Me: NO!!!! Ugh. Well, this was nice while it lasted, Alex, but we can never speak again…

Alex: Cucumbers are fresh, delicious, and great for facials. Besides, what did baechu ever do for anyone?

Me: Baechu = kimchi. You’re telling me that if you could only choose one veggie to survive the apocalypse, you WOULDN’T choose cabbage, thus getting rid of kimchi for all eternity?!

Alex: …

Alex: Ok. Fine, you win this round. Though I do feel the need to remind you that cucumber kimchi IS a thing and happens to be my favorite.

Me: Lol. Don’t make me throw up.

Me: Wait, can we go back to the cucumber facials?

Alex: I know a thing or two about facials. I mean, I do have a face.

Me: Totally didn’t notice that before now. lol. But it’s great. A guy who is not afraid to self-groom is a good find.

Alex: You might say I’m both soft and strong.

Me:

Oops. Was that too flirty? We’ve been texting pretty much every day for the past two weeks, usually when I’m alone in my room like I am now, and I’ve been trying to keep it somewhere between flirty and friendly. Flirty enough to say, Hey, I think you’re really cute and fun to talk to. But not so flirty as to say, Hey, how would you feel about making out for an hour or two? I’m still wary about getting involved in an actual relationship, especially after what happened to Jiyoon.

Me: That air kiss was for the bag metaphor, obviously. That beauty still haunts my dreams.

Alex: Of course. I’ll relay your affections back to the bag.

I sigh with relief. (It is distinctly not a swoony sigh, I tell myself, though I would understand if someone passing by thought it was…) Mostly my exchanges with Alex have been casual like this. Flirty in a way that could be easily denied. But every now and then, our conversations drift into more serious territory. Like when he shared that his grandmother—the one with all the cats—had a bad fall and was hospitalized last week. Or when I opened up about how I’m worried Appa is overworking himself at his job. As much as I’m trying to keep things casual, I can’t help but love those moments when it feels like we’re really getting to know each other—beyond just the fansite-survey facts. As silly as some of our banter can be, I feel that pull to know more and more about him. I’m curious about everything, from his opinions on big issues like family and honor, to little things like whether he listens to music in the shower (he listens to the news hour during his morning routine! Like a fully-fledged adult and/or total nerd).