Andy’s grin grew into a wistful smile. He was gonna miss her, too. “You have the number to call in case you need to reach me, right?”
“I do.” His mom mirrored his sad smile as she signaled for the airport exit. “I still can’t believe they’re taking your phone.”
“They gotta prevent leaks somehow. Can’t have anyone posting spoilers about who cries first during vocal practice. It’ll probably be me, by the way.”
His mom quietly chuckled, reaching over to give his arm another pat. “It had better not be. Your father and I would have to disown you.”
Andy’s phone buzzed in his lap, drawing his gaze as a message notification popped up. Noah, asking him to call ASAP. What could he want? They’d already talked at length the night before, with plenty of yelling and tears as the realization that he might not be coming back finally hit home. Maybe he’d forgotten something? Hopefully nothing important, since it was way too late to go back.
Andy swiped the notification away for the moment and started running through his mental checklist one more time before swiping away that train of thought, too. He was ready or he wasn’t. There was no going back for anything. It was all going forward from there.
Andy focused on the sparse, late morning airport traffic, the organized chaos fluttering around them as they pulled up to the curb outside the Departures entrance. For a second, he felt a strange, detached calm, as if he were watching a movie about someone else’s life. Then his mom was out of the car, tugging his two oversized suitcases from the trunk—the ones he’d meticulously packed and repacked a dozen times, organizing his life for the next few months. Hopefully longer.
His mom’s eyes already glistened with fresh tears as Andy joined her, dragging his suitcases over the curb. She quickly wrapped her arms around him in a tight, fierce hug filled with allthe worried things she’d left unsaid. He breathed in the clean scent of her perfume, a smell he’d forever associate with home.
“Call me the second you land in Seoul,” Andy’s mom whispered into his shoulder, her voice heavy with impending tears.
“Promise,” Andy choked out, his own throat suddenly tight.
His mom pulled back, hands gripping his arms, and gave him a final, tear-streaked smile. “We’re so proud of you, Andy.”
Andy frowned. “We?”
His mom rolled her eyes, shaking loose a fresh set of tears. “Don’t start. You know your father would be here too, if he could be.”
“Sure,” Andy replied, throwing a bit of side-eye at his mom’s maternal worries, still sitting in the backseat. “He’s only been working on that bridge for a year. We wouldn’t want to delay it for half a day so he could give his son a proper sendoff.
His mom huffed, lightly smacking Andy’s shoulder. “Stop that right now. You know how proud he is of you. How proud we both are. We love you and support you, no matter what happens.”
No matter what happens. A gurgle rose from the pit of Andy’s stomach as a quiet voice whispered in the back of his mind. If he lost, everything was over. The only thing they’d guaranteed him was a chance to compete. And the whole world would be watching.
“Love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.”
Andy hoisted his carry-on, grabbed his suitcase handles, and walked toward the sliding glass doors without looking back. He couldn’t. If he looked back, the fragile armor he’d built around himself all morning would shatter. He’d need it for much longer than that.
Since he’d already checked in for his flight, Andy maneuvered through the crowds and found the kiosk to deposit his bags. Then, after a quick bathroom stop to deal with all the coffee he’d drank before leaving, he found the line for the security gate. Itwas long, already snaking out past the cordons. But he’d gotten there plenty early. He had time.
Andy settled into his place in line just outside the Foggy Frog coffee shop and pulled out his phone to call Noah. His brother answered on the second ring.
“Oh, thank God, I caught you,” Noah said, breathless, skipping right past the greeting.
Andy frowned. “Is everything all right?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Hold on.” Andy waited, listening to a pair of muffled voices in the background. “Sorry about that.”
Andy huffed. “If this is a bad time–”
“No, no, it’s my lunch period so I’m in the Buster Burger drive-thru.” Noah sighed. “Look. I know we already said everything last night and stuff, but I wanted to let you know that I’m serious about handling all the Andy Kim fanclub stuff.”
Andy rolled his eyes, unseen. “Noah, you know I love you, but the last thing I need is to worry about my little brother fucking around in my DMs while I’m half way around the world competing in the most important contest of my life.”
“That’s what I mean,” Noah insisted. “This is hella important, Andy. You can’t just go dark online. You need someone keeping your socials alive. You know that can impact your votes, right?”
Andy shuffled forward as the line moved, swallowing the sudden pang of irritation that came from his brother being right, yet again. “Yeah.”
“Good. You just need to grant me manager access to your accounts and I can–”
