by Sarah Suk
“Yeah, but I’m not applying for any office jobs right now, Umma,” I said. “Or anytime soon.”
“Didn’t you say you want to be a businesswoman?” she pressed. “I know you’re playing pretend right now with that makeup club of yours, but one day if you want to do it for real, you’ll have to dress the part.”
Playing pretend? Heat flushed my cheeks as my fingers tightened around the rice scooper. I couldn’t believe she’d just said that.
“I didn’t know you wanted to be a businesswoman, Valerie,” Appa said. “What a cute dream for you!”
There it was again. Cute. Any semblance of warmth I had been feeling toward them earlier immediately vanished. I wished I had never told Umma about V&C K-BEAUTY or wanting to go into business. I wished I had never told her anything at all.
“Say, isn’t Samantha taking that business elective in school right now?” Appa said.
“She is,” Umma said proudly. “She got an A on her last test.”
Suddenly I didn’t have an appetite anymore. I fumed, dumping the rice I’d scooped back into the rice cooker and dropping the bowl on the counter with a clatter, making both my parents jump in their seats.
“Be careful with those bowls, Valerie,” Umma said, startled. “And why did you stop scooping your rice?”
“I’m not hungry anymore,” I said, walking out of the kitchen. My voice came out all tight, like I was going to cry at any second. I hated that.
As I left, I heard Appa whisper to Umma, “Did we say something wrong?”
I ran up the stairs, my stomach grumbling with hunger. But better to starve than to sit at the table listening to Umma and Appa critique me all night. It’s fine. Whatever. I’ll just eat Hi-Chews for dinner.
Before I could disappear into my room, Halmeoni emerged from hers in her Pompompurin nightgown, a concerned look on her face. “I thought I heard your voice,” she said. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Hmm.” She put her hands on either side of my face, squinting her eyes and surveying me closely. She released me and nodded once decisively. “All right. Put your shoes back on. We’re going out.”
“Huh?” I stared as Halmeoni disappeared back into her room, reappearing in a pair of jogging pants and a puffy purple down jacket. “Where are we going?”
“For a walk.” She zipped her jacket up to her chin. “Let’s go, my girl.”
She tiptoed down the stairs and I followed suit, too curious not to. She pressed her fingers to her lips as she passed by the kitchen, not making a sound. Ah. She doesn’t want Umma and Appa to know she’s leaving the house. Umma would flip if she knew Halmeoni was going out at this hour. Luckily, they didn’t look up from their dinner as we snuck by unnoticed, slipping on our shoes and letting the door click shut softly behind us.
“Ahh, it feels so good to be outside!” Halmeoni said, looking mighty pleased with herself. “Your parents have been keeping me locked up at home all day. You know, I was hoping you would come home early so we could sneak out together.”
“You don’t have to do this for me, Halmeoni,” I said, smiling in spite of myself. “I know you’re only doing this because I’m sad.”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear me? I’m doing this because I want to go out.” She gave me a stern look. “Now, I don’t want to hear another word like that out of your mouth. Got it?”
I laughed. “Okay. Fine. Where are we going?”
Her eyes twinkled. “Hmm. Where should we go? Oh! How about the strip mall?”
It was only a short walk to the nearest strip mall, but at Halmeoni’s pace it took us double the time to get there. She used to be a swift walker, pumping her arms as she zoomed down the sidewalks of our neighborhood, but even I had to admit she wasn’t as fast as before. Her arms didn’t swing by her sides the way they used to. It was probably because Umma kept such a tight watch on Halmeoni these days. If Halmeoni had been able to get out more, I was sure her muscles would loosen up again. But the walk was still nice, and I didn’t mind slowing down to match her pace, our arms linked together, making our shadows merge into one under the streetlamps.
The strip mall is pretty run of the mill. There’s a dollar store, a shawarma restaurant, a laundromat, a bagel bar, and an arcade that’s been there for as long as I can remember. It has all the classic arcade games, like Street Fighter and Bubble Bobble, and a row of sticker-picture machines that I used to be obsessed with when I was a kid. Halmeoni would take me and Charlie to the arcade all the time on weekends when Sunhee Eemo was working and Umma was driving Samantha around to all her tutoring sessions.
