A comforting scent that smelled like home filled my nostrils. The aroma of the Australian bush could never be replicated. The forest I'd just been in had the same top notes of fresh and clean air and mid notes of earthy plants. However, it was the base notes of eucalypt, tea trees, and wattle that differentiated the Korean forest from the bush I had grown up in.

As I stood on the top landing of the stairs, the vast view was laid bare in front of me. The gum trees were large and stretched high as if trying to touch the sky. The gentle giants provided shade for those below from the warm spring sun. A multitude of chattering calls from different bird species mingled with the breeze that jostled the leaves and branches softly. The occasional laughing cry of a territorial kookaburra broke through the symphony of the bush. I loved the perfect harmony between cacophonous animal sounds and melodious tranquillity that only the Aussie bush could orchestrate.

As I walked down the stairs, I noticed that they were placed at a small natural clearing, close to a nearby path. From the knowledge taught to me by my uncle Curtis, I knew not to wander through the bush willy-nilly. It was best I used the track since it was bound to come out somewhere. I took note of landmarks around me, mainly the sign that was beside the set of stairs that marked this as the Currawong Clearing. In case I decided to come back to the stairs in a little over three weeks, I needed to know where they were.

A rush of pain shot through my heart as I pictured Jimin's face. It had barely been 10 minutes since we parted and already a part of me wondered whether I would be able to survive all this time away from him. I missed Jimin fiercely. But, the task I was given spurred my legs into action, propelling me towards the track.

I was thankful that the universe placed the stairs in a place where the walk was fairly flat. There were a few certain points that had a slight elevation, though those were easily manageable. Because the sign showed the direction towards the base of Mt Tibrogargan, I knew where the stairs had brought me. I was in the Sunshine Coast hinterland—in particular to the Glass House Mountains. As I walked, the casuarina, eucalypt and melaleuca trees thinned out in places. I was able to see the iconic Mt Tibrogargan before me, as well as the tip of Mt Beerwah looming in the distance.

I had been walking for a while and had worked up quite a sweat. Now that I was back in the southern hemisphere, and at the end of October, the cold weather had gone—I was now in the hotter portion of spring. Shortly after I started walking along the track, I'd had to remove the trench coat and the thick jumpers. Unfortunately, I was still left in a long-sleeved shirt and thick wool pants; they were designed to keep me warm, which they were doing—but, in a very bad way.

I was very aware that my phone and tablet were still safe in the palace, locked away in the hiding place that Jimin had found to keep the devices safe from prying eyes. All I had on me were the clothes on my back—and those littered along the path that I had discarded—as well as the magical card that would decide my fate. I had no idea what I was going to do once I came to the end of the track. I hoped that I would come out at a carpark. I was worried though; I had no way to communicate with others and I was isolated here because I did not come in a car. Combined with the fact that I had no food, water or shelter from the heat, the bush was a very dangerous place to be on a hot and humid day. There were so many horror stories about people getting lost and stranded in the bush—many of them perishing because they were not prepared. At least one thing was going in my favour since I had a pretty good knowledge of bush survival thanks to my uncle. That didn't mean that I felt safe, though.

Eventually, the narrow dirt path widened and I smiled in relief that it opened up into a large carpark. Since it was getting later in the day, there were only a few cars parked. After being in Jimin's universe for so long, seeing cars was a bit of a novelty for me. I hoped that I'd be able to find someone who would let me borrow their phone. It seemed, though, that everyone was hiking since I was the only person here. I made my way over to a bench and with a sigh, I took a seat. As I rested my weary legs, I tried to problem-solve ways that I could find my way to one of my family's houses; there was no way I wanted to be here when the sun went down. For starters, I would be eaten alive by the mozzies, and there was the aspect of my safety to worry about.

My hope increased at the sound of an engine turning off. A young girl got out of her car. She appeared to be in her late teens to early 20s, a fact confirmed by the red provisional plate affixed to her windshield. She must have only recently advanced from being a learner driver. As she walked towards me, I gathered my courage to speak to her.

