5/17

Okay. Here's the thing.

I'm trying really hard. I mean REALLY hard. I know somewhere deep down inside I AM a strong, independent woman who doesn't get hurt over stupid boys. But the truth is...... Thoughts about 민규 (Mingyu) are constantly swarming my mind. I have had plenty of boyfriends and never once felt the way for any of them as I had for him. I'm confused, hurt, and emotionally exhausted. So yes, I'm eating my feelings in the form of a delicious vegan cake. Yes, I've built up a somewhat monotonous routine of going to the same bakery every single day because I'm too drained to find another place I feel comfortable eating. My chest physically aches and I can't understand it. 

But I'm trying.

I try to still enjoy my time in my all time favorite place on Earth. But even Heaven can only be so much fun by yourself. 

After a measly salad for lunch I dragged myself out of the house for a smoothie. It was all I could stomach, and it was honestly difficult even to convince myself to have it. I dressed it up the same as the day before, coconut and mung bean with a shot of espresso.

It was really good.

On my way to Smoothie King, I walked through the heart of 신촌 (Sinchon) to see how the set up process for the weekend festival was going. Walls were built up to act as a temporary museum, on the left a history of the area and on the right was original paintings in psychedelic tones.

Beyond the mini-seum was a street full of beer vendors and a couple of food stands. There was free sampling, and I made note to take 윤재 (Yoonjae) later that evening.

"Excuse me!" A small female voice called. A flock of Korean girls with a microphone and selfie stick huddled around me. She politely asks if I have time to play a jeopardy style game based on Korean knowledge. I oblige seeing no harm. The first two questions I miss, but the third I guess correctly! They give me some skin care products as a prize, and ask if I would dance or sing for their live broadcast. I honestly don't care if I look like a crazy foreigner anymore. Dancing in the streets was something Korea was just going to have to accept about me. So I was happily surprised when the song they choose was by black pink. My improv moves prevailed.

Immediately after we finished, another group of girls interviewed me with a questionaire about the festival. They were a part of a school paper press and wanted to hear my thoughts. 

Next I find myself in front of an 오뚜기 (Ottogi) stand that's advertising their three minute meals with a game. Contestants were blindfolded, and then given a stopwatch. The goal was to stop the timer when you thought three minutes had passed. I misunderstood and thought it was after 1 minute. But whatever, they gave me a special 오뚜기 spoon as consolation.

I noticed as I continue to Smoothie King that the streets had become 50 shades of blue, as people were decked out in 연대 (Yeondae | Yeonsei University) spirit. I wanted in on the action. So I cross the street into 연대 territory and hunt down the souvenir shop. I got a university tshirt, and a group of girls gave me a temporary tattoo free of charge.

So I was well equipped for the day's events.

I return home and grab small bite to eat before meeting 윤재 outside of Uplex. A live band is playing nearby, children are chasing each other, parents chatting easily with a beer in hand, and lights as far as the eye could see. We also meet her friend visiting Korea from Japan for a work event. Toka is in his 30s but I'm still the tallest of us all. We make make a little beer sampling tour down around 신촌, then cross into 연대 only to find that the night's events had already come to an end, and that the party was moving elsewhere.

We settled to meet back in 홍대 (Hongdae), as I had to run home quickly and change. It was getting COLD.

We plan to congregate again in Playground park, as I wait, I manage to wind up in the midst of a dance competition. Both foreigners and natives a part of the university sponsored show, I was mistaken for one of the performers. 

When in Rome... am I right?

That was the wildest version of Boombayah that I've ever done.

As I finished my surprise appearance, 윤재 and Toka approach me, noting that they were surprised to see me at the center of the crowd. I admit that I was, too.

They had purchased some tempura seafood and vegetables, and we snack on them while sipping on 막걸리 (makgeolli). After finishing, we head down to Mike's Cabin, as stamps are free with the purchase of a drink before 11 pm. As we're walking and making bubbly conversation, my eye catches a handsome gentleman. He was tall, broad shoulders and a bit dark... definitely my type.

