"I didn't know you could play that well.." After a very long silence Lisa finally broke the silence.
"And I didn't know you could sing so well.." Gina shook her head in amazement.
They had dared Sam to play the piano because they always heard her say that she play and she had played once but they never heard her sing and play.
"You should become a singer," Ari said, "seriously, that's a singer's voice you have Sam..And we didn't even know.."
"She could sing that well, and you didn't know??" Shin Young was open mouthed, her new friends are amazing and a little weird- in a good way.
"She never sang before..Not to us at least," Gina was looking at Sam questioningly.
" I never sing to other people before, " Sam answered honestly, "I think I can sing but- surely, not that good.." she's really surprised to see the reaction from the girls.
"Oh yes you are," Lisa nodded.
"And I wonder, what else you had been hiding from us all these while.."Gina frowned- Sam had always been so sure of what path she would take in her life, that she ignored living her life to the full before. It's not surprising that she had a talent like that but didn't know about it. Sam is just opening up- and she's discovering things about herself probably for the first time in her life.
Sam blinked as she looked at her friends, "Well, now you know..."she smiled and stood up, she really didn't think she was that good at singing but she had to take her friends' opinion for it.
Then she heard some claps. They came from the upper section of the restaurant. Sam looked up- then she saw him.
She froze-is she imagining things- surely not? She must be going out of her mind, she's seeing the man everywhere!?
Then she heard her friends' screams of delights.
"SS501!!"
The five men were smiling down at them- they obviously had been there all these time and they had seen and heard everything.
Sam paled when her friends screamed- so, that's where she saw him in- the posters of her friends in their college room. He'd also been starring in some of the most hottest Korean-soap, her friends had made her watched over and over again.
But, he looked so much different in real life- she didn't recognized him. She knew he was someone known, she thought he's at least a popular actor, but this?? He's one of the 'gods' in the K-Wave era.
"How about you girls come up here and we'll sign for autograph, for the great music just now," he even sounded different now.
And as her friends screamed and ran upstairs. She stood down on the chair- because her head was suddenly spinning. And she- will never ask for an autograph. Not from the man who'd suddenly turned her world upside down today.
She'd thought that she'd never meet that man again. That was what she had been telling herself as she dragged her feet to the apartment her friends were staying.
Her feet had never felt that heavy but her heart was heavier. Somehow, the thought of not seeing him again was weighing her down. And then she recalled back all the event that had happened- after they part ways, leading back to this moment.
She blocked him out of her mind as she stood in front of the apartment, then she knocked. The door opened to some very loud screams.
"Horrayyyyy!" Her friends were all blowing horns, and confetti was flying up everywhere- as her friends ushered her inside, hugging her tightly, "welcome to Korea!!"
She smiled and laughed a bit, "You guys were only trying to ask for my forgiveness right?" she said jokingly.
Her friends had come up with a funny way to 'encourage' her out of her 'shell'.
Her friends had been so excited because her family had gave her permission to study abroad with them, and they were all busy planning on things they thought would spark a 'change' in Sam's life.
Sam's life is too predictable, she needed something to inspire her- that was how they come up with a dare.
"We will go first..And you will follow- alone," Lisa suggested.
"Or we go embark on a quest around Seoul and try everything- the clothes and the food..?" Ari came up with another suggestion.
"How about for one day- you agree to do everything we asked you to do?" Undoubtedly, Gina was the most adventurous of them.
A few months ago, she'd have give them a shrug and said, "I am not interested," but right now, the dare sounded good to her.
She might need this- a change, for a start.
"I will agree to everything as long as I can tolerate it- how about that?"
"Yes!!" Her friends clapped excitedly, then as the other guests in the cafe turned curious eyes at them, they closed their mouth and smiled at each other then giggled together.
And that was why she flew alone. It was the first part of the dare.
"Hey, we always knew you would have no problem finding this apartment." Lisa smiled.
"Yes, the hardest part is after this.."Gina smiled menacingly, "we go on a quest and you will do everything we ask you to,"
"within my toleration zone," Sam added. Then she noticed a tall and pretty Korean girl smiling, watching them.
"Opps! Sorry!" Ari smiled, "Sam, this is Shin Young, she's studying at the same university as us. "
Sam smiled as they shook hands.
"Hello," Both girls bowed, shook hands and smiled at each other.
"This apartment was put up on the add by Shin Young.. Apparently, she'd been staying with some seniors, who had graduated and moved out, so.." Ari spread her arms around the cosy apartment.
"So what do you think?"
" You guys scored a 'home run' here..!" Sam smiled, "for a 50 000 won a month- this is very decent..."
She was told by her friends that they had found an apartment which will cost them 50 000 won per person monthly and that they won't have to pay for any deposit as they will share it a local. She thought that it would be just a small apartment but this is far better than what she'd envisioned.
"So, how was your journey..?" Lisa asked, excitedly, as they sat down on the sofa.
Sam almost choked on the water she'd been drinking as the image of that man flashed in front of her. She had to get that out of her system.
"It was good..I slept for almost 4 hours of the whole journey....." She smiled, averting her eyes, not wanting her friends to notice anything wrong.
