two

You knew once you arrived, you would have to take a train for another hour, just to get to Seoul. Then you didn't know what you were going to do. You sighed. You'd figure it out when you got there.

~ ♡ ~

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE JUST BEEN CLEARED TO LAND AT INCHEON AIRPORT. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR TRAY TABLES ARE UP AND YOUR SEATBELTS ARE FASTENED SECURELY."

You stretched, and groaned inwardly, realizing with regret that you had fallen asleep. Damn it. You had been doing so good. How did this even happen? You opened your eyes slowly, as the plane started its descent, and waited anxiously for touchdown. After a few minutes the plane taxied up to the ramp where you would disembark, and you listened to the chatter of the passengers as you waited to be told it was safe to unfasten your seatbelt.

You stood, and removed your overhead bag, smiling and moving out of the way so the couple next to you could do the same. As you made your way off the plane, you only hoped that you could find a place to lay your head tonight. Not because you were tired...pffft, why would you be, you just slept almost 12 hours. But because you really didn't want to spend the night wandering around Seoul with no place to go when you were finally ready to call it a night.

You found baggage claim, but ended up standing there for 20 minutes before your one suitcase rolled into sight. You grabbed it, and made your way toward's the counter where hopefully you could find out where to get a train ticket for the train to Seoul station. After the nice half english speaking man helped you with that, you were on your way.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

An hour later, you were arriving in Seoul. You stepped off the train, and headed in the direction everyone seemed to be moving. Once away from the noise of the train station, you decided to just walk a bit. You were actually amazed at everything around you. Even though it was dark outside, It was beautiful. Everything was lit up. It was bustling with activity, and you weren't sure which way to turn. It was overwhelming in a way. Seoul at night...it was breathtaking.

You started walking, dragging your suitcase behind you, your bag on your shoulder, looking around you in wonder. You noticed that there were signs in both Korean and English. You suddenly realized you were hungry when you saw the big yellow M, and decided to head that way, wondering what a McDonald's in Korea would have.

You entered the colorful fast food joint and was pleasantly surprised. Ordering was a bit confusing at first, due to the fact that you basically had the ability to choose whatever you wanted, without speaking. You just tapped your choices on a screen, and swiped your card. You decided to order a bulgogi burger, with waffle fries and coke. You weren't sure exactly what it was, but the aromas floating around were amazing, and your stomach was growling. You were sure it would be delicious, because your nose was enjoying everything about this place.

You waited for your order to be done, and took it to a small table near a window. A little boy ran up to your table, giggling, and you smiled at him as his mother hurried to grab him, mumbling something that sounded like jweh-song-ham-ni-da before scurrying away.

You unwrapped your burger, and your mouth watered at the sight. It looked delicious. You popped a waffle fry in your mouth, deciding it was more like a chip then a fry. You picked up the burger, and took a bite, your eyes going wide at the flavors blessing your mouth. Oh my God...you have never tasted anything so delicious. You ended up finishing your meal way quicker than you intended, probably because you hadn't really eaten a decent meal in over 24 hours.

You cleaned up your trash, depositing it into the trashcan, and sat back down at the small table to finish your coke, while watching all the people moving about outside.

Aside from it seeming very busy for it being almost 10:00pm, it wasn't what you envisioned when you thought of South Korea. You don't actually know what you expected to see, but it wasn't this. Everyone was dressed the same as what you were used to, some maybe a bit nicer. People were walking around in shorts or jeans, most wearing long sleeves due to the cool evening air. There were guys in baseball caps focused on their cell phones, giggling teenage girls hanging onto each other, wearing hoodies and shorts, sporting converse high tops with lacey socks sticking out the top. It looked just like home. Except nicer, cleaner.

You should see if you could find a room. You wanted to explore, since you weren't tired, but you didn't want to drag your suitcase around behind you while doing so. You got up, and made your way back out to the busy sidewalk. It almost seemed as if Seoul never slept.

You looked around, hoping to see a sign for a hotel without having to wander to much. You didn't see any, but your eye caught an empty bench not far away. You made your way to it, and sat with a plop, letting out a breath of frustration.

"Can I help you find something?"

You looked up to see a pretty blond haired woman holding a child by the hand smiling at you. She certainly wasn't Korean. You smiled thankfully, relieved that she spoke english. You realized how much you must look like a tourist needing help.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much... I'm trying to find a hotel. I just arrived from New York and I have no idea where to go. If you could possibly point me in the right direction... I'd be so grateful."

She smiled sweetly. "There's a nice hotel about 4 blocks from here. If you head that way, and just keep walking until you get to the Starbucks, then make a left and walk about halfway down the block, you can't miss it."

You thanked her, and watched her walk away with her daughter, who had her head turned looking at you, smiling with her two front teeth missing. You waved at her, and she waved back.

You got up, and headed in the direction she advised, finding the hotel easily. The desk attendant spoke english quite well, and you paid for a room for two weeks, thinking that should be enough time for you to figure things out, and decide exactly what you were going to do while you were here.

You took the elevator to the 4th floor, finding your room and letting yourself in. You smiled, delighted at how simple and clean it was. There was a bed made up with a simple white covering, and a bunch of pillows decorating it. A nightstand next to the bed held a lamp and a magazine. There was a small desk with stationary and pens . A small TV sat atop a white stand. On the wall opposite the TV was a white sofa with more pillows on it. There was a small round table with two chairs in the corner, a vase of pretty flowers adorning the center. The bathroom was clean, and smelled like roses. You were certain you'd be very comfortable here.

You decided to take a shower, and change into a fresh outfit. You were still wearing your black slacks, black oxfords, and white button down shirt you'd had on when you walked out of your job.

You stripped off your clothes, turning on the hot water and stepping into the shower. You stood there letting the water wash away the tightness in your muscles, as you told yourself you had made the right decision. You would be fine here. What you didn't know, you would learn.

You finished your shower, wrapping the big fluffy towel around yourself and roughly drying your hair with a smaller towel. You walked out to grab your suitcase and swung it onto the bed, popping it opened. You decided on a pair of stonewashed jeans, a plain purple t-shirt, and a white hoodie. You grabbed a bra and a pair of panties, and proceeded to dry off and get dressed. You dug for a pair of socks, and grabbed your red high top converse, your favorite sneakers in the whole world.

Once you were all dressed, you looked at yourself in the mirror, and debated whether or not to dry your hair. You normally didn't, because you preferred to let it dry naturally. You ran your fingers thru it, to loosen any tangles, and stuck a hair band around your wrist, knowing that it would probably end up in a bun before long. You liked it hanging loose, but you also liked your hair out of your face, so you very often pull it up.

You stuck your phone in your back pocket, making sure your debit card was in your phone case in the event you decided to buy anything, as well as your key card so you could get back into the room.

Okay, you were ready to see the sights of Seoul at night.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

A/n: jweh-song-ham-ni-da means I'm sorry (formal)