The EXO Sticker, A New Friend on The Plane, And a Stubborn Pig

“Oh my god I can’t do this,” Mrs. Fernandez exhalts, nearly collapsing in the hands of Lena’s father.

She kept telling the both of them on and on how ‘it’s not safe out there in a different country’, how Lena would probably get lost because of her natural ‘stupidity with directions’, and ultimately how ‘there’s no place like home’.

Mrs. Fernandez, as a mother of one, never wants to see her little princess go away. And then there’s Lena, an only child who’s tired of her mother’s face and wants to venture out the world - especially Korea. She does not hate her mother, in fact she can’t even imagine how she would go through those four days without her mother’s guidance, but this time she thinks it’s her calling to go somewhere alone. A Kpop fan kind of calling.

“Lena, are you sure you can survive out there on your own?”

“Mom,” Despite her mother’s endless sobbing since the moment they got on the car ‘til now they’re on the airport’s drop-off gate, nothing’s gonna stop her. “Isn’t it you who asked Amber to babysit me while I’m there? What are you so worried about? I’ll call you when I’m all set down at Seoul. I love you.” She reassuringly kisses her mom’s forehead, taking a whiff of her vanilla scent that she’d known for ages. She let her mom go then to her dad’s bearhug. “I love you dad, thanks again, for this. I’ll bring you back one huge bottle of that banana milk you love.”

She then walked off through one of the metal detectors waving at her parents and mouthing off the words ‘See You Soon’.

 Lena can’t get rid of that smile she has since that morning. Then she remembered something.

This is amazing. Ama-. Am. AMBER!!!

She peeked out on one of the doors to check if her mom was still there and thankfully she was.

“Mom!” She could’ve sworn she saw that hairy old man on her right shot a disgusted glance at her. Immediately she thought: What the-. What is this the library, gramps? But she brushed off the thought of having to sass out on that old man.

“Mom, please tell Amber I’m off and that I’ll call her when I’m at the airport! Kay thanks bye!” Not even waiting for her mom’s reply she then ran off happily to her boarding gate.

~-~-~

The trip was smooth.

She didn’t even had the time to imagine the plane crashing and herself plummeting to the ocean along with the other passengers. She was so busy watching The Hunger Games and feeling that thrill with it as if she never read the trilogy three times and saw it on Star Movies almost every day. But curious is that feeling on her lower abdomen. It’s like something wants to come out. Something feels like it needs to come out.

“I need to pee.” She quickly took of the headset and stood up only to be forced to hold that pee in and sit down at the sight of her seatmate dozed off heavily beside her.

Ohmygosh I need to take a leak so bad. Ugh. Excuse me!!!

As much as she wanted to push that guy off his seat she just did her best to stretch her incredibly short legs above his knees and go past him. Proud of the feat she just did, she gave herself a ‘not bad’ look and quickly ran off to the nearest comfort room.

Walking her way back to her seat, she sees that her seatmate was already awake and noticed that he’s pretty cute. She immediately estimates that this guy maybe on his early twenties since the hipster glasses, black hoodie, and those dark blue jeans implies so.

Somehow, awkward filled the air between her and the hipster guy beside her. Suddenly, “Hi.” The man bowed his head a little and proceeded to smile at her. “Uh, thanks for waking me up,”

“Oh,uh,sorry! Sorry, sorry I didn’t mean to. It’s just- I had to go to the bathroom so bad and-“ Lena said so apologetically but the guy cut her off. “No, I’m actually thankful for waking me up. Don’t worry about that. I have to get things done before arrival and thanks to you I didn’t get to sleep on it.” The guy finished before smiling brightly to her.

There’s something about his crescent eyes when he smiles and the way he speaks that reminds her of someone. Well, by the sounds of it she’s sure this hipster guy is Korean.

“Uh, you’re welcome I guess?” The guy chuckled a little at her reply. He pulled out his laptop from somewhere and set it lightly on his lap.

A very familiar mark on the device caught her eyes. Her pupils began to dilate, her heart rate began to rise by the second and she felt so in love with what she’s seeing it’s as if she was hearing Sehun’s lisp again for the first time.

“Isn’t that EXO’s logo on your lappy right there?” She asked as calmly and controlled as possible not to sound like a creep.

“Well, yes it is. I’m kindof a fan of EXO,” He smiled again before stopping his rapid typing and asking Lena a question. “Are you?”

Am I a fan of EXO? Oh man you don’t wanna start on me with Kpop. You have noooooo idea how long my bias list is.

“Uh, yeah I guess I am. Kinda,” She laughed lightly at the thought that ‘kinda’ doesn’t even begin to cover her feels for EXO, much less Kpop itself. “Do you, by chance, have one more of that sticker?” She asks, trying to be ‘cool’ about it but inside actually dying for the guy to say yes and give her one that she will cherish for the end of her life.

“Oh, wait I think I do have one right~” He then grabbed is wallet from his right pocket and pulled out from inside a sticker exactly like the one on his laptop and handed it to Lena.

