"A little more, a little more to the right. I mean left! Nae, nae, jeogi! Aniyo, careful! Uh...Josimhaeyo!"

I was waving my hands around like a traffic police, while conversing in broken Korean. So much for the Advanced Language classes that I attended in order to pass the entrance test. All my knowledge seemed to evaporate every time I was cornered in a situation like this.

"Steph!" I made an exasperated gesture towards the pair of very confused looking movers. Steph glanced my way, shrugged and went back to unpacking the many boxes stacked in our living room.

The one time I lose in Rock, Paper, Scissors and I had to draw the short straw. But looking at all boxes, and the empty shelves, I resisted a shudder. Nope, this was better.

I swept my hair out of the way, and bunched it up into a ponytail. No more slacking around and complaining.

"Ajhussi, erm, ijjog-eulo oseyo!" I'd conquer this, one furniture at a time. And get it done before Steph can even get the cutlery unpacked. She had, what, like 5 boxes of kitchenware left. And I had only the entire living room and a dining table to put together.

Piece of cake.

Three hours and several minutes later, I was sitting at the dining table, most of which that I'd put together myself, and chugging water right out of the refrigerator. The cold numbed my teeth, but it felt like the perfect remedy for my heated up body.

Steph was paying the movers, while she animatedly spoke to the four of them in nearly perfect Korean. They appeared pretty cheerful too, now that the person holding the conversation didn't have to play charades to get the message across.

I walked over to the door as they were leaving.

"Khamsahamnida, mover Ajhussi!" I bowed and waved, and they did the same. Steph was looking at me, an eyebrow cocked.

"Mover Ajhussi? Really, Grace?" She laughed and closed the door after them.

I waved her off, and collapsed on the couch. I was sweaty and needed a shower, but every single part of my body was revolting against the idea of another movement.

"Hmm, we really need to go grocery shopping. All we have is this afternoon's pasta and the soju Sara gifted us."

"Soju! You promised!" And my defiant muscles rejoiced at the mention of the beverage.

"We finished setting the house and unpacking boxes! You promised that we could open it on the last day! Come on Steph, let's!"

"You haven't unpacked your clothes yet, missy. And besides, tomorrow's my first day of the orientation. I'm not risking anything."

I gaped at her in dismay. How could she break her promise?!

"Also, I never promised anything. I just made a casual suggestion. But we're both tired, and you desperately need a bath, so let's set our priorities straight."

I scrambled over to the refrigerator, and grabbed her arm.

"Then, let's do this. You go get the groceries and I'll go have my bath. I'll be done before you even get back. Also, if we fill our stomachs first, there's no chance we'll even get tipsy, forget a hangover. Isn't that a genius plan?!"

She didn't look too convinced as she walked over to the little table we'd placed by the door. It had a cute bowl in which we'd decided to keep the house keys, spare change, and reminders and such. She grabbed the key and turned to me.

"I'm gonna lock you in. I'll be back with the food and you're not going to touch the fridge while I'm gone. Deal?"

"Deal! Done and sealed! Don't forget to buy a pack of bread. Oh and-"

"Peanut Butter and Jam. Separately. I know."

"Its the-"

"Crunchy kind. Anything else? No, ofcourse not." She shot me a bored look and walked out the door, with her coat in hand.

Yes! Tonight I would have my very first taste of soju. I felt giddy with excitement, or maybe it was hunger. Either way, I was overjoyed that Steph had agreed. Did we have shot glasses or something similar, that we could use? I considered checking the cabinets, but my good friend, Sloth, directed me towards the couch.

The couch was very warm and inviting as well, and who could ever turn down such a kind furniture. So I took a seat. Just a seat. The grocery store was a little far and Steph definitely wouldn't be able to find the stuff right away.

My head suddenly felt heavier than my entire body and the throw pillows were literally pulling me into their little arms. So I gave in. Only for a while and then I'd bath. And then we'd celebrate. Yes, sounds like a plan.

