THE NEXT WEEK (MONDAY)

 

“Areum, why are we going to a Girl’s Generation concert?” Nabi asked for the umpteenth time that week.

 

“It’s part of my plan, just trust me,” Areum replied while busily packing some necessities for the trip that Nabi knew nothing about.

 

Nabi groaned in annoyance of her friend’s mysterious nature and silently waited for Areum to finish packing their bags - she insisted that she packed it for them. Nabi wanted to bring her stuffed animal, Miss Bunny, with her, but the glare she got from Areum was the end of that.

 

“Ok, let’s go!” Areum cheered excitedly.

 

The two girls exited the house to walk over where the festival will be held. As they walked down the street, some bystanders couldn’t help but stare at them, well mostly at Areum and her killer body and looks. 

 

Nabi had on a black tank top with black basketball shorts, her hair straightened out and tied up in a ponytail (do you know how hard Areum and Nabi had to struggle to get her hair straightened out and in a ponytail?) instead of her usual messy, tangled hair, her glasses on the tip of her nose, and she had on white shoes. She felt really comfortable in the outfit, and her smile only grew wider.

 

Areum, on the other hand, had on a yellow romper with small, black designs, her hair was parted to the right and had waves instead of her simple, straight brown hair, and she had black on Nike shoes.

(I know it’s not a romper just use your imagination)

As the girls finally arrived at the festival site, Areum immediately starting searching for an item that was unknown to Nabi. The cat-like girl shot a suspicious glance over at Areum’s way but shrugged it off. She wasn’t sure that Areum could see her glance through her glasses anyways.

 

“Ok….so we’re here. What do we do?” Nabi asked.

 

“Well, we are at a concert, right?” Areum answered. “Let’s enjoy it!”

 

Areum dragged Nabi over to the front area and the girls squeezed through (more like Areum pushed everyone out of the way and threatened them with her eyes) the crowd to get a good view of the stage. 

 

They set down their backpacks to comfortably enjoy the performance, but Nabi noticed that Areum still seemed a little bit jumpy and continued to look over at the backstage area. 

 

Once again, Nabi thought nothing of it and decided that it might be that Areum was a big fan of the group. It was something she learned after spending almost a year with the Girl’s Generation addict. Areum had always been dying to meet up with the members.

 

Nabi shivered when she remembered Areum's mourning for Jessica's leave of the group.

 

“WHYYYY DID SHE HAVE TO LEEEEAAAAVVEEE!?” Areum complained.

 

Nabi just hugged her sobbing friend with a scared expression. 

 

“Shhh it's alright Areum.” 

 

Areum just cried louder, scaring Nabi some more.

 

“Gosh you’re acting like someone murdered your grandma,” Nabi muttered under her breath. 

 

Nabi shook her head to get rid of the memories and focused back on the stage.

 

When the idols came out, the fan chants were deafening. All of Girl’s Generation were smiling as they got into their positions. “I hope you all will like the festival!” Taeyeon, the leader, shouted.

 

The performance then started and through half of the whole thing, the girls cheered loudly for the group and danced along to the music. Nabi had to say, Girl’s Generation made incredible music that was catchy and fun. 

 

While she was going along with the crowd and having fun,  Areum kept on staring holes at Taeyeon, her expression all lovey-dovey but for some reason, Taeyeon never felt the stare. It was probably because there were also many people staring at her in that way too, Nabi thought, grimacing. If that’s what idols go through everyday … I’m not sure I want to be one anymore.

 

For the rest of the night, they watched the idols on the side as they sat on an empty bench as Girl’s Generation danced and sang their songs with their other fans screaming and screaming without any sign of stopping.

 

How the hell are they still screaming? Areum asked herself, her voice already dying after screaming for 10 minutes straight. Nabi would be screaming too, but she wasn’t here. The girl had went somewhere to buy food, Areum’s credit card in her hand. And speaking of the devil, Areum sighed as Nabi’s voice rang in her ears.

 

“Hey, Areum! I got food! You want some?” Nabi stood next to her, hot dogs, rice cakes, apple juices, BBQ sticks, and churros in her hand.

