Sam's P.O.V:
We were back at the café, where we had dumplings. It was the only place we could sit and talk, as there weren't many people. Zoey, Mino, Lee, and I sat in one booth while the others sat in the next one. Mike and Daniel remained standing, watching what might unfold in front of them.
Lee, in her aunt outfit, really looked like an angry one as she said, "You really have a lot of explaining to do, Zoey. What were you thinking about going over to that club? Do you really want Collins to hang all of us?"
"I was just going to talk to Johnny." Zoey tried to defend herself. "I wasn't going to do anything stupid, I promise."
"Then why didn't you tell us what you planned to do?" I asked. "And don't tell me that you knew I was going to refuse."
Zoey opened and closed her mouth instantly. She was going to say exactly that.
"You know very well that Collins told us not to get near him," I continued. I turn to Mino. "And were you really going to follow through with her plan?"
Mino shook his head. "I did try to tell her that it wasn't a good idea," he answered. "Now I wish I was a bit firm with her."
I sighed. I had no reason to be mad at Mino. Zoey can be persuasive sometimes. Moreover, there's no denying that he likes her a lot and would do anything to please her a little.
"Okay, now that we have Zoey," said Mike, "can we have some fun, like, for real? We can't end this night with a sour mood, right?"
"I agree," said Zoey. I quickly looked at her, and she covered her mouth. Right now, she has no right to suggest anything, not after what she did.
"Yeah, you can hang out if you want," said Lee as she leaned back on the seat. "I'll go back to the car. This search for Zoey really got me so worked up that I need a breather."
"What?" Christine came up from behind the booth, looking down at Lee. "I thought you wanted to try out those shoes that we saw earlier. And they are in your favorite color."
"Yeah, come on, Lee," said Zoey. "Shopping isn't fun without you. If you want, I'm going to accept any punishment you give me."
Lee raised an eyebrow. "You went too far this time," she said. "How sure are you that I'm going to forgive you?"
"Because you see me every day, and staying mad at me is pointless," Zoey answered.
"I couldn't have thought of a better answer," said Daniel.
"Smart," said Lee. "But you'll need a lot more than that to convince me to go shopping with you."
Zoey turned to look at me, and I shook my head, telling her that even I don't know what Lee wants. It's best she figures that out for herself.
"Come on, you guys," said Jungkook, who now came over by the booth. "We're in Hongdae. We can't let this opportunity slide. I can guarantee that we're going to have a lot of fun."
"Come on, Lee," said Christine. "Jungkook does have a point. Who knows if we will ever get to come back here with the busy schedule that we have? Let's take advantage of the situation."
Everyone else started to chip in, doing his or her best to convince Lee. In the end, she gave in.
"Okay, fine," said Lee. "But let's remember to keep a low profile. We don't want to attract attention to yourselves."
"Yes!" Zoey cheered loudly. "I knew you would come around."
"I'm only doing this because Jimin, Jungkook, and Mino are here." Lee folded her arms as she looked the other way. "Don't think you're off the hook, Zoey."
"If you think I will forget, I won't," said Zoey with a smile. Oh, she will definitely forget by tomorrow morning.
"What do you suggest we do first?" I asked Jungkook.
"We can start by buying ourselves another serving of dumplings," said Daniel as he licked his lips and started to make his way to the counter.
"Daniel, wait…" I called out to him. However, he was already at the counter. Christine apparently joined him. I shook my head. Something tells me that we might be carrying boxes of dumplings home once our stay in South Korea is over.
"When those two get fat, Collins is so going to kill us," said Lee, shaking her head in disbelief.
After we finished our dumplings, we had to walk a few blocks back to get the high-heeled shoes Lee wanted. Afterwards, we visited shops that sold traditional Korean outfits, which Zoey couldn't help but admire. I remember telling myself when I first came here that I would get myself one. Therefore, I decided to look. Christine, Zoey, and Lee were so frantic about it that they also started to look at which Hanbok would look good on me giving their comments. I made a mental note not to tag them along when I get to look for my wedding dress in the future.
