23. Chapter 23
After the sixth episode of I Loved You, Eunjae concluded that it wasn”t a drama he”d seen before. It seemed improbable that he”d forget an entire carousel on a beach, for starters. Why was it even there? Where were the other rides? Had they built this carousel for the drama, or was this a real location? Eunjae hoped quite fervently that it wasn”t. Jungwoo would want to visit.
“And see,” said Mr. Han, who sat on Eunjae”s left, “this was where he met the girl when they were kids. But he didn”t remember that, of course.”
Mrs. Han patted Eunjae”s right arm. “They come back later. It”s where she dies.”
“Oh,” Eunjae said. “I… should”ve seen that coming.”
A brisk knock sounded at the front door. Jiyeon, who always alerted them before using her key. Eunjae figured this was to ensure that no one mistook her arrival for a home invasion. It had been explained to him that such an event would trigger what Denny cryptically referred to as ‘Red Protocol.’
Eunjae leapt up from the couch even before Jiyeon came in, knowing she”d be loaded down with bags. During the time he”d spent at the Hans’ apartment, he”d rarely known her to show up empty handed. Peaches that were on sale when she stopped at the grocery store, thick slices of chocolate cake in a plastic clamshell, a magazine full of celebrity gossip for Mrs. Han. The random treats were a daily occurrence.
Jiyeon surrendered the evening’s haul to Eunjae. She shook her car keys at the TV. “What’s this? Are you making Ryan watch I Loved You again?”
“It”s research,” her father replied.
Mrs. Han agreed. “For the amnesia.”
“But you already spoiled the ending for him yesterday. Three different times.”
“Important to make sure he”s prepared. Nobody wants a surprise like that. Boom! Pretty girl is dead on the beach. Boom! The pony ride keeps turning. Boom! The hero is crying. So stressful!”
“That is stressful,” admitted Eunjae.
Denny strolled out of his room with a teetering pile of blankets. “Noona, you got the popcorn?”
“Yeah, and some candy. You need both for a movie night.”
“Aigoo! Movie night, how nice!”
“Not for you!” barked Denny. “Everyone over the age of sixty is going to bed. We need the big TV for this. It”s part of Ryan’s education.”
While Denny chased the Han parents out of the living room — they accepted their early bedtime with good grace — Eunjae trailed after Jiyeon with the shopping bags. She was wearing the blazer covered in poppies again, red petals a burst of riotous color against the kitchen’s neutral grays and whites.
“So, Ryan Kim. What did you do today? Other than Sad K-Drama Hour with Joey and Lizzie.”
“Jeannie showed me how to clean the waffle irons. She was out of soda candy so we ate a whole bag of Hi-Chews.” Jeannie had also confessed to Eunjae that, in elementary school, she’d wholeheartedly believed Denny Han was the President of the United States. (“He had to be the President, right? Secretly. There was no other explanation.”)
Jiyeon began unloading her purchases. “I should grab her some candy tomorrow. The Asian market’s just around the corner from work. Did you finally get to meet Evan today?”
“Ah, yeah. I learned everything there is to learn about the California two-spot octopus.” Evan was the other part-time Wanna Waffle employee. An aspiring marine biologist, he worked slightly fewer hours than Jeannie due to his packed extracurricular schedule.
“No way. Evan talked to you? Like you guys had an actual conversation?”
Eunjae nodded. “It’s great that he has an internship at the aquarium. Didn’t seem like he enjoyed their cafeteria much, though.”
“He told you what he thinks of the food?” Jiyeon’s eyes were wide with awe. “Explain what you did to make Evan like you so much. Tell me right now.”
“I… sat there?”
“I’ve known that kid since he was this tall,” Jiyeon said, gesturing at about hip-height, “and I’ve gotten maybe two sentences out of him per day, max. I think you have some kind of superpower.”
“Maybe it was too much chatting, though. I didn’t make it to the last Molly Merriweather book. I think Denny might send me to bed early, too.”
“Please,” Jiyeon replied, handing Eunjae a candy bar and laughing. “He’s never read the last book either.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. He decided that if he just didn’t read book five, the series wouldn’t be over. I think he was in fourth grade. Once he makes up his mind, that’s it. He’s never budged on that.”
Eunjae pondered this for a bit. “Do you think he’s made up his mind about me already…?”
Jiyeon took her own moment to ponder. “I’m gonna say yes.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“You’re still here, aren’t you?”
