The next day, Jiae wakes up with a start. Tears and sweat and heaving chest. Somehow for awhile her hand has been extending to reach someone that would never lie beside her anymore, with desperation of a human treading water in the middle of ocean with no shore in sight.

Nobody wants to be with you. Nobody.

The jarring voice rings ominously inside her head, and Jiae needs few moments before she can grasp the situation that it was just bad dream. This is her bedroom and not dark, isolated cave where she'd been left to rot in loneliness. Pale yellow light is spilling slightly from thick curtains covering the floor-to-ceiling windows, it's probably almost noon now. She huffs loudly in relief, but then rattles some more curses as her head pounds painfully, result from bottles of alcohol she had downed last night with her friend.

Hanging out with Soojung when having problem was a bad decision, Jiae learns belatedly. The said woman herself has been standing by the bedroom's door unnoticedly, hands crossed against her chest and eyes droopy.

"You still alive. Good." She mumbles lazily, announcing her presence and at the same time causing Jiae almost jump out of her skin.

"Here, for you." Without stepping inside, Soojung throws an unopened bottle of mineral water, which Jiae catches right before it hit her squarely on the face. "Bye."

"Noooo Soojung unnieeee... Where are you going?"

"Home. Unlike you, I still have actual girlfriend who has to be fed. Bet that moron's crying by now because of hunger."

"Heh. What is it with us and idiot females that cannot take care of themselves." Jiae grimaces, struggling to open her bottle with still wobbly hands. "Is there no more decent, smart girls left in this world to be our girlfriends.."

"Whoa. Excuse you, Myungeun is decent and smart." Okay that maybe contradicts her own previous statement, but Soojung doesn't care. Her not-functioning brain doesn't.

"Right. At least she's not some jobless lady loitering about at your home."

Soojung snorts, something knowing on her tone as she speaks again later, "Fifty bucks for you begging that jobless lady to come back here not less than a week."

"Anyway, I'm going now. See you later." She turns around, waving her small hand before disappearing from Jiae's sight - and comes back after just three seconds.

"I almost forgot.. Happy birthday, Jiae. Good luck getting over your mid-life crisis."

"Shut up unnie you're older than me!" But Soojung's living a life. This world is just so ing unfair.

Jiae opts to stay at home after her friend's gone, calling in sick to work for the first time in her entire life. To let everyone see her broken self like this is something terrifying for Jiae. Just imagine all the gossips, all the insults...

Yoo Jiae, successful voice actress, acts cool all the time in public, but actually wrecked mess of a human. She has cars, lives in goddamn penthouse, has basically everything one could only wish - beside love.

She will die of old age in retirement house, or maybe asylum. Looney and lonely, because nobody can stand living with her.

"Oh my god I should get away from this place." Yeah. This place is so much full of negativity it will really drive her crazy even before she reaches her thirty.

Holiday, her mind supplies. Holiday to a faraway land sounds like a bright idea. Jiae retrieves her laptop from the bedside table just next to her, opening the browser and typing 'holiday destinations' on Google search bar. All sort of websites appear in a flash, offering options from typical romantic European countries to exotic Africa.

But then the little notifications by the top right of her screen catches her attention, it's indicating number of unread emails, and Jiae frowns. Europe sounds wonderful but she obviously doesn't need romantic trip - like, what's the point if she will only go all by herself? - and as much as she wants to try driving around sabana in Kenya, Jiae absolutely can't afford being that far, in a part of world that probably doesn't provide high speed internet connection. There must be another, closer place, where she could do some outdoor activities as exciting as witnessing zebras and giraffes on their natural habitat and have tourist spots as cool as medieval ruins along street of Barcelona. She tries another keyword.

'vacation ideas in asia'

One of websites that's appearing on the screen piques Jiae's interest right away.

"Homeswap Holidays, Asia's Largest House Exchange Website. Hm. So we exchange our houses in each other's country?"

Clicks, clicks.

Vietnam, juxtaposition of old colonial architecture and history with modern beach resorts.

"What language they speak there?"

Vietnam is out. More clicks.

Strapped to a kite, dragged by a speedboat while flying up in the air, out in the middle of the sea... Parasailing is the best way to view the white sandy beaches of Boracay Island.

