☽ Upper Side Dreamin' (An Enhypen Story) ☽

Hanlim's Golden Boy

Julianna

Currently, I'm sitting in a packed airport, waiting for my flight. It's pretty early in the morning, about 7 PM, and the flight is predicted to be 13 hours. I've never been on a flight this long....I think the longest one I've been on was 6 hours. I'm going to be antsy the entire flight, I just know. It looked beautiful outside. From the airport, an array of oranges, blues, and pinks could be seen as the sun was beginning to set. God, I was going to miss these mild, sunny San Fran sunsets. They were always so calming to witness. I wonder if Seoul would be this breathtaking.

5 months. It's been 5 months since my advancement to the survival show. And let me tell you, those 5 months flew by like they were nothing. Throughout those 5 months, I got my visa and passport, learned about a couple other contestants, mostly from America, learned a little Korean, and purchased my ticket. My parents are flying with me today to help me settle in, however, I told them multiple times that they didn't need to come with me. Google translate and my brain would have to suffice, however, I guess they were just being typical overprotective parents. I also tried to use these 5 months to hone my skills, especially my dancing and stage presence. While I do think they have improved, I also believe that once I do actually get on stage, all of that practice will wash away. The actual moment is different from practicing for said moment. I can't help but think that I won't compare to the other girls. This was a worldwide competition. And I of all people was selected out of 30? That's absolutely wild and foreign to me. It's almost as if they picked my name out of a hat, though, that would require extreme luck, which I don't have. My parents have tried to convince me over and over that my talent was what got me in, but I cannot be convinced that that is the truth. My leg is shaking again as I sit in thought and blur out all of the numerous outside conversations going on around me. Technically, I'll be traveling forward in time, and it'll be February 19th when we arrive. February 20th is when I am supposed to meet with HYBE officials early in the morning, meet other participants, and visit and officially enroll in school. I'm going to have a jam-packed day. And I can't tell if I am more excited or nervous. Soon, my train of thought was interrupted by the nearby intercom.

1ST CALL TO SEOUL, FLIGHT 239B. ZONES 1 AND 2, PLEASE LINE UP.

"Go time." I whisper under my breath, standing up, suitcase and backpack strapped in hand and on back.

I get up, followed by my parents and get in line for the plane. Surprisingly, lots of people were going to Seoul. Though I doubt it, I wonder if anyone here is also going to be at auditions? How crazy would that be?

We follow protocols and show our passports and boarding passes before boarding the plane. I wanted the window seat, with my mom in the middle, and dad in the aisle. We put our things in the overhead bin and took our seats.

"This is it, baby slug." My dad said, shaking my head from the aisle seat.

"Yeah..." I said with enough energy to suffice a smile.

"Stop worrying so much. We've been through this for the past 5 months, honey." My mom said, looking at me dearly and sincerely.

"I know. I'm ready. Just still in disbelief." I whisper to myself, putting in my headphones to block out all the outer noise and thoughts. First song on my playlist? Black Swan. Perfectly encapsulates my feelings right now.

Before you knew it, the flight was filled, and the plane took off. Seoul, here I come.
_____

10:00 PM
February 19th, Seoul, South Korea.

Just arriving at our hotel, getting off the plane was just a wee bit hectic. Navigating the Korean airport with everything in Korean required the use of a lot of google translate. I was hoping to use a little of my learned Korean skills, however, that proved tougher than first imagined. Luckily I had my parents, so we worked through everything, caught a cab, and got to our hotel safely.