“,here.” Lena’s face lit up like crazy. Eyes went so big the hipster guy had to look at her face for a double-take.  “Woah, thank you so much! Ohmygosh this is awesome!”

He thought Lena had this really charming kind of face yet it would confuse you of her true emotions. He examined her face, kind of softly rounded at the bottom, it was in the right shape to cradle all her features including the nose with just the right size and makes her face more noticeable as if her fierce eyes themselves won’t do enough. He was mesmerized when the girl in front of her smiled and showed him the moment her fiery stare turn into playful crescents accenting those hazel-brown eyes that laid inside. And the fact that this kid is not even wearing any make up at all makes her face more interesting. He thought she was pretty attractive but he had to look at her smile which made him think ‘I have to know this kid’s name’.

He finally decided that her lips were the best part of her face. Just the right size, full, the kind that doesn’t seem to chap really often, the kind that you just want to kiss. “Okay, that was too much. Back to work.” He removed his gaze from the youngster and forced himself to his laptop again. He wanted to remember that face so he tried to talk to her once more.

“What are you doing flying to Korea alone? Don’t tell me you’re an Ulzzang, what are you, like 18 or something?”

“Oh, no I’m staying there for four days just to tour around and I kinda miss my friend, haven’t seen her for months. And actually, I just turned seventeen last month.”

“So I assume you’re not Korean given you’re tan. Duh, for that. You’re seventeen and about to wander off into Seoul’s streets with this friend of yours and you’re not an Ulzzang. Care to tell me your name?” Lena was debating by herself if it’s right to tell this hipster guy her name. She thought that if ever she got lost in Seoul and never to return back home, it’ll be better if someone actually got to know her name, and he’s nice enough to give her that sticker she’s still holding in her hands.

“Yeah, it’s Lena,”

“Um, your full name.”

“Oh, uh, Elena Denisse Fernandez. Two eses on Denisse and a z on Fernandez.”

“Well, nice to meet you Lena, you know, actually I am a talent manager. Not the one who scouts for potential talents but I wouldn’t mind scouting for you.”

“Wow, uh, thanks.” Lena wasn’t sure to believe on this hipster but on the look of what he’s doing on his laptop, she thinks maybe he is a manager.

The guy felt like Lena wasn’t so interested in what he just said so he let the topic go since he can always contact this girl whenever.

*As you can see out your windows, we are arriving at Incheon International Airport. Please buckle your seatbelts and secure your belongings as we descend to the runway.

Then the pilot said it again in Korean.

Lena did as what the voice said and buckled her seatbelts.

Her heart began to race as she saw the skyline coming clearer and clearer into her view.

I’m in Korea. She reminded herself over and over. Oh she was so excited to feel the Korean air, to hear the city bustle, and to see it all with her own eyes.

The plane came into a full stop and the pretty stewardess unnies told them to fix their things and go through the exit she had pointed them to.

The hipster guy said his goodbyes to her and told her, “I hope to see you again someday, and don’t be surprised if you hear my voice on the phone sooner or later. Good luck with your stay here!” He shouted at the last sentence as he was pushed farther and farther by the others who were also in a hurry.

Thank goodness the guy brought her backpack down for her because she couldn’t even open the damn compartment. I didn’t even get to know his name.  What a shame, she wouldn’t have a name to write that unforgettable moment on her notebook. He even gave me this awesome thingy.

After a long hard journey from her seat in the plane to the taxi stations she couldn’t find for half an hour, there she was, standing and breathing the air that was pretty much cooler than the air back home.

It was now 8 o’clock in the morning and the breezes were cold. She put on her sky blue Pororo overshirt and slid her lucky orange beanie on top of that neat bun her mom did for her. She was wearing a plain black v-neck under Pororo and a pair of skinny jeans. Shoes? She was wearing a pair of black-and-blue Skechers with hidden heels in them. She actually felt like an –ahem- Ulzzang so to speak.

“First thing’s first.” She tapped on Amber’s contact which is hidden with the name: *HalLiu_AMBERunnie

I’m a genius. She was great in giving people names.

She had to keep her friendship with Amber under wraps because once others knew about it, Amber told Lena that she can’t live in peace ever again. No one knew about them except for her parents.

And of course Amber’s ring back tone was Electric Shock, why would anyone be surprised? The song ended in just three seconds when Amber picked it up.

~

“Yah! Uri mallang-ie watda!” Amber greeted with a voice which made Lena’s heart so warm. “Are you out yet? How ‘bout your luggage, have you got them all? Wait, I’m just gonna call our driver to pick you up, okay?”

“Unnie! I told you I want to go there by myself, didn’t I? Don’t bother someone else because of me, I want to take a taxi.”

“No! You might get mugged or something! I promised your mom you’ll be safe all the way.

“…”

“Yah, why aren’t you answering?”

“…”

“Elena?! Where the are you?”

“…”

“Ele-“

“Yah I’m currently in a taxi as we speak.”

(ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