~Natalie’s POV~

I walked until I found the bus terminal by the main airport entrance, and finally found the bus route that would get me to Seoul. I just missed the bus, so I had to wait for next one to show up. Once it came, it took about an hour to reach the city.

I decided to get off before my stop came so I could look around. As I got off the bus, I saw that it was somewhere in between the busy metropolitan city and the suburban residential area. I had slept for most of the plane ride, so the time difference wasn't quite affecting me, yet. Still, I felt slightly tired. I could always see downtown later. So I decided to stay amongst the calmer streets around Seoul, still offering some nice stores and sights. However, stores aren't exactly easy to buy from when you don't know what anything is called. Did nobody around here speak English?

I wandered further down one of the streets, becoming more and more frustrated at my lack of ability to understand Korean, and everybody else's apparent lack of ability to understand English. Looking at some of the merchandise in one of the stores, a lady came up and said something in Korean to me.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Korean," I said, as if my blank expression wasn't enough. After blinking once, she immediately turned away, dismissing my presence entirely.

Getting increasingly agitated by the second, I knew I couldn't handle much more of this helplessness in my slightly jetlagged state. Again and again, nobody seemed to know what I was trying to say. All they could do was wonder why this foreign girl was wandering around Seoul alone. I headed away from the busy streets, down an emptier road with no shops, just some people playing basketball in a pavement court on one side and an almost empty parking lot on the other side. I slumped down onto the curb, thinking maybe I should just go to the hotel now.

"Ugh, doesn't anyone speak English around here?" I muttered loudly, but more to myself than anyone else.

"I do." I heard a voice behind me and, startled, I turned around. It was one of the people playing basketball. A boy, probably close to my age, walked past the chain-link fence that surrounded the basketball court, an amused smirk playing across his face. I quickly wiped the startled stare off of my face and stood up to face him. I must have still been staring, because he continued after a moment.

"You seem kind of lost, how about you hang out with us for a bit? I'm guessing you're not from around here."

"How'd you guess?" I said sarcastically.

He laughed and beckoned for me to follow him back into the basketball court. I followed him shyly, still keeping a bit of distance from him.

He noticed my timidity and chuckled. "Don't worry; we don't bite."

"...hard," the blonde one muttered with