"Grace! Wake up, Grace!"

I mumbled, and dropped a hand over my face. When did my night lamp get so bright? Was there a voltage fluctuation?

"Grace, wake UP!"

"Five more minutes, mum!" I tried to roll over in the opposite direction of the voice, but found that my bed had a hole.

"Uff!" I landed on my face and my stomach. A very hungry stomach.

"Serves you right! Now get the heck up and get dressed, or I'm leaving you behind."

It was too early in the morning for mum to be using heck. I opened my eyes and first greeted the carpeted floor, then the underside of the couch, that I'd obviously spent last night on. Steph ran past me, nearly stepping on my finger with a wedge.

"Watch it! What happened?"

"What happened?! You fell asleep, is what happened. And you didn't even bathe, Grace! Get up already, you have less than half an hour to get prepped!"

I could smell food and that was enough to get me going. I bathed, brushed and was just putting on my bellies, when I heard Steph holler from the living room.

"The bus will be here in 5!"

"I'm ready!"

I walked out and grabbed two slices of toast, wrapped it in a paper towel, and placed it snugly in my handbag.

"This is what happens when you don't unpack."

"Hey! It's called Fashion." Nobody disses my Mickey Mouse sweater and faded jeggings.

Kookmin university was an infrastructure right out of an anime or a webtoon. The kind of building that held a promise to house plenty of interesting events. It had a personality, with its football field of nearly a 100 yards, a foliage decorated in the seasonal colours of orange and brown, and quaint parks with stone benches, were scattered about the campus.

"Would it be too late to enroll in here, and chase a new occupation?"

Steph gave me a side smile and returned to admiring the place. Students and staff were flooding the pathway, a few of them on cycle, rest on foot. The entire setting radiated positivity.

Heaving a great big sigh, Steph fixed the little sling over her shoulder and tugged a little at her pencil pants. She had opted for a formal yet semi casual attire, that spoke for her personality as well.

"This is it, Grace."

"Don't cry, Steph."

"Like I would ever!" She gave me a playful shove. "It's just, it still feels surreal. And I, I wish mum could have seen this."

I snapped a picture of her just as she ended the sentence, and she whirled around to yell at me.

"I wasn't even looking at the camera, Grace!"

"Precisely. Now your mother will witness your bliss in its purest form! Devoid of filters and poses and fake smiles. You're welcome. Now let's go."

"You don't have to come all the way to my block. I can manage just fine on my own."

"Dont flatter yourself, Steph. I'm only tagging along for a peek at the scenery."

Ignoring the dirty look she gave me, I pulled her in the direction of the widest and the most artistically constructed building.

Graphic designing was an entirely different universe, that comprised more of gadgets and less of people. Steph was so overcome by exhilaration that I lost her in the crowd, soon after we entered the building.

I decided to look around a while, taking in the digital posters than lined the walls, and the holograms exhibited at a few counters. I was mooning over an anime inspired poster of a huntress, when my phone rang.

"Heylo!"

"Grace, where are you guys at? I had come by the house."

"Oh, I tagged along with Steph. It's her first day of orientation, Sara." The huntress looked real menacing and lifelike.

"Right! Ah, I think it slipped my mind. You're still at the Uni?"

"Yep."

"Okay meet me in the underground parking lot."

"Uh, alright."

There was an underground parking lot?

There was. One with a very large capacity and one that had a connection to all the blocks.

After asking for directions, I finally found the elevator that led to the parking. Yes, an elevator solely for parking. It was when I got into the contraption, that I realized the need for an individual elevator. There were 3 levels of parking underneath this enormous building.

I had looked about for a flight of stairs but couldn't find any. I wasn't particularly terrified of riding in an elevator, but I'd gotten stuck enough times in one, to cause me an intense dislike towards them.  

I was going to have to tolerate it this once. Sara hadn't specified which level, so I took out my phone to text her about it. The doors were just about to slide shut when I heard someone call out.

