Minseo and Junho kept in touch.

He messaged first in the mornings to ask whether she'd made it to work. At lunchtime he asked whether she'd eaten. Around the end of the day, he asked how things had gone.

It wasn't suffocating. If anything, the amount was just right. If she answered late, he didn't press her. He didn't keep her trapped in conversation until midnight either.

Minseo liked that about him.

And more than anything, Junho's number stayed high.

On their second date:

92

On their third:

96

Sometimes when Minseo laughed, the number shifted. Then settled at 96 again.

She was getting used to watching it change.

There was no need to wonder whether Junho was interested in her.

That alone was comforting.

On the Saturday of their fourth date, Minseo stood in front of her closet.

Two hours until she had to leave.

She pulled out a shirt, put it back, chose a knit top, held it against a pair of pants.

Fine.

She laid them on the bed.

Then she suddenly laughed.

When she was twenty-four, it hadn't been like this.

If she was seeing her boyfriend, she chose clothes the night before. Tried on a dress. Took it off. Tried something else. Sent pictures to a friend.

This one? Or the one from before?

She started her makeup long before she needed to. Once, she'd even washed her hair again because it didn't sit right. Before leaving the house, she would spray perfume one more time for no reason.

Seeing her boyfriend had felt like that big of an event.

Minseo looked at the knit top and pants on her bed.

Now, neat was enough.

She didn't think there was anything strange about that.

I'm thirty-five. I've dated before. I've met men before.

I'm not twenty anymore. I'm too old to spend an entire day agonizing over one outfit.

This was more comfortable, if anything.

Minseo went to shower.

Junho was already at the restaurant when she arrived.

(Junho): “You're here.”

(Minseo): “Have you been waiting long?”

(Junho): “No, I just got here too.”

Probably a lie.

The water on his table was already half gone.

Minseo looked above his head.

97

Still high.

They ate, then moved to a cafe nearby.

Junho talked about how work might get busy next month. Minseo told him about her latest project.

Conversation flowed well. Nothing felt uncomfortable.

Junho was smooth about paying, polite to the staff, and never checked his phone while Minseo was talking.

He's a good man, she thought.

Or at least, there was nothing about him she disliked so far.

His circumstances were good too. Stable job. A home of his own in Seoul. Similar family background. Similar attitude toward money. No major disagreement on marriage or children.

And he liked her.

Minseo looked at the number again.

98

What else do I need?

After dinner, they walked for a while.

The weather was nice. Junho walked a little closer than usual.

They were waiting at a crosswalk when he said,

(Junho): “Minseo.”

(Minseo): “Yes?”

(Junho): “I don't actually like blind dates very much.”

Minseo laughed.

(Minseo): “Neither do I.”

(Junho): “But I'm glad I came to this one.”

The number moved.

99

Minseo watched it.

Junho continued.

(Junho): “At this age, I don't really want to spend months vaguely getting to know someone.”

That sounded like him.

(Junho): “If I like someone, I'd rather date them and see where it goes. If not, then not.”

(Minseo): “Efficient.”

(Junho): “Right?”

He smiled.

The light changed, and they crossed.

A few steps later, Junho stopped.

(Junho): “I like you, Minseo.”

Minseo stopped too.

Almost at the same moment, the number changed.

100

Minseo stared at it.

A number she had never seen before. There was nowhere higher to go.

Junho liked her completely.

Then…

Could anything possibly be more certain than this?

(Junho): “How about we stop calling these blind dates and just date?”

Minseo thought for a moment.

Did she dislike him? No.

Did the idea feel burdensome? No.

His circumstances were good. Conversation was easy. He liked her.

There was no particular reason to say no.

Minseo smiled.

(Minseo): “Okay.”

Junho smiled too.

And just like that, they became a couple.

Dating didn't dramatically change Minseo's life.

She simply had someone to message now. On Friday nights, she knew what she would be doing the next day. Weekends naturally filled with plans. When she left work, she sometimes thought, I'm seeing Junho tonight.

Her dull routine had acquired appointments.

It was nice.

When she went to see Junho, Minseo chose something reasonably nice from her closet. She didn't feel like buying new clothes. She reapplied lipstick once and checked that her hair didn't look terrible.

She didn't hover in front of the mirror for hours the way she had in her twenties. She didn't lose sleep the night before a date. When Junho's name appeared on her phone, her heart didn't leap before the rest of her.

Minseo didn't find that strange.

Maybe this was what happened as you got older.

She wasn't twenty anymore. Meeting one person wasn't supposed to turn her whole world upside down.

Maybe liking someone simply became calmer with age. Maybe this was a more adult kind of relationship.

Junho treated her well.

He kept promises, respected her schedule, never complained when she had to work late, found good restaurants for the weekend, and usually planned the next date first.

Anyone would have said he was a good man.

One night after a date, Minseo was removing her makeup when she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

Today was fun.

It really was.

She liked Junho too.

Probably.

Minseo patted toner into her skin.

Her last relationship had been so long ago that she couldn't clearly remember what it was supposed to feel like.

Maybe relationships naturally became like this over time.

Stable. Comfortable. Predictable.

A man whose feelings for her were certain, and whose circumstances fit hers.

Minseo thought,

I'm doing this right, aren't I?

Her phone buzzed.

[Junho: I had a good time today too. Sleep well :)]

Minseo replied.

[Minseo: Me too. Good night.]

She put down her phone.

A few seconds later, she picked up the hair dryer as if nothing had happened.

Minseo didn't know it yet.

But not feeling butterflies and simply being used to someone

were two entirely different things.