"Did you get your T-money card yet?"

"Which places have you visited already with your mom?"

"Want to get a strawberry juice before we leave?"

I'm inundated by questions while Beomgyu and I prepare for my first "independent" trip. We're in our dorm room, getting dressed. He dons a sweatshirt with a holographic label and appears like he's just finished a photoshoot. All I have is a t-shirt with bold lettering that says I'M PRETTY COOL. Gosh, I wish I packed more t-shirts.

My mom and I are very close.

I think I used to think about this fact in a positive light. Because I don't have many friends, I followed her around like a puppy, and we only did activities that were fun for the both of us. This left me with the options of shopping, eating, and walking around. For the majority of my childhood, I was completely under her control. Honestly, I still am. She can change my world in an instant with a well-placed phrase. I often feel like her puppet.

In Seoul, we walked around the tourist areas like Myeongdong in a frantic rush. I felt like I had to heal from my recent heartbreak. At the same time, I felt like my mom was trying to force me to have fun. I wanted to scream multiple times that there's no use forcing someone to be happy.

Beomgyu is the exact opposite of my mother. Even from knowing him for less than twenty-four hours, I can tell he's generous and empathetic. He'll never force me to do anything—if he considers me his friend.

Am I his friend? I guess I'm an acquaintance. If this is how he treats his acquaintances, I wouldn't mind being one for the rest of my life.

"Hey, Jayden?"

I jerk up from the bed—from my position of attempting to appear relaxed when really I was crunching my abs and tensing my neck. "Ah! Yeah?"

"Have you figured out where you want to go?" Beomgyu sits on the edge of his bed, combing through his fluffy hair with his hands.

I try to recover from my very obvious jolt. "Um. Well, I've always wanted to try an all-you-can-eat place here."

Beomgyu shakes with excitement just from my mention. "Are you serious? I would love to take you to a buffet."

The sweetness in his voice makes me want to jolt again, but in a completely different way. It sounds, just barely, like he's referring to our meal as a date.

I shake my head quickly, knowing well that Beomgyu has a hundred girls he could choose from, whether in school or in the industry. They're all better looking and more talented than I will ever be. Why would Beomgyu fall in love with a nobody like me?

Beomgyu slams my thoughts closed when he screams out. "Let's have all-you-can-eat tteokbokki!"

My stomach roars in response, but I'm not quite sure whether it's because of Beomgyu's shouting or my hunger for one of Korea's most famous dishes.

An hour later, we end up at Dookki. My eyes widen at the sheer amount of options—the sausages, fried foods, and seaweeds. And the sauces have a fragrance to them that makes my stomach rumble—the perfect mixture of sweet, salty and spicy.

Beomgyu leads me through the whole process. We make our own signature soup base and add broth so the various types of rice cake can start cooking. Once it does, Beomgyu orders a sizzling cheese ring to place around the boiling dish.

When we finally dig in, my taste buds scream in a way that it only does when I have my favorite dishes. Except this isn't like pad thai or pho—this is a completely different experience, with a balance of flavors that makes me dig in for more without realizing it.

"How is it?" Beomgyu asks.

I look him in his hopeful eyes. He's been nothing but helpful and bright for my first full day in Seoul by myself. And he's given me so much to be thankful for already. I couldn't have asked for a better roommate. And I'm not just saying that because he's Beomgyu from TOMORROW X TOGETHER.

"I love it."