"RUN!" I yelled to my representative when we discovered the airline was wrong about the departure time. The airport was very spacious now that almost no one was traveling, and we were lucky that I was taking my last photographs here at my country's airport.
"MISS!! We're the delayed passengers!!" he shouted as I trotted as fast as I could in the outfits the company wanted to advertise, starting with me, the dancers from our company who had been selected and could work all over the world.
I was wearing a huge pink dress, sewn with sparkling stones that made me look radiant against my black hair and heavy makeup. At least I wasn't wearing a wig this time.
I know my haircut doesn't always work, but at least I can wear my own shoes... if I can stop for a second to put them on instead of fiddling with them in my hands trying not to ruin the dress.
"This way please, I need to confirm your boarding pass and identity," she said, her eyes wide as she got a better look at me now that I had stopped in front of her. I took a deep breath before picking up my carry-on bag with my clothes and travel documents, handing them to my manager while I took out a large sweater and put it on over my dress.
It was quite a large size and long, so I just unzipped the dress and stepped out of the suit to put on my boots without socks or tying them. Another assistant arrived behind us but had to sit down to recover from running. He pushed a small box in my direction, and I unceremoniously removed all the jewelry I was wearing, even the stones attached to my skin, before I could put on my face mask.
When we received the order, we entered the jetway of our plane. I noticed the crew looking at me as they guided us to our seats. Obviously, I was very scantily clad compared to other passengers; we were flying to a cold destination since it was winter there.
I rested in my seat, wanting the flight attendants to see us seated and secure before informing the pilot that takeoff was ready. The flight would last approximately 21 hours and 35 minutes before we reached our destination. It was my first time flying so far from home in my 20 years of life, but I had been doing everything I could to get this opportunity.
As soon as we were safely airborne, I saw the indicator to unfasten my seatbelt, so I hurried to grab my luggage and finally got dressed. While I was trying to get my belongings from the overhead compartment, I was sure I felt my manager's hand pulling my sweater down, since I was only wearing my underwear underneath it. It would be a scandal if anyone noticed.
I carefully went to the small space they call a restroom and there I washed my face, fixed my hair a little, and put on all the clothes I had prepared to wear at the end of the photo shoot, which I couldn't because we discovered we had to hurry to board.
The green contact lenses were now in their case, and I put on my glasses. Suddenly, my appearance in the mirror wasn't as good as it had been a few minutes ago, but it had been years of seeing the change every time I had to use so many products and that heavy makeup that blurred almost any trace of my humanity. It was really pretty, but not my natural look.
I could hear them murmuring as I returned to my seat and picked up a large book. My manager gave me a bottle of water, and I took a sip because I tend not to drink enough since I don't often feel thirsty.
I chose a big book this time, hoping to be entertained during the long journey, but I was so excited that it took me longer than usual to concentrate on reading. Things would be really different because in two weeks, if all went well, my manager would hand me over to someone else to find me jobs and teach me how to adapt to the new country.
I was trying not to fall asleep so I could do it at the right time later at our hotel. We were lucky to be staying in a luxurious one this time because the people we needed to meet were there for work. If I was lucky enough, I would be working for a company capable of undertaking big projects and promoting more dancers. The only thing I hadn't yet figured out was what made them choose me. We have dancers with more experience than me, some quite well-known for their work.
My last teacher told me that if I kept introducing new movements into my style I would end up not doing anything correctly, however I can't help wanting to try everything I learn or see.
It was almost night when we arrived at the airport, and the cold there is incredible. As soon as I retrieved all my luggage, I opened one of my bags, which contained the warmest coat I could find in my city, but I didn't really notice a big difference. We walked until we found someone holding up a piece of paper with my agent's name on it, so we greeted him. Luckily, he noticed our clothing and offered us blankets, which I really appreciated.
There was glass and metal everywhere; the detailed decoration of each space was impressive, so I walked around looking as my manager made his rounds to the reception desk. I noticed some commotion coming from the restaurant; perhaps someone famous was there, and I would be lucky enough to see what was happening.
They were laughing, and at least ten people were walking in my direction. I suddenly realized I was in their path, so I turned around to find my manager and walk towards him. He wasn't anywhere visible, so I desperately searched for him around the reception area.
I kept looking for him until someone came to the counter, but they completely ignored me and started talking to someone in the large group.
I wasn't pushed, but I had to give them more space since no one had seen me. I was pressed against the wall, feeling watched, and one of the men looked in my direction and said something. I could hear his voice but didn't understand anything as I pressed my body against the wall. They seemed familiar... but half their faces were covered, and I probably had a terrified expression as I realized that in a second, all those pairs of eyes were looking at me from head to toe.
A really tall man spoke to me, and I just stood there, frozen in panic. He tried to reach for my arm, but I felt unsafe, so I moved aside, trembling, to avoid being touched, and he tried to reach for me again.
"Don't touch me," I said, my voice echoing in the large space since my tone is louder than most people's. I grabbed my carry-on bag, the only thing I had with me, and stood defensively. Someone with a deep voice spoke, and the man backed away.
That same person came forward, but the tall young man used his arm to stop his attempt to get much closer to me than he already was. He said something else before approaching and used his hands to balance himself, trying to make himself smaller and look me in the eyes. Again, I had the feeling I'd seen them somewhere before, but I was tired from the trip and this situation was making me very nervous.
Everything went black, and then... it was so bright I had to close my eyes again. I heard a conversation around me and realized I wasn't standing anymore. I tried to get up, but I felt drowsy, so I grabbed the hand of someone nearby to help me.
"Thank you, I'm fine... where is he...?" I stopped mid-sentence when I recognized the man I was holding. He was Suga from BTS, or so I thought, because I'd only ever seen him on my phone screen.
I sat down carefully and let go of his hand - I'm sorry, my manager must be somewhere... he'll help me - The tall young man came and politely asked my manager's name, he was surprised and told me to wait here... before he spoke to the rest of the band and they retired to the elevator to their rooms.
Suga and the tall guy gave me water. I thanked them while sitting on the sofa, looking around the room... it really didn't look like the main part of the hotel. I got nervous and spilled some water on myself, and I could feel those two watching me.
My manager came in talking to someone else while they were looking at a device, and as soon as he saw me, he came over to show me what they were so interested in. It was a picture we took in the studio to upload to the company's social media, because I've never minded working extra hours to get a few photos taken.
