“Before Emily, my father had my entire future mapped out. I was supposed to work in the family company, stay near my parents, and eventually run the business.”
“And Emily changed that?”
“She lived like choices belonged to her.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“She made decisions for herself. Career. Country. Travel. Everything. I had never really thought that way.”
“So she looked like an escape.”
He hesitated.
“At first? A little.”
“Did she know?”
“No.”
“And you married her anyway?”
Joon flinched.
“By then, it wasn’t about escaping. I loved her. I still love her. That’s what makes admitting the beginning uncomfortable.”
“Then why hide these interviews?”
His jaw tightened.
“Because part of me still wants out.”
“Out of Korea?”
“Out of the future my father still expects me to accept.”
I stared at him.
“And you’ve already decided Emily will come with you.”
“I thought I’d talk to her if there was an actual offer.”
The bathroom door opened.
Emily walked in drying her hair.
“What exactly am I supposed to understand?”
Joon immediately looked at me.
“Stella and I were just talking.”
“About what?”
I folded my arms.
“His job interviews.”
Emily lowered the towel.
“What interviews?”
Joon exhaled.
“I’ve spoken with three companies in the United States.”
“Three?”
She stared at him.
“Did you tell them you were willing to relocate?”
“I said relocation was possible.”
“For you?”
“For us.”
Emily’s expression hardened.
“You told complete strangers I might move countries before you even asked me?”
Then she looked at me.
“How did you know?”
“I overheard Joon and Young-ho speaking Korean.”
Her eyes widened.
“You understand Korean?”
“Enough.”
“Since when?”
“I’ve been learning.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to understand more of your life.”
Her gaze moved between the two of us.
“Apparently everyone understands my life except me, because everyone seems to be discussing where I should live.”
Joon stepped toward her.
“Emily, this isn’t about using you.”
I looked at him.
“Then tell her what you told me.”
Emily frowned.
“What did he tell you?”
I didn’t soften it.
“I asked whether being American was part of why he was drawn to you.”
Emily went completely still.
“Mom.”
“I had to ask after what I overheard.”
She turned toward Joon.
“Why would your father say I was your way out?”
Joon’s shoulders dropped.
“When I met you, Dad had already decided everything for me. Joining the family company. Staying here. Eventually taking over.”
“And I changed that?”
“You showed me another life was possible.”
Her voice became quiet.
“So I was convenient.”
“No.”
“At the beginning?”
Joon hesitated.
“At the beginning, what your life represented was part of what attracted me. You made me realize I could choose something different.”
“And then?”
“Then I fell in love with you. I never married you because you were American. But being with you made leaving the life my father designed seem possible.”
Emily stared at him.
“And now you’re doing exactly the same thing to me.”
Joon said nothing.
“You’re planning the escape first and assuming I’ll come afterward.”
Still nothing.
That should have been the moment I kept quiet.
Instead, I made my own mistake.
“Well, moving back to America wouldn’t exactly be terrible.”
Emily turned toward me.
“Back?”
I immediately knew I had said the wrong thing.
“I meant you would have opportunities there too.”
She shook her head.
“Both of you are doing the same thing.”
“What?”
“You keep turning my life into somewhere you want me to go.”
She put on her shoes and grabbed her coat.
“I need a few hours where nobody is planning my future for me.”
Then she left.
Young-ho returned shortly afterward carrying a bakery box.
“Emily likes this one.”
He looked around.
“Where is she?”
“Out.”
He found me straightening napkins that didn’t need straightening.
I stopped.
“Did you really plan Joon’s entire life?”
Young-ho sat across from me.
“I thought I was giving my son security.”
“He calls it control.”
Young-ho nodded slowly.
“Sometimes those two things look very similar.”
Then he asked me something I wasn’t prepared for.
“Did Emily ever promise you she would move back to America?”
I couldn’t answer.
