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thejudgingtrash · 5 years ago

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Mel, my darling! ❤️ Mel's little cookout: model Percy/makeup artist Annabeth pretty please (ILYSM ❤️❤️)

Beccaaaa YOU HAD ME SCREAMING WITH THAT REQUEST!!!

I have an ENTIRE headcanon for Model!Percy and edits to make for it!!

Do you know how much I love you? This isn’t funny!

Okay! Enjoy your prompt!! (also thank you Torie @percyheartsannabeth for being an amazing beta!)

The Model (WC: 2,3k)

Annabeth Chase had a secret passion. Makeup. Most of her classmates would’ve never thought that she would enjoy the art of the daily enhancements, but she secretly did. Techniques, palettes, brushes, sponges… Everything was kept in boxes at home, all neat and tidy.

Annabeth Chase also never thought that she would actually get the gig at MAC to work there. She aced the multiple interview rounds, impressed her future employer with her skills and diverse approach in makeup and was nearly hired on the spot. And now she was a fairly skilled makeup artist. One of the best.

There was another thing that Annabeth Chase never would have guessed. That it would take only one random afternoon to change her life forever.

A man entered the store. He was tall, wore sunglasses and an expensive Italian suit. He chatted with Drew, Annabeth’s supervisor.

“Oh, yes!” said Drew with a polite smile. “Annabeth?”

The blonde turned around and approached them. “He wishes for something natural for the day to cover the circles under the eyes,” Drew explained. “Can you do that quickly?”

“Of course, I can. Please follow me, sir!” Annabeth rarely worked with men, but there was a first for anything.

Her client took a seat and removed his sunglasses. Despite having rich dark skin, blemishes and fatigue ruined an otherwise fairly handsome face. The man took care of himself. Mostly. Sleep apparently wasn’t important enough.

Annabeth took her arsenal of makeup and other supplies and put them in front of the large mirror the client was facing. “You are warm toned,” she softly spoke and grabbed foundations to mix them together.

“Skin is already primed,” the man added. He also sounded Italian.

“Oh yes, I can see that!” she smiled. Then she started her work. She grabbed her sponge and placed the mixed foundation. Slow buildup, little by little. She used the concealer to smooth the surface and brighten the under eye area a little bit. Highlighter for a little pop. The customer didn’t want a full eye look, just curled lashes and mascara and sharpened eyebrows. Roughly twenty minutes passed, and Annabeth stepped aside so that the man could see the magic she had worked.

“Oh wow!” the client sounded impressed and tilted his head.

“Very natural. I like that!”

Annabeth smiled. “Oh yes. A full face can be so expressive and fun but not something for the day to day. A natural look should enhance your beauty, make spots disappear, not turn you into something you aren’t.”

“Very true,” the client agreed.

“Can I book you again?” he then asked. Annabeth nodded to Drew.

“Oh sure, just ask my boss!”

The man laughed and shook his head. “No, no, honey. Can I book you?”

His hand wandered into his suit and pulled a business card out. He handed the card to Annabeth.

Charon Bianchi. Casting director. Paris – NYC - Milano. DMFASHIONSTUDIO.

Annabeth looked up to Mr. Bianchi. “Uh…sure?”

The following four years changed everything for her. Gone was the job at MAC after she had signed with Charon. Hello flourishing career as an international MUA that got booked for galas, editorial shootings and runway gigs. Even certain celebrities and YouTubers hired her.

Annabeth had seen it all in those short years and had worked with all of them. She had been in Shanghai and then in Greece two days later. Flights from Paris to Kabul, New York to London. Annabeth had crossed paths with famous makeup artists like Pat McGrath, Charlotte Tilbury or Lisa Eldridge. She had been on the sets of photo shootings with incredible photographers such as Lara Jade, Lina Tesch, Cass Bird and even the famous Peter Lindbergh before he had passed. But the more recent things she had been booked for were runway gigs. Less pay, but more fun and definitely more stress.

Paris 2020. Dior Men, the new fall/winter 2020/21 collection. Designer Kim Jones wanted Annabeth to return to the set, so she did. The venue was beautiful. That was all Annabeth could think before she and a dozen others were sent backstage to prep their own little areas before models, videographers and photographers would swarm the place. Four hours until the show began, and everybody was already stressed out. The first few models showed up. Annabeth had been given a set card with faces she would work with on that particular day. 47 looks in total with 37 male models. Second looks, great Annabeth thought. More stress.

