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“How’s the apartment? How’s the internship? Are the people nice?” Jessica asks.
“Yeah, everyone’s really cool, actually. The apartment, well, it’s small for one person so you can only imagine how cramped it is with ten of us. Um, of you. But it’s not bad.”
“Well, the brownstone is huge. Three floors. Just, um, for you,” she says.
“Yeah, my dad bought it and a house in the Hamptons last year when he needed to invest some cash in the States,” I admit.
“Your dad is rich?” she asks, immediately blushing and covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry, that’s rude. Ignore me.”
“My dad is Lee Jung-Hyun, chairman and CEO of Haneul Corporation.” Might as well get it all out in the open now.
“What? Oh my god, I’ve been impersonating the CEO’s son?” Jessica shrieks. “Can they put me in jail for this? Oh god, I need a lawyer. I have to call my dad. I...”
I reach over and put my hand on top of hers. I hope she doesn’t mind how clammy it is. “Jessica, it’s okay. We can explain the mistake. You didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, we can blame the driver, Mira Im, the security guy giving out badges—all of them fucked up too. And it’s theirjobto get this shit right.”
“We can’t do that. They were just following orders. They could lose their jobs if we put it on them. No way,” she insists.
Why is she trying to protect people she doesn’t even know? Except, here I am trying to protect her, a complete stranger.
“Okay, fine. Then I’ll just tell them I was the one who planned it all. Trust me, my dad will believe that. He thinks I’m a royal screwup anyways. It’s on me,” I say. “I can’t get in trouble with Haneul Corp since I’m going to be in charge of it one day.”
“But your dad...”
“As long as we didn’t lose any money or tarnish his reputation, he won’t give a shit about what I’ve done,” I say.
This much I know for sure.
She nods but seems unconvinced as she goes back to working on that bottom lip of hers.
“Look, I don’t know a lot about this internship world, or even about Haneul Corp. But I know Lee Jung-Hyun. I’ve been dealing with my dad for nineteen years. He will not take notice unless it’s something that impacts him directly.”
This is one thing I can say with one hundred percent certainty. It’s exactly how my life and relationship with my dad has been up until this point, after all.
And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
8
elijah
We move from the coffee shop to an Italian restaurant next door to grab dinner. The restaurant is dim and the dark wood booths give a sense of privacy, as if this place was made for mobsters and criminal activity. It’s cool how every part of New York, new or old, feels like it’s telling a story.
As I look over at Jessica, I wonder what’sherstory. I oddly want to know every part of it. I don’t think I’ve ever given a shit about anyone else’s life before.
Jessica carefully pores over the menu, reading the prices under her breath.
“Are you ready to order?” the waiter, in a crisp white shirt and black bowtie with a heavy Italian accent, asks.
I point to Jessica to go first.
“I’ll, um, have the side salad with ranch dressing please. And a cup of the Italian wedding soup. Does that come with any bread?”
“Yes, I can bring a bread basket,” the waiter says.
“Thank you.” Jessica hands the menu back to the waiter who seems confused at her lack of entree in her order.
I pretend not to notice and quickly make changes in my head for my own order.
“I’ll take the chicken parmesan and...also the vegetarian lasagna. And can you start us off with the calamari with marinara sauce?” I figure if I order a lot, Jessica will be forced to share with me but not have to worry about the cost. I ask her, “Will you help me eat some of this if it’s too much food?”