 

“That’s a lot of food. And how did you even carry all of it without spilling anything?” Areum asked softly due to her dying throat from screaming about Taeyeon.

 

“Hehe, I just do,” Nabi replied at she placed the food next to Areum.

 

The ulzzang naturally grabbed for a BBQ stick and stuffed it in . “Hmmm, it’s pretty good.”

 

“Ai knw wrigh?” Areum looked over to see two BBQ sticks stuck in Nabi’s mouth as she chomped down on them. 

 

“Jeez, calm down. You’re going to choke yourself.”

 

“Itz awrigh.”

 

Areum shook her head at Nabi’s eating habits as she continued to eat. They kept on eating and eating and eating until there was nothing left except for empty sticks, plastic plates, and plastic bottles.

 

“Hey, I’m going to throw these away okay?” Nabi said as she cleaned up.

 

“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

 

Just as fast as she had left, Nabi came back empty handed, a content smile on her face. Then she looked back at the stage where the idols were still performing. “It’s pretty late about now. This should be their ending song.”

 

As it reached the end of the last song, Nabi saw that Areum was starting to get anxious again. Suddenly, Areum reached down for her backpack and gestured for Nabi to follow her. 

 

Nabi did as she was told, pulling her bag with her, but she was extremely confused. Well, she didn’t have any choice but to completely follow Areum because she knew nothing of the other’s plan. 

 

The girls made their way through the crowd again (why the are so many people - sweaty people? Areum cussed in her head) until they reached to an open area, where it was dark because of the lack of light and was deserted except for some people passing by and them.

 

“Wah, this is scary! There’s barely anyone here!”

 

“SHHH.”

 

Nabi paid no heed to Areum as she continued on, “Areum, where are we going?”  

 

Areum put her finger to her lips to shush Nabi, again to the singer’s annoyance, and gestured for her to follow. Nabi hesitated with her cheeks puffing out - if they weren’t in a dire situation, Areum would had squished the hell out of those cheeks - but the cat decided to trust Areum anyways since it was her idea in the first place. 

 

At least the ulzzang got an idea, Nabi thought. As they kept walking, Nabi noticed that they were in the back of the outdoor stage. 

 

There were multiple cars and trucks that were used to transport equipment and to transport the girls of Girl’s Generation. There was also a trailer for makeup and styling and a swarm of workers hustling about to prepare for the journey home. 

 

“Areum, what are we doing here?! Is this allowed?” Nabi whispered, more like screamed into Areum’s ear. My poor ears, Areum thought sarcastically.

 

Areum simply replied with a smirk and a shake of the head. She began moving again and Nabi quietly followed, understanding that they should not be caught. She didn’t want to go to jail, not today! 

 

Like ninjas - Nabi got smacked in the head again by Areum - they ducked behind trucks and crates and hoped that no one noticed them when they Naruto-dashed from the prying eyes. Finally, the girls stopped behind the trunk of one of the cargo trucks used for equipment. 

 

“Wow, I can’t believe we just did all of that and got out unscathed!” Nabi whispered excitedly. 

 

Areum didn’t bat an eyelash at the other’s comment as she pulled open the door of the trunk slightly and motioned for Nabi to get in. Nabi did so like an obedient cat she was and saw that Areum quickly jumped in as well, closed the door, and pulled out a flashlight from her backpack. 

 

“Areum! Can you please explain what we’re doing here!?” Nabi shouted angrily, throwing her bag on the ground angrily like someone just stole her candy. 

 

“Shhh,” Areum chided, “they can still hear us so be quiet.” She also placed her backpack on the ground.

 

“Fine, I will, but what are we doing?” Nabi quieted down.

 

“It’s our ticket to Seoul!” Areum announced, sounding as if she was proud of her master plan.

 

“WHAT!”

 

“Shhhh”

 

“What!” Nabi whispered.

 

“Well, this truck will be going to Seoul right? So we can stay here and then get out when it stops at Seoul!” Areum said, pleased at her herself since it was the first time she made a plan that was useful. 

