I got hit on by a stereotypical “Hongdae guy”… and found out he was the keynote speaker at our work conference

mnijennie
White, Southeast Asian
My husband and I went to Seoul a few weeks ago for a work conference. He got sick the first night, so I went out for dinner with my coworker. We figured we’d explore a bit before it started.
We’re at a Korean pub eating tteokbokki when two guys walk up looking exactly like Hongdae nightlife stereotypes: shiny leather jackets, heavy cologne, and hair that looked professionally sculpted. Except we weren't even in Hongdae. It seems like they have expanded their territory.
One leans in and goes, “You… open-minded?”
I ignore him. My coworker goes to the bathroom. Suddenly I’m his entire mission.
I tell him, “I have a husband.”
He smirks: “Is he here now?”
Me: “No.”
Him: “Then you don’t have a husband.”
Sir. PLEASE.
The moment my coworker comes back, I grab her wrist and drag her out.
Fast-forward two days to the conference. The keynote speaker walks on stage.
IT’S HIM.
Hongdae leather jacket guy… now wearing a tailored suit and talking about “innovation in international markets” like he didn’t proposition me over bar snacks two nights earlier.
He scanned the audience and made eye contact with me and my coworker so long she nearly dropped her conference tablet.
I hid behind the program booklet like it could erase my existence.
And that’s how a random pick-up attempt in Seoul turned into my coworker and me avoiding the keynote speaker for the rest of the conference like we were fugitives.

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