Directionally Challenged?
Directionally challenged? Vroooom! We arrived at the airport parking lot. I opened the door and got out. Dad and Mom climbed out of the car too. Dad popped the trunk and pulled out the suitcase for us. Then he looked at Mom and me and said,
"Have a great time!"
"You take care at work too, Dad!"
"You bet! I'm working as safely as you told me to, Sora!"
Dad seemed oddly excited—was I imagining it? There's that old saying, right? Dads love it when their wife and kids go on a trip. Because they get a break from the stress of parenting and can finally be alone at home. Back in my day, community forums were full of posts like that—dads cracking open beers and celebrating when their wives and kids went to the in-laws. But I shook my head. I never gave Dad that kind of parenting stress. Sure, a normal kid might drive him up the wall, but I was different. I had an adult's memories in a child's body.
"Alright, see you later!"
Dad zoomed off in the car. Part of me wanted to set up a webcam at home to spy on what he'd do, but I kept that thought to myself. Dad deserved his alone time too. We'd moved from a tiny one-room to an apartment, but he still hadn't had a moment to himself. Mom was always home.
I turned to Mom. "Let's go, Mom!"
"Okay, Sora sweetie~"
I took Mom's hand and we headed into the airport. It was packed with people. Were they all heading overseas? Even on a weekday! Koreans really do love to travel—it fit the stereotype perfectly. There wasn't even room to breathe.
Just like that, Mom and I got checked in. Printing the tickets we'd reserved was a breeze. Doing it in person felt more reliable than fumbling with a phone anyway. Phones always had that nagging uncertainty.
Mom looked at me and said, "Sora sweetie~ You're doing great! Have you secretly been to the airport without telling me?"
"No."
Of course, in my previous life, I had. I'd jet off to Japan whenever I was bored. I knew airport procedures better than most. But as Sora, this was my first flight ever. No need to mention that.
Mom was buzzing with excitement. I didn't want to burst her bubble. Economy class to France was hell. A direct flight from Korea took nearly 17 hours. Spending that long crammed in a tiny seat would drain anyone. Even a 2-hour hop to Japan was brutal—17 hours? Unthinkable. I was already trembling in dread. What would I do for all that time? No phone to kill hours with. Pure agony.
I gripped Mom's hand, tense as could be. By the time we landed in France, I'd probably be a zombie.
"Hweeeek...!"
As expected, Mom was wiped out. After dozens of hours in that tiny seat... It was worlds apart from the Japan flight. The seats were so narrow. Even my little body felt squished—Mom must have suffered more.
Our suitcase finally appeared.
"Sora sweetie... How am I supposed to get home... I feel like I can't even move..."
Mom said with a gloomy face. She was still young. Her first flight, and she'd jumped straight into nightmare mode. She should have started with China, Southeast Asia, or Japan to ease in. This was like skipping beginner level for expert.
I took her hand. "Mom! I'll upgrade our return flight!"
"Really? I'm counting on you, Sora...!"
If I asked Grandpa Man-jae or Grandpa Sung-min, they'd probably hook us up. They had money to burn. Though long-haul upgrades weren't cheap—practically a salaryman's annual pay.
"Whoa...!"
Stepping out of the airport, Mom and I were stunned by the warm weather. Europe really was livable, just like they say. The climate was human-friendly. Korea? It boiled you in summer and froze you in winter. Few places had weather as fickle. Textbooks called Korea's distinct four seasons a "strength," but living it? No way. Summers and winters were pure hell. And we were poor—no AC or heater. Summer meant stripping down with a single fan; winter, bundling up to survive. A climate like France's would have spared us all that.
We headed to the meeting spot. No phones meant getting lost would suck. In my old era, phone maps were flawless—even newbies couldn't mess up. You practically had to try to get lost. But now? No such luck.
And Mom was directionally challenged. Not totally hopeless, but clueless about French geography. Same for me. I'd searched online, but nothing. The wiki that dominated my time didn't exist yet. "Open wiki" was a meme for a reason—it was daily life essential. Sure, deep knowledge or history might be iffy, but travel info? Detailed and reliable. Step-by-step bliss. We had none of that now.
Mom looked at me with shaky eyes. "S-Sora sweetie, just follow Mom!"
"Ugh... This should be it...!"
"Why isn't it showing up!!!"
"Hweeeeng, Sora sweetie, sorry! I think Mom got us lost...!"
Mom finally admitted it with teary eyes.
I told her, "Don't worry, Mom."
It felt like I was the guardian now... but whatever. Mom wouldn't change. And Cannes wasn't starting yet—we had buffer time. We could wander homeless-style and still be fine. Well, no—France's safety wasn't great. Sleeping rough? You'd wake up kidnapped. Korea was safe enough to crash on the street; France? They'd steal your wallet and clothes.
I stepped forward. French was new to me, but I had a workaround. I'd bought a textbook after hearing about the trip. Not advanced stuff, but daily chat? No problem. Language was just memorization. Creative use was for experts. Travel talk was simple—easy, even.
"Bonjour..."
I asked a passerby. French folks eyed my French curiously. But the biggest fuss? Mom.
"Oh my gosh! My daughter speaks French too?!"
"Just a little."
"Still~ I knew Sora was a genius, but seeing it like this is something else!"
Mom squealed. Ignoring her, I found our way. Just a 20-30 minute walk. How'd we even get lost?
Finally, we reached the parasite crew staff spot. Hearing familiar Korean relaxed Mom at last. Walking the streets, it'd only been French and English—no other languages. Foreign tongues alone could trigger panic mode. I'd felt it on my first Japan trip. Now I spoke Japanese fine. English too.
"Grandpas!"
I beamed and headed toward the staff.