“Ah. Fair point.”
Jiyeon unloaded the last of her shopping and started on the popcorn. Eunjae decided to go ahead and eat the candy bar while trying to remember the last time he’d even had one. In the event that he might acquire such an indulgence, one or multiple brothers could be counted on to insist that Eunjae split it with them.
Yesterday it was the biggest cupcake he’d ever seen, replete with rainbow sprinkles. That would’ve been divided into slices so small that he’d barely get a real taste. Eunjae had so many luxuries here.
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to tell you… thanks for hanging out with my parents,” Jiyeon said, nudging him with her elbow. “The only thing Mom and Dad love more than watching dramas together is forcing one of us to watch with them. Neither of us has much time to do it anymore, though, between Denny running the shop and me being at the salon most days. I thought I’d have more time with them once I moved back. So much for that.”
Once I moved back.From where? But Eunjae decided not to pry. “I should be thanking them. They took me in, no questions asked.”
“True,” she conceded. “It’s not every day you meet kind strangers who diagnose you with amnesia on the spot.”
“I think about that every day.”
“I bet you do.”
“I’ve missed watching dramas more than I thought I would,” Eunjae found himself admitting. “They’re all crazy in some way but Miss Vivi loved them. She had this tiny TV in the kitchen at our house in Brisbane and we’d watch while she made lunch or dinner. My brother, Jungwoo, he…”
Eunjae trailed off, realizing what he was doing just a beat too late. Jiyeon paused in the middle of shaking popcorn into a bowl. Slowly, she prompted, “You have a brother?”
“I have, uh, a lot of brothers.” He finished the candy bar without choking. “But what did you do today?”
The look on Jiyeon’s face hinted at a number of questions she was refraining from asking. “The longest cut and color of my life,” she replied. “That”s why I”m so late tonight.” Her phone buzzed on the countertop. “Oh, it’s Arthur.”
“Man,” said Denny, barging into the kitchen. “You seriously roped Arthur Junior into this? How can he even stand to talk to you?”
“Arthur couldn’t hold a grudge if you super glued it to his hands. Here, Ryan. He said to give you his email address and he’ll help with whatever.”
Eunjae hurried to take a picture of the text from Arthur, which contained the email address and also a bunch of squares that were supposed to be emoji. Jiyeon’s phone had a very limited range in that regard.
He knew exactly what he wanted to ask. The sooner he sent the questions, the sooner he might have answers. “I’ll email him right now,” Eunjae told them.
“Why is everyone obsessed with Arthur Hong?” muttered Denny. “Except Yeonnie, I guess. Since she’s broken up with him — what? Two times?”
Jiyeon corrected this statement. “He broke up with me the second time around. You guys all love to forget that part.”
Eunjae accidentally minimized the email he was composing and sent it to drafts. It was that Arthur Hong. Victim of the Arthur Hong Betrayal, capital letters. He knew he’d heard the name before.
There was a rustle as Jiyeon dumped more popcorn into a purple plastic bowl. It had Halloween bats printed all over it. “I like Arthur. He’s an amazing person and I’m probably supposed to love him, because people tell me that I should. Kinda like how I should love my job just because I’m good at it. I don’t think that’s any reason to stay with someone. Do you?” She was talking to Denny, but she glanced at Eunjae for just the barest flicker of a moment. It happened so quickly that he thought he must have imagined it.
“Hey, I didn’t say that. I just felt bad for the guy. He probably still needs space. Maybe getting a text from you made him want to light himself on fire, you know? The anguish, etcetera.”
“If it makes you feel better, he’s never in anguish for long. He’s Arthur.”
“Makes sense. He’s got a lot going for him. Stable financial situation, respectable job, peak physical fitness. In a contest to become my next brother-in-law, he’d definitely be a finalist. Kind of a big weirdo sometimes, but still. Really strong contender.”
Jiyeon searched an upper cabinet for more popcorn bowls. “Wow. A contest, huh.”
“It’s an exclusive contest. Most don’t even meet the requirements.”
Eunjae sent his email. He reached for the bowl Jiyeon wanted, the red one that had somehow been returned to the highest possible shelf when the clean dishes were put away the other night. “What are the requirements?” he asked.
Denny”s nostrils flared. “Why? Who wants to know?”
“Ah, nobody.”
“That”s what I thought.”
“Okay, point made,” said Jiyeon, ushering them into the living room. “You”re both ridiculous. Can we watch the movie now?”