Malick Bodian, Ludwig Wilsdorff and Perseus Jackson were the models that were assigned to her. Perseus Jackson. A handsome young man, not much older than Annabeth came to her mind. Long curls, brown skin, light eyes and a beautiful grin. Annabeth had seen Perseus multiple times, but she had not worked with him directly before. Whereas many designers or their agents chose models because they had an interesting look or a beautiful symmetrical face, Perseus had both. The IT factor. His walk was among the best of his generation.

Annabeth was done with Ludwig’s look as she saw how Perseus stepped into the hectic atmosphere. He was two hours early which meant that he was four hours too late in the fashion world.

“You’re good to go,” said Annabeth to the young man next to her.

“Thanks,” he laughed and got up to get dressed.

Annabeth waved Perseus over to her. His lips formed an “Oh,” before he sat down next to her.

“I think we’ve never worked together before, haven’t we?” he asked. She shook her head.

“Well, Percy,” he introduced himself.

“Annabeth,” she smiled.

“Annabeth?”

“Don’t ask,” she rolled her eyes. “A southern thing.”

That made him roar with laughter. Annabeth had the entire Dior makeup arsenal next to her and was supposed to focus on enhancing his looks, but she couldn’t. He was way too charming, way too funny, way too charismatic. They talked about life before fashion. Percy got scouted at the age of sixteen as he was working at his mother’s bakery in NYC. At first, he thought it was a joke and his mother also had been very skeptical, but after the first few gigs, they realized that Percy had the potential of making it big in the scene.

Annabeth could sense that he was one of the few male models that could actually live a fairly comfortable life with his runway, video and editorial income. He was way too relaxed, and Annabeth knew how struggling models looked like.

Percy had seen Annabeth’s work before. They’ve crossed looks behind the scenes of Prada, Valentino and Isabel Marant. At first, he had thought she had been a model herself with her height and gorgeous looks. The fact that she had been hired as a makeup artist came as a total surprise to him. The blonde set the foundation. He paid close attention to the movement of her hand. That is how he saw her diamond for the first time.

“Oh, wait you’re engaged?” His eyes widened.

“What?” Annabeth looked at the ring on her finger. A birthday gift to herself.

“Oh that,” she laughed.

“I think I might have missed the memo, but I’m pretty sure that I’m single.”

“Oh,” Percy laughed. He almost sounded relieved.

The makeup was a soft look that should set focus on the grooming of the models. A glow on the cheekbones. Smooth skin. Little crystals that were set around the eyes functioned as little highlights. A black earring dangled from his left ear. Then Annabeth moved further to his lips.

Annabeth used neutral brown tones that were supposed to enhance his looks. She applied the color and slowly worked on his bottom lip. His lips slightly parted and his intense stare made Annabeth blush. Her gray eyes wandered back to his lips to finish her work.

“I think you’re good to go,” Annabeth said.

“Already?” he pouted. It was unfair. How could someone shift from fierce to seal eyes in less than a second? Features that could shift from humor to almost anger so easily from the shoots Annabeth had seen from him.

“Move,” she laughed.

Perseus got up. “See you around,” he winked. A warm feeling spread through Annabeth. He’s just cheeky. That’s all.

*****

The collection had a touch of British fashion. Percy grabbed his stuff and was placed into a changing room by a stylist. As soon as he left, he had been swarmed by people that corrected everything. From the way the tie was sitting to the way the white jersey was stuffed into his pants. Someone actually got on their knees to work on the socks. His first look was a gray wool coat which was accompanied by a dark set of pants, a white jersey which had a silver shirt underneath. A fitting white tie and white gloves were set as highlights.

“We need someone to do a little retouch!” one of the stylists yelled. Percy turned around to see if Annabeth was around somewhere. She was not. She still sat in her niche and worked her magic on his colleague Malick. They were laughing. A pang to his heart. Disappointment.

“Hey Percy!” Makeup artist and great friend Piper McLean greeted him and redid some of Annabeth’s layers.

