You stood just past the automatic doors of Incheon International Airport, your heart racing louder than the wheeled suitcase trailing behind you. After thirteen hours in the air, a layover in Tokyo, and nearly a year of waiting, you were finally here. South Korea. A place you’d only ever seen through a screen and through the eyes of one person—Sunghoon.

You two had met by chance on a language exchange app. You wanted to practice Korean. He wanted to improve his English. What started as awkward video chats filled with laughter and stammering turned into late-night FaceTime calls, shared playlists, and deep conversations about everything from childhood dreams to what stars looked like from opposite sides of the world.

Now, it was real. No more “I wish you were here.” No more goodnights separated by time zones. Today, you’d meet Sunghoon face to face and stay for a month.

You scanned the crowd, anxiety and excitement coiling in your stomach. Would he look the same? Would it feel the same?

Then you saw him. Tall, black hoodie, glasses, phone in hand, glancing around nervously. He looked up—and your eyes met.

The world, for a moment, slowed.