9 #2
“Bass and guitar. I write some songs. I was playing in New Haven and some in New York. Then I decided to follow this girl here and apply as a transfer student to Pomona, against the better advice of his brother.” With his thumb, Peter gestured to Bo, referring to DH.
“But Cesca, the actor, I mean this girl, broke me in two, and now she’s gone.
And I just don’t feel like going back to old New Haven. ”
“Sounds like you’re writing a song,” Lion said, looking at him sympathetically. “How much school do you have left?”
“Less than two years. Maybe a year plus. I’ve always taken extra classes.”
“You didn’t like Yale?”
“It’s fine. I was on the soccer team with DH.
We’ve played since Andover. In my freshman year, I blew out my knee pretty badly, and I couldn’t play anymore.
So I ended up taking a lot more classes to fill the time.
I could probably graduate in a year and a half.
Then I met this girl, I mean woman, and, well, she dumped me.
Anyway, maybe it’s all a sign. I should focus on my music. Get over Cesca.”
“I like your candor,” Lion said.
“Life’s too short to tell lies,” Peter said.
“So if you get into Pomona, you’re going to quit Yale?” Lion asked.
“Why not?” Peter said.
Lion laughed. “Best answer. Your folks okay with this?”
Peter shrugged. Finishing a degree was better than dropping out altogether. He didn’t see much point to college.
“It’s just my mom and me. She’s not like most people.”
Peter couldn’t imagine returning to Connecticut, which had seemed even grayer and colder than Andover.
After losing soccer, he’d felt lost. DH was always at practice or away at games, and Peter didn’t begrudge him that.
Falling in love with Cesca had been far better than soccer, and now that feeling was gone, too.
Pomona, a small liberal arts college, had been the solution suggested by his former hagwon teacher, Tom Song.
Peter’s mother said she’d support transferring as long as it made Peter happier.
She owned a house in Irvine she rarely used, and California was closer to Seoul than Connecticut.
Peter’s father, who had graduated from Princeton, would be furious at Peter for throwing away a Yale degree, but Renee didn’t care what her ex-husband thought.
Bo had not known this detail about transferring colleges until now.
DH had said that Peter might need to do something like tutor math just to get out of the house while he took the semester off and got over a girl.
Maybe work the summer, too. Peter’s mother was worried sick because her son wasn’t leaving his place or picking up the phone.
She’d been calling DH and Bo, asking if Bo could check in on him more regularly.
It had been Bo’s idea for Lion to hire him for Exodus, since it would give Peter something to do, and the hours were flexible, so Peter could work on his music. Renee said she just wanted her son to rest and be happy.
She was also grateful that the girlfriend was gone. DH and Renee had not liked her. Cesca was certifiably gorgeous, but wild and unpredictable. Cesca had enjoyed seducing the attractive college musician from Korea with the posh British accent who knew a lot about the Premier League.
After they’d been dating for five months, Cesca got a good feature role that took her to Toronto, and she phoned him from location to tell him that she was in love with a cameraman.
“You’re far too young for me anyway,” she’d said kindly, and that was when she finally admitted her real age. Thirty-four. Peter’s first love had been over a decade older than he.
Lion and Peter discussed music and guitars, and Bo tuned out because he couldn’t follow. What was important was that this meeting was working out, and he could call DH afterward and reassure him that Peter seemed better, and that his mother in Korea didn’t have to worry.
Bo raised his hand to get Lion’s attention.
“Hey, Lion, I already showed Peter the lesson plans and practice exams, and he knows what to do.”
“And this is why I owe you, man,” Lion replied.
Everything at Exodus had gotten better after Bo’s arrival. Soon, Bo would be starting classes at Fullerton College, and the hagwon would need more math tutors, and now Peter was here.
On their ride to the hotel in Laguna Niguel, Lion talked excitedly about Peter Son, who could start as a math tutor as early as tomorrow.
“I don’t know how long he’ll last at the hagwon, but I have a good feeling about him. Also, he plays bass. Maybe he can join the band.”
“Does he go to church?” Yun asked.
“Not the praise band. The Zekes.”
“Oh, right!” Lion’s band had lost its bass player several months earlier, and though it’d been easy enough to find occasional bass players, none of them had stuck around. No one had fit in the right way.