 

“Ok...but where will we stay?” 

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything,” Areum assured.

 

Nabi sighed, “That doesn’t assure me.” 

 

Suddenly, they heard the door creak and immediately hid behind anything they could. Nabi ducked behind a stack of sound equipment and Areum behind a set of instruments.

 

Nabi was touching the equipments experimentally as her eyes gleamed brightly like a child’s, and all Areum could do was facepalm and glare at the cat. The black-haired girl stopped moving - Thank god, Areum sighed in relief - as footsteps came closer towards them, but they eventually faded away and, fortunately, they heard the door close and lock. 

 

The girls slowly crept out of their hiding spots to only lock eyes and laugh like maniacs. Well, I’m catching her laughing disease, Areum thought as she smiled. And smiling disease. Hm I guess it's not that bad huh? She's the first one to make me smile in….a long time.

 

“Yah,” Nabi giggled, “we could’ve gotten caught.” 

 

“Oh, it’s fine.” Areum grinned assuringly. “They’ll only do two equipment checks. One just now and one when we get back. We just need to sneak out as quick as possible when the truck stops.”

 

“O-okay….if we end up behind bars then I’m saying you held me at gunpoint,” Nabi threatened although the smile on her face betrayed her.

 

Areum laughed, “Fine, deal, but as long as you follow me exactly, we’ll be fine! 100%”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Nabi saluted. “But wait, what’s in these bags?” 

 

“Oh nothing much. Just necessary things for the trip,” Areum said with a wave of her hand.

 

Nabi replied with an, “Oh, cool!” as she looked through her bag and saw jackets, a small blanket, some snacks, water, a flashlight, laptop, chargers, masks, booze - wait, booze?

 

 “Aish, Hwang Areum!” Nabi called out. “Why is there alcohol in your bag? You’re fourteen for God’s sake!”

 

“, I didn’t think you’d find it,” Areum muttered, acting as if she didn't care that she wasn't supposed to drink booze at the age of fourteen. 

 

“Aigoo, what am I gonna do with this kid?” Nabi muttered to herself as she left the bottle of alcohol somewhere in the corner of the bus.

 

Areum just shook her head in disbelief. I forget that she's older than me.

 

“Yah, just rest. We’ll need it when we find a way to sneak out of here,” Areum advised as she created a makeshift bed and pillows out of the jackets and blankets. 

 

Nabi cuddled against the make - she meant makeshift - bed, but not before she pulled Areum down cuddle with her. 

 

“Aish, ing cat,” Areum muttered, trying to be angry but failing because she had already grown to be accustomed to this kind of (was that a good thing?) as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with a smile unknowingly creeping up her face.

 

SQUEAK

 

The sound of a garage opening awoken Areum. She sat up and pushed off Nabi’s arm that laid on top of her stomach. The other had clung on her tightly as if she was a teddy bear, and she was not for goodness sake! 

 

Stretching her back and grimacing at the cracks that followed afterwards, Areum rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She realized that the truck had stopped and heard people outside which meant….We’re in Seoul, Areum thought. 

 

She quickly started shaking the cat slightly until she ended up practically throwing the poor girl. Aii, why won’t you wake up? Areum thought angrily to herself. Nabi only whined and mumbled, “Another five minutes, mom.” 

 

I’m not your mom! Areum mentally growled. Just then, Areum decided to do what she did best. She slapped the . 

 

SLAP

 

“YAH, HWANG AREUM! WHAT WAS THAT?!” Nabi shrieked while rubbing her face, lazily blinking her eyes open.

 

“Shhh, get up we’re here,” Areum whispered, a stern look in her eyes. Then she threw masks at Nabi. “We’re going to need it.”

 

Just then, the door creaked open again and the girls sprinted away to their hiding spots. Nabi was still rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning every few seconds. She held out her red and black watch for Areum to see the time, but Areum rolled her eyes and mouthed, I can’t see in here. And there’s someone here!

 

Nabi looked at her as if she was talking in another language - it was too dark for her to see what Areum was saying - as she shook her head. Areum pulled her finger on her lips, and it seemed Nabi got the hint when she went quiet and stayed still.

