Sweet read Sweet read Sweet read

We all contain multitudes, and Korean-American writer Sujin Witherspoon, ’22, is no exception. Shen loves to write young adult stories that will plague your nightmares or romantic comedies that’ll make your stomach hurt from laughter. Most recently she came out with her debut novel, “Bingsu for Two,” a coming-of-age romance novel with parallels to her own life.

Witherspoon tackles topics like Korean American identity, social media fame and the titular fluffy shaved ice dessert in “Bingsu for Two,” which was named one of Forbes’ 40 most anticipated novels of 2025. We sat down with Witherspoon to talk about what storytelling means to her, how she found a place for both humor and romance in her writing and the way her time at the UW and love of Seattle informed her debut novel.

Sujin Witherspoon, ’22, studied English Language, Literature and Culture at the UW. She recently quit her public relations and marketing day job to become a full-time author.

Did you always want to be a romance author?

I consider myself a horror author first and foremost and am drawn to scary stories that make my heart race, so “Bingsu for Two” was different for me. After getting a lot of rejections on a book I’d written prior, I decided to step away from the dark, brooding world of dark fantasy and write a romantic comedy that reignited my love of storytelling. I was in a Korean cafe in Tacoma when I got the idea for the book, and wanted to create a coming-of-age romantic comedy with a character that captured the struggles I was going through as a student and someone on the precipice of adulthood.

You shared that “Bingsu for Two” is a romance book and a coming-of-age novel. How do both aspects of the story show up in the book?

I wrote “Bingsu for Two” when I was 19, and the main character River is a few years younger than that. River and I are mixed Korean American, and his feelings of not being enough and managing cultural expectations reflect my experiences of not feeling Korean or American or smart enough. Both River and I were trying to understand our identities, and writing this book helped me realize that it was OK not to have everything figured out. Now, I’ve internalized the lessons that River learns, especially the fact that much like my writing, I don’t expect myself to be a perfect final product, but one that is continually evolving.

How have you found an identity that feels right for you and a place where you feel like you belong?

The answer is still evolving, but I feel like I’ve come full circle. This book has helped me explore my Korean heritage in ways that have resonated with readers, like the scene where River’s mom cuts up fruit for him or River noticing a familiar smell of his mom’s cooking when coming home. Bringing these experiences to the page has been so validating in a way I needed growing up. It also reminds me that I don’t need to keep proving that I’m one thing or another.

Tell me more about the process of finding your voice as a writer while working on this book. 

I think of my writing style as ever-evolving. I also see myself as a collage of all the things I love, whether it’s books and media I’ve consumed or conversations with people in my life. My book is a time capsule of who I was at the time, which made it easier to put myself in the character’s shoes.

What helped you stay persistent in the process of getting your first book published, especially hearing a lot of ‘no’s’ in the beginning?

With the publishing industry being so competitive, you’re going to hear “no” more than you hear “yes.” Breaking into the publishing industry can feel like you’re trying to win the lottery, but I am nothing if not stubborn. I was querying the book and kept getting rejected, but what helped me push through was the fact that storytelling has always moved me since I was a young reader, not just with the books I read but the communities that form around them. I hoped that my book could inspire others in the same way.

For your English major at the UW, you learned how language is used as an art form, and how you can break conventions. How did that show up in “Bingsu for Two”?

One of the things I wanted to deconstruct is the main character River’s inability to identify and express how he’s feeling. There’s so much left unsaid, especially as he tries to understand his messy, muddled feelings. With the help of his love interest, he’s able to think about his feelings in a way he hasn’t before.

In terms of subverting conventions of romance novels, many readers told me that they were surprised to read a romance novel from the perspective of a male character. I knew I wanted to explore ideas of not [writing] the perfect love interest, which is why River is on a journey to figure out who he is and what he wants. He gets a happy ending, but he doesn’t have everything figured out.

How do you use both humor and romance in this book? Did you want to have a little bit of both?

I wanted the book to be funny while still covering deeper topics like consent and coming of age. River often reflects the idea of laughing through his pain instead of grappling with his emotions. Instead of confronting emotional vulnerability, he makes a joke. Avoiding talking about emotions directly can be super prevalent in the Asian American community, and part of his journey is realizing that you do have to feel your feelings at the end of the day.

This book mentions many Seattle coffee shops and locations. What are some of your favorite cameos?

A lot of the book is inspired by my love of Seattle and features some of its famous landmarks. During a coffee scavenger hunt, they go to Victrola Coffee Roasters in Capitol Hill and Coffeeholic House in Greenwood. Whenever I reread certain sections, it takes me back to the places on campus where I wrote this book, whether it was a dorm or a library.

How do you feel now that your debut novel is out?

It’s a funny feeling to achieve your dreams and then figure out what’s next. I’m taking the time to be excited that it’s out and prepare for what comes after. At the end of the day, I hope readers pick it up and resonate with it.

Check out “Bingsu for Two” and follow Sujin Witherspoon on Instagram. 

Get to know Sujin with these rapid-fire questions: 

• Go-to coffee order: Iced lavender oat milk latte, ideally from Cafe Allegro.
• Go-to bingsu order: Mango bingsu.
• Favorite coffee shop: Coffeeholic House in Greenwood .
• Romance books: “Love, Canter, Action” by Katie Gilbert and “Better Catch Up, Krishna Kumar” by Anahita Karthik are coming out later this year and early next year, and I recommend checking them out!
• Romance trope you’d like or want to explore: I love fake dating as well as the angst of childhood friends to strangers to lovers.
• Favorite spot at the UW: Suzzallo Library.
• How you want people to feel when reading “Bingsu for Two”: Ideally, they’d laugh 90% of the time and cry 10% of the time. That’s the golden ratio.

About the author: Aleenah Ansari (she/her) is equal parts storyteller, creative problem solver, and journalist at heart who’s rooted in the stories of people behind products, companies, and initiatives. She writes about travel, entrepreneurship, mental health and wellness, and representation in media for Insider, The Seattle Times, Byrdie, and more. You can usually find her searching for murals, reading a book by a BIPOC author, or planning her next trip to New York. You can learn more at www.aleenahansari.com.