Nikki, Riana, Parker and Melanie are long-time friends. They always wanted to travel together. When Parker invites the others to her model runway in South Korea, the trip extends beyond just one country. They decide to go to 4 countries. It was a tr...
They were all seated at the Hancook restaurant in the North Seoul tower. Riana made sure they were seated near the windows so that they could enjoy the luxury of the view. The restaurant wasn't too crowded, for which Parker was thankful for, she didn't do well in crowds, even back then. They were all glancing at their menu. Parker and Melanie sat on opposite sides, with Nikki next to Melanie and Riana next to Parker. Melanie and Parker placed the menu back on the table, while Nikki was debating with Riana over what local dish she wanted to try. She knew Nikki wanted to try new foods, but she was worried that it might be too much for her to handle all of a sudden. But she didn't say anything.
Nikki ordered Gimbap, Riana ordered Bibimpap, while Parker and Melanie ordered salads. Riana knew Parker would follow her current style of diet only till the runway. She wanted to try the Korean ramen noodles, since forever. The restaurant had quick service and they were out of there in no time. Soon they were hiking up the Bugaksan Mountain.
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They were stunned by the breathtaking views, and Riana was surprised that neither Parker nor Melanie complained about watching the same kind of views, (though Riana thought that they were total idiots for that). Those two, they weren't accustomed to these kinds of experiences. Soon the trouble started. Nikki kept mumbling as they walked on. She kept complaining that she felt sick. Parker took the moment, to scrutinise Nikki for her choice of food, which further infuriated Nikki. Nikki was short-tempered. Before Nikki was able to make her witty comeback, she covered her hands up to her mouth all of a sudden and ran.
Riana, then realised that they should have showed some serious thought on Nikki's rants, as that moment, Nikki threw up in a dugout pit.
After a series of decisions, Nikki was taken to the the hospital after being brought down in a golf cart, while Parker made some calls to get her an emergency appointment at the nearest hospital. The hiking medical centre assured the trio that Nikki was fine, and that her stomach was upset. Nikki was taken to the hospital, nevertheless.
It became dark when they got to the hospital, where they sent in Nikki for a diagnosis, despite Nikki's arguments that she was fine. They had dinner at a nearby restaurant. They cautiously stuck to safe foods, wary of the effects. When they got back, Nikki was looking all healthy, except for her crumpled attire. She was drinking juice from a carton when they walked in. Parker rushed to Nikki, hugging her. She didn't say anything though. Riana asked her how she felt. Melanie just patted her on the back and told that she had given them a scare. Parker agreed.
Riana called the hotel, and booked them a ride back to the hotel. It was late when they got back to the hotel. They were all exhausted from the day's events. The events of the day deterred them from thinking about the events of the next day."Oh my god! Tomorrow's the BTS fan meet", Parker exclaimed as they were about to retire to bed. Nikki who was sprawled on the couch got up with sudden energy, showing no signs of sickness at all. Parker and Nikki exchanged surprised hoorays. Nikki joined Parker back to their room, talking about BTS.
Riana looked around for Melanie, and noticed her lying on the bed. Poor Mel, Riana thought. She had no energy left in her too, and she didn't how and when she fell asleep.
It was still dark and presumably midnight when Riana woke up feeling chilly. The blanket lay beneath her, she had forgotten to go beneath them when she came to sleep. When she turned over, she found that Melanie was missing.
The window on the wall showed the skyscrapers reflecting the night sky. She walked to the bathroom, but it was open. She walked out and noticed all the lights were off except for the light in the corridor connecting the two rooms. She searched all the rooms except for Parker's room. She walked to Parker's room and knocked her door. Nikki opened the door, after a repeated series of knocks. She had changed into a T-shirt and night pants. Her hair was a mess, all dishevelled, with odd bits sticking out. She realised she must be looking the same way, if not worse, as she hadn't changed at all. She alerted Nikki of the matter, who woke up Parker.
The three of them walked to the front door of the suite. They walked out, surveying the length of the corridor for signs of Melanie, but their search was in vain. They tried her phone but she had left it behind, before going God knows where. Riana started getting worried, and they were making their way to the front desk to enquire. The young blonde receptionist sat at the desk, looking at the computer through her glasses. The reception was a huge space which large sofas outlining it on two sides, with potted plants and ceiling length glasses in the place of walls. The area was dead except for the clicking sound of the keyboard. They noticed a man on one of the sofas, dozing. He was looking familiar by the minute. He was the one they had seen in the morning at the cable car ride. Parker made a beeline towards the front desk, without glancing at him.
She informed the receptionist that Melanie wasn't in the suite, and inquired her if she had seen her downstairs. The receptionist replied that she didn't see her in the area and glanced at the couch behind them. The guy had a totally different look now, he had exchanged his suit for a t-shirt and track pants, and wore Adidas flip flops. What was he doing here at this time of the night? He seemed to be asleep on the couch. The three of them sat on the couch next to the one occupied. They were discussing where Melanie might've gone and whether to ask her for the camera footage. Riana sighed, "Where might she be", in a loud voice. This woke him up. Parker was about to reply something when he spoke "I know where she is".
What? Confusion clouded the faces of the girls, by the sudden revelation. "What?", Parker asked, her voice just shy of being a scream or screech. "She's in my room.", he replied quietly. "Come on.", he added getting up and walking towards the elevator. All through the small trip up the elevator, none spoke anything, probably dumbfounded or brainstorming in case of Nikki. He walked to his suite, which was a couple doors next to ours. He opened the suite using his key, and showed us to his room. There Melanie lay, wrapped up in the blanket, as if she didn't have a care in the world, completely unaware of her surroundings. Only then, Parker spoke, " How did she come here?".
"Honestly, I don't know. One moment, I was talking to my associate in the corridor, and the next when I reached my room, she was there.", he replied calmly.
"Why didn't you tell us? You've seen us, right?", Riana enquired. "I didn't know which suite you were in, and the receptionist wouldn't tell me.", he responded.
Nikki observed everything. He seemed to be speaking the truth as everything matched. "So let's take her back to our suite.", Parker popped in, not wanting to be in his suite any longer. Riana and Nikki moved to towards the bed, nudged her to wake up. But she slept like a dead log. She didn't budge. So they picked her up, Nikki supporting her head and shoulder, while Riana took her legs. She had changed into a air of shorts and T-shirt. Before they reached the living room of his suite, they were on the verge of putting her down. They weren't able to carry her through all the furniture with the two of them fumbling around, for the right posture. Seeing, this the guy volunteered to carry her to the room. Nikki and Parker, were thoroughly shook by the idea. But they didn't relent, as they passed her to him. He seemed to lift her with ease. Soon, they were in the safety of their suite. After he put her in bed, he turned to leave. Nikki and Parker walked him out. Nikki said to him, "Thank you...". She paused."Charles", he replied.
"Charles, for keeping her safe. Good Night.", she finished. He just nodded before walking away. They checked upon Riana and Melanie, before going to their room. It was one hell of a day, they had.
