It was the week of my 17th birthday. The air was cold and unpromising. For some strange reason, I had a feeling in my gut that this birthday would be no more special than my last one, though I wished it would. I was getting tired of the same old birthday: dinner with the parents to hear them give me a lecture based on the mistakes they made when they were my age. 

At least there was one person that wanted to make my birthday better. It was my 25 year old sister who moved out when she got into college, like I wanted to do also. I didn't look promising though; I didn't have any friends or a boyfriend to move in with. Anyway, back to my sister. She had sent me a pretty little journal and a note, written in gold, pretty ink.

Dear Luisa,

I miss you so much! I'm sad I can't be with you on another special birthday, but I'll visit you soon. Since through the messages you've sent me, I can see you're having a tough time with mom and dad and school, I bought you an extra special present so you could get away and have a little fun. I'm not sure the 'rents will approve, but you'll come up with some creative excuse for them to let you go, right?

Anyway, you'll always be my baby sister, so take care and don't worry so much. You'll find love and everything else soon. Just don't rush it.

Love,

Julia

PS: Look at the last page of the journal I bought you for the present!

I smiled. Leave it up to Julia to get me the most kickass present of all time to cheer me up. But what was it? There was only one way to find out. I tucked away the pretty note and unwrapped the journal carefully. I took a quick glimpse of the journal. It was white and clean looking and on the front it had a simple, small black heart. It closed with a lock, too, so I could write private things in it. I grabbed the key to the journal out of the bag Julia had sent me the present in and unlocked it, quickly flipping to the last page.

Taped to the back of the white journal was a ticket to Korea, a place I had wanted to travel to for a very long time. Also, another small note underneath it, that read: "I paid for the hotel and everything. You better thank me. -Julia"

My jaw dropped. This had to be some kind of a joke. There was no way her present was THIS kickass. I carefully took the ticket off the journal and observed it. It completely looked like the real deal. There was no way she could've faked this. I sighed, smiling to myself. She was the best sister I could've ever asked for.

I ran downstairs, ticket in hand, smiling widely. My parents looked surprised to see me so happy for once in my life. I stood in front of them, waving the ticket around.

"What's that, honey?" My mom asked, the surprised look still on her face.

"Julia's birthday present to me. Look," I said, handing it to her. She took it in her hands and began to read it over, my father peering over her shoulder. She must've read the 'South Korea' part and her jaw dropped. She looked at my father, concerned. 

As she opened to speak, I stopped her. 

"I know what you're going to say. But no matter what, I'm still going. I'm old enough to make my own decisions now." And with that, I grabbed my ticket from her and walked up the stairs confidently. 

I laid down on my bed, sighing with the ticket still in my hands. I had wanted to travel to Korea for so long. The culture, the landscape, the shopping, the music, and the boys. Everything was like heaven to me. I had even taught myself some of the language in my spare time, just for fun. 

This night had probably been one of the best in awhile, and the same goes with how I slept. I woke up feeling refreshed and excited, beginning to pack my things for Korea.

My mom dropped me off at the airport that night, giving me more lectures on safety and other things that I had tuned out. I waved good bye to her as I walked into the airport, quickly checking in my bag and going through security. With thirty minutes to spare before boarding time, I wandered around the big LA airport, looking for something decent to eat. I weaved through crowds of people rushing to their flights and decided to simply go with McDonald's. I didn't want to spend much money, so this was probably the best choice. I quickly ordered my burger, fries, and coke, and sat down, eating quickly. 

After finishing my meal and wandering a bit more, I walked to the boarding gate, sitting down in a chair and placing my bag in the chair beside me. I took out my iPhone and my earphones, tuning out listening to Korean music. After awhile, the flight attendants announced that they would begin boarding now, so I collected my things and walked to the line. I fished around in my bag for my boarding pass, and since I wasn't looking at where I was going, I bumped into a tall man.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I said, in english. 

As he turned around, I noticed he was painfully tall and handsome. He was a bit mysterious looking, wearing things that covered his face, but his eyes and jet black hair were uncovered. His eyes were piercing and beautiful, but he had very prominent dark circles. He was familiar somehow, but I shook it off.

"Uh," He said, his voice higher and raspier than I expected. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. "It's okay," and with that, he turned around and began speaking to another handsome, tall guy. I could tell they were speaking chinese, but I couldn't understand any of it. 

But why were they so familiar to me? They were a group of six pretty good-looking guys, going to Korea like me. Were they K-Pop stars? I shook off the thought, finding the boarding pass and boarding the plane.

My seats were in first class, which I had never experienced before. It was so comfortable and fancy, perfect for a long flight; and I got the window seat, which had been my favorite ever since I was a child. I sat back, plugging in my earphones again and tuning out.