The crowd at the Zepp Namba Osaka venue in Osaka, Japan, was jam-packed. It was a bittersweet concert due to being their last Japanese show on U-Kiss’ tour. Why U-Kiss didn’t tour in Korea where they were from was a question that Katelyn was always asking herself. But, who was she to complain? Japan wasn’t too far away from Korea, and she had some friends to go with her, so it worked out in the end. Still on a high from the amazing performance they displayed on stage, Katelyn Johnson made her way out of the venue and onto the streets. Stopping for a brief moment to locate her friends in the crowd, she became a roadblock to those around her, causing one of the patrons from the show to bump into her.

                “Gomenasai! (Sorry)” Katelyn apologized. Just as she was about to move to a designated spot to not be in the way of those exiting the building, she noticed the girl in front of her drop something. Glancing quickly over her shoulder, she noticed a chance to grab the item without being hit from behind. Grasping a hold of the object, she realized it was an USB flash drive. Unfortunately, upon looking up to find the girl to whom it belonged, Katelyn realized she didn’t get a clear description. There was a sea of females dressed up in U-Kiss concert t-shirts, holding glow sticks, and carrying memorabilia; no way would Katelyn ever be able to the rightful owner. Sighing, she slipped it into a compartment of her backpack.

                “Sorry we took so long! I felt like we were salmon jumping upstream going thru that crowd. Aigoo!” Hwan Su-Yun said out of breath after tapping Katelyn on her shoulder.

                “Guk jung ha jee ma (No problem). I figured that was the case. Are you ready to go back to the hotel?” Katelyn spoke a little bit too loudly since her ears were almost deaf from the screaming and fangirling that had occurred inside the venue just moments before.

                “Yeah. As much as we would love to stay and see if we can catch a glimpse of U-Kiss, we figure they’ll take a back entrance to leave and we’ll just be standing around like fools.” Dong Yu-Ni giggled.

                “Point taken! Well, I don’t think I’ll have this grin wipe off my face any time soon.” Katelyn beamed. The trio huddled together for a moment and squealed in delight as they started to recall their favorite moments on their journey back to the hotel.

                “Omo! I am SO exhausted. I should probably take a shower though since I was packed like a sardine in there.” Su-Yun sighed. Katelyn and Yu-Ni glanced at each other before sniffing their clothing and becoming repulsed by the odor.

                “Yeah, I say it would be in our best interest for all of us to do so.” Yu-Ni spoke up as Katelyn nodded.

                As Katelyn opened the bathroom door 45 minutes later, she noted that being the last female to shower, her two friends had passed out for the night. Going over to her bed, she made sure the alarm was set for a decent time to wake up in the morning to catch their mid-afternoon flight. Turning out the main light in the room, the lamp on the wall next to her bed gave off a soft glow. Just as she was about to relax in her bed, a big flash of lightning illuminated the night sky outside of the window, scaring poor Katelyn to death. It must have started raining while she was in the shower. “I just have to check the flight itinerary for tomorrow; I won’t stay on the computer too long.”  Katelyn thought to herself. Plugging her laptop into the outlet, she settled onto the bed and propped the pillow up behind her back. Once she was connected to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, she verified the time their flight left to return to Korea. Forgetting about the time limit she imposed on herself, she surfed around a bit on the internet. Reaching into her backpack to grab a pen to write something down, her hand connected with an object that she didn’t recognize. Peeling her eyes away from the computer screen, she enclosed her fingers around the object, and it dawned on her that it was the USB flash drive that she picked up earlier at the venue. Peeking over at her two friends, she realized that they were not going to wake up anytime soon. With a burst of determination, Katelyn placed her backpack to the side of her on the bed, and delicately opened the case of the USB. Once it was removed, she gingerly slipped it into the slot on the side of her laptop. Her computer read the flash drive and an image popped up on her screen asking her what action she wanted to take. Clicking on the “open folder to view files” option, her heart started to beat erratically as she knew she was looking at information that was not intended for her. It was now that she was thankful for her Japanese language course she was studying with her major at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Most of the files that she clicked on led to a dead end. Katelyn was starting to give up hope when the last folder she clicked on caught her eye. “NeverLand” she whispered out loud to herself. “I wonder what this contains?” So engrossed in her snooping, she didn’t pay too much attention to the next flash of lightning until the boom of thunder rocked outside. The wall lamp flickered a few times beside her bed. Uneasiness washed over her body as Katelyn wondered if she should turn off her laptop. Before she was able to make a decision, a powerful surge leapt from the wall outlet and trailed along the cord for the battery. Volts of electricity coursed through her body. Katelyn out immediately. Waking up in extreme coldness, Katelyn scrambled to her feet as her eyes darted to and fro. “What is this place? Oh no…am I dead?” She gasped in shock. Finding herself in a luxurious mansion, her blue orbs took in every work of art that displayed on the walls.

