"Don't judge me if I like musicals." Her first message to him - she had been burned before. “Actually, I’ve done a lot of musical theatre in my life”. He responded, hoping that she would be impressed by his experience but not, like, in an arrogant way. He was, after all, an “Honors Thespian” for Troupe 1168. “What’s your favorite musical?” “ I really like Waitress.” she replied, - a litmus test disguised as small talk. “Oh, I really like that one, I got to see that with Sara Bareilles”. She was relieved he passed and incredibly jealous of his Broadway attendance. He hoped she would continue to be the first girl to be impressed by his theatre experience. Conversations continued discussing favorite cuisines (Asian for her, Mexican for him), favorite bands (“I like alternative rock and emo mostly right now. ” he would tell her “I see. So like high school classics type of stuff”, she would reply.” Don’t tell her the emo phase didn’t start until age 29.), favorite places to travel, movies, books, TV shows, etc. These conversations shifted from Hinge to then texting “Just take my number, I’m bad with responding to a notification bomb,” she offered. Nice, she gave me her number, I knew Bareilles and Troupe 1168 would work. December 28th, 2023, was a day that seemed like any other, but little did these two Hinge re-downloaders know they had finally found “the one”. While a snowstorm delayed their first date, January 21st, 2024, rolled around, and the two met up at Seoul Taco in Wicker Park. A perfect blend of their favorite cuisines. He decided now would be a great time to offer his improv skills and see how she responded. He spun a 45-minute improv session about a musical telling the story of the Korean immigrant who moved to Mexico. “Oh man, she's loving this!” He decided to go for it. “Can I kiss you?” “Yeah.” They kissed. He thought it was awesome, and she was excited about what was to come. On March 5th, 2024, he asked her to be his girlfriend in the freezing spring rain. “Why the hell not?!” she would say. March 31st, 2024, he told her he loved her for the first time and, of course, she said it back. “Why are you sweating so much?” she would ask. March 28th, 2025, he asked her to marry him. “I thought you were going to ask me - you were breathing really hard on the way to the concert. But I thought surely you wouldn’t propose in your Soundgarden shirt and cargo shorts”. Way to throw her off your scent, he thought. Over the next several months - long months, but good ones, things continue to grow. He taught her Magic: The Gathering, and she let him into her wonderful world of Dungeons and Dragons. “How many bards can I have in a party?” he asked. “However many you want!” She would not need as much guidance when learning Magic: The Gathering. He would try to convince himself that he “was just letting her win” when in his heart he knew what was really happening. He loved her even more. His friends and her friends would become their friends. His family would welcome her to Thanksgivings, Christmases, and birthdays. Her mom would welcome him with banter, jokes, and an unrivaled back-and-forth. Things kept getting better, love continued to grow, and hopes for the future looked bright. They were in love. They are in love. And their commitment to each other will last a lifetime. And on December 11th, 2026, they plan to get married, accompanied by their closest friends and family! The show and the story continue…