"Hold the lift! Kidaryo chuseyo!" I rushed to press the button to keep the doors from closing, nearly dropping my phone.

I could hear Sara's voice through my phone's speaker, because the earphones had come off, and I fumbled to put them back on.

The person who had asked me to wait, entered the lift with a hasty "Kamsahamnidha."

I had succeeded in plugging the earphones, but Sara had cut the call. I turned to the person, to respond, and felt my insides lurch even though the elevator had already been set in motion.

The smile I had started to give him froze halfway. But that didn't stop him from giving me one in return, flashing front teeth that were a tad larger than the rest, but suited him just fine. Even his rare dimple made an appearance. I blinked a few times just to make sure I was seeing things right.

"G..uh...gwenchanayo." He bowed slightly, acknowledging me, and then took his phone out.

Talk about surreal. This day was off for a crazy start indeed. First, the university. And now I was in a lift with-

"Ah yes, this is Jungkook. I'm just calling about the appointment I have later. Cancel it, please. Yes, thank you."

His English was flawless, and even had an American accent to it. How was he here?! I could feel my ears heat up from embarassment. How did I get this lucky with it only being the fourth day of coming to Seoul?! Steph should have been here.

Or, I could bring her here.

I clicked on her contact and pressed on the video call option. The network wasn't all that strong but the call got through. I could see through the front camera, that Jungkook still had his attention on his phone. Phone in a hand, and the other in his pocket, he was leaning against the back wall of the elevator, looking like he was in the middle of a photoshoot. He had a suit on, a charcoal grey suit with black pinstriped pants. His hair was tousled in a haphazardly attractive way, and he was wearing a single earring.

This moment could not possibly be real. Never again will I complain about taking the elevator.

Steph's face popped up just then, and I could hear a lot of noise in the background from the mass of people she was amidst.

"Grace! I looked for you, but you'd disappeared! Everything's crazy here!" She really did have a wide smile plastered on her face, in support of her statement, and I felt even more happy seeing it.

"Yeah, I hung around for a bit and then left. I'm going to meet Sara now, in the parking lot." I angled the phone in such a way, that she saw part of my face and most of the boy behind me, who she was meant to see.

"Who...." Steph squinted at her screen, and I had to remind myself not to yell anything in excitement.

I saw Jungkook glance at the screen for a beat, and Steph's expression immediately cleared.

"Oh my God, Grace, that's-" My network chose the perfect time to disappear and so did Steph's face. But she saw him. He'd looked over too. I allowed the smile to take over my face now. The elevator stopped at the very last floor, and the overhead speaker announced it, while the doors opened for us

Jungkook walked towards the doors, just as I headed for it. But he stopped and backed a bit, gesturing for me to exit first. I smiled, hoping all the while that my ears weren't as red as they felt hot. Such a gentleman!

He walked out after me, and headed off in the direction of a less crowded section of the parking lot. I stood there looking after him, until my phone broke me out of my reverie once again.

"Oh my God, Sara!!!"

"Grace, I've been waiting for 10 minutes now! Did you get lost in the parking lot?"

"Huh, no, I'm there. On the last floor of it. I just got out of the lift."

"You were supposed to come to the second floor! You could have just taken the steps, Grace."

I opened the door to the stairs, that had magically appeared next to the elevator.

"Oh, but you're not going to believe who I met because I took the elevator!"

"Huh, who?"

"I'll tell you in the car. I'm almost there. But first let me call Steph and check if she's still breathing. Also, she's gonna have a lot more to say, than I do."

***************************************************

First day at Kookmin University and who do we see there??? Jungkook ofcourse! I had to put him in a suit. Poor Steph, her excitement just multiplied. Grace is gonna get an earful hehe.
On a more important note : HERE'S WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SISTER (by DNA)
BYEOLI18 I blueple you so very much and I hope all your dreams come true! I can't wait to boast to the world about the most talented photographer you already are and are going to be! I love you, Heeba!

Btw this is unedited, so please overlook the typos for now!