“I swear to God, I don’t understand how you can function as a lawyer sometimes. They are friends, not goons or hoodlums or bosses. I know because I met them in Seoul.” She marches to the door, bat in hand, and opens it. Now that my panic has receded, I see the two men have luggage that do not include gun cases. Hana greets them, and they all look over at me through the open door. The newcomers bow and I wave. At me, Jihoon mouths,I’m sorry.
It’s clear my booty call has been indefinitely postponed.
A neighbor’s door opens down the hall, and Jihoon snaps at his friends as he shoves them inside our apartment. Four seconds later, we’re all standing in my living room surrounded by tumbled luggage and unease.
The two new guys are glaring at Jihoon. Jihoon is looking at the floor, face a dull red. Hana’s eyes flicker between all three, her mouth a thin line.
Then there’s me, feeling like a complete outsider.
Hana finally senses my silent entreaty to please do something. “How about some introductions?” she says pointedly to Jihoon.
“Yes, sorry. Ari, these are friends from home who are here for a very short and unexpected visit.” He shoots them a look, but the taller guy simply folds his arms over his chest and shakes his head.
It turns out the tall guy is Kitae, or Kit, and must be older since Jihoon calls him hyeong. The other guy is Daehyun. They pull off their face masks, and we shake hands, and wow, what do they put in the water in Seoul? Even after a thirteen-hour flight, both of them are beautiful, with the kind of clear eyes and glowing skin I can only dream about.
At Jihoon’s helpless expression, Hana obviously decides it’s up to her to restore order. “I’m sure you three have a lot to catch up on, so why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow?” She ushers themout before any of the men can say a word then comes back in and shuts the door.
“You can meet them better later,” Hana says as she balances the bat against the wall. “Care to tell me where you were going?”
“Out for a walk. Who are they exactly?”
“Friends of Jihoon’s. You were going out for a walk at”—here she gives her wrist an exaggerated look, marred somewhat by the fact that she’s not wearing a watch—“midnight?”
“Yes.” I brazen it out.
“Right.” She takes a deep breath. “Far be it from me to interfere with you getting some, because it’s been a hell of a dry spell, but is Jihoon the best idea?”
I cross my arms. “Who says it’s Jihoon?”
“Saw you guys making out when I came home from my work trip. I was going to be polite and not say anything.”
“Oh.” I bite my lip. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. This is your fault. You didn’t give me warning. You should have known having a man like that around me all the time would be dangerous.”
She squeezes her eyes shut. “Please, he’s my cousin.”
“I’m only human.”
“This isn’t like you, Ari. If there were a poster for playing it safe, it would feature you wagging your finger back and forth.”
It’s true enough, and that bothers me in a way it hasn’t before. “I thought about it, and look. Living together for three weeks is the equivalent of a hundred five-hour dates. At two dates a week, that’s like knowing each other for almost a year.”
“That isn’t even close to being correct.”
“All I’m saying is that living together sped up the comfort level in the getting-to-know-you process.” I glance away. “I like him.”
“Be careful, okay?” Her voice gentles. “He’s going through a lot, and I’m not sure if you want to get involved with a man who’s leaving the country.”
“He’s not leaving right away.”
“I think you two should talk about that soon.” She takes her hand off my shoulder. “Kit and Daehyun are here.”
“Why would the mystery men matter? Why are they here anyway?”
“Work trip, they said.”
“What kind of work trip? Don’t they work for the same entertainment agency? Why aren’t they in a hotel?”
The bat falls again, and Hana bends over to grab it. “Not sure,” she says to the floor, her voice muffled. “They’re on a budget?”
