My boyfriend is Lee Min-ho

Chapter One - Welcome to Konkuk University

The plane ride hadn't been exactly satisfactory pleasant. Try sitting cramped up in a compartment for six odd hours not getting much exercise nor food without any TV. And I wasn't even anybody tall. I was just five foot two and I was already complaining about the discomfort. I couldn't imagine how anybody taller survived those hours. I promised myself that I would book myself a sensible flight back home six months later.

I arrived Seoul in the middle of June where the weather was warm and humid, but nothing different from home. I was used to the wet hot humid weather every day of my life. I hadn't brought along many clothes nor winter ones since I was told I could get really nice and reasonably-priced ones in Korea itself.

My first culture shock was of course the language barrier. Even though I thought I was good enough for Korea, I hadn't much practice with actual speakers. So when I landed in the airport, my first barrier was I couldn't understand the announcements, not that I needed to anyway. Thank god, I managed to do well in reading those squarish characters and exit the immigration - took me quite some time at it too.

There was nothing really much different in Seoul as of compared to back home since I was after all, still in Asia. I couldn't very much expect to see people of different skin, could I?

Anyway, to cut the story short of crap, I managed my way to my destination after twists and turns - at the Konkuk University via the train. It was thank goodness they had a station specifically for the University which made my traveling so much more convenient. I wished we had the same back home. I had googled the University before I came; took a look through all the pictures and stuff. I must admit I was a little disappointed that it looked pretty ordinary. Well, i had hoped that it might be some historical campus with beautiful stone walls where I could take memory pictures. In the end, it was a pretty modern architecture just like my own college.

But!

The notable thing was the list of alumni they produced. Member of SHINee Choi Minho; member of B2ST Dong Woon; member of TVXQ Shim Changmin; not forgetting Yoo Ah-in and actor Lee Min-ho were all graduates of this university. Okay, if you have no idea who these people are, you seriously need to work on your K-pop knowledge. That was the other reason why I opted for Seoul. Well if this college produced so many pop stars, it must be quite a good one, ain't it? And I was honoured to be here. Who knows, I might even see one of them! Korean stars were well-known to visit their alma maters during their career. Or maybe, I might even meet a friend or two who were aspiring k-star. My my, I was really getting excited just thinking about it!

The University offered accommodation for foreign students in their inhouse dormitory KU:L House which was said could accommodate the most number of students amidst the universities of Seoul. The locals did not stay in the dormitories; most of them go home except for those who were not from Seoul.

"Good afternoon!" a korean lady greeted me with a polite bow and smile. Koreans, similar to Japanese, were very polite people who bowed out of respect and extremely clear on their hierarchy. You had to greet your seniors the rightful way whether male or female or whether they were a year or fifty years older than you. That was the Korean culture.

"Hi, good afternoon," I, well, bowed in return awkwardly before I flashed my polite smile. I handed her my letter.

"Miss Ashlyn," she stood up. She was clearly a head taller than me, making me feel like a little dwarf. "Welcome to Konkuk University," she said with an Americanized English accent. She passed me a package which had been set aside on the desk along with many others same packages. I believed those must be for others like me. I wondered if there would be many other exchange students. "This is the orientation package. Please read them through. You can find all the information about KonKuk University inside."