 

Light showered the dark truck by the open door so the girls could clearly see the person unloading the truck. Areum carefully inspected the man, locked eyes with Nabi, and held up three fingers. Then she did a motion of getting out of there. Nabi nodded and paid close attention to Areum’s hand. At least she’s not dense when it comes to a life or death situation, Areum noted. 

 

Inspecting the man for the last time, Areum held up the fingers 3 and 2, and right when the man left, Areum folded the last finger and the two girls dashed out of the truck. The sudden bright light blinded the girls, but they ran as fast as they could while they covered their faces as well as they could with their masks, just in case someone saw them. 

 

Nabi heard voices shouting all around her, but she kept her eyes on Areum as they dashed out of the giant garage and into the cool, summer night of Seoul. The girls quickly adjusted the masks as  they have gotten crooked from the fast running and tried to seem inconspicuous as they rushed down the street. 

 

Areum took a glance behind them and sighed in relief when she didn’t see anyone. Looks like we made it, she thought happily. She turned back around and accidentally bumped shoulders with a stranger. 

 

Areum turned to apologize, “Sorr-” Her eyes widened at the “stranger” she bumped into. 

 

“YAH WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING KID!” the man yelled angrily, dusting his clothes off as he glared at her though his sunglasses. 

 

Areum quickly looked down when his familiar eyes locked eyes with her, muttered a “sorry” again, and turned back around. 

 

Nabi caught up to Areum, “Hey, who was that jerk?” 

 

“Huh? Oh no one. Just….a stranger,” Areum replied nervously.

 

Nabi looked back at the man suspiciously but moved her eyes back on Areum so she wouldn’t get lost. She had never been here before, and the high buildings and the sheer amount of people crowding about had her feeling lost and small.

 

“So Areum, since you have it all figured out,” Nabi teased pulling down her mask as well as Areum's, “where in the hell are we gonna stay?” 

 

Areum smiled, showing all of her perfect, white teeth, “Just follow me!” 

 

“Last time you said that, we were running for our lives,” Nabi rolled her cat-like eyes, a mocking smirk on her face.

 

“Shh,” Areum held her finger on her face, “this time it’s different.” 

 

“Whatever you say.” 

 

As Areum walked in front of her, Nabi’s hands swirled around her head as she did the “cuckoo” motion, silently laughing by herself. She earned a few looks from the citizens, and all she did was beam a smile and wave at them furiously.

 

Areum, oblivious to what was happening, guided Nabi to a bus station. 

 

“Wah!”

 

“What?” Areum asked as she pulled out some cash to pay the driver. Why do you always have money ready? I didn’t even remember about it! Nabi thought.

 

“Like, this is so exciting!”

 

“... Going to a bus station?”  They went to the two seats in the back of the bus where no one was there.

 

“Well, no, not really. It’s like the bus station at Seoul got a different feeling to it, you know?”

 

“.... Right.” 

 

Nabi pouted before she made herself comfortable on her seat, dragging her limbs lazily around as she tried to find a good position. There was an extent to how comfortable she could get on a back seat of a bus so she gave up after a few seconds of trying. “Aigoo, I’m so tired,” Nabi complained. 

 

“Already?”

 

“Yeah! A cat will always be tired no matter what the circumstances are!”

 

Areum sighed, “Well, you can sleep on the bus, I’ll wake you up.”

 

“I have no complaints about that,” Nabi agreed happily as she laid her head on Areum’s shoulder - Areum’s eyes twitched, but she stayed still anyways since she's finally started to open up more with Nabi -and fell into a deep sleep with the excitement creeping all over her.

 

So this is what being in Seoul feels like! 

 

A/N: The girls have finally made it to Seoul!!!! YAAAAAAY!!! I’VE NEVER FELT SO STRESSED BEFORE! I HAVE FOUR STORIES I’M WORKING ON, I’M FAILING MY CLASSES AT SCHOOL BUT I’M SITTING HERE EATING POTATO CHIPS AND NOT GIVING A DAMN!