title : epenpal
pairing : i dont even know i---
genre : im so sorry i---
short summary : the consequences of dating apps.

WARNING : THIS STORY VOULD BE TRIGGERING TO SOME. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

ePenpal. On the surface, it's a phone application that allows you to connect with other people around the world to casually converse and chat about your country. However, underneath all the visually appealing buttons and colors is a young socialite's haven. Within a few minutes of tapping buttons and filling out personal information, you begin connecting to people who have intentions of more than 'just friends'. And yes, that is the dating scene.

Well either way, Mingyu could have cared less with who he was connecting to as he had downloaded the app 'just for fun'. Now, the curious teenager didn't believe in the legitimacy of dating apps; the whole concept was too odd. Especially with all the triggering headlines he'd seen about dating app incidents in the news, it confirmed his belief that meeting people online was overall a terrible and stupid idea. Still, because his friends at school invested so many hours of their free time on ePenpal, he though “ it”, and soon it was installed onto his phone. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

After a few days, he was increasingly drawn to how fun loose relationships could be. He had over fifty matches, and had multiple proper conversations with people all over the world. To him, that was an achievement. In fact, he was doing a lot better than his friends were in connecting with genuine females than fresh-out-of-college student who want to know what it's like to teach English in Korea. Anyway, one must keep in mind that Mingyu was quite the attractive boy; perfectly structured face, great height, and not to mention he cleaned himself up quite well. Ladies adored his charming looks, and were all over his pictures in his Stories page, and his weekly profile picture changes. They fawned over 'oppa', and he felt like a king.

Until he came across Jiwoo. Now Jiwoo's profile was in a league of her own; far more impressive than he ever dreamed his to be. For an entire two hours, he dedicated himself to looking through each and every one of her posts, admiring the pictures that were beyond perfection. Long brown hair, and cat-eyed, she always revealed her bright, toothy grin in whatever activity she was enjoying in the photo. She loved going on adventures outdoors, and at least every other day she was out exploring. Her basic profile also screamed to him 'ideal type'; a native Korean studying in Seoul School of Performing Arts. She was beautiful. Immediately, Mingyu favorited her profile, and followed her, gaining access to her messages. Score one.

Trying to keep it cool, Mingyu decided to wait a while as to keep himself from looking too desperate. Besides, it was just a common thing in Korea to wait a few days after the initial meeting to start texting each other, so it wasn't too odd. So in two days (after she followed him back), he sent her a safe greeting - “Hey.” No reply. Seeing that she was still online, Mingyu was struck with panic. Did he mess it up with “Hey”? Actually...why the hell did he say that out of all possible greetings? He totally ed up and it was too late to change it now. All he could do now was pray and hope she would at least have the heart to acknowledge his lame attempt at conversation.

An hour passed, and his phone vibrated. His eyes widened at the notification box that lit up on his screen – a message from Jiwoo; “Hey!”

From there, everything fell into place. They shared with each other their hobbies, interests, school life – the lot. In a matter of a few days, Mingyu felt like he knew this girl inside and out. Her parents had separated, she lived alone in the city pursuing her dream of becoming a famous musician, and worked late night shifts as a waitress in a local cafe. She was a Cancer, and he was an Aries. While they were of opposite signs, Mingyu was a strong supporter of the opposites attract ideal. Everything was perfect to the pointing where he even forgot about the other people he had been messaging. His eyes could only see Jiwoo, and he desperately hoped it was the same on her end.

It got to the point where Mingyu felt it was right to ask, “Any chance we could meet up sometime? Maybe grab a coffee or something?”

And to his surprise, she agreed, arranging to meet at the cafe across her campus where she worked at.

Approximately at eight o'clock at night, Mingyu hopped onto the bus and headed to the meeting place, completely eager. He had dressed in his best black slacks, styled his hair up, and made sure there was not a single wrinkle in his navy collared shirt. However, as confident as he seemed on the outside, there were a million worries buzzing around in his subconscious. What if she thought he was actually ugly in real life? What if they were awkward the entire time? What if he couldn't find anything to say? None of his questions were answered in the short time he had before arriving at the cafe.