"Come on, Zoey, they're waiting for us in the lobby, and you're taking time like you're dressing up for the royal ball," I said as I leaned my back against the wall next to the door of our room.
"You know I need to look good for G-Dragon, Sam," said Zoey from inside.
I rolled my eyes at what she said. The others had already left to go downstairs soon after breakfast, and at that time, Zoey wasn't even ready yet. We're running late for our tour, and I didn't want to miss a thing.
"Are you done yet?" I asked. "You don't have to look like a princess, you know. It's just a tour."
"Hey, I don't want people to think I'm a tourist. I want to look fabulous."
"You can look fabulous later when G-Dragon asks you out on a date. Can you please hurry up? We've got five minutes till nine." I looked at my wristwatch and started tapping my foot on the floor impatiently.
"Zoey, if you don't come out in ten seconds, I'll drag you out of there, even if it means you looking like a clown," I warned.
No sooner had I said those words did the door fly open, and Zoey stepped out of the room. She wore black skinny jeans, a pink top, and a black jacket. She wore black wedges, which to me seemed pretty high, and she carried along a black purse studded with colored stones. As usual, she wore makeup.
"Aren't those wedges a little too high?" I asked as I looked at her. "Your feet will get tired. The jacket and fancy purse make you look like you're attending some important meeting."
"Hey, I'm perfectly fine like this," said Zoey as she twirled herself around. "And besides, you know I can last for hours wearing heels, so the wedges aren't a problem. What if I trip and G-Dragon catches me? That will be so romantic."
"If you land on your face, I'll make sure to take pictures and post them all over social media, and everyone will laugh all day long."
"Haha, very funny," said Zoey sarcastically as she furrowed her eyebrows at me. "Let's go. The others must be waiting."
"I was waiting for you to say that," I said as I led the way to the elevator after Zoey closed the door to our room.
A few seconds later, we found ourselves in the lobby. Just like any ordinary Sunday, it was quiet and pretty much normal. Thank goodness the paparazzi and reporters weren't around. I wonder where they are. Most of the people we found in the lobby were the working staff. It looked like people didn't really move around so much on Sundays like they do back home. That felt like a good thing.
As Zoey and I walked over to the front doors of the hotel, we found Collins and the others waiting outside.
"It's about time," said Collins as we approached. "You take way too much time to get ready, Zoey."
"Thank you, Collins," said Zoey, brushing him off. "I know I look fabulous. You don't have to tell me."
Daniel and Mike shook their heads in disbelief as Christine and I laughed. Collins rolls his eyes and looks the other way. Lee, however, looks on at Zoey.
Earlier on, I wondered why there were no paparazzi or reporters around. They were outside the hotel gates. I hadn't noticed until I heard screaming from the fans. Security is tight this time around. The gates leading to the hotel were closed, and the guards stood there to not let anyone in.
"Aren't they supposed to be here by now?" Mike asked. "It's already nine o'clock."
"Don't worry, they'll be here," said Lee. She stared at the gate. "Oh, look. Here they come now."
Three black BMW SUV cars appeared at the gate, and the fans were screaming like crazy.
As I continued to look towards the gate with the guards trying to make way for the cars to drive through, I suddenly felt nervous. Everything that happened yesterday came rushing back into my mind. From the time I woke up this morning, I had been so oblivious to the events that had taken place. I haven't gone online to see what people are talking about. Obviously, it's all about BIGBANG and The Toxins, so I wouldn't check even if I wanted to.
I got so lost in thought that I didn't notice the cars pull up in front of us. The next thing I knew, someone was whispering in my ear.
"Hey, where is your head this morning?"
I jump in fright, and when I turn to see who it is, I furrow my eyebrows.
"Don't do that, Ji Yong," I said as I hit him on the arm. "You almost gave me a heart attack." G-Dragon smiles at me, and I look away, still feeling angry. I'm not going to fall for his charm this time.
"I'm not going to get a good morning from you, then?" he asked.