"This is the most excited I have ever seen them," said Jimin as he came to stand next to me.
"Trust me, this is nothing," I said. "Whenever I want to try out something new, the three are always in the forefront of picking things instead of me."
"Yeah, and it's annoying," said Mike, who was on the other side of the store going through the male section with Daniel and Mino.
"Then maybe you should've come here at a later time without them," Mino suggested.
"Nah, this time is fine since we've got such a busy schedule," I said. Before I could go to the next hanger of clothes, I stopped to look around. "Has anyone seen Jungkook?"
The five of us who stayed close started to look around. Weird. He was behind Jimin a few seconds ago. He definitely hadn't gone with Lee and the others. So where is he?
"He'll turn up," said Daniel. "Maybe he found something that he wanted to try on and is in the men's room as we speak."
"Wow, you sound casual." I gave Daniel a look. "What if he happens to get noticed? Then we're all toast."
"You think too much," said Jimin. "I doubt if he has found something to go and try on. He would've told me first."
"Hey, Lee!" Jungkook's voice came from across the store. "Come see this."
Jimin and I turn in the direction of Jungkook's voice. I see Lee, Christine, and Zoey rush to where he is. Don't tell me he was also looking for something for me to wear.
I start to walk over to where Jungkook is, and Jimin happens to follow behind me. When I got close, I couldn't help but see stars in the three women's eyes as they looked at the Hanbok Jungkook picked out.
"Ah, this is so pretty!" Zoey exclaimed. "Sam will look amazing in this one."
"What do you think, Sam?" Jungkook, showing me what he had chosen.
The Hanbok he picked was a white blouse and purple skirt. The skirt is beautifully designed with pleats and waist strings. At the bottom of the hem, there were beautiful flower patterns. I had to admit that Jungkook picked a pretty Hanbok.
"It looks lovely," I commented.
"Jungkook really has good taste," said Mino, who, with Mike and Daniel, came over to see.
"You should put it on, Sam," said Jimin.
"I'll help you put the blouse on," said Lee. "It can get a little complicated when you're trying it out for the first time."
"Yeah, I will need the help."
Jungkook handed the dress to me, and I followed Lee to the changing rooms. I could hear Zoey and Christine giggle as I walked away, and I knew they were obviously talking about the outfit that Jungkook so happened to pick out.
Lee and I came to the women's dressing rooms and entered one of the empty stalls. It felt so good to take the hoodie and mask off. In addition, when I started to change into the Hanbok, I couldn't help but notice just how comfortable it felt. After Lee tied the strings of the skirt behind my back, I turned to look at the full-length mirror. I can't believe that I'm actually wearing a Hanbok.
"Oh, you look so pretty," said Lee as she stood behind me. She glanced at me in the mirror as if I were some gorgeous doll she had dressed up. "Your mum will think you're adorable once I send her a picture."
Lee pulled out her phone and did just that. I turned to look at her with a glare.
"What?" Lee asked as she shrugged her shoulders. "It's not my fault that you look pretty. Come on, the others are waiting to see you."
"Oh, before I go out..." I turned around to where I lay aside my clothes to look for the mask. However, Lee took hold of my shoulders to lead me out of the changing room.
"There aren't many people in the shop," she said. "Don't worry about a thing. The others are waiting for you outside."
Lee opened the door and led me out of the room. As expected, we found the others waiting outside the changing rooms. Christine and Zoey jumped with excitement as I appeared before them.
"You look so pretty, Sam," commented Zoey as I found her approaching me. "I have to say, the Hanbok really suits you."
"Stop making me blush," I said as I nervously tucked a strand of my hair at the back of my ear.
"No, it's true," said Mike. "You look really lovely. I can't believe I just said that."
"Same here," I said, giving off a nervous laugh.
