The Algorithm of Spring

Seven

Arriving five minutes early, Maya took a window booth at a Hannam-dong burger joint everyone pretended was American.

The walls were plastered with oversized enamel signs for products whose names meant nothing to anyone in the room.

As she waited, her eyes lingered on a yellow one: SFG, a woman in a cowgirl outfit enthusiastically waving her hat. No clue. 

The tube lighting from the jukebox reflected off the signs, casting shifting patterns on the ceiling.

A couple at the next table angled their burgers for the perfect shot before taking a single bite. Quick. Hot. Photogenic. Seoul's holy trinity. This place delivered all three, which explained why it was packed.

Min-ji appeared in the doorway, hesitating briefly before spotting Maya. Even from a distance, Maya noticed how her cousin drew glances—not just from men who looked up from their devices, but from women who assessed her with quick, professional appraisals.

Family lore had always held Min-ji as a beauty, a potential idol even, if only she'd had the right personality for it. She was too soft-spoken, too thoughtful—more INFJ than ENFP, as she liked to joke.

Today, though, she looked different—put together in a way that felt deliberate, as if she'd meticulously studied herself in the mirror before stepping out.

"Maya!" Min-ji called, her voice lifting slightly at the end as if unsure of her welcome. She navigated between tables, her hand rising occasionally to check her hair.

"Hey." Maya stood to hug her. As they embraced, she felt Min-ji's shoulder blades beneath her fingers, sharper than she remembered. There was something different about her cousin's face too—subtle changes Maya couldn't quite place.

Min-ji slid into the booth, adjusting her skirt before glancing around. Her fingers tapped a quick, nervous rhythm against the laminated menu before she stilled them.

"I hope you don't mind meeting here," Min-ji said, studying the menu with unusual intensity. "I've been on this one-meal-a-day plan before the wedding, and I've been craving a burger all week." She looked up with a small, guilty smile. "Today's my cheat day."

When the server approached, Min-ji ordered a double cheeseburger and a Milkis. When it arrived, she took a thirst-filled sip, the slight fizz making her nose wrinkle before she set the can down carefully.

"Don't look at me like that," she said, catching Maya's expression. "The wedding dress is already fitted."

"I wasn't," Maya replied. "Just make sure you snap back once it's over; a one-meal-a-day plan doesn't sound like much fun."

A flicker of relief crossed Min-ji's eyes before she straightened, composing her features. "How was Beijing? The gallery exhibition looked amazing from your photos."

"It was fine. Interesting to see Richards' work in a different environment." Maya shifted slightly, eager to move the conversation away from her trip.

"You look..." Maya paused, searching for the right word. Min-ji leaned forward slightly, her expression suddenly vulnerable, waiting. "Different. Has something changed?"

Min-ji's face brightened. "You noticed? Is it good different?" Her hand rose unconsciously to her jawline. "I've been making some changes. Taking things more seriously." She repeated the phrase like a reflex.

"What kind of changes?"

Min-ji waited until someone passed their table before responding. She took another small sip of Milkis, her eyes darting to Maya's face and away again. "I had some work done," she finally said. Her fingers traced her jawline, then brushed under her eyes. "Just subtle adjustments. Nothing dramatic." She searched Maya's expression. "Can you tell? Is it too obvious?"

"Oh." Maya studied her cousin's face, seeing now how the proportions did seem different. "Why did you decide to do it?"

"It's self-investment," Min-ji said, the words coming quickly. She hesitated, and when she continued, her tone softened. "Plus with the wedding coming up..." She adjusted the napkin in her lap, aligning its edges precisely with the table. "The compatibility scores on HarmoniQ factor in long-term attraction probabilities. A friend of mine saw her ranking jump after a few of her... improvements."

She glanced up, seeking agreement.

"HarmoniQ?" Maya said, the name tasting strange on her tongue. "That app keeps appearing on my device. I can't seem to delete it."

Min-ji's eyes widened slightly. "You haven't set up your profile yet?" She stared, as if Maya had admitted she'd never used the subway.

Her fingers went to her earring, twisting it nervously. "It's not a dating app. It's more like a lifestyle alignment system." She laughed, but the sound came out thin. "Career prospects, social connections—it does everything. Every update integrates more. It even calculates compatibility scores with everyone."

She leaned in, fingers lightly tapping against her glass. "It went crazy while you were away, became this whole thing. Everyone uses it now." Her eyes sought Maya's. "It's how I met Jae-woo. Don't you think that's amazing?"

"Is that his name?" Maya asked, taking a sip of her drink.

Min-ji nodded, extending her left hand where a modest diamond caught the light. "We chose it together—well, I did, and his family paid for it." Her smile faltered momentarily. "I'm nervous about the wedding. Sometimes I wonder if it's all happening too fast, but then I..." She stopped herself, exhaling through her nose. "Shame your umma can't make it."

"Yeah, she's in Jeju with her high school friends that weekend. They've been doing it every year since God knows when." Maya studied the ring. "It looks beautiful."

Min-ji's burger arrived, and she stared at it with a mixture of desire and apprehension. She cut it precisely in half, then took a small, careful bite. A flash of genuine pleasure crossed her face before she dabbed her mouth with a napkin.

"Three months," Min-ji said, twisting the ring slightly as if checking it was still there. "Feels like forever."

"The app suggested we'd be better off if we married immediately—it instigates discussions that you might not have had otherwise." She recited it smoothly, fingers still toying with her ring. "We talked about it and were like, why wait? Better to just get on with things, and besides, watching what I eat for three months is better than doing it for a whole year."

She folded her hands in her lap, her knuckles whitening slightly with tension that her face didn't show. "The world's moving forward, Maya. With or without us." The phrase hung there, not quite her own.

Maya felt a slight unease crawl up her spine. "So this app told you when to get married?" She tried to keep her tone neutral, but skepticism crept in.

Min-ji's laugh was distracted. "It doesn't tell you or me anything. It just reveals paths—choice points—to enhance personal connections. It's really good, Maya." She gestured to her face but caught herself, lowering her hand. "For example, the app simply highlighted areas where my presentation could better align with my true potential—just like a clinic in Gangnam would."

Maya fell silent. She couldn't shake the feeling that the cousin sitting across from her was already someone HarmoniQ had finished sketching—and was now quietly colouring in.