I didn’t know what to expect from my handsome gym stranger. Would he text? He did, about thirty minutes after I got home. I looked at his profile, a photo of him on stage, and his background, a photo of him and his family, and promptly burst into tears. Deep down I had expected him to be another catfish, or another weirdo, or another narcissistic playboy looking to “experience” a foreign woman, and the unexpected relief made me cry. Dating in Korea has done a number on me. We texted back and forth and I learned that he was a musical theater actor. He lived with his family and had…

On a low-key Saturday evening, I finished up at the gym and threw on my clothes: baggy cargo pants and a men’s denim jacket. I headed to the gym doors but suddenly spotted a handsome stranger at the water fountain. He was tall with big, expressive eyes and we made eye contact over his water bottle in what felt like an electric moment. Well, that was nice, but nothing will come from it because this is Korea, I concluded, leaving and crossing the street. Until I heard a voice in Korean say, “Excuse me.” I turned around. It was him. He must have set down his water bottle and rushed…

After weeks of pesky insomnia, I vowed to lie down early. Just as I had finished my nightly routine and turned out all the lights, I heard a commotion on the street below. “Come out!” came a woman’s voice. The area where I live is not particularly famous for its safety so I assumed this woman was calling out someone to fight. I’ve seen stranger things in my neighborhood. But the rustling and yelling continued so I grudgingly wiggled off my fold-out mattress to peep out the window. I was shocked to see that everyone in my apartment building had gathered in their pajamas in the street. Is this… is…