Barefoot Princess

Abby arched her back trying to get comfortable. She hated her chair, it was hard and uncomfortable. She wished her Customer Relations job at a financial firm provided something better. She stretched again as she waited for her next call to come in. The end of the day could not come soon enough. 8 hours of listening to clients complain and whine on the phone while sitting in her torture device of a chair left her feeling like she needed a full body massage by the end of each day. Although she despised most aspects of her job it was counterbalanced with some great perks. Decent pay for the area she lived in, weekends off, great health benefits and an employer who was willing to pay for any secondary education that she would take to further advance her in her career. Currently Abby was studying Foreign Business Affairs with a specialization in Korea. This also meant studying the Korean language, along with its business practices and government. Abby was obsessed with everything Korean, especially Korean Dramas or K-Dramas as they were more popularly known. Abby’s friends loved to tease her relentlessly about her obsession. She particularly recalled a conversation with her best friend Beth one afternoon. “How can you stand to watch those shows Abby?” Beth had asked her, “The emotions are over the top and so affected that it borders on the ridiculous.” Abby had laughed, “That’s the point.” Beth looked at her incredulously, “Excuse me?” “The emotions are meant to be over the top. That is how the directors want it. You would be surprised, it sucks you in and you are crying or sobbing right along with the actors.” “Well the plot lines are ridiculous or used over and over again or both. Don’t you get bored with that?” “Not in the slightest,” Abby replied, “The main plot may be similar to other dramas but how well the writers portray the new story line and how well the actors bring out that story is what makes it so good. Half the time it makes you want to jump through the screen and throttle the actors or sit there and hold them as they cry. It is absolutely addicting.” Beth shook her head in disbelief, “Well I still don’t get it, it seems weird to me. And honestly I think the acting is terrible.” Abby scoffed, “I know of no English speaking actor that can bring across the emotions as well as the Korean actors I have seen.” “Brad Pitt?” “Amateur,” snorted Abby. “Scarlett Johansen?” “Pathetic, a statue could do better,” “Dame Judy Dench!” crowed Beth, thinking she had one that Abby could not refute. “You’re kidding, right?” “She is an amazing actress!” Beth cried in shock. “She is,” conceded Abby, “But her range of emotions is lacking.” “You’re out of you mind, Abby.” Beth shook her head as she looked at her friend and then laughed. Abby laughed with her, “Well it is my crazy mind,” She winked at Beth, “Look it is just my opinion about a genre that I like. But I still think you need to watch a few more. I know you will be addicted as I am. And did I mention that the male actors are drop dead GORGEOUS.” Abby drew out the last word, to emphasize her meaning. Beth laughed, “No, you didn’t.” She said sarcastically as she winked at Abby. “Maybe I will have to check it out. But then again not all of us are as crazy as you. Some of us need sleep. I have no idea how you manage to binge watch those shows, plus get your school work done after a full day of work. Are you a secret Vampire?” She asked peering at Abby and poking her pale white skin. Abby almost fell out of her chair laughing at her friend,” I wish, it would make so many things easier. Just because I look like I have never seen sunlight does not mean I cannot get some. And to answer you question, energy drinks are a wonderful thing. Sleep is for the weak, I get what little I need on Sundays.” She grinned at Beth who gave her an exasperated sigh.” What are we going to do with you Miss Abigail Quelsy? If you keep this up you will end up ruining your looks. I would kill for your complexion Abby; perfect skin, killer green eyes, and curly, auburn hair. Vampire my rear end, you can't be a Vampire, Vampires are ugly.” Abby laughed again at her silly friend, “You may have to argue with Stephanie Meyer about that. Apparently they are supposed to be gorgeous and sparkly.” Beth grinned, “Well then you should fit right in. Well, except for the sparkly part. We will just have to throw some glitter on you and call it fairy dust.” Abby smiled to herself as she recalled the memory. She stared up at the clock and willed it to be the end of the work day. Her professor had canceled class due to being sick and she was looking forward to catching up to some of her favorite K-Dramas. She also wanted to go over her itinerary one more time before she left in two weeks. Abby had finally saved enough money for her dream trip to Korea. Her friends and family thought she was out of her mind and had tried several times to talk her out of it. They asked her why she didn’t book a trip to a relaxing beach somewhere instead. None of them could understand her excitement of going to Korea. But Abby was over the moon about this trip. Seeing the places she had read about and seen on television, practicing her Korean, which she felt she needed quite a