From Seoul With Love✅

10; K-Drama Conundrum.

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By the time Amina arrived home, she was utterly exhausted. Her entire body ached, and she wearily trudged into the apartment, tossing her bag aside without concern for where it landed.

The issue of where the bag ended up could wait until later, when she wasn't completely drained and struggling to move her limbs.

Glancing at the digital clock resting on the coffee table, she noted that it read 8:37 PM. Despite her work ending at 4:00 PM, she had to stay extra hours to complete the tasks assigned by Veronica; otherwise, she would never hear the end of it.

Already, she had received an earful due to the Hanbok incident. Not only did she return a little past two, but she encountered heavy traffic on her way back. Additionally, arranging the rental of twelve hanboks proved to be no easy task, and transporting them was even more challenging. Nevertheless, she managed.

Luckily, she didn't have to pay for the hanboks out of her own pocket since they were quite expensive, which came as a surprise. Amina admitted to herself that it felt amazing to see them in person after watching them in numerous historical dramas—she always found them adorable.

However, what made the whole situation even better, and why she wasn't bothered by Veronica's scolding, was her preoccupation with a particular olive-skinned, six-foot-tall man she had met at the Hanbok place.

He had been incredibly nice and kind, causing her to develop a crush on him, reminiscent of a teenage girl experiencing her first infatuation. How could she resist when he had been nothing but friendly, offering helpful suggestions for choosing appropriate hanboks and arranging their transportation?

"Gomap-seumnida; thank you," she uttered as they loaded the hanboks, after pondering for a moment. She didn't want to say anything wrong and embarrass herself.

The reason she decided to speak a few Korean phrases, despite her limited knowledge, was because he appeared fluent in the language. He had been the one to communicate with the hanbok transporters since they didn't understand English. In contrast, Amina stood there, unsure of how to interact with them.

Thankfully, he came to her rescue almost instantly, realizing from her failed attempts at English communication that she wasn't proficient. It didn't surprise him, given her obvious non-Korean appearance and behavior.

Imagining the surprise and amusement that masked his features upon hearing her speak Korean, she couldn't help but respond, "Hangugeo haseyo? You speak Korean?" His tone was tinged with unfiltered amusement.

Nervously fidgeting with her fingers behind her back, she shrugged with a slightly sheepish smile. "Hangugeo-leul jogeumhanda; I speak Korean a little bit," she corrected, clearly indicating that she was still learning. "I'm new around here and trying to get the hang of it."

She had no other choice. Without subtitles, she had to rely on learning what she could from the internet and constantly improving her language skills, knowing that she would be there for a while. The sooner she adapted, the easier life would become.

He nodded in understanding, without passing any judgment. If anything, his warm smile only grew slightly wider. "Well, in that case, cheonmaneyo, you're welcome."

Returning his smile, she briefly folded her lips to suppress a wider grin. Unfortunately, she couldn't stand there and chat with him as much as she wanted. Veronica's face intruded into her thoughts, shattering the bubble of budding affection.