Call Me Noona

Chapter 1 - Arrival (Edited)

I turned and waved as my best friend drove away from the airport drop-off, the butterflies in my stomach already doing backflips. I was on my way to Seoul for my dream vacation. For their 10th debut anniversary, Monsta X released another English-language single and had a contest for international fans only. One uber-lucky Monbebe would fly to South Korea to be the guest of Monsta X at a special anniversary fan meeting and an even more special "first date" with the guys. I was that uber-lucky Monbebe. I am still pinching myself to see if it was real.

I had been saving for a long-overdue trip to the beach, so I used it to secure a few more days in South Korea instead. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I was not going to waste it. I had made the flight changes and reserved a room for an additional week. 2 weeks was still not enough time to do everything, but it would have to do for now. Maybe next year I could come back and see the cherry blossoms. I was about a month too late for that. I checked my bags and headed to security screening. I asked for my carry-on to be hand checked because inside was a very special gift for Minhyuk. 

It seemed like a lifetime ago, but last year I went the worst heartache of my life, and as awful as it was, the fight for Wonho when he was so viciously attacked with lies and accusations, had given me something to focus on. I poured all my pain, and quite a bit of hope, into my art.

My job as business manager and curator for a small but well-known gallery in Koreatown afforded me the luxury of displaying and selling some of my own work. My primary focus is photography, but I love painting and drawing as well. My pieces were selling pretty well, and I was building a fan base of my own. My life had fallen apart a few years ago, right around the time that Monsta X was attacked by those psychos. I gained strength from them and they way they remained strong. I used it as inspiration. 

I had given up drawing and painting because I let someone convince me that I was no good. One day I decided to pick up a paintbrush again and haven't looked back. Certain pieces that I created during that time were dear to me and others I wanted to burn. In fact, I did burn a couple and it was very cathartic. It was all part of the healing process. I was able to purge so much pain and anger.

During the incredibly long flight, business class thankfully, I caught up on some episodes of their variety shows that I had missed. I streamed a few videos. I chatted with the sweet little Halmeoni in the next seat. She had been visiting her oldest grandson in America. Her youngest grandson still lived in Korea. I told her of my impending adventure, and she was quite excited for me. She had seen the videos and shows on my screen. She said that she was also a Monbebe and that I have excellent taste. I told her Minhyuk was my favorite and her face lit up. She said her favorite was I.M because he was the adorable maknae, but Shownu was the one who make her heart flutter.

"He needs a good woman in his life," she said when we talked about Minhyuk.

I laughed and said, "I wish. I am much older than him and I seriously doubt his parents would approve."

"You never know, sweetie," she patted my hand and winked at me.

The 14+ hour flight seemed to take forever, and I was anxious to move around and stretch my muscles. The longest flight I had been on before this one was 5 hours to Vegas, with my ex-husband. I guess it was better to have a shorter flight without any layovers, but I really could use a stretch. I tried to relax and take a nap, but my mind was running non-stop. In just a few hours, I would be face to face with Monsta X and the butterflies in my stomach returned. Halmeoni was sleeping well next to me. But then she wasn't about to meet her heroes.

After what felt like days, the aircraft began its descent. I adjusted my seat upright and tried to get a little more comfortable while fastening my seatbelt as instructed. I was able to see tracts of land, rivers, and roads out of the tiny window. As we got closer, I could see bridges and fishing boats on the water. This was Seoul Incheon airport, where I had seen so many airport photos of the guys. What if they were here too! That would be too much, and I might just faint. As it was, I hoped that I would be able to move my legs when we finally disembarked! I needed a shower. And clean clothes. I felt gross and dirty. I covered my long wavy blonde hair with a red bucket hat, like the ones our Changkyunnie loves to wear, and applied some tinted lip balm to my parched lips. It was late afternoon, and the sun was bright through the airplane window, so I slid my sunglasses on as well. That would have to do until I got checked in.