Love in Seoul

My life was perfect.

Perfectly boring, of course.

I woke up at the same time every day, went to school like a robot, got straight A’s, ate what I was told, and went to bed just to repeat it all over again.

Like some bad social experiment designed by my parents.

I'm an only child, which in my case meant: zero fun, zero rebellion, and one hundred percent impossible expectations.

My favorite toys were puzzles, math books for “gifted girls,” and brain-training apps.

No Barbies, no TikTok, no sleepovers.

My childhood was basically a never-ending waiting room.

My mom is Korean. Religious, strict, conservative, and owner of a list of commandments that weren't in the Bible, but definitely ruled my life:

• You shall not have a boyfriend before the age of 25.

• You shall not go to parties.

• You shall not sleep over at anyone’s house.

• You shall never fail in school.

• And of course, you shall honor your mother—even if she ruins your life.

My dad is American. More chill, but rarely around—he worked all day, and when he did speak, his voice got lost somewhere beneath my mom’s monologues.

He always said I should be spontaneous, charming, fun…

But if I got to pick my own cereal at the store, it was already a win.

I lived in Portland—a quiet, cold, rainy city.

Everything felt like it was going to stay that way forever, frozen in routine…

Until one day, my mom dropped the bomb:

We were moving to South Korea.

At first, I thought it would be more of the same—just with spicy rice and signs I couldn’t read.

Spoiler alert: I was wrong.

Very wrong.

Because Korea wasn’t just a new country.

It was the start of everything I never expected:

a traditional house with paper walls, a grandma who spoke in riddles, a school where the uniform weighed more than my self-esteem,

and two completely opposite boys who would mess with everything I thought I knew about love.

I only wanted to survive high school.

But fate had other plans.

And yep—those plans came with uniforms, drama, and a full-blown love triangle.