lot. In Abby’s mind her pronunciation was awful, and she did not have the correct formalities down. But that still did not hamper her excitement about the trip. She felt both exhilarated and scared, but a good kind of scared. The one feels when experiencing the new and unknown. Like the first time one goes skydiving; it is terrifying jumping out of that plane, but that feeling of falling through the sky, weightless and free, tumbling towards the earth beneath you, there is nothing quite like it, the awe inspiring feeling of being completely free. Abby wanted to do so many things; trying the local cuisine, visiting the historical sites, and trying Korean karaoke. While there she also wanted to check out the possibility of teaching ESL and what the requirements to do so would be. As an undergrad student at the local university, she was not sure if she had the required education level to be able to teach abroad. The two weeks could not pass fast enough for Abby’s liking. At times she felt she would need to smack her head against a wall just to keep her sanity while waiting. But thankfully it finally did pass and Abby was scheduled to depart from her home in Vancouver, Canada that morning on a non-stop 11 hour flight to Seoul, Korea. Sitting down on the edge of her bed beforehand she double checked her check list one more time. Passport, check; cellphone, check; battery pack, check; neck pillow, check. Going down the list one by one she checked off each item, her excitement and paranoia building as the time to leave came closer. According to her list Abby had everything but something still felt off. She shrugged it off as nerves about her first trip alone and had no more time to think about it as the call came up notifying her cab was there to take her to the airport. The flight left around noon, as it took off she relaxed into her seat and hoped between the songs and movies she had downloaded on her phone and the book she had brought she would not be bored on the flight. She supposed she would need to try and sleep. Adjusting to the time change when she arrived would be difficult. She had been warned not to sleep when she arrived no matter how tired she was and to stay up and go to bed at an appropriate local time. She was not too worried, there was so much she wanted to do when she got there she was worried about fitting it all into the two weeks she was there. It had worried her when she was packing that she would bring too much and not allow enough space for the things she might want to buy. So Abby had packed light, bringing a sundress, cardigan, and black dress pants, silk blouse, jeans and a t-shirt. With those outfits a pair of sneakers and dressy sandals would be fine for foot wear. She figured she could buy any extra clothing she might need there. Also she was not sure about the local climate, no matter how much research she had done. The 11 hour flight helped to dampen Abby’s spirits. By the time she arrived she was bone sore and so wore out that she could barely stand. She had found it impossible to get comfortable and sleep on the plane. Although she was not in as high of spirits when she left, she was still grinning in excitement as she exited the plane. She was finally in Korea; the reality hit her as she smelled the different aromas and took in the different sights with Korean writing all around her. The chatter of Korean being spoken all around her lifted her mood even more. It was 5 p.m. local time by the time Abby retrieved her luggage, passed through Immigration and Security. She hailed a cab to her hotel and hoped that by the time she checked in she would still have enough time to visit at least one historical site and get a bite to eat. Upon finally reaching her room the look of the soft comfortable bed beckoned to her. I’ll just take a quick nap,” she thought to herself as she lay across the bed and sank into the comfortable into oblivion. Abby woke with a start in the darkness later. She peered over at the clock and groaned. The red numbers shone back at her reading 3 a.m. Abby had broken the cardinal rule for Jet Lag; never go to sleep as soon as you arrive. She cursed at herself for allowing her body to take control. Oh well, no use in crying over spilled milk. What was done was done and in the past. Abby flicked on the light beside her bed and reached for her cell phone and the hotel pad of paper. She decided as she was awake to look up the local area and plan out her next day and possibly the two after. Vowing that she would not go to sleep early tonight and wear herself out so she could properly adjust to the local time. Propping herself up on her pillow she set to her task with gusto, getting excited by all she was seeing. The local markets looked exciting especially Dongdaeum, Myeongdong and Namdaemun. She might save the markets for closer to the end so she did not spend all her money shopping in the first couple of days. She scanned through a couple more popular sites but the thing that stood out the most was the historic palaces and tours offered to see them. After seeing so many Korean costume dramas filmed around the palaces and based on the former occupants, Abby was the most excited to see them. It would be so cool to walk in the footsteps of such