                “Welcome, my child. You look lost. Come follow me.” A female with delicate, waist-length black hair cooed. Her arm wrapped around Katelyn’s shoulders, guiding her to a library. Motioning for her to sit on the couch, the female sat opposite her.

                “Um, I’m sorry…I just have no clue where I am. What is this place?” Katelyn stuttered in awe.

                “NeverLand.” The female simply stated.

                “I’m sorry, did you just say ‘NeverLand?’ “ Katelyn’s eyes almost bugged out of her head.

                “That I did.”

                “Kkeuten eobseo Never end…Yeogin Neverland…” Katelyn started to sing quietly to herself. Realizing what she was doing, her hand instantaneously covered .

                “I’m sure you have many questions for me. I will answer them in due time. My name is Azami, and I created NeverLand. I have been watching you for quite some time, Katelyn. I’ve seen the struggles you have been going thru lately. Tell me, if you could have one wish, what would it be? Something that would make you happy and content for years to come.” Azami gently smiled.

                “Uh…how do you know my name? Is there a hidden camera somewhere?” Katelyn started to get up, but Azami applied enough pressure to make her remain seated. “I have never heard of a place called ‘NeverLand.’ Granted, I was in Japan and am not too familiar with their landmarks, but I’m sure I would have heard of this place in some shape or form. Where is everyone? Why are we the only ones here in this vast…I can only assume the place is a mansion?” Katelyn was starting to get irate as her panic was consuming her. Azami clapped her hands together and moments later a maid came to her side. After whispering instructions into her ear, the maid bowed and left. An awkward silence enveloped the room while they were waiting on the maid to return. Once she did, she wheeled in a cart with some refreshments.

                “Please, help yourself. I know you must need some sustenance.” Azami grabbed a plate with a blueberry scone and some tea.

                “Um…thanks…” Katelyn eyed the food suspiciously. Gingerly reaching out for a plate and a cup of tea, the maid left the cart in front of the ladies and went about her business. Katelyn nibbled on her food and waited to see if something would happen to her. Not seeing any change, she took a hearty sip of her tea and finished the rest of her meal.

                “Feel better? I know this is a lot to take in. You still haven’t answered my question, though. I believe that you deserve to have a wish granted; anything your heart desires. What is the first thing that comes to mind?” Azami gently prodded. Katelyn paused and started to think deep down in her soul.

                “I know it sounds silly. There’s a Korean pop group that I would love to meet one-on-one. Their name is U-Kiss. I’ve been to quite a few of their shows and actually went to their concert tonight. At least…I believe it was tonight. I don’t know what time it is, or day, or month,..even year here in NeverLand. Nevertheless, meeting them would be a dream come true.” The smile on Katelyn’s face was stretching from ear to ear.

                “Mmm..yes, I can tell! This is what you desire? If I grant this to you, there are no more wishes afterwards. Is that understood?” Azami said seriously.

