December19,2010

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So there I was, wandering around the streets of Seoul with nowhere to go. Damn airplane! Why'd it'd have to leave so fast? I kept replaying those moments of watching my connecting flight fly to Japan without me. I was now completely alone. You see, I was supposed to be going to visit my relatives in Japan for the first time without my parents. . Yet I missed my connecting flight from Korea to Japan and now I was stuck.

My backpack began to hurt my back, and my hands were freezing as it lightly snowed. Seoul was beautiful at night in the snow. Too bad I was busy cursing over how cold it was, to care. I followed the long sidewalk and sat down for a break in front of a big building. The cover over the main door shielded me from the snow. I began thinking about what to do.

Should I try and get help from the police?

Should I borrow somebody's phone to make a long-distance call back home in the US?

Should I find a place to stay and then figure things out tomorrow morning?

I decided on the third option. I was just about to get up but I decided on staying for a little while longer, resting. I opened my wallet to check that my $500 was there, as I'd need it to buy a hotel room and a new ticket to Japan. Luckily, it was in there. I put my wallet back into my pocket and I sighed as I leaned back against the the building. Before I knew it, my eyes were getting droopy and I was fighting to stay awake. 

The next thing I knew, I was being awoken by some strange person. Somebody was shaking me and touching my hips. My whole body was freezing but I couldn't open my eyes. 

"Hnnnnngggg ..." I managed to murmur. "What do youuu w-want?" After tossling for a while I opened my eyes. After checking my pocket, I was surprised to find that my wallet was gone. 

I looked around. The street was pretty silent compared to earlier. I had no idea what time it was but I guessed around 2am or so.  I was about to go back to sleep when I heard footsteps around the corner. A tall middle-aged man with glasses and a hoodie walked by. He looked at me for a second, and we made eye contact.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"Oh yes, yes I am.. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Why are you out here so late, though?"

I didn't want to cause this guy any worry so I opted for a lie. "It's nothing, really, it's fine."

"I know you're lying.. come inside with me, you can stay here for the night if you want."

What did he mean? Come to his house? If that was the case, I'd rather sleep outside in the freezing cold than go into some stranger's home. 

"No thank you! I cant possibly invade your home like that."

He laughed and smiled.

"Not my home, my company. I work here." He pointed to the building behind me. It read, NH MEDIA. "I work for this music company. You're welcome to sleep in an empty practice room for the night if you have nowhere else to go."

I paused and looked inside. It seemed like an ordinary building. Yet this was a generous offer and I was a bit skeptical over it. What if this wasn't a legit company, but some scary fake company that lures homeless people? I decided not to test my luck.

"No thanks, I'm good."

He looked at me for a second before opening the door to enter the building. "Alright, fine. But you can come in if you change your mind."

He just stepped into the building when I yelled out. "Wait!" He turned back to look at me. "Thank you." I got up and grabbed my backpack and suitcase before quickly shuffling into the building. The warmth hit me at once. He led me upstairs to a room in the back It was big with mirrors covering 3 sides of the walls. 

"This is my group's practice room. You can stay here, but you have to be out by 9am because they're coming to practice."

"Thank you very much" I said, and I looked around. It was a big room, with various random objects scattered, a big TV, and a big sound system. The manager left and closed the door and turned off the light. I walked over to the sound system and nestled in a cozy small area behind it. Leaning against the speaker, I fell soundly asleep. Little did I know that my life would change forever when I woke up in the morning.