famous former occupants and imagine the life they lived. Abby stretched out on her bed day dreaming, her life mixing into a Korean drama. It left her smiling to herself about what kind of drama she would be in and how her life would go. She sighed and looked over at the clock and growled at the numbers appearing there. Only two hours had passed while she had been on her phone. Abby prowled around her hotel suite and decided the large bathtub looked inviting. She was glad she had splurged on the luxurious hotel suite at the Four Seasons. Pouring some of the fragrant bath oils provided by the hotel into the tub, she turned on the taps to a hot, steamy bath. Abby dipped a toe into the tub making sure the water was not too hot and then slid into the bath water. It was perfect. The hot water relaxed her tense muscles and she lapsed into a trance state, relaxing but not sleeping. After an hour of soaking and refilling the water so it would not get cold she decided it was time to get out. Quickly lathering up with the exotic smelling bath soap and the wonderful hair products, she rinsed off and popped out of the tub. The soft towels felt wonderful and she almost regretted getting dressed. Donning the sundress and cardigan, she stared at her reflection. Her jade green eyes peered back at her from under the terry towel with hints of her unruly curly red hair peeking out from underneath it. Circles were starting to form under her eyes of her pale alabaster, see through skin that she rarely saw for her age at 20. She sighed as she thought of the makeup she would need to hide the circles. She hated wearing a lot of makeup but she would have to wear some to hide the catastrophe her eyes were. She stretched out to her full 5’7” height and wished she was a bit taller. Abby had been ridiculed at family functions for being one of the shortest of the girls. With her Scandinavian background most of the girls were 5’9” and the boys were all over 6 feet. That was another thing she loved about being here. She was above the average height and no one would make fun of her. But compared to her all the women were so tiny and petite. Finding clothing for her height might be difficult. Even with a slender frame for her height she was still a size 6 in US sizes. She was also considered quite voluptuous. She hated trying to find tops to fit her chest without them emphasizing the size. Oh the horrors of having large breasts. Another family trait she had to curse her ancestors with along with her hair and pale skin. Abby took the towel out of her hair and began drying her hair. The unruly mess of curls was being especially difficult today. Giving up she twisted the mass of hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and used her favorite butterfly hairpin to hold it in place. The pale, green floor length sundress, matched with an almond cashmere sweater suited her pale complexion. Abby dabbed on some concealer under her eyes and went with a casual makeup, only putting on a pale pink lip gloss and mascara. She finished the look with the diamond studs her parents had given her at her high school graduation and a 14k gold necklace her mother had given her on her 16th birthday with the name Princess scrawled in cursive. Abby smiled as she put the necklace on. It was a bit of a family joke. Her mother had called her Princess for as long as she could remember and the rest of the family had adopted it. Joking all the time, asking, “Is there anything our Princess needs?” “How can I be of service, Oh My Princess, I bow down before thee.” “How is Her Royal, High and Mightiness, the Princess today?” At times it was annoying but most of the time Abby being good natured in general would just roll with it, smiling and laughing with everyone else. Looking at the clock Abby groaned again and felt like throwing it against the wall. Getting ready after the bath had only taken another hour as the time read only 7 a.m. Well she supposed that was early enough to go down for breakfast at the local hotel restaurant at least. Grabbing her purse she headed to the closest elevator and pressed the button for the floor that the restaurant was located on. Upon entering she scanned the food and decided to go for something safe and familiar. Orange juice, eggs and bagels seemed safe enough. No use starting the day off with a rotten stomach. Abby relaxed into the comfortable seat and slowly ate her breakfast. There were exotic looking flowers she was unfamiliar with around the buffet; the luxurious breakfast that was laid out had cuisine from all over the world. The chatter around her was in all different languages but she easily picked out the English and Korean. She hoped that for her first day around she would find either enough English speaking people or that her knowledge of Korean would get her through it. After filling her stomach to a comfortable level but not over indulging Abby decided to seek out the Concierge and see what advice he had for visiting first. Making her way down to the lobby she saw a desk off to the side labeled in both English and Korean as the Concierge desk. In it sat a young man possibly a few years older than her. He bowed as she approached and asked in perfect English, “How may I assist you today, Miss?” “I