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“That’s sweet, darling.” Yoo Mi flashed a smile Jason recognized from dozens of magazine covers. “But there’s not a single corner of this condo that’s gone unchristened.”
Tae Hyun coughed in his drink and nearly did a spit take. “Yoo Mi!”
“What?” Yoo Mi casually shrugged. “It’s just us. We don’t have to pretend. Why? Did you christen the guest shower?”
Seong Woo loudly cleared his throat. “Yoo Mi.”
Yoo Mi sighed. “Fine, fine. They’re ready to serve us anyway.”
Dinner started with kimchi pancakes and a soybean paste stew with pork and vegetables, followed by grilled pork belly with a spicy radish salad. It was delicious, of course, ordered from “a cute little place across the river” that Yoo Mi eventually admitted was actually Palate, a restaurant owned and run by expat celebrity chef Derek Goh.
“It’s so subversive that an American makes the best Korean food in Seoul,” Yoo Mi shared with a wink.
“It’s excellent,” Jason agreed as he stuffed a chunk of tender pork belly wrapped in a perilla leaf into his mouth. “Almost as good as Tae Hyun’s cooking.”
Yoo Mi playfully scoffed at Tae Hyun. “You never told me you cook. How come you never made anything for me?”
Tae Hyun shrugged. “I learned to cook in the army.”
Yoo Mi elaborately pouted. “Well, tomorrow you’re making dinner.”
“Actually–” Tae Hyun put his food down and sipped from his gin and tonic. “I haven’t talked about this with Jason yet, but I was thinking of going to Daejeon tomorrow.”
Jason knew Tae Hyun would only be considering that for one reason. His parents were in Daejeon. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Tae Hyun frowned. “No. It’s the last thing I want. But I have to after what they did.”
Jason nodded. He knew something of how Tae Hyun felt, having dealt with stern, unforgiving, homophobic parents for a lifetime. “Okay.”
“You’ll come?”
Jason chuckled. “Are you kidding? I’d march up to the gates of hell with you if that’s what you wanted.”
“Ooh, that’s good.” Seong Woo tapped Jason’s shoulder. “I should put that in my vows.”
Yoo Mi scoffed. “You haven’t finished writing your vows? The wedding is only three days away!”
“Wedding?” Seong Woo winked. “What wedding?”
Yoo Mi grunted as she threw a rolled-up perilla leaf at him. “Don’t you dare–”
“So, Daejeon?” Seong Woo announced, cutting Yoo Mi off as he plucked the leaf from his lap. “You’re welcome to take one of the tanks. Although the train will be a lot faster.”
“I saw that interview,” Yoo Mi interjected. “Ji Hoon looked at least ten years older than the last time I saw him.” She grinned. “I still have that video, by the way.”
Tae Hyun smiled, but it looked forced. “Don’t remind me. That’s the last thing I want to remember from that day.”
Yoo Mi snorted. “I still have that video, too.” Then she frowned. “But what your parents did was awful. I never liked them. You know?”
Seong Woo breathed out an exasperated sigh. “Yoo Mi–”
“No,” Tae Hyun interrupted. “She’s right to say that. My parents were awful to her. I couldn’t tell them what was really happening between us, so my father kept pressuring her to give up her career, and my mother kept asking when she would get pregnant.”
Yoo Mi groaned. “I almost broke down once, near the end, and told her the truth.”
“And now we know what they would’ve said.” Tae Hyun sighed. “Sorry to bring everyone down like this.”
“It’s alright,” Yoo Mi assured him. “I’d even offer to go with you if I wasn’t so busy tomorrow. But you’ll be back before the rehearsal the day after, right?”
