*Three months later*

“Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking. We will begin our descent into Seoul in just a few minutes.”

I lift my head up just enough to hear the captain’s message over the loud speaker. My neck and body feel extremely sore from the fourteen hour flight from Vancouver to Seoul. The pre-landing chaos begins and I see frantic ummas trying to gather their energetic children, flight attendants running up and down the aisles, and other dazed passengers waking up from their deep sleep.

 I sigh and begin to wonder again what am I doing here??? After my parents’ sudden death, not many of my distant relatives wanted to take me in. Hushed conversations about my well being were spoken over the phone back in Vancouver, while I just held my head high and tried to keep my pride in check.

Eventually, my grandmother on my umma’s side took pity on her poor granddaughter and decided to take care of me. After attending my parents’ funeral and packing up my things, I said goodbye to Vancouver and flew 8,000 kilometers across the Pacific.

“Oh well I guess I can’t really do much about it now.” I mutter under my breath. Besides it can’t be that bad…….right?

I stare out of my window and concentrated on the puffy white clouds that layered the sky. I envied their freedom. The freedom of never having a care in the world.

The plane made its slow and steady descent through the layer of clouds and eventually landed smoothly on the runway of Incheon International Airport.

I stay in my seat watching how all of the other passengers attempt to squish through the aisles full of suitcases, children, and discarded blankets and pillows. After most of the passengers were gone, I grab my bag, camera, and suitcase from the over head compartment and straighten my clothes.               

(Ailee's Airport Fashion lol XD but she has her camera too of course ^^)

The flight attendants and captains wave good-bye as I step out of the plane and into the connecting hallway. My suitcase rolls against the dull green carpet floor as I walk through the gate, and into the main building of the airport. Many people were bustling around trying to make their flight or to try and find their gate. I pass many souvenir stores, cafes, and restaurants while walking through the crowded airport.

*Has this place always been this busy?*

My thoughts are interrupted by the piercing sound of screaming girls. I look over to my right and see a giant crowd of squealing, spastic girls with professional looking cameras and hyperventilating faces.

Fan girls.

Of course I heard about K-Pop in Canada, I mean the hallyu wave isn’t that small, but it’s just that I never really followed it that much.

More screams erupt as 12 figures try and make their way through the mob of fan girls. They were well dressed with designer hats, shoes, bags, and sunglasses and they carried themselves in a way that just screamed IDOL.

I roll my eyes and look for another way out of the airport that didn’t require attempting to shove my way through that crowd of fan girls. There was none.

I let out a small groan and start walking towards the edge of the crowd. I struggle and push my way through the edge of the crowd. A wall of fan girls shove my shoulder and give me some very menacing looks.

“YAH! GET AWAY FROM OUR EXO OPPAS!” They scream with indignant looks on their faces.

Who the hell are EXO?

 “Mianhe.” I mumble and keep walking forward.

By the time I managed to get to the shuttle and taxi area outside, my clothes and hair are so disheveled that I have to take five minutes rearranging it back to normal.

Aish fan girls are so possessive.

I manage to hail a cab and we drive through downtown Seoul. The streets are full of high school students rushing to their hagwon classes after school and other tourists and shoppers. The stores and shops release new sights and sounds that surprisingly amaze me. I grab my camera that hangs around my neck and take a photo of the streets.

(Ailee's Photo of Seoul)

After 20 minutes, the cab drops me off