am looking to see what might be the first thing you would recommend I see here in my stay in Korea?” “Well that all depends on what your likes and interests are?” Abby slowly explained to him what her interests and likes were. He smiled at her when she mentioned K-Dramas, especially the historic ones. “From what you have told me more than likely your best bet is too start off with a tour of the beautiful, historic Palaces. I can set you up with a personal tour guide who will personally take you through the sites and their history. It will take most of the day so if you like I can set you up with a dinner reservation at a local restaurant once you are finished” “That sounds fabulous, thank you so much.” “You are more than welcome. If you want you can just wait in the lobby chairs. It will take about a half hour to set up. I will call you once your car and driver are ready to take you to meet your tour guide.” Abby smiled in response and went to wait in the lobby chairs. Pulling out her cellphone and headphones, she place one earbud in and left the other out so she could hear her name being called. Abby sank back into the comfortable chair and let the familiarity of her song list lull her into a trance like state. Almost exactly a half hour later she heard her name being called, “ Ms. Quelsy?” “Here,” she replied, jumping to her feet. The concierge introduced her to her driver, a clean cut Asian man of about 5’5” in a pressed black suit. Bowing to her slightly in greeting the driver escorted her out to a black Mercedes Benz. Wow, the hotel did not skimp on the luxury, she thought to herself. The smell of clean leather surrounded her as they drove through the city to meet her tour guide. The driver informed her that after he dropped her off he would be back at 5:30 p.m. to take her to her dinner reservations. In a low voice he stated, “If you have any issues or problems do not hesitate to call the hotel. I or one of the other drivers will come pick you up. Otherwise just wait at the same spot where I will be dropping you off and I will be there to escort you to your dinner reservation.” Smiling Abby thanked the driver. She double checked her purse to make sure she had brought battery packs to film or take pictures today. As they neared the palace compound Abby’s jaw dropped. It was stunning, more stunning in person than any of the K-Dramas depicted on film. The driver dropped her off and before he left introduced her to her tour guide, Mr. Kim. Mr. Kim was a middle aged man apparently in his 50s. He was extremely knowledgeable and kind and explained that it would be a private tour with just him. Abby was shocked. She had thought it would be a large tour with multiple people. But to have such a knowledgeable guide to her was fantastic. They spent the entire day exploring the grounds while Abby chattered away excitedly and asking tons of questions. Mr. Kim lead her deftly though the history of the palaces. The long history of Kings, Queens, and court members who had lived there, the tragic occupations and burnings by the Japanese and the people’s will to restore and rebuild them to their former glory. At the end of the day they had come at last to the most popular of the palaces structures where most of the historical dramas were filmed. Mr. Kim informed her that they closed every Thursday to allow for the filming of what could not be recreated on set. “In fact I have a friend who helps with the costumes on the dramas; she helps care and create a lot of the costumes on set.” Abby sighed wistfully, “I would die happy if I could try on a historically accurate outfit.” Mr. Kim looked at her slyly, “My friend is actually dropping off some of the costumes that will be filmed in a drama tomorrow. If we ask her nicely maybe she will let us have a peak.” They set off to a far corner of the complex with Abby almost skipping along the way. Soon they came along a short, plump woman who was hauling boxes in a wagon. Mr. Kim hailed her and then introduced her to Abby, “Ms. Yeung, this is Abigail Quelsy, Ms. Quelsy this is Ms. Yeung.” Ms. Yeung and Abby bowed slightly to each other as Mr. Kim explained why they were there, “I am giving Ms. Quelsy a tour and she informed me that she loves all things to do with Korean history. She was especially excited when I told her about you and the clothes you make. We were wondering if you might do us the favor of showing them to us.” Ms. Yeung beamed at Abby and said, “I would be more than happy to do so if you would help me with bringing the costumes in.” Abby jumped at the chance and agreed immediately. They headed out to a large box truck and started hauling in boxes to a small side building that Ms. Yeung had indicated they were to be stored in. Abby followed Ms. Yeung into the building into a small side room where racks were laden with dozens upon dozens of hangers. She helped unload and hang out each of the costumes, lovingly caressing the different fabrics of each. Ms. Yeung explained that the costumes for the extras would just be hung up but the main actor’s costumes or those used in tomorrow’s shoot must be hung and then pressed carefully. In one box Abby unloaded the most breathtaking dress; the dress was made of the most beautiful silk. The