A Love Story of Mine

It was a damp, gray day in Rincon Hill, San Francisco, the kind of day when the city wears a watercolor sky of silver and ash. A light drizzle had been falling, blending the briny smell of the bay with the damp pavement. Truth be told, I barely registered any of it. I had spent the last few weeks holed up in my apartment, focused on a mobile game. When life feels overwhelming it is easy to disappear into an escape, and for me it was ranked ladders: climbing from Iron to Gold to Diamond to Master and beyond. I had gotten so wrapped up in the chase that I was close to giving up on ever finding a partner.

Yet finding that person was the one dream I could not shake. Since childhood, people had told me that working hard would lead to a good marriage, and a lot of what I did, even going to the gym, was partly about becoming someone worth choosing. If I am being logical, it does make sense to prioritize finding the right person in your twenties or thirties. Scott Galloway says as much (video link). But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, life does not line up the way you expect.

Then came a moment that felt like divine intervention. Right around the time I was about to give up, I got a match on a dating app. I was not even checking it often. Yet this match seemed different, like a quiet nudge telling me not to ignore it. We exchanged a few messages, jumped on a phone call, and I learned she was about to fly to Korea for Thanksgiving. With barely any time before her trip, I convinced her we should meet. She suggested a wine bar in Rincon Hill, Mili Wine Bar, so that is where we ended up.

From the moment I saw her, I was captivated. She had a radiant smile, a laugh that lit up the room, and a kind of effortless confidence, as if she knew who she was but wore it lightly. Her laughter, when it really came out, was not the polite kind you hear on a first date. It was genuine, warm, and disarmingly pure. We talked for hours and the time flew by. The more we talked, the more I realized she was conscientious and open minded, a rare combination. Even better, she seemed to like me too. The rest, as they say, is history.

Was it luck or a blessing from God? I do not pretend to have the answer, but I am beyond grateful. I cannot even resent how long it took for this moment to arrive, because in the meantime I grew in ways I would not have otherwise. A decade ago I would have gotten in my own way, if I had managed to get the date at all. I was insecure and had a lot to learn about myself. So maybe it was God's plan that it happened now.

That said, I also understand that what He gives He can take away. I do not want to lose her, but wanting that is not enough. She might be right for me, but that does not necessarily mean I am right for her. My job now is to become more reliable, wiser, stronger, more mature, and more humble, and to do whatever it takes to deserve this. That drive to keep growing is another gift I never knew I was missing.