CEO Park sat at his desk and pondered what he could possibly do with Taehyun. He was a talented and hardworking pilot, no doubt. He picked up his phone and summoned his secretary.

“Yes, sir?”

“Get me a list of all our VIP customers, especially the ones who are seeking personalized flights.”

“I’ll send it down as soon as I can. Ah, there is a customer who is reviewing the contract right now but she is not a celebrity or businesswoman of any sort. Should I include her too?”

The old man nodded. “Why not?”

The list came in a flash, and the CEO opened up the file, displaying it on the big screen in his office. He sat on a leather loveseat in the conference area with a glass of wine as he looked down the list. It was mostly celebrities, actors, actresses, idols, comedians, and rich business owners who wanted the luxury of a private jet. He knew of many of the names on that list until he came down to the last one. He picked up his phone again.

“Yes, sir? Is there something wrong?”

“Who is Sora Lee?”

“A-Ah.” The secretary fumbled with her phone in one hand as she tried to send the communications team a message. “That must be the woman they were talking about, I’ll find out soon.”

“The name seems familiar.”

“The marketing team reported that ever since she started flying with us, our sales increased every time she had a flight. Maybe this is why we reached out to her and have her as a contact.” The secretary explained. “Sir, she is an architect.”

“Is that all you can tell me?”

“There isn’t a lot I can find out. She is an architect and she used to work for a company named Bauen. She owns her own firm now.”

CEO Park chuckled. “Is she who I think she is?”

“H-Hm?”

He shook his head and hung up. The man paced around his room and stared at the same. “Sora Lee, Bauen…” he murmured. “Sora …Bauen…Architect.” He stood still. “What an ironic twist of fate,” he grumbled.

A couple days later

“The flight is supposed to take off in an hour! How did this happen? Why did you get replaced?!”

“I’m not sure why either,” Taehyun walked down the halls of the airport in a hurry and stepped into an elevator. He was talking to his coworker, Junhyuk, a pilot he had been working with for nearly half a year.

“When did this all happen?”

“I got the news this morning and CEO Park called me just now, confirming the change. All my flights were dropped and now my agenda keeps on coming back as “pending” no matter how many times I refresh it!” He had his suitcase with him and was preparing for a flight to Japan. “It’s strange! How could the airline change my schedule like that on such short notice?!”

Ding!

He looked up and hastily dragged his suitcase along with him as he entered the airline headquarters. “Maybe I’m being placed in another department or something. The important thing is, you got a new copilot, right?”

“Yes, I’ve worked with him a few times, it should be fine.”

Taehyun nodded at the voice that came from the other end. “I’ll text you later when everything is settled.” He quickly ended the call when he arrived at the conference room. He wondered what was going on. Ever since he’d talked to his father about working for a private client, his father had remained silent for a few days up until now. Could it be…?

***

Taehyun entered the room to see a long conference table with a few empty seats. He saw many unfamiliar faces and only seemed to recognize the company’s uniform.

CEO Park waved his hand. “Take a seat, we’ll start when everyone else arrives.”

***

“I’m assembling a team for a new private client of ours,” the CEO announced. “As you may know, Haneul has begun flying out celebrities, idols, news anchors, and basically anyone who has invested in us. Today, you all will be embarking on a new journey for Haneul. You are to serve our private client with respect and consideration. Now, before I introduce the client, it’s better for you to know your team.”

Taehyun’s eyes traveled up and down the table. The only person he knew was Mari, a flight attendant he’d worked with many times before.

CEO Park continued as he went down the table, introducing the members of the team.

“This is Park Taehyun, a pilot of Haneul and one of our best. He will be the main pilot although I suggest you coordinate with your copilot and the client, of course, before settling on a schedule.

“This is Lee Hyunki, your second pilot. He specializes in international flights which will be a great help in this case.

“This is Jo Mari. She will serve as the head flight attendant. She is one of Haneul’s longest-serving flight attendants and knows how to handle any situation. Please refer to her in times of crisis, should there be any.”

It went on for a while. Taehyun’s mind seemed to blank when the CEO began introducing the other members of the team. Who’s the client? he wondered.

“Finally, the client you will be working for is architect Sora Lee. She is not too well-known to the public eye because she is someone who prefers that her private life stays private. In the architecture sphere, however, she has quite a devoted fanbase. I expect all of you to respect her wishes and know your boundaries. Please take care of her and be kind to her team. I hope to see balance between Haneul Airlines and Sora’s company. I can only hope that both sides get along.”

Taehyun furrowed his brows when her picture displayed on the screen. He stared at it for a few minutes before the meeting ended. “Sora Lee?”

“Ahem.” The CEO cleared his throat and sat up in his seat. “Since all of you have nothing to do for the rest of today, I suggest you look at your upcoming flights and plan accordingly. Sora is a very busy woman and you have to keep up with her.”

***

That night, Taehyun had a huge crisis as he scrambled to get ready. No amount of preparation could ever prepare the pilot for the upcoming weeks. He paced back and forth at his apartment and dug through his closet multiple times. He couldn’t stop looking at his new schedule; it was unbelievable. Taehyun had been flying back and forth in-between a few countries for the past few months and it had been two years since he’d done an international flight. “I’ve gotten so used to flying back and forth from Japan, Korea, and China…” he mumbled in distress. He didn’t know what to pack.

Sora’s plans for the next two months were no joke—she was scheduled to travel to multiple countries across the world and would only be in Seoul for a week in the middle of it all.

The change was brutally abrupt. Taehyun had to quickly coordinate with his new team; he was going to France in a few days.

He sighed heavily and took a seat on his bed in the midst of all the madness. His apartment was a mess and Taehyun was thoroughly flustered.

“Sora Lee…” he whispered her name. “I haven’t even met you yet and you’re already driving me crazy.”