"Mum is going to love this," said Daniel, who had already pulled out his phone to take a picture.
"I know, right?" Lee asked. "You definitely look adorable."
"You can say that again," said Mino as he smiled at me. "Once your fans see you, you'll be the talk of the town."
"Yeah, I know that," I said. "Please don't post the pictures you've taken so soon. I don't want people to know right away that I'm here."
"Don't worry," said Christine. "The last thing we need is for us to do what Zoey did when she filmed you with G-Dragon and the video went viral."
"Wait, that was you?" Mino asked, turning to look at Zoey.
Zoey folded her arms. "Yes," she answered, looking rather annoyed at Christine for bringing it up. "But I didn't mean harm, and I did say I was never going to do that again."
I saw Daniel, Mike, and Christine give Zoey a look, and I knew what they were thinking. It's funny how Zoey could've remembered that. She usually doesn't, and there are times when you have to remind her. Anyway, it hasn't been too long since the incident happened.
"Smile here for the camera," said Jimin as he also had his phone out to take a picture. "You really did good choosing this Hanbok for her, Jungkook."
All Jungkook could do was smile under that facemask of his, which wasn't hard to notice; just like everyone else, he was looking at me. The look in his eyes showed that he was proud of himself for picking out the Hanbok.
"Thanks so much for picking this outfit for me, Jungkook," I said. "It's really lovely. Not to mention that I just love the color purple."
"Don't mention it," said Jungkook. "I remembered that it's your favorite color."
I blushed, and for some reason, I thought of quickly turning away, especially when Christine and Zoey nudged at each other. I wish I could hit them on the head to stop them from mocking me.
"Oh, yes, it is," said Mino. "You must really be a fanboy." He nudged Jungkook with his elbow.
"No, I'm not," Jungkook replied shyly. "I just so happened to come across that once online; that's all it is."
"I better go change," I said. This is getting embarrassing. "Are you all done with taking pictures?"
Zoey and Christine replied no. As though they were photographers, they quickly took pictures. Others thought of taking photos with me still dressed in the Hanbok. Each person took a picture with me. Then we all took a photo together, with Mino being the one holding the camera and taking the selfie with everyone behind him.
Afterwards, I went to change back into my clothes, with Lee helping me out again. When we came out of the changing room, we found that the others had dispersed to different parts of the store. I heard Zoey and Christine talking over which traditional attire to choose from.
"Finding a Hanbok is going to be hard for those two," said Lee as her eyes also fell on the pair.
I smiled. "Mine was a little easier, wasn't it?" I asked.
"That's because Jungkook found it." Lee looked at me. "Sometimes men know better than women when it comes to such things."
I would've agreed with her, but that sent me blushing somehow. It was sweet of Jungkook to find me such a pretty Hanbok. I just wish Zoey and Christine wouldn't mock me about it.
I told Lee that I would be going over to the counter to pay for the attire. She said she would accompany me.
"Aren't you going to find a Hanbok for yourself?" I asked.
"Nah," she replied. "They're gorgeous to wear, but I'm just not interested like you were."
"Point taken," I said.
When we got to the counter and paid for the Hanbok, the rest of the others joined us. I started to look around for Christine and Zoey, but they were nowhere near the female clothes section. Did they find outfits and decide to go try them?
"Has anyone seen Christine and Zoey?" I asked the others.
Jimin shook his head. "I wasn't paying attention," he answered.
"I'll go and check on them," said Lee.
Lee left, making her way to the changing rooms.
"With that Hanbok, do you plan on buying the traditional shoes that match with it?" Mino asked.
"To be honest, I never thought of it," I said as I looked at the Hanbok, now packed in a black garment bag. "Maybe I should."
A woman by the counter said, "There are some shoes that you can look at. I suggest you get the white ones to match the dress."
"I can help out if you like," Jungkook offered.
I gave him a nod of my head, and we went over to the shoe section, not far from the counter. Jimin and Mino had nothing to do, so they joined us. Mike and Daniel decided to look around a little.
