The automatic doors slid open. The noise reached them before the terminal did. Even after months overseas, none of them had forgotten what that sounded like.
"LUCENT!"
"Romeo!"
"Dain!"
"Ashe!"
"Hyuk oppa!"
The cheers collided with one another until individual voices disappeared into a single wave that rolled through the arrival hall.
Jeremy let out a quiet whistle.
"...We're really home."
Their manager, already a few steps ahead, didn't bother looking back.
"Keep moving."
"I was going to."
"I know you."
Jeremy smiled.
"That's hurtful."
"It's accurate."
Gage chuckled under his breath.
Ahead of them, security officers had already formed a corridor from the arrival gate. Airport staff stood nearby with the composed expressions of people who had witnessed this exact scene too many times to be surprised by it anymore.
Fans filled both sides of the barricades, phones held high above their heads. Some called stage names. Others shouted birth names. Some were too overwhelmed to say anything coherent at all.
The moment Dain appeared, another wave of screams swept through the terminal.
He bowed instinctively. The others followed without needing to think. After years in the industry, it wasn't choreography anymore. It had become a habit.
Camera shutters fired continuously. Flash after flash reflected across the polished floor.
Romeo adjusted the strap of his backpack.
"Stay close."
He didn't raise his voice not did he need to. Ashe naturally fell into step beside him, while Jaylen drifted to Romeo's other side almost unconsciously. Behind them, Jeremy stretched until his shoulders cracked.
"I missed Korean air."
Gage glanced sideways.
"You've been breathing it for thirty seconds."
"I know."
Jeremy inhaled dramatically.
"It still feels different."
"You need sleep."
"I need food."
"You ate."
"I need food that isn't airplane food."
Gage nodded thoughtfully.
"That's a more reasonable complaint."
"I know."
"I still don't feel sorry for you."
Their manager spoke without turning around.
"I can hear every word."
Jeremy looked genuinely surprised.
"Hyung."
"What?"
"I thought the fan screaming would've drowned us out."
"It didn't."
Jeremy sighed.
"Unfortunate."
A laugh escaped Gage. Even Dain's shoulders shook slightly.
The crowd grew louder as they moved further into the terminal. Near the front barricade, Hannah was already waving both arms so enthusiastically that a few fans beside her had started laughing.
She didn't seem to notice or she just didn't care.
"Joo An!"
Her voice somehow found its way through everything else.
Jaylen turned instinctively. The moment he spotted her, recognition crossed his face before he could stop it.
"Sae On?"
The name slipped out naturally.
She beamed.
"You're back!"
Beside her, Yoon Nari closed her eyes.
"...Let's pretend we aren't with her."
Kim Shantel smiled over the rim of her coffee cup.
"I think it's a little late."
Giselle watched the approaching group with quiet amusement.
"They definitely heard her."
"They always do," Nari muttered.
Hannah was completely unaware.
"I watched every concert!"
Jaylen smiled, lifting a hand as he continued walking.
"Thank you!"
"You looked tired!"
"I'm okay!"
"Did you eat?"
He nodded immediately.
"I did."
Hannah's shoulders relaxed.
"Good."
Nari looked at her.
"...That's all?"
Hannah blinked.
"He ate."
"...Right."
A familiar voice suddenly rose above the crowd.
"Sera oppa."
Jeremy sighed before he even looked.
"...She's here."
Gage followed his gaze.
"Right on time."
Anastasia had somehow reached the front of the barricade without looking as though she'd pushed past anyone. Her outfit was immaculate but not loud.
Simply expensive in the effortless way that came from never having to think about price tags. She held out a neatly wrapped gift bag.
"Sera oppa."
Romeo slowed just enough to meet her eyes.
"Welcome back."
A smile spread across her face.
"I brought this for you."
Security glanced toward the manager. He gave one short nod.
Romeo accepted the gift with both hands.
"Thank you."
"It isn't much."
Jeremy leaned toward Gage.
"Did she really just call that 'not much'?"
Gage glanced at the luxury brand logo on the bag.
"I don't think she measures money the same way we do."
Jeremy nodded solemnly.
"Princess Bo Ra remains undefeated."
Gage nudged him with an elbow.
"Behave."
"I am behaving."
"You whispering."
"I whispering respectfully."
Ashe let out a quiet laugh. Romeo heard it. Without turning around, he said,
"I know you're talking about me."
"No, Sera hyung," Jeremy answered immediately.
"We're discussing economics."
That earned him nothing more than a small shake of Romeo's head.
The cameras continued flashing. People called out from every direction. Some reached over the barricades with letters. Others simply stood there smiling because seeing the six of them in person was enough.
Around them, the airport carried on as it always did. Announcements echoed overhead. Suitcases rolled across polished floors. Flights continued arriving from cities scattered across the world.
For everyone else passing through Incheon, it was an ordinary evening. For the fans waiting behind the barriers, months of counting down had finally come to an end.
And for LUCENT...
Home had begun with a wave, a bow, and thousands of voices calling names that belonged both to the stage and to the people behind it.