“All models must be ready in the next ten minutes!” yelled director Luke Castellan over the noise and busy people. “First Looks and then get in line! Ten minutes everybody!”

Percy got to the small corner where photographers were ready to take the first pictures of the entire looks. Posing, demonstrating, not getting blinded by the flashing lights. Percy stood in a group with Jason Grace, Ethan Nakamura and Taemin Park. They broke the formation after a few minutes to make room for the next set of models with other looks. Percy got in line for the runway. He wasn’t going to open the show; he was the fourth look. But he would have the honor of closing the show. A key highlight. He made a silent prayer and then it was time.

Assistant Grover Underwood gave the opening model Nico di Angelo the go to walk out. Everyone stared at the screen backstage in anticipation.

“Go!” Charles Beckendorf left.

“Go!” Jason Grace moved forward.

“Go!” It was Percy’s turn.

*****

Annabeth was in awe of his work. Percy walked upright. The right amount of poise and elegance. A hint of arrogance. A lot of determination. He did not move his hips too much and he accentuated the movement of his shoulders. A strong masculine walk and on beat with the music too. A beautiful strut. A neutral game face but his sea green eyes were set aflame.

Percy focused the minute he had reached the middle of the runway. He could do a sloppier walk in the beginning but not anymore. Eyes open, be casual but attentive. The camera that would capture the picture for Vogue Runway which would be sent all over the world in a few minutes caught his gaze. He worked around the crowd of celebrities and fashionistas that captured his looks with their own smartphones and made his way backstage. The coat got taken off immediately. A stylist handed him the final outfit which he had to change in less than a minute. Then Piper caught up with him and did small retouches before he went to Second Looks.

Percy wore a black coat which was embroidered with silver elements. The strong silver started from the collar and was reduced by the chest area. The streaks got less and less, like feathers that were falling and captured. The black fabric of the coat took over and created an interesting silhouette.

Percy was surprised. Annabeth stood next to him and actually did his retouching again. Her thumb brushed the fallout off. A small gesture he truly enjoyed.

“What? No good luck kiss for me?” Percy asked innocently. Annabeth’s jaw dropped. She actually laughed. Cheeky. He was very cheeky.

“What would you need a good luck kiss for?” He was more than just professional. Percy didn’t need luck. He just worked and did so perfectly each and every single time.

“Go!” said Grover and pushed him out. A last cocky grin and wink to Annabeth and then he was back on stage.

Annabeth stood next to designer Kim and watched how Percy worked his magic on the runway again. All 37 models were set in a row and did one final round one after another after Grover’s go. After that, the designer went on stage and bowed to the crashing applause.

The crew backstage cheered as well. Another gig was done and over and the fashion world knew what the man would wear in the coming fall season.

Annabeth helped collect the makeup and clean the area. She turned around and nearly walked into Percy. Percy almost looked nervous.

“Oh. Is everything okay?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I wanted to ask you whether you had makeup wipes,” he said lamely.

Annabeth grabbed a few and handed them to him. He was already changed back into his casual jeans and black hoodie. It almost broke the makeup artist’s heart to see the model cleaning the canvas. But with or without makeup, Percy was a handsome man.

“Thank you,” he smiled. And he did not move an inch. A question rested on his lips.

“Would you like to drink some coffee with me?” Annabeth halted her movements and looked up to Percy.

“What?”

Percy was surprised at her surprised reaction. The fact that top model Percy Jackson was single and actually had asked her out blew her mind. Annabeth nearly dropped the brushes.

“Are you serious?” Annabeth asked him. He was confused.

“Why wouldn’t I be serious? I like you,” he explained. A man that was direct. That was something Annabeth certainly liked.

“So. Coffee or not?”

“Sure,” she said and shared his smile.

The End

The looks I’ve chosen are looks 4 and 47 from Dior Men!

And of course! The letter! I haven’t forgotten!

Thank you so much for the prompt, Becca! Writing this was so much fun!

All Cookout Fics

Cute/Cursed Cookout Writing Prompts

#pjo #Percy Jackson #mel's little cookout #Annabeth chase #percabeth #pjo fanfic #percabeth fanfiction #percy jackson fanfiction #percy jackson and the olympians #mel writes

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archivesdiveronarpg · 8 years ago

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Congratulations, CASS! You’ve been accepted for the role of CORIOLANUS. I don’t think you realize how absolutely, completely, utterly over the moon I am to have Verona’s favorite princeling join our ranks! Cass, your application perfectly captured Coriolanus. It was effortless, simple, and had my heart aching. That’s what Cyrus makes people do, he has them on their knees for him simply because he bats his lashes and asks them to do so. I don’t know what I’m looking forward to more -- Cyrus reaping his vengeance upon all of Verona or simply obtaining retribution on his mother dearest. Thank you for this beautiful application, Cass, I can’t wait to see Coriolanus on the dash! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within twenty-four hours.

Out of Character

Alias | Cass

Age | 21

Preferred Pronouns | She/Her

Activity Level | I am, admittedly, well, me.I am around everyday to chat plots and connections, and around (normally) at least every other day to write replies or starters or drabbles. Spring break is coming up, and I’ve balanced a few new things in my life, so I’m anticipating my activity picking up within the next few weeks, as well!

Timezone | US EST

In Character

Character | CORIOLANUS, CYRUS SLOANE

What drew you to this character? | I was excited from the teaser, honestly, and the bio only strengthened my passion for Cyrus. I love how there are various features of his past that factor into who he has become (for example, spoiling being the source of rot rather than sheer anger or abandonment issues) and how those facets manifest themselves into a duality between what he shows the world and what he sees in himself.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character?

1. Plotting: Recently back in Verona, Cyrus still has several plans to finalize and a handful that have yet to be created. This is largely going to be the connection phase of his character development, and it involves getting close to people, learning secrets, and gaining trust. Thus, this is the most immediate plot, and Cyrus will act in a manner of angelic innocence while planning precisely what to do with all the power he’s slowly gaining. After all, good things take time. 2. Conquest: The time to act upon plans. This is the beginning of Verona falling, of Cyrus pitting two sides against one another until there ceases to be loyalties and breeds only chaos. This is the time to sit back and watch the world bleed, to see his wounds reflect upon the place that bred them years ago. 3. Retribution: Coincides with conquest, but on a far more personal level. This is for the people who have personally wronged him – specifically Mother. This is when her empire falls and his own begins, when he proves that abandonment only results on barren ruins and the ghosts that wander them. 4. Order: More an aspiration of Cyrus’ than necessarily a plot idea, the drive to create order from the chaos. To raze to the ground and rebuild so that Verona is a pedestal beneath him. To have Verona at his feet simply because the city has forgotten how to stand. To rule.

In Depth

What is your favorite place in Verona?

Cyrus’ eyes widened as he lowered his cup of coffee, obvious caught in half-sip. He waved his hand and reached for a napkin, dabbing his lips as he swallowed before exhaling as if he had endured a hard day’s worth of work.

“Sorry about that,” he said, straightening once more. “But my favorite place? Well, it certainly isn’t the streets. Too much trash, too little fresh air. I tend to be fond of the stores, but even they can get so crowded that they become more work than they’re worth. If I had to choose a single place, I would say the Cathedral. You can find peace there.” And every weapon that he would ever needed rested inside of it. God’s words protected an arsenal and his pews hosted an army that was just chomping at the bit for action, to tear someone else to shreds in the name of greater loyalty or personal gain. And she was here, reigning for only so long, only until her might collapsed around her, only until she was buried in her own rubble.

What does your typical day look like?

“A lot like this,” he answered, gesturing around him. A cup of coffee rested on the table (filled with precisely three sugar cubes) while shopping bags rested at his feet, sporting names from Armani to Valentino. They were so gaudy that they spoke for themselves, and Cyrus felt comfortable leaving his lie there while the truth rested in plain sight behind him. There was a bag, slightly more tattered than someone of his composure would usually carry, and it was filled with tattered journals and newspaper clippings. It housed all of his thoughts, written in Afrikaans and bursting with all the public details of the people who held Verona upon their backs. Old articles spoke of the “terrorist” attacks that the media was too scared to link publically to the mobs. An image of Verona as it now stood was created by mixing all the things in that pack, and Cyrus carried it with him everywhere. As soon as something new filtered through the streets, it was incorporated into the old-fashioned database, and that night, plans were updated, refined, articulated. The day was full of reconnaissance and the night was full of work.

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

“You waste no time in asking the heavy questions, do you? It’s admirable to be so forward.” Cyrus laughs like bubbles and his grin flashes like gold, falsely promising that everything is meant in good spirit without an ounce of vitriol. “I think that it needs to be resolved, and quickly. It’s tearing the city apart, and soon the whole of Verona will be noticing. Better to bring about peace before they try any other stunts.” He shook his head, falling into a mask of false sadness, of regret that he couldn’t have arrived prior to the bombing. He was the perfect image of a Capulet Emissary, ready to find peace and restore the order of the mobs.

Inside, it was a different story. This war was an opportunity just waiting to be exploited – and how no one had seized the chance yet was beyond Cyrus. A war like this would have never lasted long in South Africa without someone new rising from the ashes. There, people knew when the exploit weakness. In Verona, people seemed to be falling subject to it. It was time for a bit of foreign intervention in his hometown. Brought in to restore order to Verona, Cyrus was more than prepared to have precisely what he wanted: a new order under his regime.

In-Character Para Sample:

Cyrus Sloane always got what he wanted. From the time he was thirteen and requesting a pool table in his room to when he was eighteen and simply asking for Cape Town to bow at his feet, there was no resistance, no one was willing to tell him no. So imagine his surprise when he approached one of the clubs in Milan dressed to the nines, full of confidence, oozing sweetness – and was turned away.

“You’re not on the list, sir, and it’s a closed party.” The usher had left it at that, obviously fixating on a point just past Cyrus’ head as he spoke.

A lesser man would have thrown a fit then, or sidled up closer to the usher with intent in their fingertips, but both efforts would be fruitless. This was one of the most exclusive locations in the city, and settling into normal habits would yield little (if any) success. To make a scene would mean becoming memorable for all the wrong reasons, so Cyrus fell into an easy display of disappointment.

“Of course, I understand,” he said, stepping back and pulling a broken smile. He didn’t wait around for the usher to take pity, but instead turned back towards the line. It should only take five or so seconds, he guessed, and he began the countdown.

Five. A group of girls were cooing about how it was such a shame the list couldn’t be expanded. Four. A man was looking anywhere but him. Three. A couple fell into hushed whispered. Two. A child asked why this wasn’t like school, why everyone wasn’t invited. One.

“Hey.”

Cyrus glanced up, coming eye-to-eye with a woman approximately his age and perhaps dressed even better than he was. Careful to keep disappointment evident, he forced a small smile and hoped to look every bit like a kicked puppy. Something flickered in the woman’s eyes, and Cyrus knew that he was in.

“My date ditched me last minute,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as if she hadn’t been hurt by it at all. “Replace him, and I’ll get you in.”

Cyrus visibly brightened, going so far as to straighten his shoulders and erase all remain cracks of downtrodden deflation. “Shame he couldn’t make it, but I might need to write him a thank you note in the morning.” He slowly reached for the woman’s hand and, when she didn’t pull away, raised it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Answer enough?” he asked, smiling at her.

She pulled her hand away and flushed, falling into a modesty that could only be brought around by those surpassed by their forwardness. “Keep that up, and I’ll stop thinking of you as a replacement in no time at all.”

A laugh, and then they were walking into the club arm in arm. The usher glanced at him, surprised, as he stepped up to the line again, but this time the red velvet rope was pulled aside. Minutes later, he was alive with the wash of music and the thrum of elite company.

It was a golden rule of playing games with charm and will: there was always a way to get exactly what you wanted. Sacrifices were a thing of the past.

Extras: If you have anything else you’d like to include (further headcanons, an inspo tag, a mock blog, etc), feel free to share it here!

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1299363955/playlist/3M0vhMqeSJL7d2izIpRQir

#accepted #accepted: coriolanus

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seoulfulcity · 7 years ago

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June 25, 2018: Welcome to Korea University International Summer Campus

안녕하세요,

The day had finally arrived - I had landed in Incheon International Airport to start my summer abroad program in a prestigious SKY University, Korea University (Goryeo Daehaggyo/고려대학교, or colloquially known as Godae/고대).

