LAST 24 HOURS in SEOUL

Chapter 00 - Prologue

Day Prior | Rei

"혹시, 연예인이에요?" (Hoksi, yeonyein-ieyo? | Sorry, are you a celebrity?)

This is one of my go-to lines to approach women, and it usually works. In front of me sits a middle-aged woman, covered with fancy dress and jewelry, tipsy, sitting alone in the noisy bar-ideal situation.

She parts her lips and smiles, raising her glass, which looks like gin, and holds it against her cheek. And then we had this conversation in Korean:

Lady: "Why did you say that?"

Me: "You're a celebrity, right? I know it! You're that famous singer, aren't you?"

Lady: "I think you're mistaken, young man."

Me: "No, I don't think so. I mean, you're very beautiful, elegant. Ah, I know-you must be one of those drama queens, right?"

She started to laugh then took another shot of her drink. Adjusted her yellow scarf and put her arms around my neck. It seemed like today was going to be an easy day.

Lady: "Nah, but you're cute. Why don't you join me?"

I made sure to reply with my best smile and nodded, accepting her invitation.

It took only an hour for her to trust me completely. We talked about so many random things that I had zero interest in, like how her husband cheated on her, how her friend just opened a new store that made everyone in the group jealous, and so on. But of course, I need those information; I had already chosen the perfect mask to handle this kind of situation. I kept showering her with praise-from her flawless skin to her recent nose job. And the best part? She kept ordering more drinks until she almost passed out.

Me: "Yeah, I believe your friends will be envious-I mean, look how flawless your skin is. And you know what, your yellow scarf really makes you look like a celebrity. Are you sure you're not one? Please don't lie."

She replied with laughter and poured another glass of her drink.

Lady: "You really made me happy tonight. Do you want to continue to my room- "

Me: "Hey, are you okay? It seems like you've reached your limit."

Lady: "What the hell are you talking about? I want more, order whatever you want, bring all the drink."

Me: "Alright, sure."

Another hour passed, and she was completely drunk, slumping over the bar table. The manager noticed and headed our way. He leaned in, whispering:

Bar Manager: "Hey man, good job today! Expensive drinks pouring thanks to you. Your commission will be transferred tomorrow morning, as always."

Me: "Sure, man, thanks."

The bar manager winked and left us alone. I looked at the lady and helped her stand up.

"Alright ma'am, my job's done here. Let me help you to the car and call a driver for you."

Job's done for tonight.

***

Day Prior | Airin

"Hello Miss. Would you like some drinks?"

That question suddenly came to my ear out of nowhere. It came from a striking Korean flight attendant with sleek brown hair and a warm smile. Gosh, why are they always tall and beautiful? I mean, okay, I'm not short, but they're usually on a whole different level. Whenever I see a flight attendant, I always remember what Lucie said-they have a gene privilege compared to us!

With one finger, I touched the monitor in front of me and paused the movie Moana. Yes, I know it's not cool, but come on-watching Moana is way better when you're traveling alone than watching all those horror movies.

"Hmm... drinks? Like milk?" I asked her with curiosity.

Okay, it's my first ever long flight overseas. I have no idea what they're going to offer me. I mean, they just served dinner like two hours ago, which was amazing-so why are they offering me "drinks" now?

She chuckled. "Yes, we have milk. But we also have something stronger, like gin, vodka, or wine. I could tell from the moment you boarded this airplane that you were a bit nervous; maybe some wine could help."

She leaned in a bit and whispered with a warm smile.

Of course, I'm nervous. Who wouldn't be in this kind of situation? This is my first time:

*Traveling alone

*Traveling alone abroad

*Traveling alone thousands of kilometers from Jakarta

*Traveling without my sister, Lucie

*Traveling without my aunt, Hana

And now she's offering me an alcoholic drink, something I gave up ten years ago."Thanks, but I'd prefer... tea. Chamomile?"

"Of course we do. What about some extra cookies? Or chocolate cake?"

"Wow... my blood sugar will hate you, but my brain will love you. But for now, I'll let my blood sugar win. I'll skip."

She chuckled and asked me to wait.

I'm supposed to be asleep right now. Everyone around me is already asleep except for those two kiddos a couple of rows away; they keep playing with some toys, and I can see their mom's face, which is not the happiest face on earth. According to my watch, it's 12:35 AM in Indonesia. I definitely should be sleeping, but blame my brain! It keeps working, keeping the excitement alive and burning.

I noticed the small yellow notebook lying on my tray table and opened it again. My eyes kept going over the to-do list I made-the things I really want to do in Seoul. I kept reading them over and over, and my smile grew bigger and bigger. I know it-this will be the best 24 hours ever. I can't wait to tick off the first item on my list:

[Arrive at Incheon: Call Lucie, Call Vania, and maybe apologize to Aunt]

Apologize to Aunt-I read it again. I know exactly that what I'm doing will make her sad, or she will be 90 percent angry, or angry with extra sad as a topping, but really, time is not on my side, and it keeps ticking. I need to do it now.

I take a deep breath and lay my head back. I only have 24 hours here, 24 hours to fulfill a promise, 24 hours to live, 24 hours to be... happy, before that surgery.

I wonder what kind of 24 hours await me.

Alright, now I'm a bit sleepy. Maybe I should try to sleep; tomorrow will be a long day. But wait, what about the chamomile tea?

Ah, forget it.

***