Behind The Scene

The five days they had to spend together in that tiny apartment passed by much more quickly than they had anticipated. Typically, they would only get together at the apartment at night, following a day of exploring the town and getting their bearings. From time to time, they would hang out together if their plans for the day matched. If not, they would get a meal at noon or at night to keep up the "team building" attitude that Ms. Kang talked to them about when she stopped by two days after the events of the previous chapter. They were able to visit the SM building and the Seoul Tower, which the five of them had always wanted to do, by making the most of the inexpensive transportation tickets. They wanted to do so much, until it got to the point where, to avoid spending a fortune on useless trinkets and to avoid seeing the entire country in just five days, they had to fight against their own self.

Those shared moments, although they did not make them close enough to be considered friends, helped them in the process of getting along more or less well. And despite Kai's tendency to be way too messy and loud no matter the time of the day, which would annoy them to no end, they were still able to avoid killing one another. A miracle, in my opinion, given that Arya once came pretty close to pulling the kitchen's knife after discovering the Hawaiian's umpteenth dirty tissue on her bed. But as the saying goes, the strongest bonds are forged in the midst of conflict, and so I have a feeling they'll soon be sharing more than just a meal.

And to be completely honest with you, it would be a first for each of them. Call it being introverted or not fitting in, but none of our protagonists has ever been able to create a strong relationship in their lives. Even if they didn't admit it at the time when they discussed their personal reasons for the exchange, they all expect to finally be able to step outside of their comfort zones and perhaps form a once-in-a-lifetime friendship in a country where the codes are so different from what they are used to. Though it may sound absurd, when you're accustomed to being by yourself and feeling lonely, you sometimes allow yourself to daydream, and for them, the entire trip is a part of that dream. And even the few moments they had spent together over the past five days were enough to make them feel more alive than they had for the past twenty years, and they were secretly praying for all of this to never come to an end. Of course, finding friendship is not the only reason for five young adults to uproot their lives from everything they've ever known, even if it's just for a year. However, we will get to that later, after they have grown accustomed to one another and have shared more than just a meal.

So let's skip the depressing part for now, as we are on the 16th of August, the day when classes officially begin. They received word via mail that, due to a last-minute change, they would actually be welcomed at the Seoul National University's Fashion Building on Tuesday, despite all of them believing for nearly a week that school would begin on Monday. And given that it is Tuesday today, the entire small group is giddy and keeps running around the condo, bumping into one another every two minutes. Nai almost starts crying multiple times in less than twenty minutes, suggesting that their restless night did little to help. They check their bags about twenty-four times to make sure nothing is missing, and then the five of them make their way to where they are supposed to.

With the warm but not hot temperature, the sun brightly shining, and little to no cloud in the sky, today already seems promising. To top it off, they are expected to move to their actual room as soon as they return, which should be around 1 p.m. because their back-to-class day is only a morning long.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that their destination is only 15 minutes away, their anxiety forces them to leave their home 45 minutes prior to the start of their class. And so it is with heavy hearts that they walk slowly, each one of them expressing their fears about the upcoming day. But the anticipation of finally learning where they will be doing their internship, however, takes precedence over everything else. Undoubtedly, a significant portion of today's schedule involved getting to know their professors, classmates, and the university in general, but, let's face it, fashion designers are more interested in honing their skills than anything else.

As they are talking and laughing, twenty minutes go by, and they finally reach the huge main gate, giving them sparkles in their eyes. It is currently 7.35 a.m., and their introduction class starts at 8, giving them twenty-five more minutes to look around the huge campus. And to only say that it is huge would be an understatement, as the entire school's grounds are even larger than one million square meters. Between the cafeterias, the libraries, and even the museum, a whole day wouldn't even be enough to visit it all, let alone in less than half an hour. Because of this, after only a cursory glance around, our small group decides to wait for the person in charge of welcoming them in front of the amphitheater.

It takes another twenty minutes before someone finally opens the door to the room, inviting them inside to sit down. He is a tall man, possibly in his early forties, who introduces himself as Mr. Yoo Jae-Chan, the teacher in charge of their program. They are soon joined by about twenty Korean students enrolled in the fall program. For those who may not be aware, the spring semester (the start of the Korean school year) typically begins in March. However, some college students choose to enroll in the fall semester, which begins in August. But anyway, let's go back to the teacher, who is currently going through the way this year is going to play out, just in case someone arrived completely unaware of the work-study basis. Not that that person would be here if that were the case, but we never know, I guess.

Adrenaline rushes, which were the only thing keeping them awake during the hour-long lecture about the classes' functioning, quickly give way to excitement the second the teacher pronounces the long-awaited sentence:

"Let's now talk about your internship."

Not only the five international students, but all of the audience, straightened up on their seats after hearing the announcement, ready to learn more about the sole reason for their presence today.

"Okay, so first of all, know that we have divided your class into groups of five people. Each group will be assigned to a different internship site. There was supposed to be a rotation in the company you would be assigned to, but we finally settled on letting you get used to a single place. Who knows, you might as well graduate with a job guarantee since this is already the final year for some of you."

A loud whisper goes through the whole amphitheater as everyone is wondering who they might end up with and where they will go. Asking for a little more silence, Mr. Yoo continues:

"I will first announce the composition of the group and once you are done moving next to your group mates I will let you know about the company you will be assigned to"

And so once the groups are formed, with our protagonists obviously being in the same one, the middle-aged man takes out the other piece of paper with the long-awaited corporation's names written on it.

"Let's start with our foreigners, Meri, Nai, Arya, Kai and Ailen. You guys will be assigned to..."

Taking a break in the middle of his sentence, the teacher looks up and down from his note to his students for a whole five seconds before clearing his throat.

"You guys will be assigned to BE:Lift Lab's stylist team" 

Here goes the fourth chapter, a little bit shorter because I didn't want unnecessarily drag it out. 

Hoping you still enjoyed it, see you next time ~