With Jimin and Mino around, I discovered there were three types of women's shoes that could go with a Hanbok. Kkotshin, which are silk shoes with flowery embroidery. Unhye are low-cut silk shoes decorated with cloud-shaped silk pieces. Then there are dinghy, which are low-cut leather shoes with scroll patterns. There were all pretty shoes, which made it difficult to pick. Even with the others' help, they were having a hard time choosing. I noticed how much time had passed while looking for a pair of shoes and how long Lee had been gone to look for the girls.
"I wonder what's taking them so long," I said as I turned to look around. There was no sign of them anywhere.
The others didn't seem to hear me, as Jimin said that he might have found a shoe for me. Mino and Jungkook joined him to see what he had picked. He picked white kkotshin shoes.
"This will look great on you," said Mino. He checked the shoe size underneath it. "And it's just your size. You should try it on."
I took my shoes off and put the white kkotshins on. They fit perfectly, and the gold flower embroidery on the shoes added a nice touch. It will suit the dress very well.
After removing the shoes and wearing my shoes again, I notice Mino looking around as though looking for something. He must be looking for Zoey and the others.
"Hey, don't you think the ladies have taken too long?" he asked.
"I think so too," I said. "We really need to check up on them."
Mino and Jungkook decided to come with me. Jimin said he would wait by the counter. We first went to the changing rooms. The two men waited outside while I went in. There were four changing rooms, two on either side. Three rooms were occupied, while one remained empty. I decided to call out to see if Zoey was here.
"Zoey, are you here?" I called.
I didn't get a response until I heard someone muttering; it sounded like Zoey. Likewise, I walked over to the door of the changing room, where I was hearing the noise, and knocked on the door.
"Zoey, are you in there?" I asked.
"Sam, thank goodness," she responded. "Please come in. I can't seem to get this blouse off, and it's killing me."
I rolled my eyes as I opened the door. For sure, I found Zoey struggling to get the blouse off. I helped her wear it again before properly removing it for her.
"How did you put it on if you can't even take it off?" I asked.
"Christine was helping me out when she left me all alone," said Zoey as she put on her shirt.
"I thought Lee was here with you."
"Yeah, she was. Then she went out, looking for Christine. I would've asked her to help me out, but then she went out because it's been a while since Christine's been gone."
Strange. Where are the two of them now? I told Zoey that she would find me outside the changing room. I walk out, and not only do I find Mino and Jungkook, but Lee as well.
"Hey, I heard about Christine," I said. "Did you find her?"
"No," Lee answered. "I checked the women's room, and I made one more sweep around the shop, but nothing. She's not here."
"Strange," said Mino. "Where could she have gone?"
"Have you tried calling her phone?" I asked.
"Let me try doing that now," said Lee as she pulled out her phone.
Mike and Daniel came to join us. "Still no sign of the girls?" Mike asked.
"Zoey is in the dressing room," I answered. "Christine is nowhere to be found."
"Where could she be if she isn't here?" Daniel asked.
"That's what we want to find out," said Jimin as he looked at Lee.
Lee still had a phone by her ear. A minute later, she shook her head and said, "She isn't picking up her phone."
"Great. Zoey goes out to find Johnny, and now we have to deal with Christine going missing," said Mike. "Where has she gone?"
"Maybe she went back to the dumpling shop?" Daniel suggested.
"Then she would've told us," I said. "This whole thing seems fishy, and I don't like it."
"Let me try and call her again," said Lee as she tapped on her phone and placed it on her ear.
Zoey rushed out of the changing rooms. She comes to stand beside me with the white and pink Hanbok in hand.
"Have you found her?" she asked.
Mino shook his head. "No luck," he answered.
"She still isn't picking up her phone," said Lee, now with a worried look on her face. "It's not like her not to answer her phone."
"Do you think Johnny found her, and she had to run?" Zoey asked.
