(Day 8, September 28, 2015)

THIS IS (Y/N)'s FIRST time out of the country alone. She never realized that she would enjoy solitude this much. She was never a loner but she suddenly wanted to have an adventure all on her own and that decision led her to the cool crisp air of the land of all things hallyu. It's not as if she's here because of the Hallyu wave that took the Philippines by storm but because of all the beautiful scenes she'd seen in some of the very few Korean dramas she's watched. She was so fond of all the drama locations that she’s seen so she fell in love with the thought of seeing South Korea with her own eyes.  

"Ayos lang po ako Mama, (I’m doing alright Mama,)" she smiled while talking to her mother. It's been a week since she last saw her. This is the first of her three week stay in this country and it just passed by in a blur. She's visited almost every place that she wanted to see over the course of one week but her amazement and curiosity about everything that South Korea has to offer has never once dissipated. It's new to her and it's very different from the bustling Metro Manila, they both definitely have some pros and some cons.

"Ikaw naman kasing bata ka (You silly child). Why did you want to go to Korea? Are you stalking singers like what your cousin wanted to do?" She sounded somehow disappointed and worried at the same time. (Y/N) wasn’t even surprised. This is after all, the first time that they let her go like this, they're usually overprotective of her because she was their only child. "You're (your age) and in law school. Wouldn't that be a bit childish?"

"Mama, I am not stalking anybody. It's just that I've always wanted to visit South Korea because of all the shows I've watched. It's a beautiful country." She was stumbling around, fixing her things as she prepares to go out. She has to find a quiet spot to at least study for a while. Her world of studying doesn’t stop just she’s on vacation. School is starting again and she has to read things in advance. "Hanna loves KPop, I don't even know more than two songs. Naririnig ko lang po sa kanya yun (I just hear those from her). I just fell in love with the places that I’ve seen in some of their well-known shows. Don't worry about me Mama, I'll be responsible."

"Alright, miss ko lang siguro ang unica hija ko (Alright, maybe I just miss my only daughter). Ah! Oo nga pala (That reminds me). Hanna asked me to tell you na tawagan siya (Hanna asked me to tell you to call her). Madami atang ipagbibilin sayo ang pinsan mong yun (I think that cousin of yours will ask you to but a lot of things)." Her parents treat Hanna like their own child because the two of them grew up together. Hanna had  lived with them for a while both of her parents were abroad. (Y/N) and Hanna may be three years apart, (Y/N) being older, but they stick together like glue.

"I'll call her later Mama."

"Don't spoil her too much. Ayaw payagan ng Tita Anna mo na sumama sayo yun kasi baka man-stalk lang daw diyan (Your Aunt Anna didn’t allow her to go with you because she thinks Hanna will just stalk people there)." She heard the faint sound of her mother laughing at the thought.

She really didn’t want company anyways,  this is her 'Eat, Pray, Love' moment, finding herself and all those things in between. Maybe she’ll just bring Hanna next time but for now it’s going to be just her. "If she asks for pasalubong, ibili mo na lang, ako na ang bahala. Okay?(If she asks for anything, go ahead and buy them for her. I’ll be the one to shoulder the costs. Okay?"

"Sus, di niyo rin matiis si Hanna ( Sus, you can’t resist Hanna either)." (Y/N) smiled. "Take care Mama, send my regard to Papa also."

She's been packing her bag to go for a walk around the area where she's staying. It's a quiet neighborhood that boasts of safety and police efficiency. She chose to stay here because it’s accessible to many locations and modes of transportations plus her family knows the person renting the place out. So far it has been so good because she wasn’t able to experience anything off besides the obvious fact that the apartment she’s temporarily renting is too big for her. The place has three medium-sized bedrooms which were used by a big family before. The most charming thing about the place was her private access to the roof top. The lower floors cannot go there so it means that she can relax and enjoy the view all on her own.  It’s like a private garden or hangout area where she can see the entire neighborhood. Looking up and star-gazing at night is also a plus factor.

