intact.” Miyoung scowled, but inside her heart swelled.
Jihoon chuckled and started to eat. On the couch was a crumpled pile of pillows and blankets. He must have slept out here and given her his room.
His hair was a mess and his cheek was creased from the pillow. There was a hole in his shirt and his pants were frayed at the hem. He still had a sleepy look in his eyes, but he’d woken up early enough to prepare a whole meal. In this moment, he was the most handsome boy she’d ever seen.
“Thank you.” Miyoung couldn’t stop staring at him.
“Sure thing,” he mumbled, obviously embarrassed at her sudden attention.
“Is it weird that I missed this place? Even though I’ve only been here once?” The words were out before she thought them through. And with them she remembered what had happened the last time they were here. On the very same couch he’d slept on. A flush rose up her cheeks.
Jihoon coughed nervously, making it clear his brain had gone to the same memory.
“It’s weirdly normal to have you here.” He spooned up another bite. “I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“I can leave . . .”
“No, stay. I think it’s time we can let the past be the past. I can’t stay mad at you forever. I actually realized this because of Junu. Who’d have thought?”
“What did he say?” Miyoung didn’t like the idea of feeling gratitude toward Junu, but she had to admit the dokkaebi was fairly persuasive.
“He made me realize I couldn’t blame you for loving your mother. I love my halmeoni. I’d do anything for her. And you’d do the same for Yena. I can’t be mad at you for listening to her and leaving. I think it was just an excuse, really. When you’re so used to people leaving, you start to think something might be wrong with you. It was easier to be mad at you than to feel like I wasn’t good enough yet again.”
Miyoung didn’t know what to say, but she was saved from having to reply by the ring of Jihoon’s phone. His eyes moved from the screen to Miyoung, and she knew who was calling.
“Answer it,” she told him.
He swiped the screen. “Hello?”
Jihoon listened a moment, his lips pursed in concentration. He answered only in a series of yeses and nos. Which frustrated Miyoung with its vagueness.
Finally, Jihoon placed his hand over the mouthpiece. “He wants to come over.”
Her first inclination was to say no. To say he’d had nineteen years to come see her. She opened her mouth to say so. “Yes.”
Jihoon hesitated, his brows lifting for final confirmation.
And she paused as well. Did she want to see her father? He’d left her before she could even know him, but he’d looked at her yesterday with such yearning. The look she’d probably dreamed of seeing a dozen times without realizing it.
Jihoon waited patiently, watching her with understanding eyes. She knew she’d regret it if she refused him.
Miyoung nodded, sure of herself now. “Tell him to come over. I want to see him, too.”
62
MIYOUNG SAT AT a table in Halmeoni’s old restaurant, facing her father for the first time in her life.
Surprisingly, she didn’t feel like crying or vomiting, two things she’d been afraid of doing. In fact, she felt completely calm.
Detective Hae, however, fidgeted with his phone though his eyes never left her face. His stare so strong she almost wanted to check if she had something smudged on her cheek.
Detective Hae finally spoke. “I’m sorry. I know this must be hard for you. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see me.”
“Neither was I.” