FROM SHADOW TO STARDOM

Chapter 1: A Dream Too Far

The airport was a blur of voices, rolling suitcases, and hurried footsteps. Emma tightened her grip on her ticket, her heart pounding in her chest. This was it. She was finally leaving behind the life she’d known, the routine that had felt too small for her dreams. The plane ticket to Seoul wasn’t just a physical object—it was the symbol of her escape.

Her pulse quickened as she thought about what lay ahead. Seoul. The city she’d dreamed of moving to for years, the place she’d watched on television and read about in books. And now she was going to live there—alone. No family, no friends, just herself and her dreams. She could already feel the weight of the uncertainty pressing down on her.

She glanced at the time on her phone—5 minutes until boarding. The moment was coming faster than she had expected. Her fingers trembled slightly as she tucked her phone away and tightened her grip on the straps of her carry-on. This was the moment she had been planning for, yet now that it was here, she wasn’t sure she was ready.

“Miss, please board now,” a flight attendant called, interrupting her thoughts.

Emma’s heart skipped a beat. The reality of what she was doing hit her like a wave, and she couldn’t suppress the nervous tension building inside her. She was stepping into the unknown—would it be everything she hoped for, or would she regret leaving everything behind?

Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the plane, her stomach fluttering with nervous excitement. As the plane taxied down the runway, Emma looked out of the window. The city she had grown up in was already shrinking beneath her, and with it, the life she had known. She clenched her fists, fighting the urge to doubt herself.

The flight felt like an eternity, but it finally landed in Incheon, and the massive airport overwhelmed her with its brightness and constant movement. She had researched how to navigate the city on her own, but being there—actually stepping into the vast, foreign world—was entirely different.

Emma pulled out her phone, squinting at the screen to find the address of her guesthouse. Guesthouse. The word felt strange. She was supposed to be an adult, following her dreams, but right now, she felt more like a child, unsure of how to survive in a new world.

After some hesitation, she took a deep breath and decided to take the subway to save money. The subway should be fine. I’ve looked it up. I can do this.

But soon enough, Emma realized just how wrong she was. The map was a puzzle of Korean characters she couldn’t read, the crowd of people moved with an energy that only added to her confusion, and the noise around her felt overwhelming. After what seemed like an hour of aimlessly wandering through the crowded subway stations, she found herself on the wrong train.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down. Battery low.

She cursed under her breath, feeling a wave of panic. What now?

She stepped off the train at a random stop and tried to ask for directions, but her broken Korean only led to confused stares. She couldn’t help but feel like a complete failure. How had she thought she could do this alone?

She dragged her suitcase down the unfamiliar streets, hoping she would eventually recognize something. But the more she looked around, the more everything seemed like an alien landscape. Why did I think this would be easy? Her self-doubt threatened to take over.

Just as she was about to give up and sit down in the middle of the sidewalk, a voice interrupted her.

“Are you lost?”

Emma turned and froze. Standing before her was a man, wearing a black hoodie and a cap pulled low over his face. His eyes were dark, intense, yet there was something oddly familiar about him. Who was he?

“Excuse me?” she said, too stunned to answer him right away.

He raised an eyebrow. “You look lost.”

For a moment, Emma stared at him, unsure what to say. “Uh, yeah. I am.”

The man stepped closer. “I can help. Where are you trying to go?”

As he spoke, Emma’s heart began to race for an entirely different reason. There was something about the way he spoke, the way he looked at her, that seemed too familiar. But no—there was no way. It couldn’t be him.

Her throat tightened, and she had to swallow before she asked, “Are you...Jae?”

His eyes widened for a split second before a smirk crossed his face. “You must be mistaken.” His tone was smooth, but there was a glint of recognition in his gaze. “But I do know who you are.”

Emma’s breath caught. Could it be?

The man who had just asked if she was lost—was it the Jae she’d followed online? The same Jae who had captivated her from thousands of miles away? Her mind reeled as she tried to process this unexpected encounter.

“Can I help you get where you need to go?” he asked, still smiling, as if nothing unusual had just happened.