And then I realized why.

It was 민규 (Mingyu).

I hide my face but it was useless, he had to have seen me. I notify the two as we're a safe distance away that he is my ex. And I suspected it wouldn't be the last I'd see of him.

In Mike's, Tako treats us to bears and we dance to early 2000s jams and Portugese pop music while we sip. After finishing, we agree to head over to Thursday Party where we planned to meet another of 윤재's friends. The crowd was impossible to break through in order to get drinks, but somehow Tako prevails, treating us to another round as we manage to find a table. My eyes scan the crowd, half checking to see if there was any interesting boys that WOULDN'T break my heart (not that I have a radar for that) and half making sure that 민규 hadn't chosen Thursday Party as his next bar hop as well. As a semi-tall individual (in heels) I am generally pretty good at picking out guys of greater height. My gaze set on a modestly stylish boy, slim and a bit frail in posture but with a handsome face and eyes with a boyish sparkle. 

"Oh!" 윤재 cries excitedly. "My friend!" 

Wow. Am I one for the books.

We dip our heads in a friendly greeting, him introducing himself as 진환 (JinHwan). We drink together but the music is deafening and terrible so we agree to head next door to Cocky Pub. As we're getting up to leave, we pass 민규 and his friend as they enter the busy bar. I do my best not to avoid him and move on to the next pub. 

Once there I suggest to the boys we have a round of Kozels, and they're more than pleased with my recommendation. This is around the time that I learn 진환 is not much for words... but is a great listener and even better dart player. He barely utters a word, not in Korean or English. I can't really tell if he speaks English all that well... but whatever.

We agree that we'd had enough of all the sitting and it was time for some dancing. 윤재 leads us to Gogos, where she has ins with the bouncers and got us all in for free. And her and I a free drink. Love being a girl. Love.

Inside is a mix of a bar and a club. Standing tables mostly clutter the room, but almost no one was paying them any mind as they danced their hearts out. A pool table sat in the closed off corner, and the bar and dj both rounded the walls. Its a really awkward layout for a club or a bar, but the vibe and music was fantastic. Painted in red, we loosen up with the tightly knit crowd. I love dancing, and I'm not one to shy away from a crowd. I waste no time before abandoning my vodka orange in turn for the more preferable activity. 진 was finally coming out of his shell, and it turned out he was a pretty good dancer. We danced side by side a lot... sometimes together, then I smacked him lightly on the arm for making a move on me. He smacked me back. Our signature dance move? Cat fighting.

 It seemed I had some sort of magnetic field around me, as strangers formed a circle with us, mimicking each series of moves I'd make. It was the cutest thing ever. A awkward looking boy who was a bit pudgy nodded his head behind me, obviously a bit out of his comfort zone. I smile kindly at him and drag him into our circle. No one gets left behind. Not when the 막걸리 mom is afoot.

The club is small, with not too many people but enough to make it appear full. The music was a good mix of oldies and newbies and Korean, Brazillian, and American. It was easy for us to spend a large portion of our night there. 

But we are Korean after all.

So we eventually rounded each other up and set off for 3,900 포차 (pocha | drinking/eating place???)! Along with us came 윤재's American coworker, Anna. From Texas, Anna had either had a bit too much to drink or... no she definitely had a bit too much to drink. She was in bad shape, so I offered for her to join us so she could get some substance in her.

Big Mistake.

The trip to 3,900 was supposed to take only a few minutes by foot. It turned into a 20 minute ordeal, with us having to convince Anna again and again that she was welcome to be with us and that we didn't think she was a fifth wheel... although she was becoming somewhat of a fifth anchor. 

Finally we arrive, seated by a man who is what I can only describe as a very jolly, Korean Guy Fieri. This man had shining, spiky silver hair, tan skin, and sTYLE BABY.