While roaming around Seoul for the past few days she noticed a quaint little coffeeshop at the corner, a few blocks away from her apartment. She really wanted to take a look at the place because it looked cozy compared to the ones she’s seen and those back home. Even though she’s on vacation she still set a certain number of law provisions for her to read so that she won’t be totally behind her study schedule. She does this because she has known for a fact that she’s not the brightest bulb among her classmates. She just compensates her IQ with more effort. She can't afford to fail any subject. It’s a law student’s dream to finish law school right away because all the stress takes a huge toll on them too.

When she got to the café, she just stood for a while in front of it, appreciating the homey façade and the plants that adorned the entrance. You could actually mistake this place for a flower shop because it displays a lot of flowering plants outside. Bonne Nuit Café.

As she entered the place she noticed that everyone looked like they were in high spirits, chatting away with friends, lovers or families. On the other hand, there was her who was alone. She walked past some of the tables and moved towards an empty corner after ordering from the menu. She made sure to at least learn to read hangul before going here so that that translation would be a bit easier since she can translate it through apps herself by typing in the characters. However, talking in Korean would have been better, but she didn’t have that much time to spare from her jampacked life. 

While busily watching the people around her, (Y/N) realized that she has long need this trip. It never occurred to her that she would discover so much about herself while getting lost in the beauty of a crowded foreign country. There is beauty in travelling alone. Everything is your choice. You get to decide where you go for the day, you pick the restaurant based on your preference, and you only have yourself to blame for making bad food choice. Everything is all about you. You move at your own pace, you see what you want to see, you walk where you want to walk, and you get to absorb the beauty of your surroundings for as long as you want to take. There will be no one to drag you around or bug you when you don’t want to go out. It sounds selfish but the feeling is surely different. Somehow, it's also therapeutic for the soul. Seeing the beauty that South Korea has to offer firsthand makes her really happy and free, she's on her own and moving at her own beat. This is her first real taste of freedom since she reached the age of majority.

Basking in the river of her jumbled thought and haunting readings, (Y/N) didn’t realize that three hours had already passed by. There are no longer people around except herself and another couple who are nearly finished with their meal. She was just daydreaming again more than actually studying or being productive.

(Y/N) looked at the watch on her wrist, 10:40 PM, it read. The café was almost closing.  The couple already stood up and left the place. She sighed, this decision to be productive today was pointless. Whoever planted the idea in her head that she can study here? She just paid for the unnecessary extra luggage that she brought with her. She'll have to do this some other time, maybe a little bit more pressure and she can achieve something. (Y/N) should have known that relaxation is the enemy of productivity.

She hurriedly tried to finish everything that she’s ordered for the past few hours of occupying the space inside the café. The pasta and the bread were all cold but they still tasted good.

The next thing she attended to was her pens and notes. They were more like her children by this point, taking extra care of them more than anything else. They were soon neatly organized inside a plastic envelope. It's been a habit of her to keep everything in order because this is the only thing that she has absolute control of in this life. (Y/N) stood up after making sure that there was nothing left behind. With the now watery americano in one hand and her bag on the other, (Y/N) walked towards the glass door of the café.

A lot of things ran through her head during her stay here. It wasn’t much about law school but more of the huge hole in her life. She's 23 and all but all she's ever really known is school and pleasing her parents. It's like most of her life is an empty slate, waiting to be filled with something.

The thoughts in her head stopped streaming through when the glass door she was just about to pull hit her. She couldn’t have been intoxicated be coffee that she made a mistake of hitting the door herself. Her hands haven’t touch the handle of the door yet!

Ooof, ever the door seems to resent her.

"Ouch." The coffee she held doused her from the neck down.

"너 괜찮 니? (Neo gwaenchahn ni? Are you okay?)" A voice inquired as she held her now wet shirt. The man from the counter hurriedly went to them also and offered her tissue.

