[1] The Outlander's Prologue

For most people, getting on the plane is probably one of the best feelings to ever exist. One gets to see the majestic, cotton candy-like clouds in the day, and the city lights at night, sparkling like they were stars on the ground, just waiting to be captured on a photograph and be placed on social media. Not to mention the good food airline companies provide for their passengers, as well as the kind staff. All-in-all, a plane ride is truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

Not for Zeke, though.

As soon as the plane landed at the Daegu International Airport, the first thing on his mind was to get the hell out of the plane and vomit for as long as he could muster. His first plane flight was an absolute nightmare. And it was a solo flight, too--- he wasn't used to being alone, with strangers, on a height he most likely wouldn't survive should he fall. His excitement to going to South Korea was replaced with fear throughout the flight and there was nothing to distract him--- the TV shows were boring, he wasn't able to sleep properly, and there isn't any Wi-Fi on the plane. Good thing the whole ordeal was over.

As Zeke stepped out of the airport, the cold breeze greeted his face as his hair flowed with the wind as snow lightly fell. He stretched for a while and took a nice, deep breath.

The air in South Korea was different from the air back in the Philippines, too--- he didn't feel like coughing for the first time in ages. This was a change of pace. He needed a vacation, he needed to spend his time elsewhere different--- far from the stress of work and the familiarity of home.

Life wasn't so bad back home. He had a good job as a Human Resource Officer for nearly 3 years, focusing on developing plans for his company. He had good pay, good friends, and a nice view of Manila to top it all off.

However, working from 8 am to 5 pm wasn't Zeke's cup of tea. He wasn't entirely happy, either--- even if he got all the time in the world for his drawing hobby. He was even forced to sell his artworks just to have a stable income, and he hated the sheer thought of having to monetize something that came from his heart. Capitalism was a bitch.

But he pulled through. He had managed to save money for nearly a year and a half, trying not to fall prey to online shopping sales or in-game purchases.

Now, he had enough money for his very first vacation, and just a bit more money to finally quit his current job, in hopes of finding a better one in the future wherein he could feel alive and free once more.

But for now, this vacation was much more important.

This vacation he planned for his South Korean adventure was nothing too extraordinary. He'll be staying for a good 2 weeks in his hotel situated in Daegu, which means he'll spend his New Year here. After that, he'll be on tour, going to different places around South Korea.

One of the places he will be visiting was Incheon, where a concert festival will be happening there in a week and a half. There was dancing, lots of food, games and other exciting things. There were special guests, too, with one of them being TWICE, Zeke, and his sister Aria's favorite girl group consisting of nine talented members--- Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu--- known for their upbeat songs and personalities. It's no surprise that their popular performances strike into the hearts of men and women across the globe. Of course, Zeke was no exception, at least, after Aria convinced him that they're amazing.

His nervousness slowly dissipated and excitement began filling his soul. He hailed a cab to his hotel, thinking about how he would make most of his first vacation abroad.

December 31, 2022, 5:33pm, Daegu, South Korea.

Snow was lightly falling as he arrives at his hotel not long after. He then checks in to his room. Not too extravagant of a room, though--- just enough for him to feel some semblance of home. Just as he was about to settle in and unpack his things, his phone rang. He answered it immediately.

"Hello, dad."

"Hi, son! Are you at Daegu yet?" his dad said.

"Yes dad, I just got in my the hotel room," Zeke replied.

"Did you have a good time on the plane?" His dad exclaimed excitedly.

"Hardly," Zeke replied with a sigh. "That seat sale and tour package were good enough bargain like you said, but I don't really wanna ride a plane again... I'm sure of it. It gives me nausea."

"I understand. But you know, the more you ride a plane, the more you'll get used to it. You know, I--- hey, wait a minute!"

The voice of Zeke's dad soon faded as his mom hogged the phone to herself in a frantic frenzy.

