I hear a knock on my door. Has he been waiting outside my door? When I hear the click of my lock and the beep of the phone, I know it’s him.
“Jae,” is all I can manage to whisper. “Just let yourself in.”
Standing in my living room, I’m greeted immediately by an untamed, unrelenting kiss that I’ve been waiting for since this morning.
There’s no turning back now.
17
It’s beautiful weather for the opening night of The Red Kettle. No rain in the forecast, and just warm enough that you don’t need a jacket. The mural is totally completed. I’m standing outside the restaurant, in my favorite springtime baby blue dress, while Jae and Murphy are unimaginably busy inside. Mae is hired as the hostess, and I agreed to help her if she needed.
But for now, I’m on the lookout for a reporter fromFoodie Manhattanand Danielle, a young, flashy influencer with a huge following, to let Jae know when they’re here. And for Young-Mi.
String lights twinkle in the early evening sunset out on the sidewalk, and I take a look through the big front window. Jae and Murphy lean on the sushi bar, waiting for their first customer.
Soon enough, Danielle arrives and I bring her to Mae. Seated quickly, she chooses the kimchi fries as her appetizer. Jae takes the time to explain the menu items and opening night special—a salmon bento box—to her and I greet more guests outside, and soon enough, the small restaurant is filled to capacity with a line out the door. Our waitlist is 13 parties long, and I help Mae input them into the computer system.
I hardly see Jae for the first hour. He’s weaving in and out of the kitchen, both serving and cooking. Although, he does leave the majority of the cooking and prep to Murphy and his other chef, Hank, who handles it well. I sit on a stool by the sushi bar, snapping photos of guests and Jae, who is preparing a special roll to impress Danielle. A good review on social media could mean a lot for business.
Mae asks me to seat some guests while she goes to the restroom around 5:30 p.m., so I stand at the desk instead of sitting in the back. I handle the check for Danielle, and sit a couple on the waitlist. After a moment, a young guy with a camera bag and a notepad comes up to the desk and introduces himself as Wyatt fromFoodie Manhattan.I excuse myself to the kitchen.
“Jae?” I call, not seeing him behind the line.
He pops out of dry storage. “What? Is my Ma here?”
“No,” I shake my head. “But it’s Wyatt fromFoodie Manhattan.”
“Oh, no way,” He drops the paprika he was holding. “Let me seat him.” Jae waves to Hank and lets him know what’s about to be up on deck. I follow Jae back to the front, where Wyatt is still waiting, and now chatting with Mae.
“Hey, it’s so great to meet you!” Jae exclaims, putting on the charm. “We’re lucky to have you out here on our grand opening night.”
“Hey,” Wyatt smiles back. “I was just talking with your sister, I think?”
“Yeah, that’s Mae,” Jae puts an arm around her. “Best little sister ever, huh?” That gets Wyatt to laugh.
“Do you have time to sit down with me and answer a few questions for my article?” Wyatt asks Jae, tapping his notepad.
“Of course,” Jae says. “Let me just put it in order of our sizzling tofu for us. You’ll love it—it’s super crispy. This is Riley, by the way, my girlfriend.”
I give a soft smile. “Just helping out,” I say.
While Mae seats Wyatt, Jae leans in close to me. “Can you keep an eye out for my ma, please? And let me know if she comes?”
“Of course,” I tell Jae. “I’ll let you know as soon as I see her.”
As the night comes to a close, and Wyatt has left, I still haven’t seen Young-Mi. Jae’s other sisters, Izzie and Kelly, both stopped by after work for a bite. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of his mom, even just outside, peeking in, but she hasn’t come around. Just like she said she wouldn’t.
Jae has been in the back of the kitchen for the last two hours, and even though Danielle posted a glowing review video that already has 500,000 views and Wyatt emailed to let us know that he’d be posting an article later this week and that he’d love to get some photos of Jae in his element in the next few days, Jae is crushed that Young-mi hasn’t shown. The Red Kettle is open for another 20 minutes, so anything is possible, but the crowds have dwindled and the ambience is slowing down.
When 11 p.m. rolls around, the restaurant is empty, and Mae quietly swings the door shut, and turns around the open sign to close. We polish silverware for the table reset, and when it’s close to midnight, we dim the lights in the dining room. I sit in a booth by the mural, while she leaves through the backdoor.
Jae eventually emerges from the kitchen, sweaty with his sleeves rolled up.
“Did she come?”
Jae’s face twists into a frown. “I can’t believe she didn’t come, she must have just slipped in or something. There’s no way shewouldn’t be here.” He reviews the security footage despite my claims that I didn’t see her and I was there the whole time.
It finally settles in on him that Young-mi did not come.
