The taxi was speeding through the highway; she lowered down the window feeling the cold wind hitting her face and playing with her hair, making her feel alive. 

She had being standing at a crossroads which either way didn’t quite made sense for her, she had being sick of running around, she rather stop now and get the pain she was used to instead of having to keep on running against the status quo.

She had pack up her bags and simply left on the 1^st plane that could take her as far away from the hell hole she used to call home, there was nothing left for her there after all. An empty house that it was more like a hotel that a house, just a place to crash the night, not a refuge were you could charged up after a hard day at work.

And even after she had vowed to herself never to return to Korea, there she was once again, on a taxi from Incheon to Seoul.

She was deep in her thoughts when her phone started ringing, she took it out and made a mental note that she really needed to buy a line here, otherwise the rooming charges were going to be off the roof.

“Hello” she said not paying that much attention to who was calling.

“Is yeobseo now donsaeng! Remember you are in Korea now missy”

“Ne, unnie, how could I forget the fact I am in Korea right now? Is not like I just got my out from a 16hour flight”

“The loving mouth from Park Eun Ji, seriously did you learn all those bad manners from Soo Hyun?”

“Earth to unnie, I only know Soo Hyun-sshi one time back when they flew to New York and after that all the reference I have is from what you have told me in your mails, but so far I think I am going to like her” the girl reply with a laugh.

“Aigoo, I don’t know what I am going to be doing with the both of you” the other woman in the line snorted.

“Love us like there is no tomorrow unnie, by the way, I just have to get to your office right? That posh PR firm of yours, right?”

“Yes, sorry I couldn’t come pick you up at the airport, we are in the middle of the new comeback from one of the boy groups we work for and saying its hectic is a compliment”

“Ani, you offered me a place to crash and an amazing job opportunity? I am the one that should be feeling sorry. I think I’ll be there in I don’t know how long to be honest, I’ll text you when the taxi ahjusshi tells me I’m there, talk to you later Min Young Unnie”

“Arasso Eun Ji-ah, take care”

The girl placed her phone back in his bag and close down her window, the February weather sure was different even if it was still winter back in New York. She eyed the mail that her unnie had sent her with her company address and took a deep breath.

There she was again, back in Korea, after 20 years of having left. She could barely recognize anything, I mean when she left Incheon airport wasn’t even open yet, she had used Gimpo that last time she had left her homeland.

She dose off and only woke up when the taxi ahjusshi told her they had arrived to her destination, she got off, paid and move her baggage in front of the building that read M&Y Public Relationships firm.

“Wow, unnie hit it big after coming here” was what she said to herself and thought back at how she and Lee Min Young had met.

Being one of the few Korean girls in their middle school, they were easily spotted and kind of drawn to each other. Despite Min Young being 2 years older than her and that she had that mix aura that contrast with her straight forward Korean features, they immediately got along. When Min Young told her she had to leave to Korea in order to get surgery, Eun Ji felt like one of her best friends was leaving her for good.

But the funny thing with life is that you never knew how it was going to play its cards and bring people back into your life. She was in her senior year in high school back in 2007 when she ran back with her in the hospital, Min Young was back in the States taking care of her mother and Eun Ji was volunteering in the hospital to gain extra credits for college.

Both of them become close again and despite Eun Ji young age, she was the one that found Min Young when she had her suicide attempt and made the call to her dad and friends to fly out to the States, in a way she saw Min Young as a true sister and not another friend.

Eun Ji shook her head at those memories and simply made her way into the PR firm, giving her name to the receptionist on the front desk and was directed to her friend office.

“Look who the cat drag in!” Min Young said the minute she saw her in front of her. There she was, despite all those years living abroad one couldn’t tell at first sight that Park Eun Ji wasn’t born and raised in Korea, she had a pure white skin, medium length jet black hair, doe like eyes and despite her parents, she could easily be 163cm tall.

“More like what the flight dragged out. Unnie, is being ages! Look at you, so pretty! Damn, that Bae guy sure is something else, look at you glowing and ” she said while admiring her friend after a long time.

“There it is that lovely mouth of yours. I remember when you could barely said a world like crap and now you are cursing like a sailor” she said while giving her a hug and prompting her to seat down.

“First, I don’t curse like a sailor, if I did your ears will be bleeding by now, trust me I know how they talk, second, working in the field I did, either you toughen up or you will be forever stuck in a corner peeling potatoes and cutting vegetables”

“So that’s how you got to be a renown chef? By cursing out everyone in the kitchen?”

“That and having mad cooking skills. I mean that is why you contact me to come help out with this new entrepreneur of yours isn’t it?”

“Well, you first need to pass the interview. Yes I am one of the people on it, but the true owners will be Young Bae and Jiyong, they had being wanting to expand into the restaurant business for some time now and they asked me if I knew someone in that could take over as executive chef, so be lucky your unnie here remembered you”

“Ne, jongmal kamsamnida” she said bowing her head “So what are the details, you only told me about it on an email and I came here”

“Well, I can arrange a meeting for tomorrow I think? Their group ‘Winner’ just made a comeback and things are pretty hectic but I think tomorrow will be ok. Plus, I bet you are dying to sleep in a proper bed and have a decent meal; if you want I can call a taxi to take you to my apartment and you can crash there”.

“You literally read my mind, but didn’t you tell me that your apartment was a one room one. Where am I supposed to crash?”

“Well… lately I had being sleeping at Bae’s place, so the house is practically empty, yesterday I had to literally go to clean everything, I hadn’t being there in weeks”

“Please just marry already, I will gladly cook everything, you had being engaged for ages”

“Yes, Bae told me the same thing last week at Hana’s baby christening, but it will not happen until this whole album deal is finished”

“You workaholic’s couple sure are scary. Just set a date and be done with it, I am pretty sure that’s what your mami would have like you to do” Eun Ji said stretching in the sofa.

“Not fair using the mom card, especially since you are the only one that knew her personally”

“Well, your mom was an amazing one, she let me call her mami the minute I met her and the years that you weren’t there, she still kept an eye on me, so she is still our mom, whether you hate the fact she liked me better or not”

“hahahaha, you spoil donsaeng, common, I’ll take you home and buy dinner, I already texted Bae telling him you got here, but knowing him, he must me busy monitoring the guys performances”

“Well, I wouldn’t blame him, those guys are pretty talented, and too bad they are so young, I would totally take the rapper kid and kidnap him”

“Let me make the mental note to not introduce you to Minho any time soon”

“So that’s his name” she said while laughing “Common, I’m starving, that plane food is not worth it and I’m dying to have some kimche jjigae in me”

“Ok, common let’s go, just let me grab my stuff, you can wait for me outside” Min Young told her friend.

Eun Ji, wrapped her neck with her long green scarf and look out the window, seeing the building popping everywhere and taking a long breath.

“I am back, back where everything began and ready to left everything behind” she though and began rolling her luggage towards the exit. 

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A/N: here it is! Sorry, I didnt check spelling or anything, I just had this urge to write and here it is! And yes, this is connected to RISE as you probably already guess! I hope you guys enjoy it and feel free to leave your comments, I know this chapter is only introduction, I will probably post another one later one to fill a bit more of the gaps and keep this story rolling