"Hello?! Zeke, my son, did you arrive safely?!" His mom said, frantically. "Are you feeling well? There's a biogesic on the bag if you--"

"Yes, yes mom, chill! I'm fine. I'm still in one piece, don't worry." Zeke said, chuckling.

"Oh, sa awa ng Diyos. The day isn't even done since you left, Zeke, and we miss you already." His mom said. "Don't starve yourself, alright? And please stay away from the streets without lighting. You don't know that place. AND DON'T TRY EATING THE SNOW. It's dirty."

"Mom," Zeke chuckled. "I won't, don't worry. By the way.. where's Aria, though?" Zeke asked.

"Locked in her room. Still bummed out that she wasn't able to tag along with you." His mom gave an audible sigh. "Well, you know she can't. She has her classes this January and I can't afford her missing her first week. But she wanted to come, huh? She wanted to see that k-pop group.. TWICE?" She asked.

"Yeah, TWICE. And probably other girl groups as well." You said, chuckling. "Well, I promised Aria to make TWICE sign her merchandise, though."

"Yes, yes! That merchandise made you late for the flight! Aria spent actual hours trying to figure which stuff to send you! Jusko, you narrowly missed your plane ride because of her." His mom replied. "The most stressful hours of my life."

"Mom," Zeke laughed. "We were 6 hours early when we arrived at the airport... I don't understand how we Filipinos arrive too early for a flight."

"Why, we can never be sure, son. What if there's traffic on the way there? What if there was a plane reschedule? It's better to be safe than sorry." his mom chuckled.

"But.. How about you, mom? Aren't you bummed out that you weren't on this trip too?" Zeke suddenly asked.

"Zeke.." his mom took a deep breath. "Of course, we do. A bit. But, I understand you're having difficulty with finances and that you need a break from all of this. We don't wanna burden you with that. And besides, we have our pensions soon, now that we are getting old. We could honestly go there in a few years." His mom said.

"Look I promise I'll get back to you once I get more money," Zeke said.

"Ah, well, forget about that, Zeke. We'll talk about it when you get back here. The most important thing now is that you arrived safely. We won't disturb your trip any longer. I hope you enjoy your very first snowy winter vacation, son! Make sure to video call us before the New Year countdown there starts later, okay? I heard it's earlier there than here."

"Alright. Love you too, Mom and Dad. Regards to Aria, tell her I'm going to keep my promise. See you later!" Zeke said as he dropped the phone. He breathed deeply as he looked over his window. The view was amazing.

After an hour of unpacking and fixing his things, Zeke went outside for his night stroll of the place around Daegu. He had Google Maps to deal with the directions should he get lost. Not that getting lost mattered to him, anyway--- he loved taking a good stroll whenever and wherever he was able.

He looked at the ground as he grabbed a handful of snow on his hand. Snow was non-existent in the Philippines, and the closest he had ever touched that was snow-like were the ice shavings on his freezer back home. Now he was holding the real thing.

"So this is snow.." Zeke smiled as he tossed it aside and began taking a stroll around the streets, daydreaming about his future adventures.

A few hours pass and the New Year countdown in Daegu was about to begin---one hour earlier than in the Philippines. Zeke was still outside, drinking a bottle of Soju as he video called his parents. They answer immediately, with an excited look on their faces.

"Hi, Mom, Dad. It's almost New Year here! Where is Aria?" Zeke said.

"She's here." His mom said as she given her phone to Aria.

"Hey!" Zeke said as he waved.

"Hey, Zeke." Aria said unenthusiastically.

"Look.. about going here.." Zeke started.

"No need to say sorry. I dont need to go there. I'm excited for class anyways. South Korea can wait." Aria smiled. "Just make sure you make TWICE sign my merch."

"Well, well studious now, are we... Sure! No problem." Zeke smiled.

They then hear the countdown starting. His family watched from the screen as they all hear the countdown.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

As the skies alight with lots of fireworks, Zeke felt hopeful. He was sure that he's going to have a wonderful vacation, and of course, a good year ahead.