But, as usual, before he could say a word, she gave a nod and a grunt and walked away.
Julia deserved to be happy. She sounded miserable on the phone call, and it didn’t feel right. Tae honestly didn’t know how he could make a difference. And yet, Grandma Song seemed to believe in him. And after talking to her, he felt more determined than ever to try.
14
Demo Days
Julia
Julia walked from station to station, checking all the products and the notes placed next to them.
Starlight’s New Product Demo Days typically happened before a line went into full production. A few randomly selected volunteers were invited to sit at beauty stations and test out products, reading all the information about what went into making it and what it was supposed to do. Then they filled out forms where the feedback would be recorded and sent back to Starlight’s development teams in case changes were needed because of such things as allergic reactions, unfavorable scents, or the dreadednot as described.
Julia loved Demo Days. Her favorite part was seeing real consumers, not employees of Starlight Cosmetics, test out the skincare, the body products, the new makeup palettes. And they would always get invaluable information and insight from these consumers. Julia loved pampering those who came to these events. Champagne, hand and neck massages, a filled-to-the-brim swag bag, and catered lunch were just some of the benefits. Starlight’s Demo Days had also made it intoRefinery29’s “Top Things to Do in LA,” with the caveatif you can get a coveted invite.
“The team did a great job of setting up in here,” Julia said to her product manager, Sarah Im. “It looks amazing.”
“I can’t believe the renovations and build-out got finished in time. There was no way it was gonna happen if it hadn’t been for Tae. When the general contractor walked out midbuild, Tae basically picked up a hammer and worked beside everyone else to get it done. He pushed the whole team and made it clear that missing the deadline was not an option.”
Julia took note of the new makeup stations. The room expanded and now had twenty seats, each with its own mirror, lighting, and storage, compared to the previous twelve. It was designed with warm walnut wood tones, white cabinetry, and brushed copper fixtures. It might just be her favorite part of the entire office renovation to date.
Julia’s chest swelled with pride. She loved hearing about and seeing what Tae was capable of. She thought back to when they were kids and he’d always have the best crafts during Vacation Bible School, and his dad was always bragging about something Tae had fixed or built throughout the years. Julia didn’t understand how Tae ended up working at a desk in an office for a living when he’d clearly been meant to do something with his hands.
“We made sure everything for today’s event is extra special. We’re so excited you’re finally bringing your family and friends in for one of these,” Sarah said.
“Really appreciate it, Sarah. Tell your team thanks, and can you give them all a comp day when all is finished? I know they’ve been pulling long hours to get the product and packaging ready.”
“They’ll love that, Julia. Thanks!”
“Well, don’t thank me yet. My family and friends are a tough crowd. We’ll see how much damage they do by the end of today,” Julia said with a laugh. “Korean mamas are always a tough sell.”
“Especially for Korean cosmetics, I can imagine,” Sarah added.
Sarah hadn’t meant it in a bad way. But the comment stung. It was a slap of a reminder that Julia still felt like she had to prove herself to the Korean consumer, people like her mom and her mom’s friends. Many of whom would be here today.
Julia’s mom and grandmother were the reason she’d even considered getting into the beauty industry. Growing up, Julia had spent hours watching both her halmoni and her mother in their bathrooms, a myriad of bottles and vials and samples laid out before them, tubes squeezed to their very last bit of product. Julia memorized each step of their skincare routines, the fragrances of each still fresh in her mind. And it all worked. Her mother looked twenty years younger than her age, and her grandmother—well, her grandmother definitely didn’t look like she was near dying.
Julia let out a deep sigh. After a few semiheated discussions with the doctor’s office, and one phone call from Jisoo to the hospital scheduling department, they’d finally nailed down an appointment sooner than the four-to-six weeks they were originally offered. Julia and her grandmother would go in next week and have the follow-up scan to see what they were actually dealing with. She was scared. But like Rachel and Tae had encouraged, she wasn’t going to invite worry.
“Julia, they’re here,” Annette said from the doorway.
Julia smiled and waved them into the room, greeting everyone as they entered.
“Wow, it is so beautiful here,” her mother said, eyes wide, mouth open. “I should have worn something fancier.”
Who was she kidding? Julia’s mom was in a St. John knit two-piece that Julia had gifted her for her fiftieth birthday a few years ago. She’d only worn it a couple of times. It was herspecial occasionoutfit. She was carrying the Louis Vuitton handbag Julia gave her for Christmas two years ago that she still kept in thebox it came in, which usually sat on the top shelf of her closet. She had the Gucci scarf Julia had included in her recent bribe bag wrapped around her neck. And she had on her black patent Ferragamo low-heeled pumps with the square gold buckle. It was like a designer brand-name swap meet threw up on her mom. She’d basically put together a hodgepodge of all of her nicest stuff and shown up to impress at Julia’s place of work.
Julia was touched.
Behind her mother, a flurry of small Korean women entered: Aunt Linda, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Janet, Mrs. Kim (Tae’s mom), Chung Samonim (the church pastor’s wife), Jisoo’s mom, and Julia’s halmoni. Sonia came in next along with her mother, and rounding out the bunch Rachel stood at the doorway, obviously trying to stifle her laugh. She was here for comedy hour apparently.
Julia bowed and greeted the crowd and listened as they marveled at the setup of the room.
“This looks like the spas in Gangnam,” Aunt Linda said.
“Sulwhasoo Spa is in Gangnam. I hear it is amazing there,” Aunt Sharon added.
“Sulwhasoo is chaego,” Aunt Janet said, much like she had at her grandmother’s birthday party.
