20260404 night out without kid

Yesterday, my son amazed me once again. At home, he still calls for "mama," but outside, he’s a true leader. Elected by 18 out of 24 classmates, he was off to leadership camp. We teased in front of him, saying we’d be lonely, but secretly, we planned a wonderful evening.

We chose La Cantina in Myeongdong—Korea’s first Italian restaurant. The interior felt timeless, with cloth napkins on every table. We had vongole and tomato pasta with white wine.

Then we visited Gamoo, next to the Chinese Embassy, where the owner proudly told us he served the first Vienna coffee in Korea. The taste was simple, but the history rich. On a whim, we sang karaoke—our voices weaker, but our laughter stronger. We ended the night at home, with red wine, hash browns, and baseball. It was a perfect mix of awe and joy.