one-way chat, where Miran spoke and he left her on read.

It wasn’t that I was trying to be a jerk, it was just every time we spoke I fumbled with knowing what to say.

‘I’m in love with you. My father is trying to destroy everything you care about, with an intense vengeance. I don’t know why, but regardless of it. I love you.’

‘Will you have me?’

Something told him that would not go over well with her friends and family and he didn’t exactly want to be dating Miran while his father was trying to rip apart her entire life.

It seemed a rather morbid thing to go home to at night.

And he just couldn’t do that to her.

Especially since I was sure my father was willing to do some pretty dirty things to get what he wanted.

‘How dirty… I wasn’t sure, but I was sure it wasn’t on Saint’s dad’s level. Thank goodness.’

A pretty girl no older than fourteen, with long brown hair and pretty sparkling eyes set into a chubby half, matured, cute face stopped, looked up, and pointed at me.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Excuse me, pretty princess,” I said in perfect Thai.

“Do you know how to get to this terminal entrance?” I asked smoothly.

She nodded, flushing happily.

I held out my phone for her; she looked at it confused, but noticed the map and nodded while smiling up at me in realization.

“Ahhh, yes.”

She pointed to a few different halls and how they connected, then smiled and pointed in front of us, past the large gift shop.

“You just need to go that way first.” She looked up at me and I looked up to see another girl around the same age approaching cautiously.

I smiled. “I think your friend is here,” I said and pointed behind her.

She grinned widely and waved to her friend who relaxed as soon as she realized there wasn’t a stranger talking to her friend against her will. I waved gently, before looking back down at my phone.

“Your Thai is very good.” She said shyly.

I chuckled.

“Sadly, not good enough for all the signs,” I said, pointing at them all and making a sign like I had been shot in the heart.

Her friend giggled together with her at my lame joke.

“Can I ask? Are you Goo Lee?”

I looked at her confused.

“Ah… How do you say… Um, oppa?” She said in strong English.

I chuckled.

“Ah, yes.”

“Yes, I would be oppa.” I chuckled.

“I have to go now. Thank you so much, bye.” I said, then waved to her and her friend and turned away towards the direction she had pointed out.

My phone binged three times and I opened it to look at my Line. There were two rooms with new messages. One with Kit and Saint in it the other the room with Miran.

I clicked onto Saint, Kit’s, and my line group chats first.

“Are you sure you don’t need us to come in and get you?”

I sent an annoyed emoji back.

I am coming; I had to stop to talk to two little princesses. I texted back.

I hesitated a moment before opening up the other room.

Miran’s chat popped up and I stared at the single line of text feeling anxious inside my heart.

Yet, at the same time also reassured.

Make sure, you stop by the temple on the way back and get a talisman.

Also, I called your hotel ahead and made sure to get them to include your favorite energy drink to your first meal, so you don’t feel jet-lagged.

I will text you when you are back.

I paused, staring at the words that were clearly full of love and support, the kind I could never express. You know normal how much you mean to me kinda love confessions and I sighed in defeat.

I walked the route the girl gave me and stepped through the last set of doors into the bright rays of the heavy sunlight of the afternoon in Bangkok in late October.

The heat beat through my black suit and attacked the edges of my ebony hair. I felt the A.C. On my back as a stark contrast to the heat that almost rippled through the outside air.

“Seungwoo!”

I looked over and nodded at Kit and Saint who stood together, staring at me standing next to a black sedan with tinted windows.

I could already tell from the outside how much I wanted to be inside it with its cool AC on.

I walked up to Saint and Kit.

Saint smirked.

“About time you got here. We got lots to do over the next week.”

“Yes, we do.” I agreed.

Saint ushered me into and I nodded my thanks before ducking to get into the seat.

Kit held the door.

“If, I am being honest. I am not sure even I can accomplish all of this in one week.” I held out the briefcase with the information, doc.u.ments, proposals, and all relevant stuff from the last thirty years that I could dig up.

Kit took it carefully. Saint watched the briefcase carefully.

“Maybe not, but we have to try.”

“Wow, I have never seen you so applied to helping your grandfather’s company before,” I stated.

“To be honest. I have never had anything in my life that I wanted to protect as much as this before.” Saint said coolly.

I nodded.

“I understand that feeling,” I stated in agreement.

“Meet you in your room at the hotel,” Saint said.

Saint closed the door, then walked around the car, kit following him.

I looked down clicking my phone on so I could see the messages again.

The screen brightened to reveal the chat room.

‘Yes. I understand it all too well.’ I thought.

‘Swallow your pride, accept someone into your life.’

So much easier thought than done.