“Remember this place?” Halmeoni said, peering through the arcade window. She gasped, pointing at the sticker-picture machines in the corner. “Look, Valerie, they still have those sticker machines! When’s the last time we took a photo in one?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a laugh. “Maybe five, six years ago? Those machines must be ancient by now.”
“Let’s take one now,” Halmeoni said, already walking into the arcade. She held the door open, ushering me in. “I just got my hair dyed. I want to see how young I look!”
Nostalgia washed over me as I walked into the arcade. It smelled exactly the same as I remembered it: a faint citrusy scent like peeled mandarin oranges. A crowd of middle school kids gathered around the DDR machine, cheering as two boys battled it out on the dance floor, while another group of kids duked it out at the air-hockey table. The sound of music, laughter, and video-game voices announcing “Three, two, one, fight!” pulsed in my ears, dimming only when Halmeoni and I stepped into a sticker-picture machine, pulling the curtain shut behind us.
Sticker-picture machines are like photo booths, except way cooler. You can choose different backgrounds and decorate your photos on the computer screen before they print out on sticker paper. Halmeoni picked a series of pastel-colored backgrounds for our four different poses. The camera lights flashed with each pose.
We made peace signs.
Flash.
Finger hearts.
Flash.
Fish faces.
Flash.
I reached over, wrapping my arms around her in a giant hug. She smiled the biggest smile. Just before the lights went off, I thought: The wrinkles around her eyes are beautiful.
Flash.
“How should I decorate?” I asked, tapping the drawing pen against the screen.
“Give yourself a crown,” Halmeoni instructed. “Because you are my princess.” She patted my cheek and I warmed up all over.
“How about for you, then?”
“A bigger crown, obviously, because I am the queen,” she said with a grin.
I finished decorating, scribbling Valerie Hearts Halmeoni in cursive on one of the photos. The machine printed out two copies, one for me and one for Halmeoni.
“Aigoo, look at this silly halmeoni taking photos like a young person,” she laughed, looking at the sheet of sticker pictures. “I don’t really look so young, do I? Maybe I should stop taking these.”
I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Never. You look perfect.” I beamed at the sticker pictures, tucking them safely into the pocket of my vest. “And these are perfect too. Thank you, Halmeoni.”
By the time we walked back home and tiptoed into the house, Umma and Appa were upstairs in their room. From the sounds of it, it seemed like they hadn’t noticed we were gone. Good on Halmeoni for leaving her bedroom door closed with the lights on inside. They probably thought she was still resting in her room.
Halmeoni was glowing the whole time as we went into the kitchen. She hummed along to a song inside her head as she reheated the doenjang jjigae for me. I watched her simple movements, my heart aching. She’d had such a good time just walking to the strip mall. It would be so wonderful if she could explore beyond our city.
I felt a sudden surge of determination. I would beat Wes, and I would take her to Paris th
is summer. And when I accomplished that, we’d see what Umma and Appa had to say about my business. They won’t think it’s so cute when I pull off something this epic.
I was going to one-up my competition. I just had to figure out how.
CHAPTER EIGHT WES
Saturday / November 16
As it turned out, the cardigan with elbow patches was a bad idea not just because it wasn’t cool party wear, but because I had not been able to stop sweating since making the bet with Valerie. I desperately wanted to take it off but wasn’t sure what to do with it if I did. Hold it slung over my arm like a butler taking coats? Tie it around my waist like Dad does with his windbreaker when he hikes? Or try to leave it on the back of the couch where two kids that I recognized from my English class were currently making out? Um. I glanced around the living room. Maybe I could find a coat hanger around here somewhere.
“There you are, Wes!” Lisa appeared by my side, holding two bottles of beer. “I’ve been looking for you.”
She handed me a bottle with a cheerful grin. I took it and smiled back, though inwardly I was already dreading the flush.
