KR Travelogue Day5g: A Roller Coaster of Emotions

Let me open up this chapter with a little short story on, earrings. :P You see, for the 2.5 years that I worked for Intel, I lost quite a number of them. There’s the other pair of my white gold circle (given to me by my Tita), a white pearl, a flowery stud (from Bangkok again a gift from my same Tita), a black chandelier and so on. The reason for the loss is not robbery, misplacement or whatsoever, just purely negligence on my part. I don’t know why I never learned from my first loss.

It was a Friday after work, 3 steps away from where I stepped down from our company shuttle service; I inspected myself and found the left pair missing. A review of my previous actions revealed that I slept in the bus with my head tilted to the next vacant seat probably the reason why the earring got loose and fell. I tried to make some corrective actions after this but how can I? I always find myself waking up just in time to where I’m supposed to drop off (what with the 7 am sked and well, tiresome load) and I am too hurried packing my things to even notice myself. That’s how sweet my life was before. :P

If there’s one thing I badly needed as a replacement for all those I lost, it would have to be my black chandelier. My black dresses seemed “bare” without a nice dangling pair that hung from my ears. For the last 8 months I’ve been searching for something that would match the stylishness of that I lost but I was unsuccessful. Hence, when I saw an earrings stall with words SALE on it in Dong Dae Mun, I asked the guys to excuse me for a while and just wait for me on the end of the street so they can make way for the other women who were all on the rage on the store as well. Among the arrays of earrings displayed, I found this very charming pair with a diamond-shape cut of black gem in the middle (I don’t think it’s onyx) and it has a dangling gem of the same stone in the shape of a raindrop for a price of 5,000 KRW. It was a recherché. That was my night’s first surge of pure joy. I may not have enough money to buy all the nice things here but atleast I bought something for myself before we leave. I’m contented. Even with the misery of this night, I know how to feel that word. :P

I instantly spotted Dien and Lawrence among the sea of people waiting for me on the corner. I can’t help beaming as I walk towards them. I was so proud with my purchase and I want to show it to them as though I’m a child who just received a star award in her class. About two steps away from them,

“Hey guys! Look at what I bought.” I was about to pull off the pair from my pocket when,

“KC, we saw Samuel, “ – heart stoppage – “He passed by!!”

“Huuwaaaattt??? WHERE????” I didn’t wait for their answer, swiveled my head to the left, to the right (to almost a full 360 degrees actually) trying to find that face that stands out among the crowd, that same face I’ve been longing to see. But there’s none.

When at last I saw the two conniving guys smiling, I felt my cheeks stain pink and decided to hate myself for falling into their blarney. Aaargh, these MEN!! How could they do this to me? How can they be so bloody obtuse?? How dare of them to go and play with my emotions?? Didn’t they know how crestfallen I already am being penniless and Samuel-less?? Some guys can be just plain INSENSITIVE!! I gave them each my murderous glance and proceeded uttering my most meant I hate yous in the world. I felt like giving them additional blows using my bag when Lawrence explained that they really saw Samuel. He was with Massy and according to him he looked for me. Before I further burst into the correct emotions, I made him swear up and down that it’s true. And yes, it is.

The ground felt like wobbling beneath me. This news was just another ingredient to add to my already pathetic stew of emotions. I mean there I was, asking a sign from above – which I rarely do – if there’s something like a grand plan for the two of us and maybe that was the answer to it being presented before me and all but where was I??? Where was I?? There I was in pursuit of a much priced possession, my so-called precious earrings???? I don’t want them anymore!! I want to throw it away; I want to run away and look for him, I want to…I want to cry!! Waaaaahhh!!! =,((

But wait. I know this scene. I’ve seen this a hundred times before in the movies and drama series. It’s that same scene when Jasmine and Julian of My Girl were about to meet in the 63rd floor of the tallest building in Seoul. Just in time that the guy made it up there and walked out of the lift, was the same time that the door opened for the girl to go down. Geese, there are hundreds of instances like this and I don’t know why the one which my brain filtered had to be the one that matches the current setting, Korea!! But that’s not the point. The gist here is that, these stories end up in a happy ending. Right??? Am I right?? I know there will be. I’ve just got to believe in it.

One guy told me before not to compare my lovelife with those in the movies. That it’s not something directed to capture the audience’s emotion with its climaxes and the they-live-happily-ever-afters. I know he’s correct but what can I do? I’m such a hopeless romantic!! *sigh*

Once again I snapped and noticed that the two are already a few steps away from me. Lawrence was talking to an old man and Dien was inspecting on some items for his girlfriend from the same underpass we passed by two hours ago. Really, I wanted to be subtle about it but there’s no way doing it than be callous-faced about it.

“Uhmmm Dien, did Samuel really look for me??” Please say yes. Please say yes.

“Oh yes!!” Hope sprang eternal. “You can even ask him about it tomorrow.” Dien added.

Duh?!?! As if I'm really going to confirm it to him. I'm not even sure if we'll still see each other again. I mean yes, we're all staying in the same hotel but there are no more trainings or any scheduled activities left for us. We're all on our own. How?? But there's something about the way Dien mentioned tomorrow that made me anticipate it in a new light. It's like a strong conviction that we'll really meet again. Maybe it's the happy ending anticipation. Maybe, just maybe........

(continue)