[27 FEBRUARY 2019 | THIRD PERSON POV]
She woke up inside a convenience store.
There was a 6-rotor rainbow-colored pinwheel spinning at the counter, similar to what she held in her hand.
She was having another dream.
Going through the aisles, she saw that everything was in Korean.
Is she in Seoul? Again? Still?
As she looked up, the answer became clear, and confusing at the same time.
The guy standing in front of her was Choi Seungcheol.
When their eyes met, his face registered surprise and he blurted out,
"You! You were the one who disappeared last week!"
She was confused, and a little intimidated.
What was he talking about?
"The one who disappeared?"
Well, it was a dream. Maybe she did disappear, whatever.
But, since it was her dream, she decided to take charge and mustered enough courage to offer a response.
"Hi, Cheolie! Nice to see you!"
"Whoa! How do you know me? Who are you?"
"Oh, of course, I know you! I'm a Carat!"
"Well, that explains how you know who I am but you still didn't answer my last question. Who are you?"
Since this was her dream anyway, she spontaneously decided to give him the name she used before she became a Carat.
"Well, my name is Alecx."
"What kind of name is that?"
"Well, I'm not from here."
"I kinda figured that out since you can vanish into thin air. So what are you?"
"What? I only meant I'm not Korean, Cheolie."
"Huh? So can all international fans do that?"
"Do what? I'm confused. What are you talking about exactly?"
"I swear, you disappeared right in front of my eyes in that alley last week. I even tried to catch you 'coz you seemed about to faint."
"You know what? I think you're just overworked and you're starting to see things. That is not possible. People can't just disappear into thin air."
"That's what I thought, too. But then I saw you, and the next moment, you were gone."
She laughed.
What was her mind doing with her dream?
This was such a weird Seungcheol.
"You know what? You should just go home and rest."
"That's what I plan to do. This is just too weird."
They both went to the counter to pay for the stuff they got.
They agreed to meet outside after.
She made him go first.
She couldn't help being awed by how tall he was and how broad his shoulders were.
She felt giddy and couldn't stop smiling.
She almost got caught staring at the back of his head when he turned to her briefly, his face still puzzled while his eyes seemed to smile.
Was he actually happy to see her?
When his turn came, Seungcheol paid at the counter and went out.
She was about to pay next but the cashier had to get some products from the storage.
She was waiting for the cashier to come back when she noticed the pinwheel stop.
Then, everything started spinning and went black.
----------------- [06 MARCH 2019 | DENISSE]
My alarm went off the moment I opened my eyes.
I can't believe only a week has passed.
The last 7 days took forever.
It felt like the day would never come.
Today is our flight to Seoul.
I can't possibly be late.
In a blink, I jumped out of bed and got on my feet.
I had to get ready, fast.
I'm sure, my friends are already wondering where I was.
An hour later, I made my way through the airport gates.
We took an early flight at dawn so our plane touched down at Seoul just before noon.
We still have a couple of days before Caratland, the main reason for us coming here in the first place.
Although it was already February, it was still a bit chilly, even with the sun out.
It was the perfect weather to explore.
My friends decided to stroll around and navigate the streets of Seoul.
Since there was nothing specific to do, Caratland being two days away, we all agreed to stretch our legs in Seoul.
Walking around, I had a deja vu.
I felt a strange familiarity with the street we were at.
I've never traveled outside my own country, so I know I've never been here before.
Maybe, the street just had similarities with the business districts back home, with the building being modern and all.
Also, having watched SVT's lives and videos a million times, Korea would likely seem familiar to us by now even if we were all first-timers.
I believe that explains it.
We managed to visit just a few shops and just marked some of the places we would visit tomorrow and the remaining days after the concert.
One day is simply not enough to tour the whole city.
When we got back to our hotel, the evening sky was already full of stars and the night air felt cooler.
Having enjoyed a hearty Korean meal, we were eager to get under warm sheets, place our head on a pillow, and get some serious zzz's...