We all turned to look at Zoey with weird looks. Why is she bringing Johnny up all of a sudden?
"Now you're being paranoid," said Mino. "We all know where he went, and Hongdae is a big place. How can he have found Christine out of the blue?"
"I don't know—a coincidence, maybe." Zoey shrugged her shoulders.
"It's too early to assume anything," said Jungkook. "It looks like she went out without telling us where she was going."
"Should we be worried?" Lee asked.
"Usually I wouldn't. But she doesn't know the area really well, so yeah, I would be worried."
"I just hope she is okay," I said. "Let's go back to the dumpling shop, like Daniel suggested. If we're lucky, then we'll find her there."
Everyone agreed, and we joined Jimin at the counter, who had already paid for my shoes. I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted that it was the least he could do. Zoey decided to pay for the Hanbok she had picked. When Jimin asked Zoey if she was going to get some matching shoes too, she said she would come by later when we found Christine.
After leaving the clothing store, we started to make our way back to the dumpling shop. I really do hope we find her.
***
Christine's P.O.V:
I was walking down the crowded Hongdae Street, thinking to myself, Sam and the others are going to murder me for abandoning them like that. My phone had beeped for a second time, and I found Lee was calling again. I can't pick up and tell her where I am going. She would tell the others, and they would definitely come after me. I do hope they don't worry about me too much. After the stunt Zoey pulled, my disappearing act might just put them on edge.
Then why am I out here?
Simple, really. While I was helping dress Zoey into the Hanbok, I received a text from Jinwoo. I told Zoey that I would be right back and texted him back. He was asking where I was, and I told him about Hongdae Street and finding Zoey. It so happens that he was also around the area and wanted us to meet. I didn't want to tell anyone, for they might make fun of me, and that's why I left like I did.
Jinwoo gave me directions to where he was, and I noticed that the place had many restaurants and small outdoor eating venues. I don't know why, but meeting him made me feel a little nervous and excited at the same time. It isn't normal, is it?
I finally arrived at the outdoor restaurant. The brightly lit bulbs that lit the place and the green leaf decoration that acted as a roof above the restaurant made it look spontaneous. It didn't take long to spot Jinwoo sitting on the table in the middle of the restaurant. There weren't many people around, so he easily noticed me as well. He stood up from his chair as I walked over.
"Hi, Jinwoo," I said when I got to the table. "I didn't take too long, did I?"
"No, not all," he said as he pulled out the wooden chair for me.
I sat down, and he went over to take his seat. We sat facing each other, and I couldn't help but blush. I still wore the disguise, and I'm surprised that Jinwoo recognized me. He also wore a black mask covering the lower part of his face, and I can't help but notice the blue jean jacket and black shirt that he wore with matching black jeans and white canvas shoes. He looked so cool. Why am I blushing so much?
"The others aren't going to be worried about you disappearing on them, are they?" Jinwoo asked.
"Nah." I playfully shook my head. "They will be fine. I bet they think I went over to the dumpling shop and will be back soon."
"Anyway," said Jinwoo as he picked up the menu on the table. "Let's order before it gets too late. There's a special Korean cuisine that I would like for you to try out. Will that be fine?"
"Ah." I was caught absentminded for a bit, as I couldn't stop staring at Jinwoo. When he asked, his eyes found mine staring at him, and I felt like hiding under the table in embarrassment. I cleared my throat to answer. "Yeah, sure."
I could tell Jinwoo was smiling at me under that mask. He turned to look for the waiter nearby. There was one behind him, and he called out for his attention. The waiter came over, and he talked politely in Korean as Jinwoo made the order.
With all that is going on, I couldn't help but blush so much, and my heart beat fast with each dying minute. This whole thing felt more like a date. Is it? I don't think so, but I wonder what Jinwoo thinks of this. Maybe I shouldn't ask. Gosh, I swallowed as I tried to prevent a squeal from leaving my mouth.
This is going to be a long night.