“Come hang out with us,” Lisa said, leading me over to a couple of girls hanging out on the staircase, laughing and sipping from red cups. There was Natalie Castillo, with a pair of white headphones hand-painted with flowers looped around her neck, and Kristy Lo’s friend who had called Jun her husband. She had made good use of the hair dye: pops of electric blue peeked out from her strands of black hair. A true fan. “We were just talking about your Crown Tiger merch.”
“Wes!” Natalie shifted over, making room for me on the stairs. “Come sit!”
“Thanks,” I said. “Cool headphones.”
She grinned. “Thanks. I painted them myself. It’s my latest DIY.” She gestured to Kristy’s friend. “You know Mimi, right? We’re friends from art club.”
“Kind of.” I turned to Mimi. “I’ve seen you at my sales before, right?”
Mimi grinned back and stuck out her hand. Her nails were decorated with nail art that looked like juice boxes. “Yep. Nice to formally meet you. I’m Mimi Takenouchi.”
I shook her hand, my memory flashing back to holding Valerie’s hand just moments ago. “I’m—”
“Wes Jung, duh. Everyone knows you.” Mimi laughed. “Everyone’s been talking about your Crown Tiger beauty business. You’re even more popular than V&C K-BEAUTY, and no one’s had a better business than them since they started.”
My stomach flipped at the mention of Valerie’s business. It shouldn’t have surprised me that people associated us, but hearing our names together out loud made my cheeks feel warm. It reminded me that while we may have been in indirect competition before, we were very much in direct competition now.
I took a sip of beer. “That’s cool,” I said, trying to sound casual. “I don’t know about more popular, though. They’ve been around for a lot longer, and Valerie really knows her stuff when it comes to business.” Um, what was I doing? Was I trying to help Valerie win the bet? “Obviously, though, she doesn’t have the same products that I do,” I added quickly. “Woo! Go, Crown Tiger, am I right?”
Wow. It would be great if my social skills could show up right about now. I tugged awkwardly at the collar of my cardigan, seriously overheating.
Lisa giggled. “Don’t worry, Wes. She may have been around longer, but your products are definitely better.” She winked. “And don’t worry. I won’t shop with V&C as long as you keep giving me that discount.”
“Wait, wait, what discount?” Natalie said, perking up. “I want in on this!”
Oh great. I stared at Natalie and Mimi, who were looking back at me with expectant eyes, and then glanced up at Lisa. She slapped a hand over her mouth, her cheeks flushing.
“Oh my God, sorry, Wes. That was supposed to be our secret.” She glanced at her beer bottle and lowered her hand from her mouth, biting her lip apologetically. “I’m a little buzzed.”
“Soooo?” Mimi said, leaning forward. “What’s this special secret discount? And don’t worry. We won’t tell anyone.” She held up her red cup. “This is just punch with, like, the tiniest amount of alcohol. I’m one hundred percent sober.”
“And this is just water,” Natalie chimed in. “I’m designated driver.”
“Um…” It had felt okay to give one person a discount to stop shopping with Valerie. But three people? I mean, maybe it was fine, even if my conscience was sending me signals that it wasn’t the fairest way to run a business. Especially now that we were officially in competition. Would this be considered sabotage?
“Pleeeease, Wes?” Natalie said, rubbing her hands together. “I really want to keep shopping with you, but my parents are putting a limit on my spending. Again. I could really use a discount.”
She and Mimi looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. Argh. Why was it so hard to say no to people?
“Okay, sure,” I said. They cheered. “But please don’t tell anyone else. I don’t want to make this a big thing.”
Natalie mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key while Mimi nodded eagerly.
“Of course, of course. And TBH, I’m totally willing to drop V&C for Crown Tiger. No remorse,” Mimi said. “Besides, Valerie’s kind of stuck-up. I’d way rather give my money to you.”
I blinked, caught off guard by her comment. In the background, a group of people were organizing a drinking game, shouting and grabbing people to join. “Oh. Well, no need to make it personal, right? Valerie seems nice.”
