Choose Your Own BTS Adventure

Chapter 2: Culture SHOOK

The next three weeks passed by for you in a blur, while you waited for your Visa to clear. Even as your plane landed in Seoul, you still found it hard to believe that you were actually in South Korea. When you finally stepped off the plane and into the busy airport terminal, you felt as if you were still in the sky, flying as high as the clouds above.

Everyone was moving so fast, so purposeful. You felt more lost than you'd ever felt in your life. Excitement melted into panic as you realized you needed to get a move on, but where? You were told someone would be there to meet you at the airport, but you had no idea what they might look like, who they even were. You felt yourself being jostled by impatient passerby, as they practically shoved you out of their way.

Stunned, you stepped off to the side to try and evaluate the crowd of men and women, waiting to reunite with family and friends from the plane. You watched as a handsome young man walked off hand in hand with a stunning girl around your own age, and felt your heart flip flop in your chest. An elderly couple scuttled past you, speaking loudly to be heard over all the commotion. In a matter of minutes, most everyone cleared the area, until it was just you and a few others left waiting.

This at least helped you to think, to take a moment to breathe and process your unfamiliar surroundings. You eventually noticed a stern looking man in a black suit holding up a large white sign with two lines of text. The first line was in Korean, so you couldn't make out what it said. You felt yourself breathe a sigh of relief when you read the next line and it was your name. You figured the first line must say something along the lines of "Welcome" then.

With a newfound sense of confidence you started to make your way towards the man, only to be cut off by a head of long, black hair slapping you in your face. The artificial smell of her strawberry shampoo wafted up your nose, filling you at once with feelings of anger and annoyance. The head belonged to a very pretty Korean girl who appeared to be around your own age and who was currently talking to the man holding the sign.

"Okay," you thought. "Rude." But you let it slide because it seemed like everybody here was in a hurry. Maybe there was some kind of relay race going on and you just didn't get the memo.

As you approached the man holding the sign with your name on it, the girl turned, and finally seeming to notice you, took a second to look you up and down like you were livestock and she was assessing you for market value. Evidently, she didn't appear to be pleased with what she saw because as you stuck out your hand in greeting, she simply rolled her eyes and turned away from you, and back towards the man.

Your first instinct was to give the back of her head a wallop. Your second, to cry. Luckily, you had the self restraint to do neither of these, instead managing to keep your hand from shaking as you introduced yourself to the man.

"Hello," you started, forgetting how you learned the correct greeting on the plane. "I mean, Anyoung haseyo," you corrected yourself with a shy blush. "My name is [Y/N]." You pointed to the sign in his hands, in case he didn't speak English.

All he gave you in way of a reply was a curt nod. This man was clearly all business.

Unsure of what to say next, you felt your face heating up, anxiety slowly gripping its way around your throat.

The girl said something to the man in Korean and then looked right at you and started laughing.

Suddenly, you felt two inches tall, standing there. It took everything you had not to crumble, to turn to dust right there on the spot and be swept away like dirt on a rug. You wouldn't give that mean girl the satisfaction of seeing you sweat.

"Come on," the man said in English, saving you from further mortification. "This way." He led you and the other girl to baggage claim and then showed you to the black town car in which he'd be driving you both in to Big Hit's corporate office.