We order 곌란 말리 (gyellan malri | rolled egg), 전 (jeon), and 김치 찌개  (kimchi jjigae | kimchi stew). It was all very delicious, but what isn't when its 3 am and you've been partying all night. 

Unfortunately, it was difficult to be enjoyed as Anna continuously dropped her chopsticks on the floor, spilled hot soup on 윤재's white skirt, knocked over cups, ate the majority of the food, and got up suddenly and left. We were all a bit relieved at this point... until she came back.

She was not a very nice drunk either. 

Finally she disappears again, and we make a mad dash for it. We take the opportunity to grab our belongings, pay and 가자 before she came back.

But, when you gotta pee... you gotta pee.

I was first, the boys paid as I did which was really kind of them. Then 윤재 mentioned she needed to use the restroom as well, so the two gentleman and I waited downstairs just outside the entrance. As 윤재 met us, 진 (Jin) admits he, too, needed to use the restroom. He runs back up the stairs and into the restaurant, returning rather quickly. A shy boy, who can't find the bathroom. 

I, a non-native Korean, had to march up the stairs with him, only to ask, IN KOREAN, for a NATIVE KOREAN WHO IS FLUENT IN KOREAN, where the bathroom was. 

It was then that we found out the restaurant had one more level, and the men's bathroom was up stairs.

So I take a seat as I wait for 진 to return. He appears at the top of the stairs, and lo and behold

So does Anna.

Clearly she's gotten worse, and according to 진 he found her fighting with random tables upstairs. I'm not even sure if he got to go to the bathroom. 

So he half carries her down the stairs, but she trips on the second to last step and she drags both of them to the ground. I cringe, Anna hit her head on the floor, 진 hit his back on the stairs. Mind you 진 and I are both fairly sober at this point. It was all Anna.

So 진 and I pick her up and together we carry her downstairs to the others, who seemed just as shocked to see her... as she falls again.

She then storms off angrily. 

Charming.

So Toka mentions that he would need to work again in the morning, and he was going to take a taxi back home. With just the three of us, we decided to go back to Thursday Party with the remaining opening hours. As we walk, I noticed an American clinging at the side of a particularly handsome Kor....................................

No.

Please, please say no.

Yup. It was 민규 with another American girl, hand in hand.

My heart sinks, and even my power of positivism could no revive me. We took a seat in Thursday Party but it was clear that the chakras had been unaligned. I felt awful and tried my best to be normal, but it just hurt so much.

Thursday Party closes, and we are escorted outside. 진 and 윤재 walk with me back to 신촌. 윤재 boards a bus home and I walk with 진 to the subway, since that's my secret passage to my home anyway. We cross the street, the counter ticking down too quickly for us to cross. 진 grabs my hand and pulls me along with him as we do our best not to become road kill. We make it safely.......... but he doesn't let go. 

Okay then. Sure. Okay. Fine.

Here the heck we go again. 

As we walk, I give him crap for being so quiet and mumbly. I kept saying "네? 네? 네? (ne? | huh?)". He took this as me not being able to understand in Korean. So, in perfectly unaccented, fluent English, he repeats himself.

Sir.

............wtf.

I look at him like I'd just seen a pig fly. "YOU SPOKE ENGLISH THIS WHOLE TIME?"

I had been repeating myself all night in both languages so that both Toka and 진 could understand me. BUT HE SPOKE ENGLSIHRGNEFIGONERGOI.

He just nods.

With that we enter the subway station and I thank him for walking me home. I do something I ain't EVER done, and give him a peck on the cheek for his chivalry all night. A really big smile grows on his face and he kisses my cheek and wraps me in a hug. 

My face flushed and I tell him to go safely. I walk up the MOUNTAinOUS hill to my apartment which is way worse in heels. And in my bed I fall happily asleep.

Honestly I would love to hear reader's comments and thoughts on this one.