“Wife,” he said.
“Husband,” she answered.
“If Peter is Bo’s younger brother DH’s best friend, you must know him?”
“No,” Yun said. “Mido has mentioned him, but I’ve never met the guy.”
“He wants to transfer to Pomona.”
“Really? Not UCLA or USC?”
“Nope. Wants a small school, I guess.”
The red Honda Civic moved smoothly along the highway. There wasn’t as much traffic on the 405 as they’d anticipated. As they approached the hotel driveway, Yun felt strange inside and didn’t say much.
They checked in without any luggage, but no one minded. Yun was glad she was wearing her gold wedding band.
Lion opened the door of their hotel room and prevented her from walking in. He picked her up to carry her over the threshold.
“I saw this on a television show, so I thought I’d try it,” he said, then kissed her while she was in his arms and put her down gently. “I don’t think Koreans do this, though.”
Yun laughed. “I think it’s American.” She went to the enormous window to admire the view of the shining blue ocean.
On a tray were a small strawberry cream cake, a plate of fruit, and a bottle of champagne and two flutes.
“You don’t drink,” she said.
“I know. Again, I thought we should do something traditional.”
“Champagne is not Korean, and this looks expensive,” she said, looking concerned.
“I can’t handle soju or makgeolli, and certainly not on an empty stomach,” Lion said, picking up the champagne bottle, and he removed the wire casing over the cork. “I saw someone do this at a party once.” With a firm grip, he twisted off the cork in one shot, and it made a pleasant sound.
“Do you have ID?” he asked.
“No.”
Lion filled the glasses only halfway.
“We can have just a sip. I’m nervous,” he said.
This was why Yun liked him. He didn’t pretend to be cool. She was nervous, too.
In college, he’d had sex before, but he and Yun had not slept together.
They had agreed that this was the right way—to marry first, and that this afternoon would be their first time.
Yun was a virgin, and this was what she had wanted to do today.
They would not spend the night, but they would remain for the afternoon and early evening before going back home.
Tonight they would go speak with her mother.
“This room looks fancy,” Yun said, grateful that Lion had picked such a beautiful hotel and had made the effort with the cake and champagne. “Can we afford this?”
“Yes, absolutely. When things get easier with Exodus and staffing, we will go on a real honeymoon. I want to take you to London. To the Ritz Hotel,” Lion said.
“I went there for afternoon tea once when I was in college, and I’m going to take you there.
I think you would like it. You can have as many cucumber sandwiches as you like. Scones, too.”
“Cucumbers in sandwiches?”
“You’ll like them.” Lion handed her a glass, then raised his.
“To my wife, Yun.”
“I’m glad we got married,” she said.
“You okay?” he asked, not understanding why she was crying.
“Yes,” and she kissed him.
They had never done anything like this. When they made out, it was usually in his car or at the Exodus office after everyone was gone.
Once, on a beach at night, they got dangerously close.
Usually they stopped right before sex, keeping on some clothing.
Before things got too difficult for them, Lion would stand back and take deep breaths. There was no reason to stop now.
Quickly they removed their clothing, feeling shy and excited.
Yun had gone to Bloomingdale’s to buy a matching ivory-colored brassiere and panties for today, but in their hurry, she took them off before there was a chance for him to notice.
She stood naked before him, her arms folded across her chest. The room was filled with afternoon sunlight, and the curtains were open, but no one could possibly see them.
Lion smiled at her. He was naked, too.
The two young people could hardly talk. Each knew what the other looked like, more or less, from having been to the beach and swimming pools together, but this felt new and wonderful.
“You’re so pretty,” he said. “I’m very lucky to be with you.”
Yun shrugged, feeling sort of proud. She was a runner, and she’d always felt fine about her body in a way that most girls did not. She liked the strength and speed of her legs and the distance they’d carried her.
He put his hands on her shoulders, then stroked her upper arms. Lion kissed her neck and she led him to the bed.
Yun had tried not to think about what it might feel like. When they made out, she’d felt his erection beneath his clothes, but had never seen it.
As if he knew what she was thinking, he kissed her again, and Yun grew aroused, the way she did only when she was with him. They took their time, and when they were done, Yun felt glad they were lovers now. At nineteen years old, she was married and no longer a virgin.