Julia just shook her head. Per usual, all roads led back to the battery operated boyfriend.
“But there will be so many men to choose from out there,” Rachel whined.
Julia shrugged. She wasn’t ready to be dating or thinking of other men just yet. She’d let herself off the hook with feeling less-than, for feeling a failure by being single and unattached. The setups might not have gone as well as she’d hoped. But she didn’t place the blame all on herself. Chemistry didn’t just happen because someone wanted it to. It happened when it was right. And she could wait for that. She still wanted a relationship and a partner. But she wasn’t going to rush it or let other people’s expectations force her into it. She was okay with going to Korea to date herself for a while, as weird as that sounded.
“Don’t listen to her, Julia,” Sonia said, grabbing Julia’s arm. “Now, more importantly, do you have my shopping wish list tucked away somewhere you won’t lose it?”
Julia laughed and kissed Sonia on the top of her head. “Yup, and I’ll make sure to pick up everything on those... ten pages, was it?”
“Julia, girls. Come, come. It’s cake time,” Julia’s dad said enthusiastically. “We have to celebrate our Julia’s big trip. Watch out, Korea! The CEO of Starlight is on her way.” Her parents were thrilled for her to go to Korea. One because they were going to come and visit her in a couple months. Neither of them had been back to the motherland in decades. Julia was so excited for them to explore how much Korea had grown. She was excited for herself as well. And the second reason her parents were so pumped for her? Well, after three failed setups, they’d promised to never pressure her again about her love life. But she’d overheard her mom talking to her aunts about all the eligible bachelors in Korea. If she heard correctly, her mother had likened it to a buffet, which honestly made Julia a little queasy. Great. Her mother just really couldn’t help herself.
Looked like Julia would have to disappoint both Rachelandher mom. Oh well.
“Now, before we cut the cake, I want to tell you, Julia, how proud I am of you. You are an incredible young woman, smart, savvy, strong, successful. I raised you to take the most out of life, not to be small, but to make a big impact. And that’s exactly what I’m most proud of, that you’re able to make the best of every situation and opportunity, like this one in front of you. We’re so excited for what’s in store for you in Korea.”
She smiled, and the tears flowed. “Thanks, Dad.”
The doorbell rang, and Julia’s heart stopped.
Of all the people that mattered to Julia the most, the one that was not here was Tae. She’d sat in front of her email or phone numerous times, wanting to type out something, anything. Her fingers just wouldn’t move. And they’d agreed to give each other time and space.
He’d kept that promise to her.
Still, Julia knew Tae’s ear was connected to the Korean Gossip Network. So he had to know that she was leaving for Korea.
“I’ll get it,” she said, willing herself to slowly walk, not run, to the door. She took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and opened it.
“Hi.”
“Oh, hi. What are you doing here?” Julia shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s so good to see you. Wanna come in?”
Jisoo Kang entered Julia’s house like she’d done hundreds of times in the past growing up. She was in hospital scrubs with her hair tied back, a stark contrast to how Julia had seen her last time in Starlight’s Product Closet. It hit her then. Jisoo was a badass doctor, and Julia could think of few things cooler than that. Why had they let all the comparisons put on them by other people cause this rift between them?
“Here,” Jisoo said, holding out a small bag. “I put together a little care package for the flight. It’s small so should fit in yourcarry-on. Just some snacks and fuzzy socks and a deck of cards. Silly stuff.”
Julia stared down at the gift bag. It was one of those unexpected moments that bore with it so much more weight than one ever expected. She was incredibly touched. “Thank you. That’s so nice,” she said and meant it.
“I just wanted to stop by and see you off. This sounds like a really amazing opportunity. Not gonna lie, I’m so jealous. I haven’t been to Korea in forever.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Julia suddenly lifted her eyes just as Jisoo lifted hers, and realization hit them both. “Wait, the last time either of us was in Korea was when we went together when we were ten?”
Jisoo’s eyes widened in surprise. “I guess so. Wow, that’s crazy. That was a fun summer, though. I don’t know why I’m always surprised so much of our lives are intertwined with each other. I feel like there are very few memories I have that don’t include you.”
Again, Julia wondered why they’d grown apart.
“I also thought I should tell you—” Jisoo cleared her throat before continuing “—that I broke off my engagement.”
“Really? Oh my gosh, what happened? Um, are you okay?” Julia wasn’t sure why Jisoo chose to tell her, but she worried about her, nonetheless. They’d both been in the dating trenches, but Jisoo had made it out. Now she was pulled back in. It couldn’t be easy on her.
“Yeah, actually,” she sighed as she nodded, “I am. I was never supposed to marry Eric. I can’t say that I ever really loved him. Or, at least, I never gave myself time to find out if I could. We rushed into it. I think I just let the pressure and expectation get to me, ya know? And I convinced myself that he was right. When I honestly knew all along he wasn’t.”
Julia wondered if she’d ever been at risk of crossing that line. Though, no one she’d ever dated felt anywhere near close to being The One.
Except for Tae. And they’d never really defined their relationship. Had they even been dating?
“Well, I’m sorry. But I’m glad you figured it out before you actually got married.”
“Yeah,” Jisoo said and smiled, “me too.”
