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“Isn’t she eating with us?” Rafe asks as he fumbles with the chopsticks that were next to his bowl of rice.

“She’s old fashioned and doesn’t eat with the men,” I explain, taking the empty seat to Rafe’s left.

“That’s not fair,” Rafe says as he’s about to get up. “She should eat with us.”

I put a hand on his arm to stop him from moving. “She will only get upset if you try. Trust me, I’ve tried numerous times to have her sit with me, and she simply shakes her head and shoos me away.”

“I feel guilty that she took the time to make all this…” Rafe stares at the fresh sliced garlic in the small bowl. “Is that garlic?”

“Yes. It’s good.”

“I’ve only eaten garlic that has been cooked.

“Then I’ll show you how to eat it.”

First, I grab a lettuce leaf and spoon some rice into the middle of it. With the chopsticks, I snag a piece of garlic, some samjang, kimchi and the pork, layering each in the lettuce. Then I fold it closed and put the entire roll into my mouth, all the while I watch Rafe’s eyes widen in shock.

“You’re going to choke,” he declares with concern.

“No, he won’t,” Fig chuckles. “It’s how it’s done.”

“Start small,” Ji adds and then shoves a large, filled, lettuce roll into his mouth and starts chewing like it’s nothing.

“You know what they say,” Rafe replies, but he doesn’t sound confident.

He grabs a piece of lettuce and piles small amounts of the same foods I picked for mine into the center. Then he adds a good-sized dollop of samjang to it. I should warn him that it’s on the spicy side, but I keep my mouth shut, wanting to see what he’ll do. Then Rafe wraps it all closed and shoves the roll into his mouth.

At first, Rafe appears to be chewing it easily. Until the samjang hits his palate, and it’s clear he was not ready for the robust flavor. But he keeps on chewing and swallowing until he has finished every bit. Then he grabs his water and gulps it down until the glass is empty.

Fig, Ji and I look at each other and then burst out laughing at Rafe, who has a small piece of lettuce sticking out from between his lips.

“What the hell is going on in here and who are you?”

My body stiffens at the voice of the one person I didn’t want to see today. Or ever, really. I swallow down the rest of the food in my mouth and stand, turn and face the man I have learned to despise over the years.

I stand and bow slightly. “Hello, Father.”

Chapter Nine

Rafe

“Who are you people?” the man, apparently Lyric’s father, repeats. In English, probably to be sure we understand his insult. Then he growls, “What are you doing in my mother’s house?” His body is drawn tight like he’s ready to do battle. With whom, I’m not so sure.

Talk about freezing on the spot like a deer caught in headlights. I don’t move from the table as I stare at the stern looking man, who’s now glowering at Lyric. “Yeong, explain yourself.” He steps inside the house and lowers the wet umbrella.

His strident words land like a slap across Lyric’s face. Lyric winces before I see his back go ramrod straight. He answers in a flat, unaffected tone, “What is there to explain, Father?”

Lyric’s emphasis on the word Father makes his demeanor equal to the acidic demeanor the older man is trying to portray. The petulance in Lyric’s tone, though, stirs something deep in my blood, something that tells me I need to protect Lyric from this man. I lean into Fig and utter quietly, “Video this.”

Fig glances at me for a second and then nods. He carefully takes out his phone and starts recording discreetly.

I stand and walk over to Lyric to give him my support, planting myself right behind him. Ji follows suit and positions himself behind me. There’s no telling how he picked up on my intentions, but his action makes me instantly like the man more.

“Joon.” Lyric’s halmeoni calmly walks into the room, stops next to the man whose name seems to be “Joon,” and begins speaking to him. I don’t know what she is saying to her son, but at first, she sounds encouraging as she points to the table.

Joon says something quick right back, without emotion.

Halmeoni whips back a response and in that moment, I wish I knew the Korean language because from the heat creeping across her son’s cheeks, Joon’s either blushing or angry. I would say the latter. Reason being, the old woman appears to be angry judging from the way she’s talking so fast.