Chapter 1 - Of All Days

"Hannah." My mother stood with me at the security check at the airport. There were tears in her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace.

"I will miss you, mom." Tears began to spill down my cheeks.

She gently broke free of the embrace. "Take care of yourself. I know this is a huge opportunity for you. Let me take a look at you one last time." She placed her hands on my shoulders and stared into my face. She wiped my stray tears away.

"Mom, it's not like I will never see you again." I hiccupped.

"I know. But you will be moving half a world away. I will worry about you."

"Worry about the family. Dad and Marie will be a big enough handful."

"Ah, your sister. I don't know what I'm going to do with her."

I stifled a laugh. "She'll be fine." I leaned forward and gave my mother a kiss on her cheek. "I have to go now."

"My daughter is all grown up now. Call me often."

"I will. And once I've established myself, I'll send tickets for the family to visit."

"I love you, Hannah."

"I love you, too." With one final hug, I grabbed my suitcase, readied my passport and headed through the security checkpoint. I couldn't bear to look behind. As much as I wanted to intern at YG Entertainment, I also felt frightened of leaving my home behind.

I never thought when I submitted a demo tape of songs that I'd hear a call from YG. They told me they saw potential. Their head producer, Teddy, specifically requested that I intern under him. An email quickly followed with an e-ticket to Seoul. First-class. Although I didn't have the confidence to believe I was good enough to pass the internship, I had to try.

I showed my passport at the security checkpoint. They scanned my luggage and, once cleared, I headed towards the gate.

Both of my parents were from South Korea, but they had moved to Toronto before my sister and I were born. My Korean name is Song Ha Na, but most people knew me as Hannah Song. The English version was easier for people to accept. Although raised in the Western part of the world, my parents incorporated the Korean language into my daily life. Communicating once I got to Seoul wouldn't be a problem, and for that I was thankful.

Once I saw the gate, I found a seat and pulled out my phone. I took a selfie and uploaded it to Facebook with the caption "On my way to Seoul! Will miss you all! Wish me luck!" Within moments, I had likes and comments from my friends. I smiled bitter sweetly and put the phone back in my purse.

It seemed like an eternity passed as I waited to begin boarding. I was embarking on a new life, but at that very moment I was bored. I decided to people watch. People watching at airports was always exciting. Such a diverse set of people all going about their day; scurrying around in a hurry. My eye caught two gentlemen. Both seemed to be roughly the same age, both Asian, perhaps Korean. The one wore casual clothes. Jeans. T-Shirt. Sweater. The other one struck me as odd. He wore a suit and had a black medical mask over his nose and mouth. Sunglasses covered his eyes. What, did he think he was some celebrity? It did take all kinds, I guess. I watched the two of them converse, wondering what they were talking about. Finally, the attendant called for passengers to begin boarding.

One of the perks of being first class is that you get to board the plane before anyone else. I placed my carry-on in the overhead compartment and settled into the window seat.

"I believe that seat is mine." I looked up and saw Mr. Incognito staring down at me with his ticket in my face.

"Ah, so it is. My apologies." I got up and moved to the aisle so he could get into his seat. I was disappointed that I would have to sit near the aisle, but still, it was first class, and the seats were comfortable and roomy. It wasn't all that bad.

He took his seat and stared out the window. Seriously, what was his problem? I saw the guy he was with head back to coach. Maybe they didn't know each other after all?

I pulled out my phone once more and began to play a game at a very low volume.

"Can you turn that down? It's irritating." He said without looking from the window. I stuck my tongue out at him and dug my earbuds out of my purse. It was going to be a long flight.

Once the plane was up in the sky, the attendant came by and took our drink order. I decided to order champagne. Why not? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in first-class, do as the entitled do. I switched from my game to playing some songs. I flipped through my playlist to one of my favorite bands: Bigbang. They were the reason I wanted to become a songwriter and a producer at YG Entertainment. Their music made me feel inspired. I leaned back and closed my eyes. My head became full with the beautiful sounds of one of their older songs, Haru Haru. Without realizing it, I hummed along, eyes closed and daydreaming about what my life would be like now. Suddenly the music cut off and my eyes sprang wide open. Mr. Incognito was apparently Mr. Arrogant as well. He had his finger on the pause button on my phone's touch screen.

"Are you doing this because you know who I am?" He asked accusingly.

"Doing what?"

"Listening to that." He pointed at my phone.

"Look, dude. I don't even know you and I don't care to. Now, if you don't mind, keep your paws off my stuff. I'm not even bothering you. And seriously, what is with that ridiculous getup? Sunglasses and a mask, honestly..." I scoffed.

His face turned crimson red and he shot a look of death at me. I shrugged and turned the music back on before he could protest. Why did I have to share this row with such a jerk. I closed my eyes again and listened to the next song on the playlist.

I fell asleep and began to dream about all sorts of things. It was one of those meandering dreams that made no sense. Pictures of my family fluttered through my head along with scenarios that didn't make any sense at all. I felt a sharp nudge at my arm and my eyes flew open. There was that jerk staring at me.

"What?!" I asked exasperated.

"You were snoring."

Slightly embarrassed, I apologized. Inside I was ready to punch this guy's lights out.

We hit a rough patch of turbulence, and I quickly went to brace the armrest. In my haste to do so, I knocked over his glass of wine and it soaked his pants. Some had splashed up onto his shirt and suit jacket. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"I am so sorry!" I said and grabbed a few tissues from my purse. I quickly started to dab his shirt and pants. He grabbed my hand and roughly pushed it away.

"I just bought this suit and now it's ruined thanks to you!" He said with disgust.

"It's not my fault there was turbulence! I'll pay for your suit. How much? $200?"

For the first time since I saw him, he laughed. But it was a nasty laugh. He took off his sunglasses and pulled down his mask. I couldn't hide my shock. It was TOP from Bigbang. No wonder he was doing so much to hide his identity. "Kid, this is a tailor-made Armani suit. Try $5,000."

My heart sank. I was embarrassed, angry and starstruck all at the same time. "So...I'll cover the dry cleaning?" I mustered an apologetic smile.

"If you can't afford anything more than dry cleaning, what is a person like you doing in first class? Don't bother." A person like me? What was that supposed to mean? He didn't even know me! His scowl continued as he flagged the attendant over.

"Yes, sir?" She smiled a fake sort of smile expected of those in a position of customer service.

"Are there any other seats available?" He nastily asked as he peered at me.

"Well, we have two empty seats towards the front of first class..." She offered.

He didn't even let her finish. He stood up swiftly, pushed passed me and found his new seat. I watched him as he stormed away. What were the odds of me being on the same flight as TOP? I felt like my internship ended before it even began. Certainly once he arrived in Seoul, he would tell people at the company about this rude girl he had to sit next to on the airplane. Then he'd realize I was working at his company and it would be all over. Still, if I thought he was a jerk before, he was just upgraded to asshole status. I just couldn't believe that one of the members from Bigbang could be so mean. I saw TOP practically throw himself backward into the seat a few rows ahead of me. I smacked myself on the head and chastised myself, "Stupid, stupid girl!" The passengers in the row across from mine looked at me is if I was crazy. I gave them a small smile and pressed myself against the window, hoping to disappear.

I tried not to let this ruin the beginning of my new life. I put my earbuds back in, pressed play, and listened to "Somebody to Love." The music helped to calm me down somewhat, but I dreaded landing in a few more hours. My life was in fate's hands.