Chapter Text
The plane landed at the Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea. I was going to meet my boyfriend, Kim Dae-heon. Although he was a long-distance companion of mine, we kept in touch frequently.
We would text and call anywhere, everywhere! When I would go for a swim at my house pool, when I would have quiet time in class, and even at a time I’m supposed to be sleeping. He was always there, even though he wasn’t there physically.
One day, he stopped calling, but still responded to my messages. I told my mom and said that something must have happened. And so, we agreed to go and visit him in Korea, to see if he was doing all right.
The flight may have been longer than expected, but it was worth it. There was no turning back for that one.
We went through a security check and inspection by the K-9s, and we were on our way to rent a car to get around. I wanted to drive. But since the legal age to drive is twenty (and not sixteen/eighteen), my mom had to drive. At this point, she was really disappointed in the cultural shift.
We were following Dae’s address, when he suddenly called me. It felt like forever since he stopped calling me.
I knew I had to answer.
“Dae…?” I said with hopeful intensity.
“Kitty! Is that you?” Dae said, jokingly.
“Dae…I missed you!”
“I do too, Kitty Cat. But hey! We’ll see each other soon, right?”
“Actually, I am planning on seeing you! My mom thought that it was good to book a flight to see you for a couple days.”
“Okay…see you then!”
He hung up.
It was at the spur of the moment, when I kept that widened grin on my lips the entire ride over there.
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We followed the route to Dae’s current home. It was in the Seongbuk district that’s about a nine-minute drive from and to the big city of Seoul. As we passed by, they had beautiful countryside and temples. I could tell Dae was more into the countryside, than the cityside.
We arrived at his home. It was a creamy white color and a mansion. I had never once thought that his family had so much wealth. And yet there he was.
I saw his mother stepping out of the house for a little bit…and then she spotted our car.
The woman ran towards my mom’s window and the last thing I heard was both moms screaming and squealing because we came to Korea to visit my boyfriend. I came out of the car and then Dae’s mother came running up to me, giving me this very uncomfortable bear hug. Although I knew her well, she was just too excited to see me.
I just want to see my boyfriend!
Dae then peeped his head out of the window and waved at me.
“Kitty!” he called out.
I looked up where his window was.
“Dae!” I called back.
As we were brought inside the house, Dae rushed to me and he pulled me to his arms, spinning me around. It had been a while since he moved to Korea with his mom for a little bit. His father was working in the States and his mom was alone. So then Dae wanted to step in and help her out.
“I had missed you so much.” he said, whispering in my ear.
I giggled at the sound of his voice. It was still soft and airy. No wonder he had been raised so punctually.
Once we got settled in, Dae then came into my room. No one else. It was just me and him. My Korean boyfriend.
“So…” he said, shy as always, “How are things in Portland? Things haven’t really been the same since you were kicked out of KISS .”
“I know, right?” I said, still bitter from last year. “It was my first year of high school. And then after one semester in Sophomore year…I get kicked out! All because I was in the boys’ dorm room. When, on the contrary, THEY were the ones who put me in that section. Seriously. They make a big deal out of that for nothing!”
“Well…”
“Yes…?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I guess they have other ways of dealing with that kind of situation. Maybe…they should have handled it more differently.”
“They should have. And yet…I had to be homeschooled the rest of the second semester. And my mom was not happy about that. Well…she wasn’t happy with the school.”
“Yeah. Hey, have you heard of I-LAND?”
“Yup!” I chirped, “The leader of Galway Londoners and AO3 is already in her twenties! Can you believe that?”
“No way!”said Dae, “She is my bias, as well as both Maeve and Isabelle. But Y/N is just amazing, the way she puts together the events and performances.”
“Sometimes I wonder how she is doing…?”
“There is going to be a new season. This time, there is going to be girls only! Imagine if you one there, Kits!”
I gave it a bit of thought. I never even thought about becoming a K-Pop idol, since I came from the States. I did know that my boyfriend was just being his usual silly self. And so, I laughed.
“I could never,” I chuckled, “Besides, you know how hard it takes to even train for that kind of stuff. It’s like military, they say.”
“So?” Dae said, “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t think about it. Look, I’m just saying! It would look pretty good for your college applications.”
“Uh, no thanks!” I snapped, although I was just teasing him, “I’m not even going to college here. You know how hard that’s going to be!”
“Okay, okay!” Dae laughed at my feisty tone, “Sorry for upsetting you.”
We planned on going out for dinner that night, since we had just got here and it was getting dark pretty quickly. Because of the time change, we had to leave immediately to go to dinner.
We went to this ramen cafe, next to a Starbucks. When we were seated down, I noticed that most of the buildings are still lit up. Korea is none for its nightlife, especially on Summer nights like this. I spotted most clubs and their flashing lights, because of the partying, then I saw a lot of restaurants opening up for the locals.
I also spotted a tall building with bright letters on the side. HYBE . I couldn’t stop staring at those brightly colored letters, even while I was eating my ramen. To be honest, it was just mesmerizing. I didn’t know why I kept my eyes on it.
That was when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. It was Dae. I slowly turned my head, and my eyes gazed towards his. His hazel eyes were those of a small kitten. He widened his smile, partially revealing his pearly white teeth. It was what I loved about Dae the most, and what attracted me first when I met him.
“I was just enjoying the night sky,” I said.
“Korea is most beautiful at night,” said Dae, “And I know, since I come here most of the time.”
It’s true, though he lives in the countryside.
