Lawrence Chang and Soomin Yeon met thanks to good friends, a little luck, and perfect timing. One night in downtown Austin at Stubb's Bar-B-Q, their paths finally crossed, thanks to Esther and Ben, Allen, Sam and Quan, who somehow convinced two homebodies to go out that night.
From the very first conversation, Lawrence was smitten.
Soomin, however, took a little more time.
Her plan was simple, "just to be friends", as she had a rule against dating within the friend group.
Lawrence agreed...at least in principle.
Their first "friendly hangout" quickly turned into a fancy sushi dinner, where Lawrence skipped small talk and asked questions like "How many kids do you want?" and "Are you looking to date seriously?"
When Soomin suggested they see each other again in two months, Lawrence gently, but confidently, negotiated that down.
What followed were four months of "just friends" that looked suspiciously like dates, until Soomin finally gave in, and they officially had their "first" date.
Lawrence fell fast.
Soomin took a little longer, but when she fell, she fell completely.
They say, “When you know, you know”. They knew immediately.
Not long after, Lawrence planned a private proposal, just the two of them, exactly how Soomin wanted it. Everything was going perfectly, until, right before he could even get the ring out, he got overwhelmed with emotion and started crying.
Not realizing what was happening, Soomin found herself asking, "Wait...are you crying?"
Somewhere between the nerves, the laughter, the happy tears, Lawrence found the words. And of course, she said yes.
Soon after, they traveled to Korea together to meet her extended family and grandmother, celebrating the beginning of their happily ever after.