I had finally done it. I had finally booked and paid for my flights to Seoul. All that was left was to find a place to stay but I could worry about that later. I quickly went on facebook to message my friend.

Me: OMG EONNIE!! I DID IT!! WE’RE FINALLY GOING TO SEOUL!!
Eonnie:  JINJJA!?!?!? OMG I'M SO EXCITED * SQUEALS *
Me: We’ll be leaving in December, just in time for xmas!! OMG I can’t wait, imagine if we meet oppas for a xmas concert OMG OMG OMG~~~
Eonnie: damn~~ that doesn’t leave us much time to plan O_O” where are we staying?
Me: I’m not sure yet, I’ve found a couple of places in dongdaemun but I’m considering just booking a hotel instead~~more expensive but at least then we can get reception to reserve us things
Eonnie: true~ not like either one of us can speak proper Korean anyway….OMG we’ll be leaving in less than two months holy cow!!! AHHAHAHAHAHHA the others will be so jealous!!!

And that was the rest of our conversation for that night, a little over two months ago.

Today is the day, our flight leaves in less than two hours and I’m feeling all jittery.

“Hey Sarah, are your folks planning to stay until we fly? It’s pretty early right now and the traffic is going to be hell heading back…” I commented to my friend and travelling companion.

“You know how they are. This is my first international trip ‘alone’ so they’re a bit over-protective.”

Sarah is someone I met online through our mutual adoration of k-pop and most importantly, Infinite. She’s a little bit older than me but I love rubbing it in by calling her eonnie. Anything to make a girl feel younger you know? Anyway, this would be both our first trip overseas without adult supervision…unless we count each other as adult supervision? Two k-pop loving girls of 21 and 22 travelling to k-pop central, yeah…that’s not asking for trouble at all…

Living in a country that doesn’t get recognized by idols means that we’re even more determined to run into a few, or at least go to a few k-pop events. What better season to go than during the festive season. A lot of our friends thought we were crazy for deciding to travel in the middle of a white winter but hey, I was never partial to heat anyway.

We spent the next two hours saying our last good byes and making sure we had everything for our flight. Poor eonnie has been up since 4 AM that morning because she had to fly in from inter-state. She's dedicated though, got to admire her for that. Going through security is always a pain, but a lot faster in the mornings when less people are likely to fly. Now having passed the point where our families could see us, we were truly on our own and our month long holiday started. 

Sarah turned to me at duty free, "Jane, do you think we should get duty free now or on return? I'm not sure I want to risk losing luggage space now...but there are some really good items here."

"Buy them on the way back Sarah. Although I guarantee you won't even want to consider it after arriving in Seoul. You'll be too interested in the cosmetics and pretty boys. You'll have no cash left by the time you come home!" I stated with a slight smirk. 

Sarah was definitely the spender between the two of us and it was no secret that boyband idols are her biggest weakness. The last time that a k-pop boy group miraculusly came to our country, she spent $120 on a VIP ticket for a group that she doesn't even stan. Unfortunately she spent the fortnight AFTER the concert in post-concert depression PLUS and sulking about having no money left for Infinite merchandise. 

"Hmmm...true. Alright no duty free it is! Although I would love some breakfast." 

Our stomachs had the absolute perfect timing because just at that moment, they both started to cry out in hunger. We turned to each other and just giggled. In planning this trip, we couldn't decide whether we would spend more on food or souvenirs/cosmetics, but I guess food will always win out. Afterall, we hadn't even got on the plane yet and we were already spending on food. We decided on the cheapest option of hotcakes at McDonald's. It was a cheap and tasty...well as tasty as fast food gets. 

The next hour is spent on having breakfast and settling down a bit after an early morning start. Neither of us are morning people so that meant we were running on pure adrenalin. The excitement of going to Seoul fueling or bodies for the last 5 hours. The problem is, that would mean we were likely to crash soon.

"Calling passengers of flight QF398, Sydney to Incheon to gate 9 for departure. Calling passengers of flight QF398, Sydney to Incheon to gate 9 for departure." Just in the nick of time too.

Upon hearing our flight called we turned to each other and let out an almighty squeal. Thank goodness that the early arrivals weren't there yet otherwise we likely would have been taken out by security. One final check of our seating area for any personal effects before we happily 'ran' through the airport to our departure gate and our ticket to Seoul.

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After an 11 hour flight we finally arrived at our destination. Seoul, the home of k-pop and gorgeous boygroups. 

We, well I mean I, had decided on staying in a hotel at the heart of Seoul. It cost a pretty penny but it mean that would be be within walking distance of all the major markets and entertainment centres. Not to mention all the subway lines would be at our fingertips for convenience and to the relief of our wallets. 