Sunday, June 24, 2018: I arrived in the airport and we were required to meet at Terminal 2, Exit 13 for the free shuttle bus to the dorms that KU has offered for us. Prior to the arrival, I was added to the group 3 Kakao Talk with 100 other students where we had the time to get to know each other and plan to meet up later that night after we settled in the dorms. During application, each student had the option of whether or not to join the Korea University Buddy Association (KUBA) where the students are assigned to a KU Buddy who mentors and takes them to experience local Seoul culture.

To those who don’t know, Kakao Talk is the main form of communication in South Korea, just as how WeChat is used in China, and LINE is used in Japan. Being part of every Korean’s daily life, there is a huge culture surrounding Kakao Talk through never-ending merchandise, stores, and cafés. Kakao has access to everything you need to survive Seoul - taxi services, bus, subway, and train schedules, navigation, banking, music, story - an app reminiscent of Snapchat, fashion, and many more.

If you ever visit Seoul not knowing who Ryan and his friends are, you will definitely leave the city with the ability to name all eight of Ryan’s friends.

One-by-one, the students started landing. The shuttle departed from Exit 13 every hour, and many of the students were arriving the same time as me, around 4 PM KST. We were given all of Sunday and Monday for dormitory check-in, and the ISC orientation was planned to be held on Tuesday.

We were greeted by the Korea University International Summer Campus (KU ISC) staff by the exit, where they had conversations with us while we waited for the next shuttle bus. We met with a guy named Minjae (민재), who was sweet enough to socialize with me and Simi throughout the wait. He was a fairly-new student studying bioengineering and was working for KU ISC as a part-time job. He told me that our buddies volunteered to work with us, rather than get paid like he was.

I wanted to meet with the other people sitting down and make friends before orientation, since friend groups and cliques will start forming after orientation and it would be so much harder to join a circle then. So, establish your friend groups early!

The KU ISC program is the biggest summer program of its kind in Asia, boasting more than 1,800 students from around the world. It's a fairly new program hosted by one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea and the entire Asian continent, so it's an amazing way to meet with people from different cultures - and also meet with the local Koreans who are very fluent in English. I took on the challenge with two goals in mind: make international connections and vastly improve my spoken Korean.

At the airport, I planned to meet with Valentino and Agnes from the Group 3 chat, two of them coming from Los Angeles, but they had problems with their luggage pick-up and missed the 6 PM shuttle bus so we did not get to meet at the airport. The shuttle bus tried to fit in as much students as it can, together with their luggage - and wow it was cramped. The students around me became too comfortable with each other very fast.

The shuttle bus dropped off the people in front of the KU main gate and Anam Station (안암역) first, those who were not dorming and booked a goshiwon or an apartment for the summer. Up the hill, those who were staying in CJ International Students were dropped off next, and the trip finished off with everybody else just down the hill from CJ International - Frontier House, Anam Global, and Anam Dormitory.

I am staying in Frontier House, the dormitory complex that is found at the very bottom of the hill. If you're reading this and want to know more about the dormitories, I posted a blog dedicated on Frontier House alone.

The general idea is that men and women have separate buildings in all of the dormitories. I went to the men's side to check in and received my room key. I did not know whether or not rooms and roommates were pre-assigned prior to check-in, so Valentino and I planned to be roommates if given the option. I was out of luck since staff who checked me in gave me the room M303-2 and told me that my roommate has already checked in. He pointed to a paper stapled on the wall and told me that each room has its own Wi-Fi and password, so I took a picture of the papers and headed to my room.

My roommate is from Indonesia who told me he was studying something about computer softwares. I settled in to my dorm and finally removed all my clothes from my heavy luggage and placed them in the closet and the drawers. I was very glad to finally be comfortable in one place without having to pack and unpack my clothes to move to a different city every three days.

Oh, and my dorm has a great view of Anam-dong, so that's a plus!

Sunday, June 24, 2018 - 9 PM: One of the buddies in the Group 3 chat, Minki-hyung (민기형), invited those who arrived that day for a welcoming dinner, and seven of us (Minki-hyung (민기형), Valentino, Leonard, Sophie, Tony, and Carolina) met.

