Tae shrugged. “It’s... not a real job. I’m just doing it to pass the time while I’m home.”
Julia couldn’t understand why he was downplaying the work he did. But she did know that not everyone might value it. “When I was first building the business, when we didn’t even have a product yet, a lot of people didn’t get it, thought I was just wasting my time. No one really sees being an entrepreneur as a real job, you know? Anyways...” She hoped her words didn’t sound like a condescending way of trying to make him feel better. God, she sucked at human communication.
He looked at her from under his lashes, the left side of his mouth lifting just a bit. He didn’t say the words, but she felt them.Thanks for trying to understand.
“Look, Julia, we’ve known each other forever. We might not have kept in touch, but I still think I know the best parts of who you are. And I also know the worst parts of what dating these days must be. I’m pretty self-aware.” He let out a chuckle. “It really isn’t gonna be hard finding someone who wants to date you. The hard part is finding someone worthy of you.”
Julia was stunned at his words. She felt warmed inside, the tension in her shoulders releasing.
She also felt the guilt swirl around in her chest. How could she have lost contact with Tae for so long? “Thank you, Tae. Thanks for making it not sound as awful as I had in my head.” Julia tucked her errant side bangs behind her ear.
“I’m curious, though. Why now? I figured with as successful as you’ve been at work, your family would give you some space before laying on the when-are-you-getting-married pressure.”
Julia looked across the table at Tae. His chin rested in his hand, and she could see no judgment in his eyes. Julia felt the beginnings of cracks in her armor.
“I think my grandmother is sick.” She hadn’t meant to just blurt it out. But it had been on Julia’s mind for days, and she needed to talk about it with someone.
“What?” Tae’s eyes grew large, shock on his face. “Since when? How?”
“I don’t know, but the reason I agreed to let my family play matchmaker was, well, because my grandmother said her dying wish was for me to get married. Herdyingwish, Tae. I was so shocked at the news, so scared, that I just agreed.”
Tae stared at Julia, brows furrowed. Maybe he wasn’t comfortable with her sharing so much about her family.
“Wait, what?”
So it was news to Tae too. “You didn’t know? You haven’t heard anything? Well, please don’t tell anyone, not even your parents. Maybe my grandmother doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“No, of course not. But she seems so healthy.”
“She went to the doctor, and they said they foundsomething. She didn’t understand a lot of what they were telling her, which just infuriates me so much. They should have had an interpreter there, whether she requested it or not. Just think about all the people who misunderstand or totally ignore what’s being told to them at the doctor because of language barrier.” It hurt Julia to even consider it.
“This is the exact reason why I came home, both times my dad got sick. I just knew that there would be a ton of stuff they wouldn’t know how to deal with. And the system is unkind to the most fluent of us. You’re right. It makes me so angry too that it’s even harsher on those who don’t understand.”
Julia felt so incredibly relieved that someone else shared this frustration with her. That Tae wasn’t accusing her of feeling things too deeply about it. But he listened and even understood.
“She has a follow-up appointment coming up, and this time you better believe I will be there with her to find out exactly what’s going on.”
Tae’s eyes were on Julia, his attention completely focused on her as she spoke. She would normally feel unease with this, but in this moment she felt safe.
Tae reached over and placed his hand on top of Julia’s, a small, kind smile on his face. “Julia...”
Julia was at her limit. If Tae was going to say comforting words to her, she was sure to release the waterworks. Julia braced herself for the gentleness that was to come.
“So she gave the ol’ dying-wish guilt trip, huh?”
Julia scrunched her nose, unable to hide. “Yup.”
He nodded. “She knew you’d agree to it all—”
“Before she even had a full diagnosis.” Julia smiled. She shouldn’t be laughing. But her grandma was shameless. At this rate, she’d have Julia married before she even knew for sure if she was truly sick.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, that line has been used by halmonis for generations. Also, if you were worried that maybe your grandma knew more than she was letting on about her health, don’t be. If it was already something serious, the KGN would have picked it up.”
“The KGN?” she asked.
“Korean Gossip Network. Jules, since I’ve been back, I’ve basically been working for every Korean family in Irvine and the surrounding areas. I go into their homes, I listen, I hear them talking. I know everything about everyone. And you have to know that Koreans do not know how to keep anything to themselves. If it was something to talk about, someone would have talked about it. Especially as beloved as your grandmother is to everyone. I’m not promising you that it’s nothing to worry about. I’m saying maybe don’t worry about it too much just yet.”
Julia thought it over, and his words made sense. It was so much to be taking in right now. She put her fingertips to her temples and started rubbing circles.
