Is This For Real?
Is this for real?
The shop fell silent after all the customers left.
In the heavy quiet, an awkward tension hung in the air like a noose.
"......"
"......"
Dong-hyun fidgeted like a kid caught watching porn, his eyes darting between the ceiling and the floor, nowhere to land.
This guy's a full-grown adult. He can date if he wants. Why's he acting like this?
Anyone would think he'd been cheating or something.
He reeked of that lifelong singleton vibe, the ultimate nerd stench.
"Nice to meet you, Hoon."
With Dong-hyun just flapping his mouth like a goldfish, the blonde beauty beside him finally broke the ice.
Sharp, striking features—clean and bold.
Dong-hyun, you sneaky bastard. Not bad.
"Talk about timing. Nice to meet you too. What's your name?"
Time to run a background check.
"Oh! I'm Rossi."
She flashed a bright smile and added,
"Sorry for dating in your shop."
Sorry? No big deal. No customers, closing time—shit happens.
"No worries, Rossi. But..."
I nodded toward Dong-hyun.
"How'd you two meet? He's been stuck managing the place while I was gone—work, work, work. No time for dating."
Straight to the point.
Nothing seemed off before I left for Korea.
Work-home, work-home. That was his life.
One month later, and they're kissing?
"Oh! We met when he was a customer."
"Huh?"
A customer?
Rossi was a new face to me.
Did she come eat here while I was away and sparks flew?
I gave Dong-hyun a long look.
Flirting with customers on the job?
Never pegged him for it, but maybe the guy's got hidden talents.
"Wh-what?"
Catching my stare, he grumbled defensively.
I turned back to Rossi.
"Oh, so you met him as a customer here? Didn't know Dong-hyun had it in him."
Did he snag her number while serving?
But Rossi just laughed brightly, waving it off with a "hoho."
"No. He was a customer at our shop."
Huh? What?
"Wait, Dong-hyun was the customer?"
She nodded at my question.
Then, with her slender finger, she pointed out the window across the street.
"I work at the cafe over there. He came for coffee a lot. That's when I started flirting. Hoho."
The cafe?
I turned to look out the window.
Right across from our place—the one I hit up all the time.
Sarah usually took orders, though?
I tilted my head.
The owner was this lady named Sarah.
"Sarah hired help? I'm a regular—how come I've never seen you?"
Rossi blinked wide-eyed in surprise.
"Oh my god, Hoon. You know my mom?"
"......Huh?"
Mom?
A memory flashed by.
Hoon! If you weren't married, I'd introduce you to my daughter!
Right. Rossi was Sarah's daughter.
One of the core values holding America together is family.
The basic building block of society.
Ironically, though, America was infamous for men avoiding marriage.
Asset division laws here were brutally tough.
Joke was, two divorces and you're broke and homeless.
That vibe trickled into society.
Years of PC culture and feminism left a generation of single, aging women.
They'd raise wine glasses shouting "single life is best," but videos circulated of them alone in empty homes, drowning in regret.
The younger girls watching grew up and realized:
Oh, dying alone isn't cool at all.
That's not happiness.
So they switched strategies.
Marry young, when their value peaked, to a kind, family-oriented guy. Build a stable home early.
Instinct told them: that's peak happiness for a woman.
But men had learned their lesson.
Burned by women's antics and divorce risks, they stuck to cohabitation over marriage.
Women were the desperate ones.
Enter the comet: "America's hero" Hoon and his wife Lily.
Their marriage was every American woman's dream.
Honey-dripping gazes, protecting each other through tough times.
A couple that just made you feel good watching.
"I want that kind of happiness too."
Dreaming of Lily, women's numbers exploded.
Korean guys' stock skyrocketed too.
Why? Responsibility. Sweetness. Family mindset.
Trait American men lacked, standard on Korean men.
Humans sense it instinctively.
Fake or real.
Hoon and Lily's love, streamed on YouTube? Pure real.
Rare pure happiness in modern life.
Rossi was part of that wave.
Working her mom's cafe, she eyed the restaurant across the street.
And there was Park Dong-hyun.
Diligent daily, silently shouldering the shop.
If he's Hoon's friend, he's gotta be a good guy.
Birds of a feather, right?
Hoon's best friend, armed with diligence and responsibility—a prime Korean husband catch.
Rossi was sure: miss him, regret forever.
So she went straight for it, flirting hard at Dong-hyun over coffee.
Some days, you crave coffee made by someone else, not my brew.
Restaurant work was brutal—food and drink had to be on point.
Never skimped on staff steps or snacks.
Of course, it all came out of sales.
That day too.
"Alright, let's crush it today."
Dong-hyun rallied the crew.
Pre-open frenzy done, calm before the storm.
"I'll grab coffee—take a breather."
Post-lunch coffee run was Bapsang flagship's little joy.
Usually the boss's gig, but with Ji-hoon gone, manager Dong-hyun grabbed his wallet.
