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“Hey, give me a sec. I need to make a quick phone call,” I say. Jessica nods absently, her gaze locked out into the street, not saying a word, disappointment painted on her face.
I take out my phone and call the number on the card. I get the voice mail of Rebecca Jenkins, the Event Manager for the New York Public Library. Her voice is professional, stoic, no-nonsense. It’s not accommodating like the staff who work for me. It’s not ass-kissing like the people who want something from me because of my family name and position. It’s not judgmental like my father’s.
Yet, what good is it being the son of Lee Jung-Hyun and the future leader of Haneul Corp if I can’t use it when I need to? I may be playing someone else this summer, but no one has to know.
It’s a small act, a phone call, a name drop, to make something okay for Jessica. To get her foot in the door, she needs connections. She’s said it herself. And this is the only thing I know how to do—throw my name and my money around to get what I want.
So in that split second from when the beep of the voice mail sounds and I open my mouth to leave a message, I make a decision. I picture my dad’s face and channel his air of authority.
“Hello, Ms. Jenkins, this is Elijah Lee, Chief of Staff at Haneul Corporation. I’m calling on behalf of the CEO, Mr. Lee. We’d like to rent out the library for an event we’re hosting. Cost is not an issue, and to be clear, we can’t take no as an answer. Please call me back at this number as soon as possible.”
I hang up and swallow back my doubt. It’s one voice mail. And though my entire body tingles as if the skin it’s in doesn’t fit quite right, I’ll live with it. I made a decision. One that I hope will help Jessica and the hackathon.
One that I had no idea might come back to bite us all in the ass later.
I pocket my phone and walk up to Jessica, nudging her gently with my shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. It’s gonna all work out. I’m sure of it.” I’llmakesure of it.
She doesn’t look at me, she doesn’t respond right away. But then, as if shaking it off to fight another day, she nods her head a few times and turns to me. “You’re right. We’ll figure something out. And if not here at the library, we’ll come up with someplace else to hold the hackathon. No big deal.”
But I see it in her eyes, the frustration, the disappointment.
My hands itch to reach out to her, to pull her close, to stare into those eyes and tell her I’m going to get us this venue no matter what. But if I tell her what I’ve done, what I’m willing to do, she’d never agree. She got mad when I spent pocket change for us to skip the line at Top of the Rock. Imagine how pissed she’d be if she found out I’m throwing serious money at this problem?
“Hey, wanna get a hot dog from a street vendor for lunch?” I ask. Anything to get her mind off what happened inside the library today. And to get my mind off of the call I just made. “I’m craving more of that sauerkraut.”
The corner of her downturned mouth lifts a bit and I consider it a win. “Yeah. A hot dog sounds perfect. I’ve been wanting to try one ever since you raved about it the first time.” She turns to lead the way to the closest vendor on the corner.
And without hesitation, I follow.
13
jessica
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I squeal as I wrap my arms around my emotional support person.
“I told you, you didn’t have to come all the way out to the airport to pick me up,” Ella says. Originally, we’d talked about Ella maybe visiting at the end of the summer, once my internship is over, so we could spend a week together in the city before heading back to California. But some drama at home had Ella begging her grandma to let her come out for an impromptu weekend trip—though she’s been pretty tight-lipped about what happened. So I fully intend to 1) absorb as much of her best friend energy as possible and 2) get to the bottom of what’s going on with her and give her some of my BFF-love right back.
“Like I’d let you try to navigate the trains on your own. You barely remember where you park your car at the mall,” I tease. “The driver will be here in a second. He went to get the car.”
“Ohhh, fancy, a driver,” she singsongs.
I roll my eyes at her. “One of the perks of the job, I guess.”
“And this new fit is another perk I amsofeeling on you. Let me see the whole thing.” She pushes me to arm’s length, gesturing for me to spin in a circle so she can take me in top to bottom, nodding and humming in appreciation. “Very nice. Is this Givenchy?”
I shrug. “I have no idea. Is that what the tag says?” I pull at my collar, contorting myself to try and read it.
She swats my hand away. “That is not how you treat Givenchy, Jessica.”
Ella and I met as kids when we were in church youth group together. Just before we started high school, Ella’s parents moved back to Korea, but luckily, she was able to stay with her grandmother in California to finish off her schooling.
Her family is not Elijah-level rich, but well-off enough that Ella was able to fly out to New York on a moment’s notice. And though she doesn’t have a closet full of designer clothing, she’s clearly familiar enough with my outfit to clock the brand.
Our black Escalade pulls up and the two of us pile in to the back seat.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on? Why did you need to suddenly escape to New York?” I ask.
“What? I can’t just come out to visit you? I’m not waiting till the end of summer to see that brownstone with my own eyes. Anything could go wrong before then.”
