Chapter 57: First Flight
However prepared Jin was he still couldn't control his exhilaration as he entered the airport premises.
However, that feeling was short-lived as he soon found himself in one queue after another. One for checking in luggage and another long one for security check.
The line for security check moved at a snail's pace making him wait for almost half an hour.
'Good thing I arrived 3 hours early' Jin thought.
After clearing the security check Jin soon made his way towards the boarding gate. He was still left with an hour of time until boarding so Jin chose to relax till then and grabbed some tea nearby.
"150 Draks for tea?!" Jin exclaimed at the stall.
Hearing his exclamation a bald middle-aged man beside him looked at him with a feeling of camaraderie and asked, "First time?"
Jin nodded.
"That's how things are here at airports...they tried to wring everything from our pockets. Even a bottle of water is sold for 80 to 100 Draks...sigh" The bald man lamented as he received his tea.
The tea seller could only smile wryly at this. He wasn't the one who set these prices he was just an employee and he too knew how ridiculous these prices were.
The man sips his tea with an expressionless face.
"Does it taste good?" Jin asked. If they were asking that much for tea, it better taste good.
"Even my 12-year-old niece makes better tea than this," The man complained as he took another sip.
"Why drink it then?" Jin asked.
"Look around you, do you think I have a choice? This is the only store selling tea in here," The man replied.
Jin understood his sentiments. It was quite common to develop a tea addiction by that age.
However, since Jin wasn't addicted to tea yet he turned away from the shop. It just wasn't worth it.
He instead paid for a sandwich at a different shop and curbed his hunger with it. Although expensive, at least it tasted good.
While sitting on one of the waiting seats just outside his boarding gate Jin gazed at the flights through the glass windows.
Each of them was a marvel of engineering and just like every first-timer, Jin too got lost in its beauty as a sense of excitement rose in his heart.
He couldn't wait to board the flight however the time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace for him.
The airline staff at the boarding gate finally made an announcement calling out the passengers to stand in a queue as they were going to begin boarding.
Jin too got in the line along with the rest. In front of him was a woman wearing a black cap and sunglasses. She was chewing on a bubble gum and it felt like she had an aura around her.
Jin was impressed by the way she looked. It looked very stylish to him.
The line soon started moving. At this moment Jin saw one of the woman's airpods falling down. The woman realised it and tried to catch it with her hand but failed.
Just when she was expecting it to fall down and break, a hand reached out towards it and caught it successfully.
She traced back the hand and saw that it belonged to the man standing behind her on the line.
He had a good face to him but what picked her interest were his eyes. His eyes contained a certain depth to them and they seemed to have a story.
While she was lost in her thought Jin gave the airpod back to her.
"Thank you," She thanked him as she took it back.
"You're welcome," Jin nodded back at her and she turned back around.
The line kept on shortening and it was finally Jin's turn. After his boarding pass was scanned he made he followed the person in front of him and was soon making his way to his flight through the Jet bridge.
Jin felt exhilarating because of how cool walking on that Jet bridge felt but that was not the end as he soon entered his flight under the welcoming smiles of the air hostesses.
His seat was around the back of the plane. Being a first-time flier Jin had deliberately booked a window seat.
The moment he sat down on his seat he slid open the window shutter and looked outside the plane with eagerness.
A part of the plane's wings were visible to him from here and also a part of the airport runaway.
The seats beside Jin were soon filled up. In the middle there was a man in his late thirties and in the aisle seat was a kid whose mom was on the aisle seat on the other side.
The plane started moving as the air hostesses explained the safety instructions to the public. By the time they finished the plane was in the runaway and everyone was told to fasten their seatbelts.
Jin grabbed his seat handle tightly as the plane caught up speed. His body filled with anxiety as the metallic bird took to the skies.
The constant vibrations were too fear-inducing for him. Seeing Jin's nervous state the man beside him comforted him with a smile.
"It's just a little turbulence. Nothing going to happen."
Jin felt a bit relieved after hearing that. The plane soon reached the appropriate altitude and it finally felt calmer.
Jin finally took the courage to look out the window and was enamoured by what he saw.
Enormous clouds were resting just a few 100 feet below the plane and formed a layer and the gorgeous blue sky was clearly visible to him.
It seemed that they were sandwiched between the sky and the clouds. It truly was a unique feeling.
" A beautiful view isn't it?" The man beside him said and continued, "That's why I prefer taking flights early in the morning. No matter how occupied my mind is this spectacular view always does the trick and calms me down,"
The man seemed lost in his thoughts as he admired the scene.
"Oh, how rude of me, I'm Tyler. Nice to meet you," When the man recovered from his contemplative state he forwarded his hand towards Jin for a handshake.
A/N: I wrote this chapter on mobile, It looks alright right?