Her grandmother was out of the gown and back into her clothes. She didn’t even look at Julia as she followed the nurse toward the exit.
“The doctor will be in touch,” the nurse said.
Halmoni nodded her head once and kept walking.
“Halmoni, wait,” Julia called after her. She reached out and gently grabbed her arm. “What happened? What did the doctor say?”
“Julia, let’s go eat kimchi-jjigae. I’m hungry.”
Kimchi-jjigae? That’s all that was on her grandmother’s mind?
“Halmoni, are you okay?” Julia asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Everything is fine.”
“Are you sure? What did they say?”
“They said it’s fine.”
“And you’re sure you understood everything they told you?” Julia wasn’t sure how to get the answers without pressing. But her grandmother was being so stingy with her words.
“There were some longer words that I didn’t understand, but I don’t think they mattered. All I cared about was when the doctor said she was done and that I could go. If it was bad, she would have asked me to stay longer, no?”
They got to Julia’s car, and she helped her grandmother get into the front seat. Before she closed the door, Halmoni reached out her hand and cupped Julia’s cheek. Her expression the most somber Julia had ever seen her.
“It’ll all be okay, Julia. Don’t worry. Everything in life happens according to plan.”
Julia could do without the cryptic words of wisdom. Was this good news or bad news? She let out a sigh and nodded her head. She had to believe her grandmother would tell them allthat was going on when she was ready. Maybe she’d call on Jisoo one more time to look over the results with them.
Julia closed the door, and as she rounded the car to get to the driver’s seat, she stopped, took a deep breath to hold it together, and got behind the wheel to take them home.
Julia opened her messages and found the one person who she thought could make her feel better.
Tell me everything is going to be okshe typed.
Everything is going to be okTae typed back.
But you don’t even know what I’m talking about
That’s ok. I still believe that somehow, some way, it will be
Promise?
Promise
And with that, Julia shut off her phone and cried, letting it all out where no one else could see. She didn’t know if they were tears of fear or relief. But she let them fall. And eventually she fell asleep believing that it would all be okay.
18
The One
Julia
Julia stood amazed, watching Tae as he talked to the new general contractor Julia had just hired, telling him exactly what needed to be prioritized for the office renovation. He’d come by to help select new light fixtures but ended up doing a walk-through that would save Starlight both time and money. What would she have done without his help? And honestly, what couldn’t he do well?
“Tae, thanks for being here. It’s just nice to have someone I can trust being involved. You’re so, um, competent.”
Julia blushed remembering the conversation with her friends. Shit, even Tae’s work ethic was starting to be attractive to her. She was doomed. Thank goodness she was wearing a high-collared blouse, because her neck’s flush was certain to give her away.