"Don't mind her, GD," said Zoey as she came to stand right beside me. "She doesn't want anything to do with you."
"Oh really?" G-Dragon asked as he folded his arms. "I would like her to say that to my face; then I won't bother her ever again."
I am startled. I can't look at him and say that. Furthermore, I'm just going to stammer. Not only that, but I have to admit, he had the skills and charms to make people shy and nervous.
"Come on, B.K. I'm waiting," he said in a sing-song voice. Is he mocking me? I'm still not looking at him, but I could feel myself blushing. What the heck is wrong with me? I'm supposed to be upset, not blushing!
"I'm not doing this," I said and walked away, heading to one of the cars.
"Morning, Seungri," I said to him as he jumped out of one of them.
"Morning, my panda," he said cheerfully as he pulled me into a hug.
"Panda?" I blushed, as he still had me in his arms. I then remembered that he loves pandas.
"I hope you had a good night's sleep. We're going to have a long day together," he said after we broke away from each other.
"Let's just hope you don't get me into trouble while on tour," I said.
Seungri took a step toward me, closing the gap between us. I could feel his breath on my face, and for a moment, I wanted to just stay there. But I'm in a dangerous position here. I want to move back, but he quickly places his hand on the small of my back. He pulls me closer so that our bodies touch. I just hope no one is seeing this.
I swallow as I continue to gaze into his eyes. We were so close. If I made one wrong move, I might kiss him. I wonder if that would be a good or bad thing. I blush at the thought of it. Seungri notices and smiles. Damn! That makes me want to kiss him more. Wait, where did that thought even come from?
"I know I'm trouble," he whispers, "but you're also one because you're messing with my mind right now."
I'm speechless. I've never felt so captivated by words in my life. This is so stupid and freaky. I need someone to save me from this. But then, I want to savor this moment a little longer.
"Excuse me, am I interrupting?" came Taeyang.
Thank goodness. I let out a sigh of relief when Seungri broke away from me. If I had to refer to anyone as my guardian angel right now, it's Taeyang.
"You came just in time," I told him, my cheeks still blushing. "Tell me Collins didn't see that."
Taeyang pointed with his thumb behind him, and I saw Collins talking over the phone with his back to us. Phew! That's a relief. I looked over to see if anyone else had seen what had happened. Lee and Christine were chatting with T.O.P. and Daesung, while Zoey, Mike, and Daniel were with G-Dragon. It looks like I'm saved from all the trouble. But I knew it was going to catch up to me in one way or another.
"Ah, come on," said Seungri. "You ruined my moment."
"You could've gone somewhere more private, then," said Taeyang with a smile on his face. That made me feel even more embarrassed.
"Well, I'm just glad you interfered," I said as I tried to speak. Somehow, my throat had suddenly become sore.
"Okay, guys, we better get going," Collins announced. "We don't want to waste any more time."
I quickly went into the first car Seungri had been riding in. Collins, Taeyang, and Seungri followed. I sat in the front passenger's seat alongside the driver because I didn't want to be close to Seungri. Thank goodness Collins is also in the same car with me, or who knows what would happen without him. T.O.P., Daesung, Lee, and Christine got into the second car, and the others went in the third.
The cars drove away from the hotel building, and when we reached the gates, it was hard to drive through with the media and the screaming fans around. But we got out successfully and drove away.
It's such a beautiful Sunday morning, and it's lovely to see the city during the daytime. I just couldn't wait to see the lovely parks and the ancient palaces. As much as Seoul is now a modern city, it's still rich in the Korean culture of long ago, with its ancient palaces still standing. I can't wait to see one of them. I've always had a thing for ancient artifacts, architecture, and culture. Likewise, I wonder where I got that from.
We soon pulled over at the most extraordinary palace I've ever seen. As I looked out through the windshield, I couldn't keep my mouth closed. I had always seen such places in Korean movies and series. But now I get to see it in real life. I was so drawn towards it that I didn't hear Collins speaking to me until I heard something snap by my ear.