Right across: the regular cafe.
Early, no customers.
Ding-a-ling—
Door chime rang cheerful as Dong-hyun stepped in—and froze.
"......?"
No familiar face at the counter.
No warm Sarah; instead, a dazzling blonde young woman, almost too bright.
New part-timer?
He shrugged it off, approached.
"Ten iced Americanos, please."
"Got it."
That was Dong-hyun and Rossi's first meet.
After, every few days around lunch, she'd man the counter when he came for coffee.
Third time.
"How's your day?"
Rossi asked while fitting the cup holder.
Basic American small talk.
Dong-hyun, fiddling phone post-order, looked up.
"Good. You?"
Textbook response.
But Rossi's follow-up? Not textbook.
She grinned and dove in.
"I like you too. Wanna date?"
"......Huh?"
Straight fastball date pitch—no windup.
Dong-hyun's brain short-circuited.
He stared blankly, then—
"Hic!"
Hiccups hit out of nowhere.
For a lifelong singleton, that bold flirt was overload.
His face flushed beet red.
Like possessed, he swapped numbers, grabbed the tray, and stumbled out.
"......What the hell?"
Cold sweat down his back.
"America got 'know your place' girls too?"
Post-discharge, no real dating for Dong-hyun.
Simple reason: life too packed.
Buffet job.
12-hour basics. Work when others rested.
Work-home loop—no girl contact.
So a total stranger beauty, American no less, aggressively proposing dates?
Suspicion first: scam?
But no scam.
Ji-hoon's month away: they met on off-days, squeezed post-work dates.
Dong-hyun's first flirtationship.
Problem: zero XP.
How to treat a girl? Date plans? Total blank.
Dong-hyun came clean.
"Hey, Rossi. Up front..."
"Yeah?"
"Never really dated in Korea either. Clueless, might suck. Boring even."
Ears red as he confessed.
Rossi blinked big, then burst laughing.
"Me neither, Dong-hyun."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. Utah girl."
Yep.
Rossi new to Berkeley, from conservative Utah.
Four years younger: 22.
Virgin singleton duo.
But key difference.
Dong-hyun: passive herbivore type.
Rossi: clear likes/dislikes, grabs what she wants—carnivore.
"Dong-hyun, you chill. I'll lead."
"Uh, uh... okay."
Shy-backing Dong-hyun, cute-bullying bold Rossi.
Border-and-language-transcending singleton romance: clumsy, but burning hot.
Listening to their story, I thought:
Singleton carnivore girl? Is this for real?
A novel-worthy woman right in front of me.
From my view? Thank you.
Dong-hyun essential for shop ops.
Always worried he'd Korea-sick out, lonely, bail.
This changes everything.
Watching them? Hilarious picture.
Rossi: stunning anywhere, flashy looks, killer curves.
Sexy American style.
Dong-hyun: sturdy, strong, classic tough guy.
Mismatched? Nah, weirdly perfect.
Please date forever.
Honeymoon phase—peak bliss.
I grinned, spoke up.
"Oh! Dong-hyun-ah."
"Yeah?"
Loud enough for Rossi to hear.
"You held it down solo a month—take a week off."
"......Huh?"
"Trip with Rossi. You haven't toured America proper."
I nailed it.
"I'll mind the shop a week. Got it?"
Dong-hyun's eyes bugged.
"For real?"
Grin to his ears at "rest."
I turned to Rossi.
"Rossi. Dong-hyun's never really explored. Can you guide a week?"
She pondered, pulled phone.
Ring ring.
"Hey, Mom? Taking a week off."
Unilateral.
Family biz—bold af.
Hung up, eyes sparkling at Dong-hyun.
"Wanna go far?"
"Uh...?"
He startled.
"S-sure...?"
Half-hearted, uneasy.
Rossi just grinned, finding it cute.
"Hoon, heading home. You two catch up."
Sense too.
She stood, winked at Dong-hyun.
"Text ya, babe."
Ding-a-ling—
She bounced out cheerful.
Shop quiet again.
"......"
"Hey..."
Long pause, Dong-hyun spoke.
"What?"
Voice cracking.
"I needed... like two days alone...!"
"Pfft!"
Yeah.
Girlfriend fun, but Rossi's energy drained him.
Clingy gf vibes.
I chuckled, pulled shopping bag from luggage.
"You begged for vacation before. Here."
"What's this?"
Grumbling unwrap.
"Booze? Oh... bokbunja too."
Eyes lit different.
"Share with Rossi on trip. Good for stamina."
"Ahem."
Dong-hyun slyly pocketed it natural.
"How's dating feel?"
"Pretty good. Gets why people do it."
"Skills on point, huh?"
"Hell yeah. I got seduced. Told ya—got my fanbase."
Shoulders high, annoying.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, have fun. She's cool, straightforward."
I cheered my buddy's romance.