Amidst The Stars

Chapter 2.

" Ohhh ...the air smells different" Siriya said while sniffing the air lightly, standing outside Seoul airport.
She had a huge smile on her face and was super excited .
"Right ...now I need to catch a cab first and then check in my hotel ." She muttered to herself while trying to see the location of the hotel she had booked for herself using the Google maps and dragging her large blue suitcase along with her .
She was not a minimalist when it came to packing . Though considering how lazy and unbothered by fashion she was , she hardly changed her attire twice a day but  she would pack as if changing five times a day was a minimum.
So her blue suitcase was heavy even with wheels attached and in addition to that she had a pink purse, which was a little too big to be considered a purse but  as she always liked to say usefulness of the object mattered hundred times more than the appeal .

" Taxi ..." She yelled waving a hand at the nearby vehicle with yellow markings .
The taxi stopped and she immediately got in .
" To the Lotus Inn sir " she said , hoping that the guy understood english otherwise she would have to have it translated by google and that would just make her a little embarrassed.
"Sure " the guy said and started the engine.
Driving a taxi around the international airport ,the guy had seen his fair share of tourists and had learnt from them the basics of english.
Siriya sat in the back seat , awing and gasping like a little kid at every traditional architecture she saw on her way to the hotel .

When she finally arrived at her destination , she was starstruck by the majestic building and that beautiful entrance. She payed the taxi driver online, for she was yet to understand the economy of the country. The notes and coins ,she had exchanged from a merchant in Delhi , still confused her .

Just as she entered the hotel reception, passing through the grand garden , which was full of very artistic water fountains and stone sculptures, a staff member immediately approached her . Taking her suitcase and reaching out for her pink bag, after greeting her in Korean , which she would not have understood if not for the way he bowed .
But she kept that bag with herself , it had all her important documents including her ID and passport.
A young girl dressed in a blue uniform showed her to her suite , which was on the seventh floor. Siriya appreciated how they spoke and understood English so well .

Once she was left alone in her grand suite and she finally sat on the soft mattress of the bed , it was as if then she realised where she really was and what she had done .

And then she screamed . She screamed at the top of her lungs .

It was only after she had cracked her voice to the limit that her own ears had started throbbing that she stopped.
Oddly enough she found water streaming down her cheeks....salted water.
"Hush ...you . How can my body even make so many tears, I have hardly drank a glass of water since morning." She thought wiping them up .
"I think my body is compromising with the amount of fluid I have to pee , to make my tears . No..no...that can't be healthy." She mused .
"I should stop this unhealthy habit of crying anytime and anywhere otherwise my poor kidneys will have to suffer." She continued this chain of thought cause it was easier to bear than to think about the reason she had screamed.
She was finally there . In a foreign country, seating on a luxurious king size bed , carrying a channel bag ...but....all alone .
No don't think about that .

All those years spent questioning her worth , all those last few months spent cursing herself, comparing herself to literally anyone and everyone.
But now here she was , where not anyone she had ever felt envious of had ever been .

It felt good...it felt excellent .

Those were tears of happiness.

After she was over her euphoria, she finally showered and changed . Nothing too fancy or revealing. Just a set of blue trousers with a baggy cream sweater and a maroon scarf around her neck . It was cold outside.

After that she left the hotel and catched a cab again , this time to a very different destination.

Though her five star hotel had offered her the most expensive meal of her life , she had politely declined and had decided to have a meal in a shabby diner by the roadside in a not-so-well-maintained area of the city .

It had been her experience that more the number of stars on a chef's apron, less soul-satisfying the food they offered. She believed that if a particular dish had some not-so-healthy ingredients , it should either be eaten as it is or not eaten at all .
She hated it when chefs tried to healthify everything, replacing butter with olive oil, reducing the spices . Like why bother eating it if you are going to take away it's very soul.

"This place really is not that popular . I hope that the meal is to my expectations atleast." She thought as she entered the small diner after a long ride from her hotel .
The place was a traditional one as was clear from the decors and the building design. And as the owner had definitely not put in the tiresome efforts to maintain the place , it made sense to Siriya why the place was so unpopular despite the authentic taste they were said to offer or atleast that's what the food blogger she followed had said .

As she drew the curtains and got in , she saw the place was empty except for one very stylish man , who clearly didn't belong there.