"Hey, we've got to go, and you're already daydreaming," said Collins. He had snapped his fingers close to my ear. "When we're in there, you can daydream as much as you want."
Collins, Seungri, and Taeyang got out of the car. Taeyang opened the door for me. I got out and thanked him. The others were already out of the cars they were in. We stood meters away from the main gates of the palace, and I couldn't help but wonder how big the place is within the palace grounds.
"Hello, annyeonghaseyo!" came a cheerful voice behind us. We all turn to find a young man in his mid-twenties dressed as a tour guide in a green golf shirt with brown chinos. A pretty young lady, also dressed in the same uniform, stood alongside him.
"You must be The Toxins," said the young man. "I'm Sung Jong, your tour guide. Here with me is Mi Na; she'll be assisting me with the tour."
"Hello," said Mi Na shyly. "I can't believe I'm giving The Toxins and BIGBANG a tour. I'm such a big fan of you both!"
"Thanks," said Mike with a crooked bad boy smile on his face. "It clearly shows that you are."
Mi Na quietly giggles and blushes as she lowers her head. I can't help but look at Mike. To be honest, I'm startled. Is he really flirting with her? If not, then I don't know what it is.
"Mmm, your brother also likes to flirt," said G-Dragon as he came to stand next to me. "You should be more like him, don't you think?"
"I'm better off the way I am, thank you very much," I replied as I turned to look at him. Dang it! He's giving me that irresistible smile of his. I quickly look away, praying for the tour to begin. I couldn't stand another minute with him by my side.
"Welcome to the Gyeongbokgung Palace," said Sung Jong. "This is the first royal palace to be built in the Joseon Dynasty. It's the largest of the five grand palaces remaining in Seoul. Once we're inside, you'll be able to get a view of Joseon's royal culture and architecture. If you follow me, please."
While Sung Jong talked about the palace's rich history and its rulers, we followed him, heading to the main gate. I got so enticed by whatever he had to say that I started to daydream. But what lay beyond the palace walls is what took my breath away.
The palace grounds were huge. There were many tourists and locals around, not forgetting schoolchildren on a field trip. Men and women dressed in traditional clothes called Hanboks were all over the place too. I felt like I had traveled back in time and was part of the Joseon era.
Sung Jong and Mi Na took us around the beautiful palace. The amazing artifacts and the architecture were intriguing and interesting. Somehow, we grew so oblivious to everything going on around us that The Toxins and BIGBANG. Fans came to us asking for our autographs. We also took pictures with them.
Zoey, Christine, and I also took pictures with those dressed in pretty, colorful Hanboks. I wish I could have one myself.
After I took a selfie with a gorgeous-looking lady in a pretty pink and white Hanbok, I felt someone grab me by the waist, pulling me backwards. I wondered what was going on when I felt something soft touch my cheek. Still confused, I looked slightly above me and heard the clicking sound of a snapshot on a phone. Someone had taken a selfie with me. And when I looked at the phone to see the picture, I didn't know whether to scream or drop dead.
The person who had grabbed me by the waist was T.O.P. He had pulled me toward him with my back leaning on his chest. And what I felt on my cheek were his lips. He kissed my cheek! I wanted to scream as I stared at the photo, but I couldn't. I lost my voice all of a sudden.
Furthermore, I looked at myself in the photo, and it completely shows that I had no clue on what was going on. Likewise, I looked like a fool. And T.O.P., looking as handsome as ever, kissed my cheek while looking up at the camera. I couldn't help but blush.
"I'm going to keep this photo forever," said T.O.P. as he gladly smiled at his phone. "You look so cute even when you don't know what's going on around you."
"All the more reason for you to delete it," I said. "Give me the phone!"
I tried to grab it from T.O.P., but he lifted it further out of my reach. I had to jump to get it, and all he did was laugh. He's making a fool out of me. I felt people's eyes on us. The last thing I want is to look like a nutjob. And T.O.P. is doing a pretty good job at making me look like one.
