My love for Korea started back in high school. I was seventeen then, and to escape a home that felt like hell, I applied to a public college in Australia and traveled thousands of miles alone to Canberra. During those hard days, I met my classmate Tony. He took me to Korean internet cafes, to Korean barbershops, and introduced me to Korean food. Even though we were just two kids with barely any money, we'd eat cereal and bread for what felt like forever, saving up every bit we could to go try all kinds of good food—and secretly buy soju to drink together. Kimchi, gimbap, Shin Ramyun, fried chicken... all sorts of things, paired with soju, beer, and the cheapest vodka—that was my purest happiness back then.