My Summer in Seoul

I wasn’t funny here. At all.

“Yeah…” I offered up a lame smile. “Thanks for this, and I appreciate you being willing to do my job for me, but I don’t want Soli—” I stopped myself. “Assistant Solia coming in and seeing that you’re the one guarding the door, not me.”

He studied me a bit. “You think you’ll be useful to us in a few hours, half-starved and tired?”

“Well…” I lifted the food in the air. “At least I won’t be half-starved.”

He nodded slowly, his blond hair falling across his forehead. He was studying me again, his eyes darting from my mussed hair to my eyes. “Okay?”

Why didn’t I say yes?

“Okay,” I repeated.

He turned on his heel; apparently, our conversation was over.

“Hey, Rae!”

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Someone’s been studying.”

“That’s why I fell asleep.” I smirked. “If I read about straight hair one more time… or blood types, I’m going to lose it.”

He didn’t smile.

Crap, I’d just alienated the only person on my side.

“I was teasing.”

“You’re not funny.”

I slouched.

“You should stand up straighter.”

I did and pressed my lips together to keep from saying something insulting.

His eyebrows shot up as if to say I’m waiting.

“Are you the only one who speaks English?”

“That’s a question for the other guys. Then again, you don’t seem to care what we do or who we are, so why would they engage when you’re… what’s the word… just as… arrogant?”

I clenched my teeth. “I’m not arrogant.”

“Entitled. Sorry I got the words switched. Better get to reading all that material Assistant gave you. The last intern only memorized the first few pages and got our lunch order wrong. I think she works at Subway now.”

I bit my lip to keep from saying that I used to work at Subway in high school. “I’m a college graduate. I think I can handle it. Besides, it seems to me that the only thing I’m good at is being insulting without realizing it. Well, that and being loud…”

“Don’t forget snoring,” he added seriously.

“Could we, though? Forget it?” I scrunched up my nose.

“Not a chance.” He grinned and then sobered. “I know you must be overwhelmed, but everything needs to be perfect for our comeback. We’ve worked hard for this, and we don’t have time to babysit you. Learn the industry or leave. Those are your options.”

I felt scolded, and I hated that he was kind of right, that I had been more annoyed than anything. Solia said she had worked since she was fourteen, and I was there because of a random, desperate phone call.

“I’m sorry.” The apology sounded gruff. “I’ll do better, I promise.”

“I know you will, sorority girl.” He flashed me a devastating smile. “Keep studying. There’s Red Bull in the fridge.”

My eyes went wide. “That better not be a joke.”

His laugh was so easy on the ears I almost leaned in. “We don’t joke about energy drinks.”

“Thanks for this, Rae-Took. I appreciate it.” I held the food in the air and nodded.

He studied me again for an uncomfortably long time before he said, “You can call me Rae.” And then he was walking down the hall toward my original spot. Leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Rae. I liked the way it sounded in my head; I tested the name on my lips and then found myself dumbly smiling to myself as if we’d just had a special moment when all he’d done was make sure I didn’t starve to death or die from lack of sleep.

Get it together!

I knew I was in a bad mood, but I’d like to think anyone in my position would be experiencing a bit of culture shock along with what the heck did I just get myself into.

I’d been spending the last few months assuming the hardest thing I would have to master would be margarita making, and now I was learning about an entertainment industry that was nothing like its counterpart in the US.

It was a lot.

With a sigh, I heated up the food and dove into it.

I had zero clue what it was.

But it tasted sweet and spicy, had noodles and an egg, and I wanted to devour the entire thing but wasn’t sure if I was allowed to.

I put the rest of the leftovers in the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water about the same time I heard soft music playing from the baby grand piano next to the window in the living room. The lights were off except for a dim nightlight.

I peeked around the corner. The chair was still in place, nobody had escaped that I knew of, and yet someone was playing the music from deeper in the living room.

My feet started walking in that direction before I could stop myself.

The music was beautiful, the song familiar, “Say Something” by A Great Big World. It was one of my favorite songs. The piano keys were lightly touched, the music haunting in the near dark.