"Give me the phone!" I said as I continued to jump for it, but T.O.P. kept moving around, making things even more difficult.
"I'll give you the phone if you do me one little favour," he said as he stopped moving with his arm still raised in the air.
"Okay, what do you want me to do?" I asked with my arms folded.
T.O.P. took a step closer and slowly bent forward with his hands behind him. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me again, and that made my heart race. But instead, he whispered in my ear:
"I want you to kiss me in front of everyone here, right now."
As much as his deep, sexy voice enticed me, I grew startled and blushed. I looked at him, speechless. He lifted the corner of his mouth into a smile as well as his eyebrows, waiting for me to do what he wanted or admit defeat. I just sucked my teeth and gave up. I can't do it. Not in front of everyone. That would raise questions.
"You win, T.O.P." I said. "You can keep it."
"Aww, I was really hoping you would take up the challenge," said T.O.P., looking disappointed.
"Well, you've put me in a weird position right now, and that I cannot do."
"If you want, we can go somewhere more private." He winked. I blushed again.
"No, thanks. Like I said, you can keep it."
"That's a shame. I was ready to feel your lovely, kissable lips on mine and taste you," he whispers in my ear. He soon walks away. I stood there in the middle of the crowd, and I couldn't get what T.O.P. said out of my head. Were my lips that kissable? Why am I thinking like this? He's obviously kidding, right?
"Hello, earth, to Samantha. Can you hear me?" Daniel waved his hand in front of my face to grab my attention. I quickly came back to reality. I wonder how long I've stood there like a statue.
"Are you okay?" Daniel asked. "I saw T.O.P. whispering to you, and you never came out of the palace with us. Did he say something? You've got this weird look on your face."
"It's nothing, Daniel," I said. "He was just joking around, that's all."
"Well, we better go. We have to leave and head to the museum. I hear the paparazzi and reporters are coming, so we better get going so as not to cause confusion."
"Let me guess, Collins found out?"
"Yeah, you know the drill. Come on, before the fans notice that we're gone."
After Daniel and I had left the palace grounds, we found the others waiting for us outside, where the cars were packed.
"Sam, where were you?" Zoey asked. "I thought you were right behind us, but you weren't."
"Sorry, I got caught up with something," I replied as I looked over at T.O.P., who smiled back at me. I gave him the "it's your fault" stare. He read my eyes and winked. I looked away, blushing. I can be such an idiot sometimes.
We drove to the National Museum, where we got a full view of Korea's history, art, and various research studies in archaeology. It actually turned out to be fun and interesting. Afterwards, we were taken to Myeong-dong, one of the best shopping areas in Seoul, to look through stores and restaurants. Anything you could ever think of buying, you would find it in Myeong-dong, we were told. We had lunch at a famous restaurant, and for the first time, The Toxins, Lee, and Collins had a taste of the famous kimchi. It was so delicious that some of us kept asking for more. We also had grilled black pork (Heukdwejigui), cooking it on the grill before picking it up with our chopsticks to eat it.
After lunch, we visited the Banpodoegyo bridge in downtown Seoul over the Han River. The amazing thing about this bridge is that it is above another called Jamsu, forming a double-deck bridge. We then went to Hangang Park and found ourselves taking in the view of the Hangang River. I always thought Paris was the most romantic place to be, but after taking in the view of Korea, I had to admit that this is the most romantic place I've ever been to. There were beautiful cherry blossom trees around, and I also noticed many couples hanging around. Some held hands as they walked; others sat on the grass in each other's arms. It's so romantic that I feel left out. I have this weird feeling in my chest. Is it envy?
"Am I the only one who's feeling like this?" Christine asked as she walked beside me, also taking a look around.
"What?" I asked.
"Haven't you noticed? There are so many couples around, and I feel so left out."