"나는 너를 알아 채지 못했다. 미안하다. (Naneun naleul ara chaeji mothaettda. Mianhada. I didn't notice you. Sorry.)"

"미안헤 (Mianhe. Sorry). I don't understand Korean that much." She signalled an okay sign to make them understand.

This is the downside of not knowing a country’s native language. There will always be a huge cultural gap between people. She can't communicate that well with the locals and some of her actions may not be right for some of them.

"I'm sorry." Her eyes immediately flung towards the guy in front of her, an English speaker. Finally. He spoke in English and although he has an accent it’s better than just explaining things by body language. "I didn't notice you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She cut the initial eye contact that they made because it felt abit too awkward. The guy had a very appealing face. His face may be the most good looking face she’s ever come across with in South Korea. His face was so bright, he has white skin, almond eyes, arched brows and a chiseled jaw. He's actually gorgeous.

"Please sit. I'll bring a towel." The person manning the cashier told her as he hurriedly went towards the ‘authorized personnel’ only door at the back. The guy who accidentally hit her with the glass door followed her to one of the tables near them.

Her shirt was doused and the cold weather wasn’t helping also. If only she was in the Philippines she would have gone ballistic, it’s quite different here because she didn’t know how people here would react to blatant anger. The shirt she was wearing was clinging on her skin so she embarrassingly held it away. To pass the waiting, she checked her stuff with her free hand.

"I'm really sorry. I was in a rush and I didn't really see you walking out. I thought nobody was here anymore." His voice was apologetic as he watched her check on her belongings.

"It's okay." It wasn’t painful at all. As she rummaged through her things she saw one of her codals (A small book, usually hardbound, containing all the laws and its provisions. It’s usually one per bar subject.) soaked by the brown liquid. Of all the days that she can choose to use a flimsy bag, she chose today. "Oh no. Nabasa yung codal ko. (Oh no, my codal got wet.)"

"What's wrong?" He peeked at her things. He didn’t really understand her when she spoke in tagalog. "Your book got soaked. I'll replace it."

"Ah, no. You can't. It's okay, I can only purchase it back home." She forced out a smile. This one was memorable, she had it since first year. "Can I have more tissue?"

As if on cue, the guy manning the cash register returned with a white towel in hand. He immediately gave it to her and talked to the man that bumped into her in Korean, maybe so she wouldn’t understand. They both turned their backs to allow her some privacy as she wipes hereself. Good thing she brought her jacket with her, it’ll be useful for cover up.

"Thank you for the towel. I have to go." She stood up and got her bag again.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can take you to the hospital. I did hit your head." The handsome guy asked her.

For the nth time (Y/N) looked at his face, maybe looking at him for a while now makes him seem eerily familiar, like she's seen him somewhere before. That or he looks familiar because he’s handsome.

"Have I seen you or met you somewhere before?" She asked. "Sorry. I must be mistaken. Don’t worry about me, I’m okay. I have to go. It's getting late."

"I can take you home," He volunteered. Wow. As if she's gonna trust him to do that. She may be in another country but she won’t let her guard down. "I'm not a bad person."

"Thank you but no. I’ll be fine." She smiled politely before walking out. She took one more look at the two men, they just looked at her retreating figure and bowed a bit. The were very polite.

When she got back to the apartment, she hurriedly looked at the things she brought. Thankfully her babies were dry and safe. She would have cried if they got wet. Rewriting them will not be something she’d be willing to go through again.

As the day ended she thought about the local interaction that she had earlier. That was the first non-purchase interaction that she had with anyone. It’s interesting. She can just hope that in the years to come she’ll have time to study Hangul and the Korean culture well. Her mind fluttered to the image of the man she met earlier. It was dreamy and she hopes that she’ll come across that face again.

"Oh (Y/N), you’re crazy for fantasizing about a man you just saw once. Stop drooling just because he’s handsome." She reminded herself. “However, it would have been nice to know his name.”