Who would’ve thought our love story would start with a little dating app called Hinge? #thankshinge As the world slowly returned to normal after two years of isolation, we both hopped onto dating apps hoping to meet people. Luckily, Pauline liked Justin’s profile for the hiking, the food, and because he looked cute. Justin instantly matched with her, partly because he thought she was a doctor in her white coat (whoops), but mostly because she radiated warmth and had a big smile. Plus, she was very cute too. From the start, we bonded over K-dramas and food. Justin tried to humble-brag about cooking kare-kare to see if Pauline was Filipino (she is, in case you didn’t know). We were even watching the same show at the time. After a week of texting, we met for boba after work. From first sight, Justin was in awe. His leg was shaking from nerves and Pauline found him a little awkward but cute. We talked about K-pop, K-dramas, and everything in between. One boba turned into dinner, and by the time we went home, we had exchanged numbers “for real.” On the way back, Justin told his friends she was the girl he wanted to marry. Travel plans kept us apart for the next two weeks, but we talked nonstop while still giving each other family time. Justin couldn’t wait, so he drove up for a spontaneous lunch date. A couple weeks later, we deleted Hinge. Justin asked Pauline to be his girlfriend, but she said “not yet.” Two weeks later (yes, two, not four) she finally said yes, and Justin got to meet her parents (and their amazing cooking). A few months later, Pauline met Justin’s family and they loved her. His sister Erika told Justin, “Don’t f*ck this up.” Good news: he didn’t. About a year later, the idea of marriage became a plan. On a work trip to Amsterdam, Justin found great points redemptions for Japan flights. He easily convinced Pauline to go since Japan is the land of her favorite food, sushi and tempura. That’s when Justin decided he would propose there. They talked casually about rings, even went ring shopping “for fun.” Pauline picked the setting, and Justin went into deep dive mode to find the perfect diamond. The next challenge was asking her parents and sister. While Pauline sang at church one Sunday, Justin visited her sister under the guise of hanging out with Luca. Everyone gave their blessing, and he swore them to secrecy. Fast forward to Japan. Pauline briefly suspected something when her mom suggested getting her nails done, but forgot once the good Japan Airlines food arrived. Justin carried the ring everywhere, waiting for the perfect moment. On the day, we went to see Mt. Fuji. We weren’t sure the mountain would appear, but it showed up in full view. At Oishi Park along Lake Kawaguchi, Justin knew this was the moment. He set up tripods and the camera, trying to look casual, but right as he approached Pauline… a family biked over to skip rocks. After what felt like forever, they finally left. Then came the moment. Pauline thought it was just a suspiciously planned photoshoot until Justin got down on one knee. And the rest is history.