Ryanne plopped on her bed. "This was a good first meeting." She thought to herself. "I can't wait until the next meeting next week."
She called Jade and Layla to spill the beans. Nothing too serious happened, but her heart fluttered. Could she be interested in him so quickly? Wow, the way life works, she thought to herself. She told herself to take it easy because she's just getting to know Ming, as she and her friends called him. &They agreed with her. But they were happy that she was happy.
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Minyoung and Ryanne met in the same spot for the next couple of weeks, and went over some of the aspects that were important to them in their life. But this time, Minyoung added a new aspect...Diversity. It was a month into working on the project, and Ryanne was curious about this new addition.
"So...I see you added Diversity to your list. Why so?" Ryanne asked curiously.
"Well, diversity has always been important to me. I know it may not seem that way, because I only hang out with other Koreans, but I've always craved a diverse crowd ever since I was little. It's kind of complicated. I felt comfortable enough to add it to my list because I feel like I can talk to you about it, even though I'm trying to find the right words to say. It's not so easy to talk about for me." Minyoung explained.
Ryanne was blown away. "Wow, I feel honored that you feel comfortable enough to open up to me. Do you think you can try to explain a little more?"
"Alright. Um...I've always grown up in a diverse setting. But I've always been surrounded by many Koreans as well. My family is somewhat xenophobic. They expect me to just hang out with Koreans my whole life, marry a Korean, and maybe even move to Korea. Growing up, I always wanted friends of different backgrounds. But my family wouldn't allow it. I had to sneak around to even eat foods from other cultures. It was bad. But this year, things will change. I'm taking a stand against my family's ways. I plan on putting myself out there and making friends/experiencing other cultures. It's time." Minyoung said confidently.
Ryanne was even more blown away. "Wow...I didn't know you had it so hard. I'm glad you're deciding to think more for yourself now, instead of allowing your family to control that aspect of your life."
"Thanks. It's mostly my Grandma. I'll deal with her somehow, someway."
Curiosity was still pinching Ryanne. "You said your family wants you to marry a Korean girl...do you want to? Sorry if this seems too personal of a question."
Minyoung seemed a bit surprised at the question, because he didn't expect it, but he answered nonetheless. Ryanne was sure to be shocked at his response.
"I've always liked women with darker skin. I've had 2 relationships my whole life, who happened to be with Korean girls. They didnt last long because my heart wasn't really in it. My family set me up with them. I liked a dark skin Dominican girl when I was younger, but my Grandma scared her away. I'll never forget that."
It was true, Ryanne was shocked...in a good way. "Goodness. You went through a lot with your family. Taking a stand must be so liberating for you! I'm with you on this liberation movement!" Then she gave him a high five to cheer him on.
"Thanks!" Minyoung replied. "So...how about you? I know diversity is important to you based on your collage, bit how has it impacted your relationships?" Minyoung was curious to learn more about his partner.
"Well, my Mom always taught me to respect anyone no matter what color they are. I've always had friends of different races. I'm Jamaican, so my culture is very diverse as as well. I'm even part Irish and Chinese...my Dad is Irish and Black, and my mom is Chinese and Black. They're both from Jamaica." Ryanne said proudly.
"That's really cool." Minyoung said.
Ryanne added, "And when it comes to relationships, I don't care what race someone is. I don't discriminate."
"Then I guess we have something in common." Minyoung added.
They just gazed & smiled at each other for a couple seconds. "Yea, I guess we do." Ryanne finally answered.
She felt the butterflies in her stomach. She quickly averted her eyes from Minyoung and picked up her collage to look at it. "Yea, so we should get to outlining what we will do for this project."
Minyoung snapped out of his gaze. "Yes you are right. Let's get to this." He felt butterflies too, for the first time in a long time.
It seemed that likeness was brewing between them.
YOU ARE READING
A Love Like This
Romance"They were from two different worlds" Well, no, not really. But they might as well have been. Minyoung Ahn was Korean American. Even though he grew up around other races...for the majority of his life, he surrounded himself with other Koreans. It wa...
