Nyia and Daeshim meet at North Carolina Central University, an encounter that decisively establishes the romance at the center of their later separation and reunion. Their meeting joins Nyia’s caregiving ambitions and family responsibilities to Daeshim’s forensic-science training, turning an apparently casual college introduction into the origin of a relationship neither can fully leave behind.

Causes and Background

Nyia chose North Carolina Central University, an HBCU in her hometown, partly because remaining nearby allowed her to work and help her father with household bills. Her mother was undergoing chemotherapy, and the treatment was consuming the family’s resources. Nyia was beginning a nursing program, a choice rooted in her mother’s cervical-cancer diagnosis. Watching the nursing staff work to keep her mother alive and comfortable gave Nyia a vocational purpose: nursing would let her honor both the caregivers and the mother she was losing.

Daeshim was already two years ahead of Nyia and was majoring in forensic science. His presence in the nursing building therefore appears unexpected, but the encounter is not presented as entirely accidental from his perspective. He knew Nyia’s schedule and went there because he expected to see her, creating a small imbalance between her initial uncertainty and his deliberate pursuit.

What Happens

The meeting occurs in the nursing building when Daeshim accidentally bumps into Nyia. She politely tries to move around him, but the encounter changes when she looks up into his deep mahogany eyes. He bows slightly and murmurs a word in another language: “Aleumdaun.” Nyia does not yet know its meaning, but the sound impresses her. Daeshim later explains that it means beautiful and that he used it because he knew he would see her there.

Nyia initially regards his knowledge of her schedule as somewhat creepy, yet also finds it appealing. That tension quickly gives way to attraction. “Aleumdaun” becomes Daeshim’s nickname for her during the whirlwind romance that follows, transforming the first collision from an awkward interruption into a private sign of recognition between them.

Immediate Development

After the meeting, Nyia and Daeshim spend nearly all their waking time together after classes. They attend concerts, movies, and poetry slams, but Nyia especially values the quieter evenings at Daeshim’s apartment, where they share dinner. The relationship becomes both socially expansive and domestically intimate, moving from public outings to the private routines that make the connection feel substantial.

Their physical intimacy deepens the bond as well. Daeshim is Nyia’s first sexual partner, and years later she still remembers the bodily intensity of his touch and voice. The memory matters because it gives the college meeting a lasting physical and emotional afterlife: even when she tries dating apps after he disappears, no one compares with him.

Relationships and Stakes

The romance develops while Nyia is caring about her mother’s illness and supporting her father, so Daeshim becomes connected not only to Nyia but also to the family crisis surrounding her. He meets Julius Crosland and Nyia’s mother shortly before her death. Julius watches Daeshim closely to ensure that he treats his daughter with respect, then accepts what he sees. Nyia’s mother also recognizes the depth of the attachment, telling Nyia, “He’s a keeper, Na. The way he looks at you is almost like you hung the stars in the sky.” Nyia answers that she loves him just as deeply.

Daeshim’s conduct during the final stage of Nyia’s mother’s illness confirms the relationship in practical terms. He holds Nyia’s hand at hospice when her mother dies, helps with funeral arrangements when the responsibility overwhelms Julius, drives or accompanies Julius when he needs support, and distracts Nyia when her father needs private time to recover. These acts of care make Daeshim appear fully invested in Nyia’s family, even as his own family remains distant.

That distance introduces the relationship’s central conflict. Daeshim says that his parents belong to a traditional Korean family and need time to adjust to his dating someone who does not completely understand their culture. He is reluctant to let Nyia meet them, and his hesitation makes her doubt whether he is truly committed, despite conversations about marriage. Nyia responds by taking an online class about Korean culture, hoping to understand his family’s ways without pressuring him. Her effort shows that the meeting has grown into a serious cross-cultural relationship, while his evasiveness foreshadows the rupture that will follow.

Consequences and Narrative Significance

The college meeting begins with the classic appearance of chance but contains deliberate intention, since Daeshim has arranged to be where Nyia will be. Its romantic charge is immediate, yet the scene is also grounded in illness, work, education, and family obligation rather than isolated fantasy. Nyia is not simply a student falling in love; she is a prospective nurse trying to help a family under financial and emotional strain. Daeshim enters that life as lover, companion, and temporary source of stability.

The event therefore establishes both the promise and the vulnerability of their future. The nickname “Aleumdaun,” the shared evenings, the discussion of marriage, and Daeshim’s care during bereavement all make the relationship difficult for Nyia to dismiss after he leaves. Eight years later, she remains unable to replace him, while Daeshim struggles to speak about her and tries to force her from his thoughts. Even his eventual discovery of her through the magazine Diners and Dives leads back to the life first set in motion at North Carolina Central University, where a brief collision became the beginning of an unfinished family story.