Feeling jet lag, I alight from my flight and decide to spread my legs for a few minutes before calling for a cab. A kid jumps on my already uncomfy back and tries to make me give them a piggy ride. I turn around ready to say not so nice words just to see my entire family watching me. I cough and put my nephew on the round. After the warm greetings and hugging , we get into the car ready to leave. I sit at the back with my sister and my nephew. She winks at me and proceeds to count with her fingers. I raise an eyebrow at her and is about to ask her when my mum speaks... “soooo I didn't see you come with someone..Did you not find a nice girl to bring to us on your birthday?” This is what she meant ofcourse. I think to myself. “andwae eomma” Which translates to No mum. I make a face to my sister and roll my eyes which sends her bursting in laughter. “Happy effing birthday to me”. I think as I doze off in the car.

The next day is my birthday, knowing my parents, I am certain they have invited one of their friends with a daughter to try and get us together. It is a common thing in most Asian countries for parents to arrange meet ups for their children to marry each other. I excuse myself to unpack and get some rest before the event. I barely get enough sleep as I have to wake up early for my party. I send a quick text to Aaliyah begging to be saved to which she sends a repy with my cats having the best time of their lives without me. Ungrateful bastards. I take a quick shower and head to the kitchen to get my coffee before bracing myself for a loooong day.

The guests start arriving shortly and as a tradition my parents introduce me to all of them for a quick introduction. Some chats are generally about my accomplishments but some guests nudge me to settle down soon. I smile and try to dismiss them as gently as I could. While talking to one of the guests about business, I hear my mum calling my name, I look around and spot her next to a lady standing next to what appears to be her parents. I brace myself for the too familiar situation. I take a glass of wine and head to them. “Greetings, thank you for coming today” I say as I join them. “Seo-Jun, son, I believe you haven’t met my friend from university Mrs. Hae, this is their daughter Han, she is 26 years old model living in the The UK and also single.”My mum winks at me, “The men in the UK, should get their eyes tested, Ms Han, you are indeed quite stunning”, I reply as I kiss the back of her hand, she giggles and blush. “Why don’t you show her around the neighborhood tomorrow? She is unfamiliar with the town. You wouldn’t leave a damsel in distress would you now son?” My mum smiles at me. I am honestly impressed at how good of a wing man she is. I laugh loudly, “I pride myself as a gentleman, ms Han if you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to reach for me. If you will excuse me, I need to talk to other guests, please enjoy yourself” I politely excuse myself. I take another glass and head out to the balcony for some fresh of air.

“Figured I would find you here bro, so who did mum set you up with this time?” My sister pops her head out and joins me. She hands me a slice of cake. Its my favorite cake, vanilla and strawberry. Even though I seem and portray myself as this cold and aloof guy, I like cute things and is a huge sweet tooth. I take a big chunk and chew happily. The flavors explode on my tongue and I take my sweet time to enjoy every bite. I hear my sister chuckling behind me and I turn to glare at her with a mouthful of cake.

“If people would see you now, they wouldn’t believe its you. You are always intimidating people with your looks all the time, you should show them this gullible side too, you know,”she says as she takes a bite of her cake. “So are you going to tell me about the girl?, She asks when I don’t say anything. I swallow the cake and turn towards her, “Her name is Han, she is based in UK and is a model, she is not bad looking. I am supposed to take her around the city since its been awhile since she was here.” I say as I gaze at the sky.

“That doesn’t sound bad, at least you are sure she is not after your money, why not give her a chance and take things serious with her?”she asks. “There is no connection sis, you know the one that hits you and take your breath away and you can’t think clearly. I can’t be with someone that I feel no chemistry or connection to. Honestly, I think I may never meet such a person. Might as well raise peachy and piper as my only true loves.” I say as I remember my two cats that I left with Kaylah. “You are already 35 years, you better find that person quick or parents will take you to the altar and marry you off to the highest bidder”. We both laugh loudly and later join the guests.

Later on, the next day I take Han out for our date. She is quite beautiful but that's just that, I don’t feel anything even when I hold her hand to lead her up the stairs. My heart doesn’t skip a beat. She tries her best to impress me, if I was a regular guy, I would have fallen head over heels for her but am just me. A 35 year old man who has never been in a relationship. I have gone to countless dates but that's just that. They were just dates, I never called them back. Of course I have had my share of sex with a lot of them but with time only made me feel more empty inside so I stopped. . At one point, I even went out with guys thinking maybe I could be attracted to them but only felt disgusted afterwards.

After a long day, I drive Han back home, she tries to kiss me but instead I kiss her cheeks and wish her a pleasant night. I have a flight to catch back to Switzerland in ttwo days so I need to pack and rest up and enjoy my time with my family especially my nephews.

The next days pass by in a blur but I did miss my family and my naughty nephews and spending time with them is the best part about coming home. In the morning, I try to insist that I should just take a cab to the airport but none of my family is having it. So they all take me to the airport which makes me feel warm and loved. I bid my farewells , promising my mom to look harder for a partner. On the plane, I check on some projects and do a little bit of work before falling asleep. After landing, I call a cub to my house and call Kayla to let her know am back. I take a long bath and immediately falls asleep. Later on, Kayla wakes me up in the evening and brings back my cats. After a small talk she leaves me to rest after promising to visit on the weekend. I spend sometime apologizing to my cats why I had to leave them for a few days. They have already met Kayla so I knew they would be alright but I still feel guilty leaving them. They obviously don't seem fazed at all and proceeds to ignore mywhole existence.