I knew “nice” wasn’t exactly the right word to describe Valerie, and the way Natalie, Mimi, and Lisa were exchanging glances, they knew it too. Still, I had to say something. I didn’t know why I felt such a strong need to defend a girl who had betrayed me in a haunted house, defaced my shirt with lipstick, and become my actual archrival as of tonight, but I did. There was just something about her. She wasn’t nice, but I got the sense that there was more to her than just “stuck-up.”
“You’re new around here, Wes, but it’s kind of true,” Lisa said. “We’ve all tried to hang out with her before, but she’s not interested in making friends. She only has time for you if you’re related to her business or just flat-out related to her. That’s why her cousin is her only friend.”
“Speaking of her cousin…” Natalie giggled, pointing across the living room.
Apparently, the drinking game was being spearheaded by Charlie himself. He had a big group of people standing excitedly in a circle as he hopped back and forth, explaining the rules.
“Okay okay okay, everyone, this is a popular Korean drinking game!” he yelled, bouncing eagerly from one foot to the other. “Rules are simple. You say a number from one to five while showing a different number with your hand. For example, I say three and hold up two fingers.” He held up two fingers to demonstrate. “Then the person on my right says the number of fingers I’m holding up while showing a different number on their hand. So JL here would say…”
“Two!” the guy with dreadlocks next to Charlie shouted, while holding up four fingers.
“And so on and so forth around the circle,” Charlie said. “If you mess up and say the wrong number or hold up the same amount of fingers as the number you say, you gotta take a shot! Sounds easy, but I swear”—he shook his head, all serious—“it’s harder than you think when we go fast. I’ll start! One!”
The group hollered as they went around in the circle at lightning speed, screaming with laughter whenever someone messed up and said five while holding up five fingers.
“Charlie always teaches us the best drinking games,” Lisa said, grinning. “I love having him at my parties.”
“It’s not just parties or drinking games, either,” Natalie said. “Remember the junior camping trip? He had everyone in stitches playing games around the fireplace. He said he learns them from Korean TV shows.”
“He’s the best,” Mimi agreed. “Totally opposite of Valerie. But he’s such a lightweight. You know what
happens when he has more than one drink.”
“Oh yes,” Lisa and Natalie said, nodding their heads.
This was another thing about being the new kid. There were common facts that friends and classmates knew about one another, things they’d picked up over the years without even realizing they were picking them up. They were just by-products of growing up together, and I suddenly felt a wave of loneliness, like I was always on the outside looking in.
“What happens?” I asked.
“You’ll see pretty soon,” Mimi said.
The game had pared down to two players for a lightning round, Charlie and JL. They went back and forth, shouting and holding up fingers while everyone watched.
“Three!”
“One!”
“Five!”
“Two!” Charlie yelled, throwing up two fingers. He looked down at his hand like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing and cried out in agony. Everyone cheered, shouting, “Shot, shot, shot, shot!” while JL gave a deep victory bow.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pauline leaning against the wall by the couch, patiently watching the game with an amused smile on her face. I quickly excused myself from the group and headed over to join Pauline. I had to update her on the bet.
“Hey, where’ve you been all night?” I asked.
“Looking for Charlie,” she said, nodding at the circle of people. “I found him. But he seemed busy.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. Hey, listen, I talked to Valerie today and—”
“Valerie?” Charlie’s voice said. I nearly jumped out of my skin. He was standing right behind me, eyebrows raised. When did he get here? “Are you giving my cousin a hard time again? Because if you are…” He held up a fist right in front of my nose.
Uh-oh. Was this what the girls were talking about when Charlie drank too much? Did he start picking fights? I suddenly had a mental picture of Charlie’s fist slamming into my glasses. I could see the headline now: NEW GUY GETS PUNCHED AT PARTY. HE WAS WEARING ELBOW PATCHES.
Charlie’s fist turned into a finger wagging in my face. “You’ll be in serious trouble.” He laughed, slapping me good-heartedly on the shoulder. I laughed along awkwardly.