Josephine Swan never imagined that her stay in South Korea would lead her into K-Pop's glittering and challenging world. Each day, she encounters new hurdles and adventures that fate has in store for her and her four team members. Between gruelling...
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I smiled as a packed plate of fried breakfast bacon, small fried sausages, fried egg and grilled tomatoes was placed on my seat. Carefully, I placed the white napkin on my lap.
"It will be your last English breakfast for a long time, Josephine. Enjoy it!" my grandfather replied with a smile and reached for his glass. I followed suit and took a sip of water.
"When do you want to leave?" my grandfather finally asked, turning to my father, who was sitting to his right.
"Her flight leaves in four hours, but with this traffic, it would be advisable to leave in two hours," he replied and my grandfather nodded in agreement.
"I have likewise arranged for someone to meet you at the airport. He will also drive you directly to your quarters." my father turned to me.
"I can't believe we won't see you for a year. Have you informed your roommates about your appearance tomorrow?" asked my mother, who was sitting to my right and across from my father.
"Yes, they know I'm coming tomorrow. It will be nice to finally meet them in person. So far we've only had email contact with each other," I said.
"What were their names again? Jihe and Ahri?" my mother asked curiously and I nodded in agreement.
"I think it's very nice of them to want to help you find your way around South Korea. After all, you'll be flying almost 8,000 kilometres halfway across the world, to another country, with different customs, language and culture," she said to me.
"I still can't believe how fast time has gone. I mean...not even six months ago I applied for this exchange and today...I'm flying to Seoul for a year. It's like just snap my fingers and six months go by in a second. It's scary sometimes...honestly. Scary." I admitted out loud. Suddenly I felt my mother's warm hand on mine and her grey eyes stared at me sympathetically.
"That is the fate of time, darling. It flies by in seconds in beautiful moments, while in other situations it behaves as if in slow motion. There's nothing we can do about that, no matter how much we want to sometimes.". With a sad smile, she put her hand on my cheek.
"I for one am proud of the young lady you have become. Captain of the riding and gymnastics team. Top of your year in history and litterae humaniores. And you were named Head Girl," my mother enumerated and my cheeks reddened.
"Not to mention the golden Duke of Edinburgh Award. And your acceptance to Oxford University." my grandfather added proudly as my face only got redder.
"You know I'm embarrassed when people talk about me like that," I quickly interrupted them and turned back to my breakfast, red-faced.
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"Do you have everything? Passport? Wallet? Mobile phone?" my mother asked and I rummaged through my handbag before finally nodding. With tears in her eyes, my mother clasped my cheeks and pulled me tightly against her. My arms wrapped around her body while my nose was filled with her sweet perfume. Her white-blonde chin-length hair tickled my face as she started breathing heavily on my shoulder. I closed my eyes.
"It's going to be okay, Mama," I whispered in her ear.
"Alice, darling." my father interrupted our prolonged hug and my mother slowly began to pull away from me. By now small red marks had formed on her face and she was struggling to hide her tears from us. With small steps, she stepped back and stood next to my grandfather.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me!" my father said sternly and wrapped me in a hug. My face was pressed into his chest and I could hear his rapid heartbeat. His chin rested on the top of my head before he let go of me after a few minutes. With a deep sigh, I turned to the last member of my family.
"Goodbye, Grandfather," I said, wrapping him in a hug as well.
"Why do I have a feeling we won't be seeing each other for a while.". His statement surprised me slightly and I released the hug to look at him.
"It's only a year, Grandfather.", I commented, but my grandfather's eyes glittered mysteriously.
"Maybe." he merely uttered, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead. With a furrowed brow, I turned back to my parents. My mother had calmed down in the meantime and was now holding my father's arm tightly.
"Are you ready, Josephine?" he asked and I reached for one of my suitcases while my father took the other and we walked towards the business class check-in counter. My mother and grandfather followed shortly after. The lady at the check-in counter threw us a big smile while my father began to place the two suitcases on the automatically operated baggage system.
"Welcome to Lufthansa CityLine. Please hand me your boarding pass and passport." she said and I silently handed her my documents. Her smile did not disappear once as she checked the data and my luggage. Afterwards, she nodded with satisfaction.
"You would have to go to Gate 7 and I wish you a pleasant flight.".
"Thank you," said I and turned away from the counter. My family was standing not far from the security checkpoints. Slowly, I walked towards them.
"Did you also pack the camera we gave you for your birthday last year?" my mother asked, her eyes wide, and I could see her almost breaking down inside at the thought of me forgetting it.
"It's in one of my suitcases, mum. Please calm down." I said and her shoulders relaxed a little.
"And don't forget to call us when you land." She called out before I walked towards the security checkpoints with one last look at my family.
"Goodbye!" I called to them, waving until I disappeared around the corner and thus out of their field of vision. I took a deep breath and exhaled, following the signs to a queue of other passengers about to board the next fliers. I stood behind an elderly lady and waited ten minutes until I was allowed to place my handbag on the conveyor belt and step through the metal detector.
Attention. Passengers of flight 4124 to Frankfurt. Your flight is now ready for boarding at the exit and we will now begin our preboarding.
"Welcome." One of the stewardesses greeted me and smiled at me in a friendly manner.
"Please follow me to your seat in Business Class.".
Silently, I followed her to my seat and handed her my hand luggage, which she stowed as a precaution.
"May I offer you some refreshment while the plane prepares for take-off?" she asked me.
"A glass of water at most, thank you," I answered her and sat down by the window. I stared out of the window for a while and watched disinterestedly as the passengers entered the aircraft and the plane was prepared for take-off. In the meantime, light grey clouds were gathering and a little later the first raindrops fell against the windows of the plane. I just smiled silently to myself.
"Miss...? The aircraft is now ready for take-off. Please fasten your seat belt." the stewardess snapped me out of my thoughts before taking the empty water glass back and carrying it away. I fastened my seatbelt as the first jolt of the plane occurred. Slowly, the plane began to move and taxied down the runway.
Sighing, I stared out the window and took one last look at Bristol Airport. Confusingly, my grandfather's words came back to me.
"Why do I have a feeling we won't see each other for a while".
