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In 2022, in the midst of a research sabbatical, Yuri decided it was finally time to fulfill a longtime dream of moving to New York City. As he was getting ready to board the plane, he matched on Hinge with Jesse, who was in the city for his dermatology residency. Two long weeks, 17 boxes, and one stressed Kiyoshi later, Jesse & Yuri met on April 11, 2022 at The Mermaid Inn on the Upper West Side for an oyster happy hour.

What should have been a quick first date became an immersive conversation spanning several hours and a 50-block walk through the city.

In the coming weeks, Jesse & Yuri planned many more outings and bonded over their shared Korean American upbringing. Jesse, who already called New York home having spent his medical school years there, planned dates around his favorite parts of the city for the newly arrived Yuri. And in turn, Jesse became Yuri’s New York. After seeing their first Broadway show together three weeks later, the couple knew unspoken that they had found their future husbands.