“Really? Wow, and here I was envying you because you don’t seem to worry about what other people think. You’re just so confidently you.”
“Thanks, Julia. I appreciate you falling for my cover.”
She lifted her hand up in a fist, ready to fight for his honor. Tae wanted to wrap his hand around that fist and pull her close, but he sat on his hands to prevent any foolish moves.
“No, I definitely am not confidently me, as you put it. I’m not even sure who I am, to be honest.” Shit, this was not a path Tae wanted to go down in this conversation. “But you—you most definitely should feel proud of all your success. Starlight is killing it.”
“Anyways...” she said and tucked her hair behind her ear. Guess neither of them liked having compliments given to them.
“I realize all these setups just add to that pressure you’ve been feeling. But think of it this way. They’rejustdates. It’s a chance to figure out if you like the person’s company. Or not. You know what they say. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.”
“I hate frogs.”
Tae laughed. “Noted. But how do you feel about eggplant?”
“Wow, I totally thought that I didn’t like eggplant my whole life. This was by far my favorite,” Julia said, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach. “And that bean sprout dish, it’s not like the kind my mom typically makes. This one was really good.” She stopped and pointed at Tae. “Don’t you dare tell her I just said that. She’ll take it as a bash on her cooking, and I’ll never hear the end of it. And no sign of heartburn at all. It’s a miracle.”
Tae and Julia had finished dinner, trying a number of different things on the menu. Julia, surprising both herself and Tae, enjoyed all of them. Apparently, she’d only told herself that she was a vegetarian who didn’t like vegetables and was convinced she could never go to a Korean barbecue restaurant. But now she had a couple dishes ready to order on the night of the big date.
“I feel like you not only prepped me for my date but opened up my world to Korean food I’d never experienced before.”
“Seriously, Julia, you act like you grew up in some small village isolated from the world.”
“I know. I guess I just had it in my mind I didn’t like certain things, and people around me were convinced that was true, including myself.” She stopped. “Huh, I wonder if that’s true with other things too.”
Tae wasn’t expecting Julia to have a life’s epiphany here during lunch. But he was curious now too what kinds of things she might never have given a chance before.
“I’m surprised your mom didn’t make you eat some of this stuff growing up. My mom force-fed liver down my throat. There was no refusing something from my mom’s table. No way.”
Julia laughed. “I’d have preferred that than to be forced-dating. Your mom seems so cool about it with you.”
“My mom wasn’t the biggest fan of my ex. So that might be a reason she’s okay with me being single,” Tae said.
“No? That’s surprising. Your mom loveseveryone.”
“Kari didn’t really understand why I have to spend so much time out here.”
“But your dad was sick. What’s not to understand?”
“Yeah, but with me, there tends to be no middle ground or doing things half-assed. I dropped everything, my job, my apartment, my relationship, my life, to come home. And I would do it all over again. But in most people’s minds they can’t understand sacrificing that much, my whole life, for someone else.”
“That’s who you are, Tae. You dropped out of college to come help your dad’s business the first time. I don’t think you ever complained even once,” Julia said.
“I just never saw it as a sacrifice,” Tae explained.
“That’s what I mean. Family is your life. Taking care of them is what brings you satisfaction. And if someone doesn’t understand that, they never made the attempt to understand you, in my opinion.” She stopped and covered her mouth. “Shit, I didn’t mean that to sound mean. I don’t even know Kari. I’m sorry.”
Tae shook his head. He didn’t want Julia to worry about anything she’d say to him. “Thanks, Jules. I really appreciate you saying this. I mean, you’re the same way. You’d do, are doing, everything for your family. I don’t have a lot of people who understand or validate the choices I’ve made. But I’m glad there’s you.”
The words hung in the air, but Tae wasn’t going to regret saying them.
“You’re a good egg, Tae. Even the fact that you’re willing to help me out with these crazy setups is so true to who you are. It’s why you’re so amazing. It’s why you’re the treasured star of Irvine, California,” Julia said. There was a sparkle in her eye.
Tae laughed. “Rich, coming from the beloved princess of Irvine, California.”
“Ice Princess,” she said.
“Beloved princess,” Tae insisted.
