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“I think we’re good. Check with your grandparents.”
I make my way to the kitchen, where my grandmother is working with the kitchen staff. I catch Mia scowling as she washes the dishes. It’s part of her punishment after she and her friends got into trouble a month ago.
“Annyeonghaseyo, Halmeoni,” I greet as I dash over and wrap my arms around her. “Need help?”
“Gomaweo, Willow, we’re okay here. Are you hungry?”
Halmeoni and Harabeoji speak to Mia and me in Korean, and we answer back in Korean, too. But Dad speaks to us in English.
“Find a table and I will bring youjapchae.”
“Ooh, yum. Thanks!”
Before heading back out to the diner, I make my way to Mia, who appears to be talking to herself. But she’s not. She’s studying her lines for an audition she hopes my parents will take her to next weekend, in L.A. Mom and Dad don’t yet know if she’s served enough of her sentence. In my opinion, the kid deserves a break. She’s been trying really hard to be extra well-behaved, and she even was my secretary the last few days.
“Hey, dish pig,” I greet.
She gives me a look. “Haha. Be the best big sister in the world and do the dishes for me?”
Leaning against the wall, I fold my arms over my chest. “Did your amazing big sister not win you a new Xbox two weeks ago?”
She frowns and grumbles. “Yes.”
“And what kind of amazing big sister would I be if I served time for you? You’re the one who needs to learn from your mistakes.”
“Zoey, Rylee, and I didn’t rob a bank! We just snuck into an abandoned building. Big deal. Mom acts like I’m a criminal.”
“I’ll tell you what. How about I run lines with you tomorrow night?”
She perks up, light flashing in her eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
I’ve been pushing my sister away the last few months because I’ve been so busy with my app. I feel terrible about it, but my current goal is to win the coding competition. I can already see all the new tech I’ll buy with the prize money. And of course save most of it for college.
“Thanks!” Mia says. She’s no longer scowling but is now washing the dishes with a huge grin.
“Keep at it with the lines,” I tell her. “You’re doing great.”
She beams.
Before settling down at a table, I stop off at the office to see how Harabeoji is doing. He takes care of the finances and day-to-day operations of the restaurant while Halmeoni is in charge of the kitchen. After giving him a hug and a quick update on how my day was, I walk out, nearly colliding with Dad.
“Whoops!” He chuckles as he steps out of the way. “We really need to expand the office. It’s like a closet.”
“Not worth it.” Harabeoji waves his hand.
“I think it is, Appa,” Dad tells him. “I spoke to Eomma about it the other day, and she agrees that it’s not comfortable for you to be cramped in here.”
“If we’re going to expand anything, it’ll be the diner. Ji-Min had to send away three families this afternoon because we didn’t have room.”
Dad’s jaw falls open. “Three families? Appa, we’ve never been so booked before.”
“I know.” Harabeoji sighs as he runs a hand down his face. “Halmeoni would have loved to see the restaurant today. She would be so proud.”
Dad rubs his shoulder. “I know. And she would feel so terrible about sending away those families.”
Harabeoji smiles sadly. “My eomma would have personally delivered the food to their houses.”