                “Really? You can make that wish come true? I would be so grateful!!! Wow, I can’t believe this is going to happen!” Katelyn bubbled excitedly.

                “Then it’s settled.” Azami beamed. She snapped her fingers together and a screen dropped down to Katelyn’s lap level. “Please review the rules and your wish; when done take the electronic pen and sign your name.” Katelyn’s body froze at the screen before her. Just what in the world was she about to sign her name to? Her eyes started to skim over the words. After reading two to three lines, the words began to blur together. There were so many rules and regulations; it was making her head spin. Using the scroll arrow, she started to jump over the important details. Finding her wish, she noted that it met her words exactly. She waited a few moments to make it seem like she was still reading before she made a display of taking the pen and signing her name on the screen. “Are there any questions that you may have at this time?” Azami asked.

                “None that come to mind at the moment.” Katelyn wanted to hurry the process along, eager to see if she would be meeting the U-Kiss members as soon as she was done.

                “Fair enough. I’m sure if you have any in the future you’ll ask then.” Azami clapped her fingers and the maid appeared next to her once more. “Katelyn has made her wish. Would you mind taking her where she needs to go?” The maid grinned and after Katelyn rose from her seat, she was following her out into the enormous hallway. After a bit of a walk, both females came up to a kiosk.

                “All you need to do is step up on this platform and place your fingers and thumbs into the designated slots.” The maid spoke softly.

                “Like this?” Katelyn asked as she followed the instructions. The maid nodded and after entering a pin number on the screen, the transportation process started to take place.

                “Enjoy your journey!” The maid stepped back a safe distance and moments later watched Katelyn’s body disappear.

***

                “Katelyn…Katelyn…shut that alarm up on your phone!” Su-Yun groaned at the incessant noise.

                “Throw something at her; maybe she’ll get a clue.” Yu-Ni mumbled half asleep. Su-Yun lazily opened one eye and picked up one of her slippers at the edge of her bed. Gazing in that direction, she let the slipper fly in the air and watched it land on Katelyn’s arm. Instantly waking up with a startle, Katelyn looked around and tried to gain her bearing.

                “What the…huh…where am…???” Katelyn blinked her eyes and rubbed them to make sure she was in the correct place.

                “How much longer before we have to leave for the flight? Can we sleep in just a bit more?” Su-Yun whined.

                “Flight?” Katelyn asked confused.

                “Did you bonk your head on the bed before you fell asleep last night? Yes, our flight…back to Korea since we just saw U-Kiss in concert here in Japan last night, pabo!” Su-Yun said as she pulled the comforter from the bed up over her face.

                “Oh…” Katelyn said disappointed. She was expecting to be seeing U-Kiss right now. What ever happened to her “transportation?” Did something go wrong? Frowning, she grabbed her phone and muted the alarm. Glancing at the time she saw that they had two hours before they had to check out of their room. “Well, since we all showered last night, we can sleep in a bit longer. We have to leave the room in two hours, so how about we sleep for another hour?” Katelyn suggested.

                “Sounds good to me. Now both of you SIKKEUREO!” Yu-Ni emphasized her last word as she took the extra pillow and placed it on top of her head. Katelyn glanced at her bed one last time. Her laptop was still open, but in sleeping mode. How she didn’t kick it off and have it shatter into pieces was beyond her. Skimming her fingertip over the built-in mouse on the keyboard, she was surprised that it came to life. Wasn’t there a power surge that transported her to NeverLand? Glancing over at the wall socket, there was no sign of any blackening around the outlet. Katelyn gradually closed her laptop and placed it on the floor. Situating her body under the covers, she reset the alarm on her phone and stared at the ceiling one last time before closing her eyes.

                “Maybe NeverLand was just a dream…a very vivid dream that seemed so real. I guess I’ll never know unless something changes…” Katelyn sighed in her thoughts. Too confused to decide what was real or not, she let sleep overtake her body moments later.