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I-LAND HEADQUARTERS; 5:45 AM
Song Kang was a successful man of his time. But not many were as infatuated as his fans. In fact, they were heavily disappointed…with outrage. But he was the star no matter what. The I-LAND headquarters was empty. He had already picked out the contestants, but there were only at least ten of them. He needed five more to complete the troop.
“The applicants I had picked out are foreigners,” he muttered, “How am I going to find five more to complete the show. My pet won’t tell me…and now she’s gone.”
He then smirked cruelly.
“But that means that I have the show to myself. No one can stop me at this rate.”
Song Kang cackled. His malicious and swift behavior was kept a secret. But he didn’t know that one day his secrets would soon be exposed. No one had told him that. It could have been because the people who had worked under him feared him terribly. But he liked it when people feared him. According to him, it’s a sign that his power is stronger than others.
Krystal and Jessica hid up on the second floor, where the dorms were.
“I do hope he doesn’t do any harm to MC,” said Krystal.
“Yeah,” said Jessica, “He seems evil enough. Once the applicants get here, the first thing we’ll have them do is to help get MC back.”
“That means we would have to do it behind Song Kang’s back.”
“If it means getting kicked out, then so be it. I, Jessica Jung, from 소녀시대 ( Girls’ Generation ), will do anything in my power to make sure that our chosen MC will come back with the power of K-Pop.”
“I sure hope you know what you are doing,” said Krystal, “We really could get into trouble!”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
Song Kang then entered. He was handsome, but the cruelty in his eyes said otherwise. He then spotted Krystal and Jessica and looked down on them with a cold heart. But they didn’t fear him. They were only concerned.
“Any news on the applicants?” he asked with a deep and low purr.
“We might have a solution,” said Jessica.
“How interesting…” Song Kang said, amused, “And what would this solution be…?”
“We could try scouting more applicants.”
Not a single stutter or stumble came upon her lips. Song Kang and Krystal were astonished by her confidence. And so, Song Kang smirked again. This time, a much softer grin.
“I agree…we’ll send out advertisements everywhere. And that would bring me closer to my plan…”
He then stormed away, smirking cruelly once again. But Krystal was displeased. She glared at Jessica.
“Scouting?! That’s all you could say?!” she said, gritting her teeth.
“Well, I had to say something!?” Jessica defended, “In my defense, we don’t have enough applicants to create the show. We need fifteen or more people. Otherwise, I-LAND…and MC…will be gone…for good.”
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It was before bed. When Dae sometimes came to the States, he and I would binge-watch on any TV series we could find. Whether it would be a Japanese manga or a live-action film trilogy. But that day, there was nothing much to watch, since I couldn’t understand any Korean. And I couldn’t speak Korean either…except for a few words.
“Not much to watch, is there?” I said, cringing.
“Nope,” said Dae, “I’m not all big on K-Dramas either. None of them are like American shows.”
“They don’t do sitcoms here, do they?”
“Not much. Only drama series.”
I understood. I guess it’s not a cultural thing here. But I would have to be the first to make a show like that. There is a reason for variety shows like Weekly Idol and After School Club . It wasn’t fair, you know. I get it…they have a certain look, even for average people. But after a while…it can become unethical. Just think about the norm of plastic surgery!
But Dae didn’t look like he had plastic surgery at all. He looked as though…an angel gave birth to him…and made him an angel. When we first met, I went with Lara Jean on our very first trip to Korea. Yes, I’ve been there a couple times. But only for a college trip. We were going to take a picture in front of a beautiful shrine…and that is where I saw him. A shy, puppy-faced boy with a mushroom haircut and a very soft smile.
I walked up to him, but only because we needed someone to take a photo of us.
Timidly, I approached the shy boy and said, in my worst Korean at that time, “Ah… Annyeonghaseyo ...” But the boy looked into my eyes with a soft smile. He understood that my Korean was terrible; however, at the same time, he might have thought of it as a good start.
“Hello…” he said, softly; I could tell his accent was a bit thick.
But then I remembered I wanted to ask someone to take a photo.
“W-would you mind taking a photo of us?” I asked so confidently.
He nodded his head, and I handed him the camera. Me, my dad, Lara Jean, and the eldest Margot positioned in the middle, and Dae took our picture. Snap! After that, I went to thank him. But I couldn’t let go without a simple conversation.
“I’m Katherine,” I said, “Well, um, not exactly Katherine. That was weird. But you can call me Kitty …even though…you could call me anything…”
“Okay…” said the shy guy, “I’m Dae.”
“Yeah…and you speak English.”
“So do you!” Dae exclaimed, “Look how much we have in common!”
I would have spoken to him for hours on end. And I often heard my dad say this quote every time I looked back on this memory.
“Katherine Song Covey has discovered boys…God help him…!”
I redirected from that memory and found myself staring into Dae’s soft eyes again. I looked around and realized I was still in the bedroom. I guess a lot was going on in my head, as Lara Jean used to say. But…what if it was for a reason? We were only thirteen when we met. Well…Dae had already turned fourteen. Mine was later.
The TV then had a commercial break…then there were flashing lights. The screen was all black, and all kinds of purple, pink, and magenta lights flashed around out of nowhere. That was when the light in the middle was surrounded, inside a clear cube. Then, on the bottom of the screen, all capitalized, it said I-LAND 2: N/a .
Could this be…? I thought.
“Is that the new season for I-LAND?” I asked.
“Yeah!” Dae said, “There’s going to be open auditions next week, for foreigners. Only five are lucky enough to get in.”
“Not interested,” I said, smiling as I shook my head, “Being a singer and dancer may be fun and hard work…but I’m not that kind of gal.”