We walked straight down past Anam Station (안암역) to a chicken place called Chicken Bus (치킨버스), where we ordered chicken, octopus, and of course, soju.

I planned to save my first time drinking soju in South Korea, the same way I saved my first time drinking sake in Japan.

When I was in Tokyo, Quebec told me that I would enjoy soju more than sake since it's much sweeter and cheaper, and he was right. Soju is so much better than sake.

Minki-hyung (민기형) ordered beer on top of the soju - if you know me, I really can't drink beer. But, Koreans love their somaek (소맥) so much, so Korean beer has to be good right? Somaek (소맥) is mixing soju (소주) and beer (maekju/맥주), together. Valentino asked Minki-hyung (민기형) to order a specific brand of beer, Cass, and he obliged.

After the meal, Valentino, Minki-hyung (민기형), and I continued drinking in my dorm, and we were later joined by Matt, Valentino's friend.

That was the first night of a whole week of drinking every single night with these alcoholics.

Monday, June 25, 2018: I needed a meal plan for the duration of the summer program, but the ones they have offered don't match with the number of meals I plan go eat. The Anam Dormitory cafeteria offered three types of plans. Plan A gives you ten meals for the entire summer program for about ₩50,000. Plan B gives you forty meals for about ₩150,000 and Plan C gives you 70 meals for about ₩230,000. I chose Plan B, giving me about only one meal a day. I suppose I can eat my brunch in peace, without having to worry about spending ₩10,000 for lunch everyday. The office requires a ₩10,000 deposit for the meal card and pay the meal in cash. Voila! I gained one more Korea University card!

The cafeteria hours in Anam Dormitory were 7:30-9:00 for breakfast, 12:00-13:00 for lunch, and 17:30-19:00 for supper.

The meals are different everyday, and includes one main meat dish with rice or noodles, a smaller dish, a soup, and unlimited side dishes, mostly kimchi and cucumber salad.

Since the orientation was going to be the next day at Inchon Memorial Hall, I wanted to orient myself to the campus so I don't get lost going on the way. I've seen previous YouTube vlogs talking about being late because they did not know where to go.

I went down the Frontier House gates towards Anam Station (안암역) and entered the campus on the back side, where I had to walk up the hill to Inchon Memorial Hall.

The campus was menacing with huge gray castle-like buildings acting as complexes for faculty offices and lecture halls. Trees and bushes line up the walkways, contributing to Seoul's already-humid weather, and the steep hills did not help with the sweat. By the time I reached Inchon Memorial Hall, I was drenched in sweat, but the view was breathtaking.

I went back to my dorm to take a long cold shower.

That night, nine of us from Group 3 met up for a last-minute dinner. Jason, Anthony, Valentino, Erin, Bonnie, Sophie, Adrian, Ieva, and I found this place by accident - we did not know where to eat and decided to just settle for the restaurant that was next to us when we were standing lost in the middle of Anam-dong with no idea where to go. We did not even know this was a barbeque place.

Little did we know, it was the same barbeque place we were going to have the after party at after the orientation tomorrow - our group buddy leader was upset.

The place was called Premium All-You-Can-Eat Barbeque (Peurimieom Muhanripil/프리미엄 무한리필), and once again, we had soju - lots of it. We were lucky enough to have Anthony speak decent Korean to get by with ordering food, and the ahjumma (아줌마) was patient enough to deal with the foreigners (waegukin/외국인) in her restaurant.

After the barbeque, we went to the karaoke (noraebang/노래방) place next door and yelled through the songs until midnight. Minki-hyung (민기형) and Florence wanted to join us halfway through and sang some K-Pop songs like Super Junior. We had some more somaek (소맥), which contributed to a more fun and loud night in the noraebang.

We were heading back to our dorms, semi-drunk, and ready to wake up early morning for the KU ISC orientation. The security guard told us there was a sign posted in the elevator about the heavy rain tomorrow and to bring an umbrella.

Great. We were ready to wake up early morning to a heavy-raining Seoul. Until then!

고마워요,

Chris 「크리스」

P.S. I can never say this enough, the couple and PDA culture here is INSANE.

#abroad #international summer campus #isc #korea university #ku #study #summer #korea #seoul

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