"We're here! We're finally here!" I exclaimed as Sarah and I made our way through the last of customs.

"Ohhhhh I hope we get to catch at least SOME fan events. Definitely want to try to go to a Gayo though." Sarah replied.

We readied ourselves for the Seol winter by gearing up in triple layers with a hooded coat, gloves and scarves before we even dared to walk out the airport doors. Lucky for us, the hotel we booked had a free transfer service so we knew we wouldn't have to wait long for transport. Walking out of arrivals, we both noticed a placard with our names on it, so headed over to our greeter. 

"Annihaseyu..." Sarah attempted, before the stranger, a handsome man probably in his late 20s, replied.

"Ah no need for that. I welcome you to Seoul, Sarah and Jane. I hope your stay with use will be both enjoyable and pleasant."

Without realising we were both holding our breaths, we let out a relieved sigh. The man spoke ENGLISH!! Fluent english to be exact.

"Oh thank goodness," I replied, "We were a bit worried about trying to communicate in Korean."

The stranger smiled at us, "Understandable. We normally send an English speaker to greet our guests if they've booked through our global website. We understand how stressful travelling is and want to help whenever possible. My name is Sam, and if you head this way ladies, we can get you settled at the hotel."

"Yes please," Sarah answered, "Would you mind if I grabbed a coffee first? Travelling always gives me a bit of a sugar craving."

"Certainly. There are some wonderful coffee stands just at the entrance. If you follow me, we can get you fixed up in a moment," Sam indicated the direction of the exits.

As we both followed him out, I realised just how dark it was getting outside. Our flight landed at around 6PM and it was getting on 7:15PM now. The plus side, for me anyway, is that it seemed to be snowing. I would be getting to see my first real snowfall!

The three of headed towards the first coffee stand we saw where Sarah got her typical caramel moccha with the assistance of Sam. I watched in amusement as she fumbled with attempting the meager Korean that she knew. One of the phrases she had made sure to learn was, Caramel mocha please. Although with her pronunciation, that's a bit of a gamble as to what she gets in the end. Listening to Sam order, I hoped she would be able to learn a bit more about how to pronounce her favorite poison of choice. 

As Sarah basked in the warmth of her coffee, I was eager to head to our hotel to drop of our luggage and head out to town. I was in dire need of some real food. 

"This way ladies. The van will only take a few moments." Sam announced as we stepped out into Seoul's frosty weather.

"It actually isn't all that bad," I said to Sarah, "It sort of reminds me of my last holiday to New York...just a bit more wind."

Sarah gave me a look that said, are you crazy, and I probably was considering she was shivering to the bone and she had on more layers than I did.

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"YAH! NAM WOOHYUN! What do you think you're doing!??!?" exclaimed Sunggyu as they were passing through arrivals. 

Infinite had just landed from their flight from Brazil after the Music Bank, Brazil special and were heading out to the vans. Woohyun had noticed two girls walking out the opposite side of arrivals and had taken notice of them. For no particular reason really, they weren't all that special looking. Nothing compared to the female idols they worked with.

"AISH~ That hurts hyung! I'm not looking at anything! Is it a crime to look around now? Should I poke my eyes out?" Woohyun replied, annoyed.

"You're staring Hyun and the fans are starting to notice." Sunggyu sighed.

At that, Woohyun finally realised that a majority of Inspirits had turned in the direction he was looking and craning their necks to see what he was staring at. 

"They can try to see all they like hyung, I wasn't looking at anything."

"Sure Hyun~ Sure~~ The namgrease wasn't checking out girls at all~" Sunggyu sarcastically replied, "I know you were looking at those two girls near the airport doors. Don't think that I'm blind. You've been looking at them ever since we saw them at customs!"

"Awwww is hyung jea~~~~lous~~~~," Woohyun whined as he attempted to pinch his cute leader's hamster cheeks, but before he could even get close, Sunggyu swatted him away.

"Not here Woohyun! Now is not the time!" 

Sunggyu turned away and proceeded to ignore Woohyun as they braved the mass of Inspirits and cameras. The other members glanced curiously at the pair as they heard Sunggyu's annoyed tone, but knew better than to make a scene. Woohyun pouted as he realised that his leader was mad at him. Maybe he shouldn't have teased Sunggyu after such a long flight. They were all tired, Sunggyu even more so since he was still suffering from a cold. 

Hopefully his anger will have dissipated after they reached the dorms, otherwise it would be a cold and lonely night for Woohyun.