The flight was supposed to flew at 11.35 last night but because it was delayed for three hours due the heavy rain, it was only at half past two that they finally flew out and arrived at half past seven. And that was why she probably met that man- if only her flight wasn't delayed, they would never have crossed path. And she wouldn't have this problem right now- thinking of a man, to a certain extent which brought her out of her comfort level.
"Nothing interesting?" Gina frowned.
"The flight was delayed..That's all," she put her glass down and stood up, "so, where's my room?"
"Oh, yes!" Ari stood up and took her hands, "We'll be room mates.." She took Sam to the room just next to the kitchen. When the door was opened- low and behold, all she Sam could see is pink. The wall-paper, the curtain, the rug on the floor.
"You got to be kidding me!"
"What??" She pretended to be offended, " I love pink..It's my middle name.."
Like they didn't know. Sam smiled and walked inside. There were two single beds and she knew which one was hers- one is pink and the other one is black.
She looked at Ari then her other friends who were looking so innocent like they didn't know what she's thinking, "black..? Really?" she raised an eyebrow. She's told her friends to buy her a bed sheet and they told her, "alright. We will buy you one that suits you best!"
And they bought her a black one.
She smiled after she'd done pretending to care, then, "thanks.." and they all laughed.
"I'm sorry..I have been meaning to ask but I was afraid you might get offended..But I can't help it anymore," Shin Young suddenly spoke.
They turned to her, curious as to what her question will be,
"You guys had been talking in Korean since we met..And your Korean is quiet fluent.." Shin Young had been amazed, "How do you do that?"
Then they laughed, "we took Korean Class, and as we're room mates, we talked in Korean in our room.." Ari answered Shin Young's question.
"We'd been talking in Korean amongst each other for three years.."Gina nodded to the amazed Shin Young.
"Whenever we see each other, automatically we switched to Korean language," Lisa added.
They laughed as they recited to Shin Young their University years. The four inseparables- that's what people called them. They're always together and they were known throughout campus for being the English 'people' who could speak Korean Like real Koreans.
It was the era of the Korean-Wave, K-Pop- people all over the world were swept off their feet by singers, actors and actresses from Korean and a lot of people took the Korean influence in their everyday fashion style- they, took Korean Language Class.
After some time of laughing together, teasing each other and reminiscence, Ari looked at her watch and said, "it's almost noon.."
"It's time for the next part of the dare,"
"I was waiting for you to make a move," Sam said, bravely, for today, she will try her very best to show to her friends that she is willing to take risks. Calculated risks- that is.
So the four, plus one, new friends, got ready and in just few minutes they were out of the door. A group of five young, excited and attractive girls- heading out to the streets of soul in search of some adventures- to finish the dare, to uplift a friend's calm, predictable life.
They were on a road about to cross to the other side, where Shin Young said hosts some of the best eatery in town, when suddenly vegetables and fruits rolled on the ground.
They looked around and saw a middle aged lady trying to pick up everything and putting them inside her basket.
Automatically the five girls picked up what they can and put them into the lady's basket.
"Oh, thank you, this is very nice of you.." the lady smiled in gratitude as they continued to pick everything up.
"It's no bother, madam," Shin Young smiled.
Then just then, the traffic light changed to give way to the cars. As Sam was nearest to that part of traffic, she had to do something.
Instinctively, she stood up and put her hand up to the car about to move forward, she glanced back at her friends and the old lady and they were just picking up the last ones, then as they quickly crossed to the other side, she bowed down to the car- who's strangely not honking up at them for the delay.
She smiled, bowed down again then ran quickly to follow her friends.
"Thank you so much," The lady smiled again, this time looking so apologetic, "I am so sorry for troubling you just now," she said.
"It's alright madam," Gina smiled, "where are you going? Let us help you with this basket,"
"Yes, we are not in a hurry," Ari nodded.
"Are you sure..?"
"Yes!" Lisa answered brightly, "we are just touring around a bit.."
"Well, " the lady smiled, "if you girls don't mind, I would like to invite you to my restaurant..Just a few blocks from here...I'll treat you to lunch.."
"You have a restaurant?" Ari almost jumped in joy, "Yes!"
"Alright, no problem," Shin Young smiled.
"Here, let me carry the basket," Gina offered. The lady smiled as she gave the basket to Gina, "you girls, are so kind,"
"By the way, I am Sam," Sam was the first to introduce herself, as she bowed down.
The other girls just realized that they haven't introduced themselves properly, then they bowed and introduced themselves one by one. The lady also introduced herself as Madam Oh, who told her to call her 'aunt'.
So they followed Aunt Oh to her restaurant. A very warm, impressively designed-not modernized, the only thing modern there, was a piano at the corner of the restaurant, which Aunt Oh said, especially for costumers who feel like playing, as for the rest , it was a very traditional- two sectioned restaurant. They had been surprised as to why such restaurant was empty when they came but they were very happy to have found such a place. Even Shin Young who'd been living in Imun-Dong for two years, didn't know about this place. They had been having fun, with the exceptional food, teasing each other, debating on the global issues then Gina dared her to the piano, which she dully agreed.
And the rest- was history.
It had only been no more than a few hours, when she'd been so certain that she would never meet him again. And here they are. In this moment.
Meeting for the second time- in one day.
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