All around me were hundreds of carriages, buggies and wagons pulled by horses or mules. There were more saddled-up horses than you'd expect to find in a Country and Western movie set in the 17th or 18th centuries. There was not one single modern vehicle, motorbike or bus in sight. Judging by the roads that wound along the ground, my guess was that I wouldn't find any motorised vehicles either. Instead of the usual smooth asphalt or concrete surfaces that snaked through a cosmopolitan city like this, the roads before me were all cobblestoned. It reminded me of the kind that you'd see in older areas of America or Europe.

"What the hell?" I breathed out in confusion. Was I transported to another country? And also, back in time? The latter question left as soon as it came when I saw the buildings around me; they were modern, which completely juxtaposed with the paved roads.

Grabbing my backpack off the ground, I placed it back over my shoulders. With a deep breath, I stepped down onto the paved surface and I began the process of trying to figure out where the hell I was. I was about to cross the road but had to jump back immediately as a carriage came hurtling towards me. As he passed me, the raven-headed man driving it was yelling something I couldn't understand.

My heart was beating a million miles an hour, so I took a moment to calm down. Once my heart rate was somewhere back to my normal figures, I looked both ways and took a slow, tentative step from the safety of the sidewalk. I rushed to the other side and breathed a sigh of relief when I arrived safe and unscathed. The one thing I knew about this place was that I would have to look both ways since I couldn't hear the rumble of an engine coming towards me.

I made my way down the sidewalk, trying not to run into the multitudes of people walking. I received some strange looks from people as they went past. I wasn't sure if it was because I only had on my crop top and my yoga pants or if it was because I looked different to them with my fair strawberries and cream skin. Both my size and complexion stood out among these slender, tan-skinned people.

As I walked through the streets, I tried my best to work out which Korean city I was in. My lack of being able to read Hangul was doing me dirty right now. I tried to listen to what the locals were saying, but because it all sounded like gibberish to me, I couldn't make out any words. As I didn't know where I was, I had no destination in mind; I decided to keep walking. To keep me somewhat sane while I tried to figure out my location, I hummed my comfort music in my head. I took breaks when my feet grew sore and tired, but I kept pushing on.

It wasn't until I was mid-way through the second pass of my top 10 favourite songs that I stopped with a gasp. Looking in front of me, I finally recognised something from all those K-Dramas that I loved to watch: the 3.1 Movement Stairs in Daegu. I had seen them when Lee Young-Joon and Kim Mi-So came here in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim.

"Daegu, huh? I wonder if I'll see Suga or V," I whispered to myself as I took my phone out of the secure pocket of my backpack. I may not be able to make any phone calls, but relief came over me that I could still take photos. Posing for many selfies and also taking some photos of only the stairs, I felt renewed in my quest for what I needed to do next. I had to look for the Australian consulate, either with the help of someone who could speak English or by sheer luck.

Calling upon my bias to give me strength to keep going, I made my way further along the street. Now that I knew I was in Daegu, I started seeing more of the landmarks from my beloved K-Dramas. They looked fairly similar to how I remembered, although there was always something different to them. Some experienced a colour change, while others were made from different materials or had different names.

Actually, while looking at things with fresh eyes, a thought entered my mind. As much as I tried to discredit it, I wondered whether I was in a parallel universe. I mean, it would make sense seeing as there were no cars when I knew for a fact that Daegu was South Korea's fourth biggest city. My brain couldn't think of another reason for how tens of millions of vehicles had disappeared in a moment. Being in a parallel universe would also explain how the roads changed in such a drastic way; the roads had never looked this way in YouTube videos or movies filmed in the city.

The biggest clue this was not the same universe that I had been in this morning was when I saw the sign for Samsung's. The restaurant looked exactly the same as my McDonald's, albeit with a different name and a slight change to the logo. Seeing the flipped 'S' that laid on its side instead of the iconic double arches cemented in me that there was no other logical explanation for what had happened. I mean, everything else about the restaurant was the same, except the name. As I looked at the building, I remembered a useless fact. Although, now seemed useful: Samsung was first a food company before branching into electronics.

I stumbled onto the bench that was a few metres away. It felt like I'd now woken up from a dream and now I was able to see the differences between the imaginary and reality. My arms slipped to my side as I stared at a bug trudging along the ground, blissfully happy in its own life. None of the steps in my Uncle Curtis' guide mentioned anything about finding one's way home if they found themselves stuck in a parallel universe.

Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about my twin. For the first time all afternoon, I had allowed myself to think of anything but escaping the position I found myself in. As I thought of the life I had left behind, I broke down. I knew she'd be frantic and stressed when she couldn't find me in the rainforest. My heart clenched. I would hate to be in her position when she would have to make that devastating phone call to our family. I didn't know how I would tell them that she had disappeared if our roles reversed. As strong as Esther was to everyone else, only our family saw the vulnerable side of her. Knowing my sister as well as I did, I knew she would blame only herself for my disappearance. She'd focus only on the fact that it was because of her that I was in the rainforest; nothing would be able to convince her that it was not because of her that I had climbed those steps.

Full-blown sobs wracked my body as I broke down. I was crying for me, but also for my sister and family. I'd seen what happened to families where their loved ones disappeared, and I hated to think that mine would go through that too. It wasn't until I felt gentle movement on the seat beside me that I remembered I was sitting on the side of a street in a city with several million inhabiting it.

Korean was being spoken to me. Of course, I had no idea what was being said. A rueful laugh forced its way from me as I regretted not learning Korean when I had the chance; instead, I'd spent that time throwing myself into learning more techniques for my job. A hand reached towards me, and I saw there was a white tissue folded between feminine fingers. I looked over and saw a middle-aged woman with kind eyes looking at me with pure sadness on her face. I nodded my head in thanks as I took the tissue, using it to wipe my face.

Once I had calmed down as much as I could, I looked up at the woman. I tried to convey my gratitude for her kind actions through non-verbal communication. She stood and beckoned me to follow her.

'What's the worst that could happen?'

I pushed myself off the wooden bench and followed behind like a lost puppy hoping to find its home. We walked for a few minutes before she stopped and pointed at a shop that I somehow knew would help me try to get home. I had no idea how I knew that; it was an instinctual feeling.

I looked back at the kind woman beside me, who simply nodded and motioned for me to enter. She waved before heading off in the direction that we'd come.

"Fuck it," I said to myself as I took the first step towards the shop.

"I wondered when you'd get here. I've been waiting all day," I heard a feminine voice say as I made my way through the front door. I could tell through her heavy accent that she had a decent grasp of the language based on the sound of the 'v'. "Come, come. We have lots to talk about, Elenor."

I sat down apprehensively on the seat opposite her. Nervous about what she wanted to talk about, I took off my backpack and placed it on the floor beside my feet. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"You can call me Ji-Hye, and no, we've never met," the woman said as she smiled softly at me.

I felt at ease around her, like I could trust her; however, I found myself growing slightly concerned as she began muttering in Korean while grabbing some cards. I had no idea what she was saying, and I didn't know if she was conversing with me... or someone else that I couldn't see.

"You've been through great changes recently," she finally said, looking my way. "You're here for a reason, but what that is... I cannot see. You're meant to be here, but not here." My mind was swirling as I listened to her continue to speak in riddles. She said it was the wrong one, that I was on the right path but not the right one, and that I was on the right ocean but on the wrong boat.

"I don't mean to be rude, Ji-Hye," I said, holding my hand up to try and stop her rambles from circling even more. "But what on earth are you talking about?"

"Sorry, I'm getting side-tracked. I can't help you with your journey, but I know someone who can." Ji-Hye stood and retrieved something from inside a drawer of an antique-looking hutch. "You need to see the Oracle in Seoul. Only he can help you find your home." I tracked her movements as my mind tried to understand what was happening. Why did I need to go to Seoul? What would an Oracle do that she couldn't? But most of all... how would I get there when I couldn't fly, drive or catch a train?

"Here, this will help," she said. Ji-Hye passed me a white card before she ushered me out the door I'd come through not even five minutes ago. "Good luck, Elenor. Remember, find the Oracle in Seoul."

Standing back on the sidewalk of the street, I was even more confused now—if that was even possible. "How the fuck am I meant to do that? I've got the same amount of money as a pig has hairs on its bum," I whispered to myself as I slipped the card into the small pocket of my yoga pants. I was completely unsure how I would follow her directions. I'd made a teensy of progress in finding my way back home, yet I was unsure if this would be a big or small step.