It had to be Julia’s. The Songs’ only, and very successful, daughter and the object of all of Tae’s childhood fantasies. The hot babysitter. The older woman.
Tae was such a cliché when it came to his kinks, apparently.
Most of Tae’s memories as a kid had Julia’s easy smiles and sparkling eyes in them. But he hadn’t really seen her in years, except for brief moments in passing when she visited her parents. In fact, the last time he saw her was at the launch party for her company four years ago. And Starlight had taken off since then. She was busy being a big shot entrepreneur and launching her way to success. Her life was flashy like her cars. Not a lot of opportunity for their lives to cross paths.
Tae knocked on the door and could hear the loud conversations happening inside. When no one came to answer, he opened it slightly and peeked his head in. The sounds of the crowd were coming from the kitchen and dining room. For those that didn’t know better, it might seem like an angry mob arguing. But to Tae, it sounded like family, no matter how small or large.
“Hello?” When no one answered, Tae continued farther into the house.
He passed by the dark bathroom where the door was open. But the sound of rustling got his attention, and he tried to quickly turn away as he noticed Grandmother Song pulling up her undergarments. Now, that was something he wasn’t going to be able to erase from his memory anytime soon. Honestly, why have doors if you weren’t going to—
“Ah, Taehyung-ah. You came! Good, good, you’re exactly who I wanted to see. Come with me.”
Tae looked around, hoping someone would come to his rescue. He loved the Song family but was not prepared for some awkward conversation with the elder family leader.
She sat down in the armchair and directed Tae to sit across from her on the sofa. He put down the food and took a seat.
“Happy birthday, Halmoni. Are you enjoying your party?” Tae asked.
“Yes, it was very nice. Life is good. And your father, is he doing well? I hear that he just finished his last treatment. Have you been able to handle the problems with the medical bills?”
That’s one thing Tae would never be able to get over: that oversharing among the Korean community was a thing. And there were never any secrets among them. How his family dealt with their finances was his problem. He didn’t appreciate his mother telling everyone else about his failures. Tae would pick up some more odds and ends jobs, and he’d have to convince his brother, somehow, to come through with the rest.
“Yes, everything will be fine, I’m sure.”
“You’ll stay in Irvine until everything is settled.” It wasn’t a question. Yet, in Tae’s mind it was the one thing he’d been asking himself for weeks.
“I’m staying for now, but I will eventually need to go back to Chicago,” he said. Saying it out loud brought back the familiarpressure of having to get back to his life, a life he wasn’t sure he wanted anymore, or ever did for that matter.
“Just to get your things,” she said.
Tae opened his mouth to respond...
“Good. Listen,” she said, leaning in closer to Tae. Grandma Song smelled like she’d dipped into the liquor cabinet. And though her eyes were cloudy with cataracts, she still was focused as a laser on him. “I have a job for you.”
During his time back home, in order to stay busy and to make some extra money for his family, Tae had become the go-to guy among the Korean community in Irvine for just about any need. He was good with his hands. He could mow lawns, fix water heaters, unclog drains, build Ikea shelving units, translate documents. He helped people who didn’t have anyone else who could. This was the kind of stuff that made him feel needed and appreciated. Not his boring middle-management office job back in Chicago.
“Sure, of course. I’m happy to help. If I don’t know how to do it, I’ll figure it out. But you won’t need to pay me.” Tae had learned the game. The more he refused payment, the harder they’d insist on paying even more.
“Oh no, I will pay you quite generously. I have a lot of money saved, and nowhere and nothing more important to spend it on than this.”
Tae was intrigued.
Grandma Song leaned to look over Tae’s shoulder, making sure they were not within earshot of anyone else. “You’ve dated lots of girls.”
Tae’s mouth dropped open. He wasn’t sure what kind of gossip Grandma Song had heard about him. Sure, he’d had his share of relationships. But nothing serious.
“Um, I wouldn’t say a lot—”
“And they’ve all gone on to marry someone after you.”
Ouch, the jabs just kept on coming. Was this his reputation? The guy girls dated before they got married? I mean, therewasGraci Im. And Jessica Yi. And Sarah Hong. Oh, and Grace Yoon...
“Halmoni, I’m not sure what you’re asking of me,” Tae said.
“It’s quite simple, really. I need you to help my Julia with her love life.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Tae had clearly heard her wrong.
