RSL Ch 5

The flight to Frankfurt is a long-haul one. According to aviation regulations, flights lasting over 10 hours must be staffed with a crew of at least two pilots and two co-pilots. However, today, due to just barely exceeding an additional hour, only one more captain was added to the crew.

I decided to take over the second half of the flight and sat in the observer’s seat, watching from behind for the first time in a long time. A seasoned-looking captain and a rookie-looking co-pilot recited the standard callout and went into the taxi.

Following that, the A380, having received clearance from the control tower for takeoff, successfully lifted its massive body into the air. Once again, the Korean menu was taken by a more junior co-pilot. Yielding the next turn to the newcomer, I chose from the remaining options.

After the captain released the seatbelt sign, I headed to the restroom. The A380, configured with two floors, had some business-class seats on the upper deck. As I opened the cockpit door and stepped out, a few passengers looked at me with curious eyes.

When I was in Germany, I had a coworker who was quite fond of talking to passengers and would often come out and chat with them. He was even known to sit little kids in the cockpit before takeoff. As a result, whenever I flew with him, the cockpit, which was off-limits to non-authorized personnel after 9/11, was packed with people.

I’ve never been a very social person, so I rarely do things that aren’t in the manual. I’ve opened doors a few times when I’ve been asked, but I’ve always felt awkward about breaking the rules. Han Jae-yi used to tease me about it, calling me old-fashioned.

‘You’re going to be a model student for the rest of your life.’

Again, Han Jae-yi liked to do things on impulse. He would leave during a class without a word, go straight home, or show up at the flight training center without notice, suggesting we go out for a drink.

As someone who grew up without getting into much trouble, I think I felt a kind of admiration for him. For someone like me, who can only run away from my feelings at best, Han Jae-yi’s character felt like something out of a movie.

After finishing the meal, I took a short nap in the back for about an hour and then took control of the cockpit. The captain who handed over the reins went straight to the crew rest area for a proper sleep.

The profession of a pilot demands an incredible physical toll. Not only does the constant jet lag mess with your body clock but there are also many times when you can’t get a proper night’s sleep, leading to frequent physical fatigue. During the period when I had to accumulate flight hours for a captain’s promotion, there were many mornings when I woke up confused, not knowing which country I was in today.

The older you get, the harder it is on your body instead of getting used to it. That’s why I took charge of the latter part, wanting to contribute as much as possible while still relatively young. I also had a vague expectation that, as I aged, another junior would do for me what I was doing for my seniors.

By 3 a.m. local time, I’m feeling physically exhausted. I can see the twinkling city lights outside my window.

“Let’s get ready for landing.”

I nodded in response to the co-pilot’s words.

-Cabin crew, stand by for landing. 

I turned off the autopilot and took the controls in manual mode. It was raining, but the landing was uneventful.  Familiar Frankfurt International Airport, which carried a heavy weight in my memories, especially for the person I spent half my life with, welcomed us safely. The runway was wet, and I found myself immersed in memories of the person I shared this place with.

There was no point in running away. Taking a deep breath for composure, I found myself exhaling an even deeper sigh. The thought that living was becoming increasingly burdensome crossed my mind.

* * *

“Maxi!”

The day after arriving in Germany, I met Chris during lunchtime. My brother, who willingly drove over two hours upon a single phone call from me. We embraced lightly and sat in an open-air cafe. The streets were still damp from yesterday’s rain.

“Next time, let me know as soon as the schedule comes out. Meeting once a month like this won’t cut it, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll contact you in advance next time.”

Though he’s my only brother now, to be honest, I didn’t like him at first. Since the moment I was adopted at the age of eight, Chris and I fought every day without fail. Like typical boys of our age, we quarreled over toys or trivial things, often resulting in fistfights. Eventually, I grew attached, and as we matured, I realized he was a good brother to me.

Chris wielded the fists that once targeted me against school friends who teased me. I remember his boyhood figure standing in my hospital room, tightly clenching both fists, mumbling when I had minor surgery. Chris became an accountant.

“Sylvia wanted to come too.”

And he got married last year.

