It took everything in me not to text back. I turned my phone off in vehement protest. I would not let my emotions get the best of me. I would not be that person who was reckless with their words.

“What do you find the greatest joy in?”

I paused, thinking about what puts a smile on my face, what keeps me going every day, and what gives me the most happiness.

“I suppose I find the greatest joy . . . in you,” I said softly.

“Me too.”

I’ve always disliked being emotional. Perhaps it started when I watched my parents fight as a child. I never understood how a simple discussion over loading the dishwasher or cooking dinner could explode into a fight that might last for days.

I had a heavy cold one Sunday night, and by nine o’clock—an unimaginably early hour—I was beginning to feel sleepy. So I hurriedly got ready for bed, and was tucked in before 10.

“I once idolized you and thought you were one of the coolest celebrities on earth. Yucks . . . you really can't judge one based on what he shows to the media. I'm utterly disgusted and disappointed,” wrote a netizen commenting on the recent K-pop scandals.