"Hi, umm... Could you please do me a favour?" I asked. My voice sounded a little too shy even to my ears. "Would I please be able to borrow your mobile to make a call to my sister? I left mine at my place and I have no way to get home."

She looked down her nose at me and scoffed at my questions. "What do you think this is, bush week? Yeah, nah. I'm no idiot—unlike you who's got shit for brains. Who doesn't bring their bloody phone with them?"

My hope and faith in humanity dwindled with each step she took away from me. As much as I wanted to blame her, I couldn't. Mum and Dad taught me to be wary of others—you never knew how safe you were. Looking at things from her perspective, this girl didn't know if I was being used as a lure by a guy with shady motives. You only had to look at the amount of women who were abducted from places that they thought were safe because there was another female there.

Returning to the bench, I cradled my head in my hands. Once again, it seemed like the universe hated me—it literally dropped me in the middle of the bush with no way to get home. The sound of cackling laughter from the end of the bench had me cursing the universe even more. My only companion here was an annoying arsehole of a kookaburra that was laughing at me. It was mocking me as if it knew exactly what was happening to me and was happy with everything. The first tear that escaped past my waterline was from the hopeless situation I found myself in; the rest were because I prayed that I had made the right decision by climbing the stairs.

"You right there, mate?" I heard a soft voice ask as the wood beneath me jostled from extra weight being added to it.

I lifted my head and saw an older man who looked a few years younger than my father. He was dressed for hiking—a pair of grey shorts with a white t-shirt that clung to his toned torso. But what caught my attention was the kind and compassionate look that he had in his eyes as he gazed upon me. It was obvious that he was concerned over the fact that I was crying in the middle of an isolated area.

I grew cautious by his question and tried to put some distance between us, shuffling until I was only half-sitting on the bench. I had no idea who this man was and I could see the moment where he realised that I was not feeling comfortable. He moved off the bench and stood a few metres away.

"If it makes you feel more comfortable, I am an off-duty police officer," he said, letting out a soft chuckle as I scoffed.

I had been taught from a young age not to blindly believe people—in particular, men—when they said they were police officers. I realised that I mustn't have been the first person to not believe him as he murmured that he was reaching for his badge. Sure enough, from his front pocket, he removed his badge and wallet. Nestled the leather case was an Australian Federal Police badge, complete with his name. He then took out his driver's licence. Upon comparing the card and badge, I could see that his name matched, and the man's face was also the same. Him saying he was a police officer was a bit of an understatement—he was basically the Australian version of the FBI.

"Sorry," I apologised, handing back his identification. "I was taught to always be cautious to protect myself."

"Sounds like you were raised well by your mum and dad. Forgive me, mate. I'm Ray," he said, sticking out a hand to shake mine as I told him my name. Ray—the same name that was also on his identification—gestured with his head towards the bench and asked if it was okay if he sat down. He proceeded to sit after I nodded but made sure to keep some space between us. "Are you okay? I saw you were crying and I know my sister would kick my arse from here to whoop-whoop if I didn't make sure you were okay."

It was my turn to chuckle. I did not expect him to say that. "It's been a shitshow of a day, to be honest," I said with a sigh. "I had a disagreement with my boyfriend and we got separated. Since I didn't bring my car, I don't have a way to get home and no way to contact anyone who can pick me up because I left my phone at home." I had to bend the truth a bit because saying 'a portal at the top of a set of stairs brought me from another universe and dumped me in the middle of the bush' was a bit too far-fetched—even for me and I had lived through it twice now.

"Well, bugger me, mate. That sounds like more than a shitshow. I hope your bloke didn't chuck a wobbly and then did the Harold Holt from a little spat? Any guy who leaves a woman stranded with a fat chance of getting home is a drop-kick and a deadset loser."