“Send my regards. Let’s meet up next time.”

Sylvia, who had lived with Chris for over five years, was already like family to me.

“By the way, did you hear from Jae-yi?”

He asked, chewing on the warm bread that had been served before the meal. When he couldn’t reach me, his first call was to Chris. I replied that we had spoken briefly.

“Did you two have a fight?”

“Yeah.”

I chose to affirm it, thinking it would be more convenient to leave it at that. Chris, who was spreading butter, put the knife on the plate and asked again.

“Don’t lie to me, Maxi.”

As I received a salad plate from the server, I looked at him, pondering what he meant. Perhaps Chris sensed something. He smiled. You can’t fool your older brother after all. He was the one who took care of the aftermath when I fled Germany as if running away. Today, he seemed to have decided not to pretend anymore.

“Did you like him that much?”

He asked in the past tense.

“No, I still like him now.”

“I heard he is getting married.”

“That’s right.”

Chris, understanding my intention, frowned and picked up the knife again, starting to spread butter. Damn. He cursed on my behalf.

On the way back to the hotel after parting with Chris, I bought some cheese. I had gathered all kinds that couldn’t be found in Korea, and the quantity was enormous. Since it seemed like it wouldn’t fit into the mini-fridge in the room, I halved it and calculated the cost. I ended up spending all the euros I had, which wasn’t much.

The next day, I left my room after getting ready to go to the movies. I bumped into a rookie first officer in the hotel lobby and asked if he could come with me since he had nothing better to do.

However, Well, it would be challenging to go to places like a movie theater without a local. In German movie theaters, most foreign films are shown in dubbed versions. After finding out online where they screened the original English version, we called a taxi and headed downtown.

It was a movie with Daniel Lee in a supporting role. According to the new co-pilot, he had become quite famous in Korea as a Korean-American actor, thanks to appearing in a Korean drama. Honestly, I wasn’t familiar with the actor. I chose the movie because it wasn’t a major release, and the ratings were good for passing the time, but I was pleasantly surprised from the middle onwards.

He looked too much like Han Jae-yi. The long eyes with thick inner double eyelids and neatly shaped eyebrows were Jae-yi’s trademark. Plus, he was almost 190 cm tall, which was a bonus. Jae-yi was always popular with women, to the extent that she made them reconsider Korea as a country. To see an actor who resembled him so closely was shocking, and my heart sank as I watched the movie.

“Oh, that was fun. Perfect for spending two hours.”

“Yeah, it was.”

On the way back to the hotel in a taxi, the co-pilot suggested having dinner. Since it was just the two of us, I used the room phone to call the other co-pilots to come down. The three of us had dinner at a restaurant I often visited.

Once I had adjusted to the time difference, it was time to fly back to Korea. The uniform I had sent for laundry was neatly wrapped in plastic and waiting in the room’s wardrobe. Wearing the uniform, I went down to the lobby, and everyone was in the midst of checking out.

“We can just show up in the lobby.”

The room manager joked with a smile. It was true. If someone brought the flight plan, we could finish the briefing here and head straight to the flight.

Finally, after checking out, I joined more than twenty crew members who were getting on the shuttle bus to the airport. The long layover seemed to have allowed them to rest deeply, as lively conversations filled the back seats. The cabin crew for this flight was mostly young, making the atmosphere continue to be lively.

In contrast, the three pilots in the front seats, including me, all had stern expressions. The raindrops hitting the bus window were ominous. I opened my phone and checked the current wind speed in Frankfurt using the flight information application.

“We’re going to have a hard time taking off.”

The first officer said to me with a worried look in his eyes.

“This time, it might be better for the captain to handle the first half, right? It’s better to have someone familiar with this place, even if it’s just a little.”

Another captain looked at me and asked if I could take charge of the takeoff. Since the suggestion wasn’t entirely wrong, I agreed. I checked the application once again.

Wind from 210 degrees at a speed of 25 knots. If it continues like this, it should be okay. Going higher could be tricky. Fortunately, the aircraft was a large four-engine model, so it had less turbulence, making me feel relieved.