AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She shrugs.
“Let’s cross,” Jason says to the group, his head down looking at the map on his phone. He leads us across the street and then takes a turn down a suspiciously dark alleyway.
“Uh, I don’t think this is the right way,” Roy says, speaking exactly what’s in my own mind. Well, what’s actually in my own mind is that we’re about to get mugged or murdered. If my ears aren’t deceiving me, I hear faint high-pitched screeches and swear the shadows along the ground are moving—scurrying, actually. It takes everything in me not to squeal and run away.
“Here it is,” Jason says.
“Here what is?” Sarah asks, cautiously.
We stand in front of a door with a shockingly low-wattage light shining down on it. No sign. Just an X painted on the door.
“Home of the best soup dumplings you will ever have in your life,” Jason says proudly.
“Do we even want to ask what’s in these soup dumplings?” I ask.
“Trust me, everyone. I know it looks sketch, but it’s legit. This restaurant is rumored to have been written up by the Michelin Guide itself, but they refused to let it be printed because they didn’t want tourists and newbies to find their way here,” Jason says.
“You mean like us?” Sarah asks.
“We’re not tourists. We live here now, for the summer, at least. We’re locals. And this is our first local spot. Follow me,” Jason says confidently, leading the way.
It’s no brighter inside than it was outside. But the smells that come from wherever the kitchen is are so incredible, my stomach growls instinctively. And I almost let out a groan of appreciation. The place is packed with patrons, not one face non-Asian. Heads down, not a lot of chatter, just people appreciating the good food in front of them.
None of this is anything I’ve experienced before. In fact, this entire day has been the weirdest day of my life, but the truly weirdest part of it all is the feeling loosening in my chest.
I don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow. What I do know is that once training starts, I likely won’t be around anyone under the age of fifty and below the one percent. So for tonight, I’m gonna sit with a group of strangers who have bonded over long flights, cramped van rides, a tiny apartment, and apparently the best soup dumplings we’ll ever eat.
And I’m going to let myself, just this once, not worry what my dad would say about it all and have some fun.
5
jessica
I should have guessed something was wrong from the moment I tried to check in to my flight. I definitely should have known when I saw that my seat was in first class. Why I didn’t admit it to myself when I was picked up by a personal driver at the airport, I’m not sure. But now, as I stand in the foyer of a three-story brownstone in one of the swankiest parts of town, with a chandelier that looks like a cascade of diamonds sparkling over me, dread crawls up my spine.
There has been a terrible mistake.
I’m not supposed to be here. I wasn’t supposed to be at any of the places I’ve somehow found myself in today. And I’m not sure how, why, or what to do about it.
I take out my phone and pull up my dad in my contacts. It’s fine. Take a deep breath and get to the bottom of this. I didn’t do anything wrong. I can’t get in trouble for some mistake donetome, notbyme...right?
But no matter what happened, in my dad’s eyes, it will be my fault. I know how he operates. In times of stress, he overreacts. And it’s never pretty.
I wish he’d pick up golfing or something to relieve his stress instead of taking it out on me.
If I call him and tell him I’m standing in a stranger’s house, a very rich stranger at that, he’ll ask me what I did wrong and how I ended up here. I put my phone back in my pocket.
Think, Jessica.I could call Mira Im at Haneul Corporation and see if she can possibly figure out the mistake. But it’s already 10:00 p.m. on a Sunday night. And honestly, is this how I want to start off my internship? I already know it’s gonna be incredibly difficult to stand out among the crowd with my performance alone. But the last thing I want is to be known for stealing someone’s plane ticket, their ride, and now their home.
So I do what I always do when I have no idea what to do.
“Hi hi, tell me everything.”
The face on the screen of my very best friend, Ella, makes everything better. Sort of. I release some tension from my shoulders and let out a breath.
“Okay, so...” I begin.
“Wait, whereareyou? Why are the ceilings so high? What is that massive chandelier?” Ella asks in awe.