"You aren't the only one," I said. I sighed as I looked at one lovely couple passing us, holding hands.
"This is worse than France," said Lee. "Even I feel envious."
"Argh..., love. Disgusting," said Daniel as he poked his tongue out as though he had just tasted something bitter.
"Don't say that, Daniel," said Seungri. "One day, you'll know what love is and how much you really need it, right, Sam?"
I didn't answer the question as I quickly turned away, twirling a strand of my hair with my fingers. I do that sometimes whenever I want to avoid a question that I find pretty hard to answer.
"Seungri, you're doing it again. Stop intimidating her," said Daesung. My second guardian angel. "Your questions are really annoying sometimes."
"But come to think of it," started G-Dragon. Oh no, I sense trouble. "We all need love. I think Sam has no objection to that."
"I agree with GD," said Zoey. Great! It's like these two are ganging up on me. No wonder they get along so well. And I've got a feeling something's going to be brought - the topic I hate the most.
"I think it's high time Sam found herself a boyfriend," Zoey blurted out. "She needs a little love in her life."
For a moment, everyone stops walking and falls silent, including Collins, who hadn't said a single word. I slap my forehead with my palm and wonder why I ever had Zoey for a best friend. Right now, I feel like falling off a cliff.
"Are you seriously bringing that up now?" I asked. "That's a little personal, don't you think?"
"We should rather avoid it," said Taeyang.
"Thank you, Taeyang," said Collins. "Now can we please move on? We can't stay here for long. We're going to attract people's attention."
It's a little late for that. We already did, and a few fans surrounded us, asking for autographs and pictures. Usually, it's hard to refuse.
When we got out of the park, we went to visit the other palaces in Seoul. It was evening by the time we headed to Lotte World. The lovely amusement park reminded me of Disney World. We had so much fun, and we made sure to take some memorable pictures.
After a long day of sightseeing and having fun, it was finally time to head back to the hotel. Tomorrow is another busy day, said Collins. I had so much fun that I forgot why we came to Korea in the first place.
While the cars drove us back to the hotel, I felt tired. I'm in one of the cars with Collins, who sat in the front passenger's seat, and I sat in between Taeyang and Daesung. I didn't want to be in the same car with Zoey since she upset me earlier. Nor with G-Dragon, T.O.P., or Seungri. I yawned and leaned my head back on the seat. I slowly started to doze off.
"You can lean on my shoulder," said Daesung. "That's if you're okay with it."
Without giving it a thought, I put my head on Daesung's shoulder and closed my eyes. In a second, my eyes quickly flew open as I looked directly at the rearview mirror to see Collins' reaction. He gives me an assuring look that he doesn't mind at all. I relaxed as I gladly closed my eyes again and immediately drifted off to sleep.
In what felt like a few minutes, I heard Daesung gently wake me up. I didn't want to move, and I found it quite comfortable leaning on his shoulder.
"Sam, wake up; we're already here," he said.
"I'm so tired," I muttered with my eyes closed. "I don't think I can move right now."
"Fine, I'll help you out of the car," said Taeyang as I heard him open the door.
Taeyang slowly took me in his arms and gently carried me out. I woke up after a slightly cool breeze blew by. I look around and find myself still in Taeyang's arms, my arms wrapped around his neck. Likewise, I see Lee, Christine, and Zoey giggling as they look at me. Furthermore, I blush when I notice G-Dragon, T.O.P., and Seungri look at us funny.
"You can put me down now," I told Taeyang. He slowly and gently did so.
"Well, today was awesome," said Mike. "Guess it's time to go to bed."
"We better head up to our floor," said Collins. We've got a busy day tomorrow."
We all said our goodbyes, and the BIGBANG members left. The rest of us went up to our rooms, and we couldn't stop talking about all the exciting places we had visited and the delicious food we had.
After we had our supper and went to bed, I couldn't help but think of other amazing places I could visit in South Korea. The country is truly a beautiful place. I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face, imagining where I might go next.