It was strange hearing such an ocker accent again. I hadn't heard a single English word for over four months. But it was also comforting. It reminded me of home—or my old home since I didn't know whether to call my universe or Jimin's 'home'. I felt my skin bristle, however, as he spoke ill of Jimin's character when my boyfriend had done nothing wrong and had been incredibly supportive of me.

"It's not all his fault. His family is very traditional and our relationship went against that. We've both felt a lot of stress. Plus, I'm the one that wandered off without him."

"Do you want to use my phone to call someone?" Ray offered with a warm smile. "Saying that, it will be getting dark soon so I'm worried about us waiting here for your ride once the sun sets. I can drop you off somewhere if you'd like. You've got Buckley's of getting a taxi here before the mozzies start carrying you off."

Normally, I would be anxious about getting into a stranger's car. There was something about Ray that made me feel comforted and safe, though. A thought had passed through my mind. I wondered whether he'd been sent to me by the universe as a way to help me on my way. I hoped that it was the case and that I wasn't putting my life in jeopardy when I accepted his offer to drive me somewhere.

"No worries mate, that's not far since I'm heading up to Bli Bli," he said when I told him Esther's address in Dicky Beach. I hoped was still the house where she currently lived but I didn't voice that worry. "Let's hit the frog and toad so we can get you there before dark."

꧁♥💜♥꧂

The 40km trip felt like it passed so much quicker than it did. Ray was easy to talk to and offered hilarious commentary that made me feel at ease with him. Without going into any specifics, I told him about how I was nervous about seeing my sister because I'd kind of disappeared on her without warning. It was a surprise how easy it was for me to spin the truth about what had happened to me in a way that sounded so normal. It was much easier to explain my disappearance in my universe rather than in Jimin's. I didn't stick out like a sore thumb here; I didn't have to try and explain why someone of a different race was where they shouldn't be.

Ray assured me that if it was his daughter who was in my shoes, he would be happy that she came home rather than dwelling on the fact she was gone in the first place. I hoped that my family would feel the same way. As he pulled up to the familiar house, I knew I couldn't put it off any further. Looking at Esther's little brick house she had bought four years ago sent shivers down my spine. All I thought of was that dream I had a few days ago and I hoped it wouldn't become reality.

"She'll be apples, Nell," Ray said as he put the car into park. He must've picked up on my nerves. His hand rested lightly on my shoulder the way that my dad and grandfather used to do in a comforting way. "I'm sure they'll be rapt to have you back, as long as you don't go walkabout again that is."

"I'll try not to," I laughed, beginning to unbuckle my seatbelt. "Thank you so much for everything, Ray. I hope I didn't keep you too long from seeing your grandkids."

"You're more than welcome. And don't sweat it. I'm sure they'll love me even more since I'll do a Hungry Jack's run for treats."

Laughing, I exited the car, once again thanking the kind man for everything he had done for me. I noticed that he waited until he saw me knock on the door and checked that Esther was home before he left.

"Holy fucking shit," my twin—who looked exactly like me now—breathed out in shock. Esther pulled me into her embrace and broke down into tears. Any remnants of the anxiety attack I had from that dream disappeared when I wasn't turned away. I didn't know what to say to console Esther, especially when she whispered, "W-We thought you were d-dead."

"Can we go inside, Bubbles? I'll tell you everything but not here where I'm getting eaten alive by mozzies."

Esther practically dragged me inside her front door and planted me down on the couch. Once she saw I was not going to move, she rushed into the kitchen to get a box of tissues and water for each of us. I took that time to look around the room. Nothing had changed; it didn't feel like it had been months since I'd been here last. I saw her favourite images that she'd captured of stunning locations were displayed on the walls with pride. I was reminded how different this universe was from Jimin's. On the wall opposite me was a large television with a paused image of the K-drama that my sister loved watching.

"I didn't think you had eaten, so I made up some quick sangas," Esther said, carrying a large tray that was laden with different items. "Now, where the fuck have you been?"