"Then I guess I wouldn't want to see white sandy beaches."

Next.

"Japan. Very close to Korea. But I've visited Harajuku for like hundred times before..."

Traditional-style Japanese house only ten minutes away from northern downtown of Osaka. Enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of old times Japan.

"Hm? Now this is new."

Scrolls down.

All rooms with tatami, sliding panels act as door and windows...

Around this time you can wear yukata and go to local summer festival held along the neighborhood.

"Like, cosplay as geisha? I can do that." Jiae squints at series of photographs of the property displayed on her computer. Everything is primarily made from wood and all sorts of natural materials, it looks like the whole place is setting for elegant historical movie of Japan.

A contact number is provided by the end of the page. Without further ado, Jiae goes to find her phone.

———————

"Does my tonkotsu ramen offend you in some way or?"

A full minute has ticked by since the ramen shop owner put down hot savoury dish that is tonkotsu ramen on her table in the counter, yet all Momo does is only sulking at it very hard.

"No, oji-san, it's fine. I just don't feel like eating."

The old guy grimaces. He rubs his already wrinkled hands with damp towel before throwing the cloth onto a sink behind him. "Hirai Momo doesn't feel like eating. Ha. End of the world is near."

"Might be better if it ends right now." She huffs, blowing her slightly too long bangs off her forehead. "Life is boring."

"Don't say thing like that." He growls, concerned. Spoiled kids nowadays... "Want to hear some advice? Go on a trip. Do something you've never done before. Meet new people."

"I'm trying to! I—" And coincidentally, Momo hears her phone rings right when she's ready to ramble about she had listed her home on some house-exchange holiday program - because Momo is broke and hotels nowadays are overpriced. She holds up a hand, prompting the man to stop talking while she's checking her message.

Jiaengelic_521: Hi there :)

It's in English and the sender is an unknown person from overseas. Momo is suddenly nervous.

Sweet_Peach9: Hello. Who is this?

Please say you want to offer holiday exchange.. Please... Please—

Jiaengelic_521: I'm interested in your ads posted on homeswapholidaydotcom. Is your place available now?

Yesssss!

Sweet_Peach9: Oh. Yeah it's currently available and coincidentally, I'm also looking for a short getaway from my boring daily life right now :))

Jiaengelic_521: Perfect.

Sweet_Peach9: May I know where's your place?

Now please tell me you live somewhere far, faraway.

Jiaengelic_521: I'm living in the downtown of Seoul, South Korea. It's in Gangnam area.

Korea... Korea sounds good, Momo thinks. She loves Korean food. And Kpop. Korean dramas. Make-up, fashion, cute little shops in every corner of Hongdae.

And girls.

Maybe she can find another Nayeon.

Or no. It's bad to find look-alike replacement to mend broken heart.

Her phone dings again snapping Momo out of her musing.

Jiaengelic_521: From what I saw on the ads, your house seems to be more on the traditional side, which I think is cool.. While my place is, well, it's a modern apartment but I guarantee it wouldn't be that much smaller than your house. There's lots of food in the neighborhood if you want some local culinary adventure..

Sweet_Peach9: Yes, definitely. Korean dishes is god's gift for mankind.

Jiaengelic_521: Glad to know you have such passion for our food :))

Jiaengelic_521: I have a car you can use as well, or if you want to try some public transportation service, my place is pretty close to the station. The entertainment district is just ten to fifteen minutes away.

Sweet_Peach9: Sounds great to me. So when do you want to start?

Jiaengelic_521: Hm. What about day after tomorrow? For two weeks?

Sweet_Peach9: Deal.

"Oji-san!" Momo abruptly gets up, slurping her whole ramen in inhumane speed. In one doesn't know better, they would think Momo has split personality disorder, jumping from emo af to happy-go-lucky mood as fast as traffic light changing from red to green. "I'm going on holiday starting for two weeks from tomorrow!"

"Well that's... Great, I guess?"

"Yes. Thanks for the food!" The bowl's dropped back to the table with a thud.

"Have fun." Ramen shop owner waves his hand - to no one in particular, because Momo's already gone. He's about to take away the dirty eating utensils when something clicks on his head. He quickly runs, out of the counter then to the entrance door of his restaurant.

"Oi you haven't paid! Hirai-san!!!!"

———————