You had finally made it. You were in Korea. You had wanted to come here for years. You had managed to get a position teaching English at a high school in Seoul. You came over with a group of other new English teachers. The program you were working through had arranged your travel and living plans for you. How could you ask for a better deal?

The shuttle from your welcome conference dropped you off in front of your new apartment complex. The driver helped you get your keys, carried your bags up for you and bid you good luck before he left to help the other teachers into their own new lives. 

You explored the apartment. It had been furnished for you. Nothing fancy, but it had a cozy, homey feel to it. You started unpacking your things and setting them around the apartment. When you finished, you went to the kitchen only to realize you didn't have any food. So, you decided to be brave and head out on your own for the first time. 

You found a close grocery store on your phone's GPS and went out. When you arrived, you started looking around for things to eat. Luckily for you, they had some American food. You wouldn't be completely stuck on a diet of rice. As you filled a cart with various selections, you talked with a nice lady, who turned out to be the owner of the store. She was very excited to see a foreigner and wanted to practice her English with you. Admittedly, it wasn't very good, but when you told her that you could speak Korean, she continued speaking in English. 

She gave you a couple easy recipes to try and helped you pick out ingredients for them. Then you paid for the food, and took a taxi back to your apartment so you wouldn't have to carry everything while walking. 

You managed to get all your groceries up to you second floor apartment. You put them away in the fridge and cupboards. You lit one of the candles you had brought with you from home. It was your favorite scent. Allowing the scent to fill your little apartment, you boiled some noodles, added the flavoring packet, and went to the table near the window to eat. You watched the people on the street below. Your apartment was surprisingly quiet for being on such a busy street. When you finished eating, you cleaned the dishes and went to wash up for bed. You had your first day at the school tomorrow and you wanted to be well rested. 

As you laid down on your new bed, you noted that you would need a nice new stuffy so you wouldn't get too lonely. Sleep quickly took hold of you as you settled in. 

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The next morning you woke up early. You dressed in a simple black pencil skirt that went to your knees and a light pink top. You settled on shoes with a small heel, but nothing that would hurt to stand in while teaching all day. You styled your hair and added your usual makeup. 

As you prepared to leave your apartment, you went your laptop to look up directions to the school. Halfway through writing down the instructions, your doorbell went off. You turned to stare at the door for a second. You didn't know anyone here, so who could possibly be at your door? You closed the laptop and went over to the door, opening it.

There was a young man, probably only a few years older than you, standing there. He was dressed in gray slacks and a baby blue dress shirt. He was very handsome and you instantly wished you had checked your appearance before opening the door. 

"Hello, my name is Kim Taewoo. I'm from the school. I am a teacher there as well and I was asked to give you a ride today and help show you the ropes." He said all of this in English, clearly the school normally had teachers that didn't speak Korean. 

"Your English is very good." You said. You then told him your name, grabbed your coat, and he lead you down to his car. On the drive to the school, you learned that he had attended university in the US, which accounted for his English skills.

"Why were you the one that got stuck with the fun job of helping the new teacher?" You asked, trying to sound playful though you were genuinely curious. 

"I'm the best English speaker." He said with a smile. "The principal wasn't sure if you spoke Korean or not."

"I do. I've been learning for a few years now." You blushed a little when he gave you a surprised expression.

The rest of the conversation was carried out in a mix of English and Korean. You asked about the school and the students. When you arrived, Taewoo took you to the principal. He gave you everything you would need, and left it to Taewoo to show you to your new classroom. 

"Good luck! I'm just down the hall if you need anything." He said with a smile before heading to his own classroom. 

The day passed in a blur. Your students were very polite. They even laughed a little when you spoke in a little broken Korean. They all seemed interested in learning with you, so you were happy with the day. As you packed up your things, Taewoo knocked at the door frame and came in. 

"How was your first day? From what I've heard from the students, it sounds like it was a success." He smiled at you, almost beaming. 

"It was! I think I will really like it here." You returned his smile. 

"Are you ready to go?" You nodded a reply and he lead you to his car. You met a few more teachers along the way. One was woman you ran into was about your age. You had eaten lunch with her earlier this afternoon, Park Seojin. She was very nice and you found out that the two of you shared a mutual love of k-pop. The two of you had traded phone numbers. She was learning English and was eager to have a native speaker to practice with, and you certainly wouldn't turn down a friend. 

When Taewoo dropped you off at home, he said he would be back again the next morning for you. 

"It's alright, I can find my way." You tried to assure him, not wanting to be a nuisance. 

"It's no problem. I live just down the street, and I wouldn't want the pretty new foreign teacher getting lost. And don't be so formal with me. You can call me Oppa when we aren't around the students." And with that, he drove away, leaving you stunned. Not only did he call you pretty, but he had done it with such a confident smile on his face. 

You smiled to yourself on your way up to your apartment. While cooking dinner, you got a phone call from Seojin. She had an extra ticket to your favorite k-pop groups's concert and had called to invite you to go with her. She had had a difficult time finding someone to go with and since the two of you had hit it off at lunch, thought you might like to join her. You happily agreed. 

As you laid down for bed that night, you smiled to yourself. Your first day at your new job went great, you made a new friend, met a really cute guy and now had plans to see your favorite group in concert this weekend. Life was wonderful.