Chapter 2 #2
Julia groaned, dropped her head to her chest, and closed her eyes. Impossible. Her friends were right. Her grandmother was the one person she could not say no to. The one she never wanted to disappoint. “Halmoni, let’s not talk about that now. It’s not important. Plus, you know how
busy I am with work. Don’t worry, I am happy. I don’t need a partner for that.”
“Julia, you’re always so focused on work. And all the rest of your time and energy and money is spent worrying about the family.
You need someone to support you, to be there for you, to love you. Your company is growing very fast. And your parents and
I aren’t getting any younger. I don’t want you to get too busy and work so hard only to one day look around and realize that
you’re alone.”
Her grandmother’s words pierced her . . . they penetrated deep down to a place kept far from the light of day. A place where
Julia hid her own fears that she’d end up exactly as her grandmother described. Alone.
Was she right? Would Julia sacrifice everything to make Starlight a success only to one day look around and see everyone in
her life had passed or moved on, and she was left with just her work and no one to celebrate her accomplishments with?
“Halmoni, it’s okay. This is why I’m so focused. I need, and want, to be successful, to take care of you and the family,” Julia said. “Plus, it’s not like
I can just snap my fingers and find someone to marry. These things take time, so you have to live a lot longer, okay? No more
talk about . . .” Julia couldn’t even get the word out. Her grandmother was not dying. She wouldn’t allow it.
“No, Julia,” her grandmother replied. “I know how these things go, and who knows how much time I have left. We can’t waste
it. You can do anything you put your mind to, I know it.”
Julia raised her head, and tears filled her eyes. “But Halmoni . . .” I’m bad at dating. I’ve never been in a relationship. I’m too much to handle. What if I fail? Don’t leave me.
Her grandmother waved her hand at Julia. “No tears. Just get on it. Open yourself up to the possibilities. Find a good man,
or woman if you prefer, to build a life with. I’m progressive, it makes no difference to me. Then I can die in peace,” her
halmoni said, pouring herself another bowl and taking a drink, punctuating her demands with a burp. She turned her eyes and
her entire focus onto her granddaughter. “Julia, promise me you’ll try, try to find your true love. You can look where you
least expect to find it. That’s usually how I find my glasses.”
Her grandmother stood, way steadier on her feet than Julia felt. She placed her hand on Julia’s shoulder and squeezed, nodded
her head, and walked away.
Julia wiped away the tears from her eyes and nodded back, though the space on the couch was now empty, a silent promise made.
She would pay for the best doctors to do whatever they had to do to help her grandmother with whatever it was she was dealing
with.
Julia would fix this.
The two of them returned to the kitchen where everyone was gathered, acting like nothing was wrong, like the matriarch of
their family wasn’t dying. Did her parents know Halmoni wasn’t well? How could she possibly deny her grandmother her dying
wish? But how could she make a promise she wasn’t sure she could keep?
She couldn’t just find some guy out of the blue who would be funny and sweet and didn’t shrivel in the presence of Julia’s
success, expecting her to become less so that he wouldn’t feel so . . . could she? Okay, wow, she definitely needed to work
through some things with her therapist. But she’d also need some help right now.
Before she could change her mind, Julia cleared her throat and raised her hand.
“Excuse me, everyone. I have an announcement.” She pulled her shoulders back and stood straighter.
The room quieted, and all eyes turned to Julia in full CEO mode.
“After further consideration, I have decided that I will agree to let you set me up. On a date.”
All jaws dropped to the ground.
And then all mouths began moving at once.
“Hallelujah, this is a miracle!”
“This is wonderful, just wonderful.”
“It would have been easier if we started before she was thirty, but still . . .”
Julia watched the back-and-forth like a tennis match. She was losing control of the situation. They were jumping the gun.
She wasn’t quite ready yet . . .
“How about we not focus on my age and focus, instead, on what kind of man we should be looking for. Let’s talk about my type.”
Julia needed all hands on deck to find someone just right.
“Well, honey, we don’t exactly know where to start since you’ve never brought anyone home for us to meet. But sure, what are
you interested in?” her mom asked, subtle dig not unnoticed.
“He has to be smart so that Julia’s brains don’t intimidate him,” her father said before Julia could get a word in.
“And tall. Korean men these days are very tall, and we can’t waste Julia’s strong genes on someone who won’t match them,”
Aunt Sharon added.
“And no wimps. You know how Julia makes men cry,” Aunt Linda insisted.
Now, that was an urban legend. One time. It happened one time. And Julia hadn’t actually made anyone cry from her honesty since then. At least she didn’t think so.
“At the very least, he needs to be successful. I want a partner,” Julia added. She wanted an equal. All her strongest business
relationships were those where each side brought something to the table, mutually beneficial. And she didn’t want to struggle
like her parents had their entire lives.
“Smart. Successful. Tall. And no crybabies. This is going to be a lot harder than expected.” All heads nodded in unison as if Aunt Janet had just dropped some epic truth.
Julia gripped the kitchen island with both hands, her knuckles white with tension. She felt exposed. She hated people talking
about her and being dissected by others. She bit the inside of her cheek, willing for this night to end.
She raised her eyes and looked over at her grandmother. Fear grabbed her heart at a world without her halmoni. Whatever the
diagnosis, however much time she had left, Julia would do whatever she could to make her happy. She would go on these dates
and be the best version of herself. She would figure out how to make it work, to make someone—anyone—stick. But would she
be willing to give up a part of herself if she needed to?
Did they have coaches for something like this?
“Himnaeja, everyone. Let’s do it for Julia,” her father said.
Her mom perked up, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Dangshin,” her mom called to her dad, “what about that new youth pastor at church? He has a lot of hair on his head. Very
smart.”
“No, no, too short. But what about Mr. Lee who owns the sandwich shop?” her dad suggested. “Tall.”
“Yah, he’s fifty-two. Too old. And he’s definitely a crier,” her mom yelled back.
“The assistant manager at the H Mart,” one of her aunts threw out. “I hear they make lots of money. Successful.”
Her halmoni had the Southern California Korean Businesses directory pulled out, flipping through the pages for inspiration.
This was already a disaster. Julia shook her head, on the verge of taking back her request. She locked eyes with her grandmother.
Halmoni’s eyes widened noticing Julia’s near panic.
“Okay, everyone, now that we know what you’re looking for, let’s get to work,” her grandmother said. “We’ll find just the right match and won’t put you out too much, Julia. We know how busy you are, and work is very important. How about three dates? It’s not too much to ask, right?”
“Three dates?” Her grandmother expected her to find a man to marry in only three dates when she hadn’t been able to even come
close in all the years she’d been alive? Impossible. Not with her track record. But she also didn’t want to be on a merry-go-round
of unlimited rotating setups, being reminded how, in the end, it was Julia who was the problem for the failed relationships.
“Yes, fine. That’s fair. Three dates you think would be a good match for me.” She nodded at her grandmother. This was the
best she could do for her right now.
And now, it was her chance to make sure she got something out of this too. “And no matter what happens, when all is said and
done, no one in this family gets to ever ask me about my dating life or my weight or my hair length or anything else again.
And . . . no more gift bags.” Julia turned to look to her grandmother. “Three dates, and we all walk away happy and at peace.”
For the first time all night, the room was stunned into silence except for the loud gasp coming from the aunties at the prospect
of no more goodies.
“Oh no,” one of her aunties gasped.
Oh no, indeed.