10 #3
She heard his Australian accent. Tek stood in front of her, staring down with his familiar warm smile. He wore an expensive-looking gray suit and black leather Oxfords. Tek had always cared about his appearance. He seemed taller than she remembered. He looked wonderful.
She didn’t know what to say.
“My first love is sitting in this lobby reading a newspaper,” he said in Korean, laughing.
“Your accent has improved,” Mido said, standing up.
“No, don’t get up. Sit, sit.”
Tek sat beside her on the leather sofa.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“I’m here to see Linda Hur. She’s an employment lawyer.”
“Oh, I don’t know her.”
“Wait. Why are you here?” Mido asked.
“I’m here for work. One of our clients has a thorny issue with a Korean company, and it was easier to bring me in at this stage.” Tek chuckled. “The other lawyer on this matter is a mate from the debate world who’s now based in Seoul. We’re trying to avoid an expensive contract renegotiation.”
He smiled at Mido, just happy to be near her.
“Anyway, I’m talking too much. Gosh, it’s terrific to see you. You look fantastic. I like your hair long.” He pointed to her face. “It’s very pretty.”
“Oh, Tek. How strange it is to see you. I mean—”
“Wait, I tell you that you’re pretty, and you tell me that it’s strange to see me.
” Tek smiled. “Hey, what are you doing for lunch after? How long is your meeting? I can cancel my next appointment if you’re free.
” He paused and checked his watch. “We could get dinner at this great place down the street. You used to be crazy about soondubu, right? Oh, hang on.”
He picked up her left hand and inspected it, making Mido laugh out loud.
“You’re not married, right? I’m not married yet. You broke my heart, so I hold you entirely responsible.”
It was the same old Tek—open, funny, and full of hope. Being with him felt familiar and comfortable, and though she wasn’t doing anything wrong, suddenly it occurred to her that perhaps this was not a good idea.
“How long are you in Seoul?” he asked.
“You’ve asked me a lot of questions,” Mido observed.
“I know. I want to know everything. I’ve missed you. I’m not mad at you anymore. That’s all. Can I just say that?”
A tall Korean woman, her severe face chalky white from foundation and lips stained a dark pink, appeared. She wore a brown wool skirt suit and low-heeled shoes.
“Hello, I’m Linda Hur. You must be Ms. Koh.” Linda shook her hand, then glanced at Tek. “Are you together?”
Tek laughed. “We used to be. Right?” He turned to her and smiled mischievously.
Mido shook her head and pushed him away lightly.
“Don’t mind me. I’m a lawyer from Sydney. I was just visiting your colleague Jonathan Yoo, and I ran into a dear old friend.” Tek smiled. He held up his hand with the confidence of someone who always knew what to say. “Linda, could you just give us a minute?”
The lawyer retreated to the reception desk.
“Dinner tonight? I’m at the Grand Hyatt. How’s six?”
She couldn’t refuse. Tek would never accept no for an answer.
“Okay.”
“The hotel lobby, then. Oh, here.” He handed her his card. “My mobile number is there. So much to talk about.”
She smiled, having been swept up in his enthusiasm and warmth. He wasn’t angry at her.
DH could not believe it.
“Are you going to tell Peter?” he whispered into the phone receiver.
“Of course. I already did.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘Have a good time.’ ”
“Seriously?”
“He’s not the jealous type.”
“You’re wrong, little sister. Everyone is the jealous type. Peter is a cool customer, but he’s human,” DH said. “Hang on, how did he look?”
“Great, but it’s not like that.”
“Wow. Didn’t he want to marry you? Wait, is he married? He must be married.”
“Nope. He picked up my hand to check if I was, then told me he’s not.”
“He wants you back. Men are simple.”
“He said he’s not angry at me.”
“Yup, he wants you back.”
“No, he wants to catch up, and I’m with Peter now.”
“If you get back together with Tek, then you’ll move back to Australia.
Dad is better now, and you’re done with your indentured servitude.
But gosh, Fortress Seoul is a goner. Poor Peter.
But he hasn’t made an offer, and I do want my sister to get what she wants.
” DH glanced out his office window. He wished he could tell Peter to get his act together.
“I guess you’ll get married first of the three of us. Just as I thought.”
“You’re out of your mind. I’m not getting back together with Tek. And why do you assume marriage is even what I want? We’re just having soondubu.”
When they got off the phone, Mido felt less certain than she had sounded with her brother. She should’ve said no to dinner, but that would’ve been rude. Also, she was curious about how Tek was doing. They’d been so close for so long; wasn’t it natural to want to know more about his life?
When she’d returned from the law firm and seen Peter, she’d mentioned seeing Tek in the lobby. Peter had not seemed bothered by it. In a normal tone of voice, he’d said, “Have a good time,” then gone back to his office to review study materials.