top was a deep violet with crimson flowers embroidered around the edge. The skirt was a light green with a sky blue stipe of fabric along the bottom and silver stars embroidered along its edge. Abby fingered the dress lovingly and wistfully thought of what it would be like to wear it. Ms. Yeung noticed and smiled, asking if she would like to try it on. Abby stammered, “Yes, but how could I. I would be terrified I would ruin it. Besides it will never fit me.” Ms. Yeung laughed, “Well we will have to bind your chest down to get the top on, but that is actually very authentic for the time period. A voluptuous chest on a woman was considered scandalous and only a giaseng would go unbound. I will help you into the dress. It may be a bit short on you in the skirt but otherwise I think it will fit well.” Ms. Yeung brought her behind a screen divider, helped her bind her chest and then set up the rest of the clothing for her to change into. “I should get back and bring in more boxes.” She stood back to look at Abby, “I could bring in a wig if you would like to try one of those on to but your hairstyle is appropriate for the time period.” She left Abby to change and closed the door behind her. Feeling freer since she was alone Abby quickly donned the dress and turned to look at herself in the mirror. She felt so beautiful in it. She ran her hands along the skirt. She would kill to dress like this all the time, except for the bosom binding. She could do without that. The skirt was a bit short falling just below mid-calf. Abby was about to leave and find Ms. Yeung to help her undress when she noticed an odd bit of writing on the wall. It appeared to be in Chinese characters but as her Chinese was horrific compared to her Korean she could not make it out. She ran her fingers along the letter and they glowed softly, changing to English; reading thus: Fate is waiting; Fate surrounds you; Fate will bind you and bring you to those who need you. As Abby muttered the words to herself under her breath she heard a slight popping sound in her ears and felt a bit queasy as if she had changed altitudes too quickly. She glanced back at the lettering. It still glowed, she wondered if the wood was too thin in this part of the building and the sun was shining through the letters. Abby shook off the chill that she felt run up her spine and went in search of Ms. Yeung and Mr. Kim. It was getting late and she needed to get undressed so she would not be late. Pushing back the divider she opened the door to her left and never even noticed that all the costumes had disappeared from the room. Abby hurried down the corridor towards what she recalled as the exit to the building and ran headlong into a man in military uniform. The smell of sweat and leather assaulted Abby’s nose. She lifted her head to gaze at the man who was almost the same height as her. Both of them stared at each other in shock. Abby thought, had the drama started filming early or was this one of the guards that she had heard so much of in the changing of the guards? The man started shouting at her, and Abby backed up, bowing and apologizing in Korean. The guard continued to shout at her and the words sounded Korean but not quite right. She looked at him puzzled and tried backing up again as he and a group of guards advanced on her the man in the lead still shouting. Abby managed to make out a few words, it sounded as if she was being asked who she was and what she was doing there. Uh oh, thought Abby, had she gone the wrong direction in the building and gone some where she was not supposed to be. She stammered to the guard again in broken Korean that she had been brought her on a tour and that she must have gotten lost, again apologizing profusely. The lead officer barked an order and Abby was grasped along the sides of her arm and the men started hauling her along forcefully. Starting to panic Abby wondered what had become of Mr. Kim and Mrs.Yeung. If she could only find them they could clear up this misunderstanding. As they dragged her into the bright sunlit courtyard she blinked clearing her eyesight. Everywhere around her bustled countless people. Eunuchs, court officials, and palace maids, each busily going about there business. Abby blinked again harder, shock and panic starting to take over. What was going on here? Had she stumbled onto a part of a closed set that had already started filming? Was this why she was being escorted away so forcibly? Was she in trouble for trying on one of the costumes? If so this seemed extreme. Everyone in the courtyard was stopping their work and staring as the guards dragged her by. No wonder, it was certainly odd. Not everyday you see someone being forcibly escorted. Abby managed a small squeak and asked her captors where she was being taken and what was going on? But she only received a sharp yank and a command for silence. Then from off in the distance came a familiar refrain from her K-Drama shows, " Chona!" Chona??? What on earth, they really must be in the middle of filming. Suddenly the guards pressed her to the ground into a forced bow. All Abby could see was a pair of black leather embroidered boots walking toward her. Confused and scared she waited with baited breath for what would happen next.