Therapist • KTH ✔

2. Step One

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Don't give up, now. Chances are your best kiss, your hardest laugh and your greatest day are still yet to come.
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Jay:
Babe, I'm leaving to the consulate now with my dad. Wish me luck.
Sent at 9 am

Jay:
Girl! I know you're still sleeping. Wake up and call me...? I'm a bit nervous 😓
Sent at 9:10 am

Jay:
Okay, going in now. Will call you once done. Can't take my phone inside! Bye!!
Sent at 10:45 am

Checking the time, I mentally concluded that she would be done with the interview any minute now if everything had gone as per schedule. I turned on my Spotify playlist and anxiously waited for her to call, and she did in a short while.

"Hello." I answered calmly.

"Hey, Amy! My interview is done, and guess what? It was a cakewalk. I got my Visa stamping done. Tickets are booked for my departure this weekend," Jay spoke, excitement evident in her tone.

My eyebrows shot up, and my eyes widened as I almost screamed on the phone.

"Whoa! That's so quick! And congrats, babe! I'm so happy for you."

Jay giggled.
"Thanks, Amy. My dad is coming back. I'll call you a bit later. Bye!" She spoke hurriedly, and with that we hung up.

Jay and I spoke to each other like we were secret boyfriend and girlfriend because her father always thought we were gay when we were both straight as a ruler and totally possessed by handsome as hell Korean men who didn't even know of our existence. Her dad even thought that it was because we were gay that she didn't want to get married, and that was why I got a divorce.

People, I swear!

Time flew in a flash, and it was the weekend already. I visited Jay at the airport to send her off. Her family was there, and I greeted them as I walked up to her.

My eyes welled up at the thought of being away from my only bestie. Long distance friendships were hard and I sincerely hoped it wouldn't be long before I joined her in Seoul. We spoke for a bit, and then she waved her goodbyes to all of us and walked away. I left the airport, my head filled to the brim with thoughts about Korea and when I would get to live there.

Our greatest desires in life were simple:

1. Find a job in Korea and move to Korea

2. Learn to speak Korean like a pro

3. Attend concerts and fan meetings

4. Die of ramen overload one day

We had only stepped half a step of our dream and I wished things worked out in our favor sooner. Back at home, I spent a few hours re-watching a few episodes of Sky Castle and finally fell asleep well past midnight.

Fortunately, my savings were good enough to feed me for a few more months without a job. I slept well and woke up late the next day to my phone buzzing with an incoming call from an unfamiliar foreign number flashing on the caller ID.

It was a video call from Jay, and she showed me a walk around the small but neat and perfect house we had chosen for her. It was beautiful, and I longed to live there too. I smiled, but the smile never reached my eyes. I felt happy and sad at the same time, but ended the call with her successfully.

After hosting a lone pity party for a while, I was determined to speak to the hospitals in person to find out the status of my job application. Picking up my phone and resumé, I switched on my laptop and opened up the job application emails that I sent to the three hospitals a couple of weeks ago, right around the time of New Year's Eve.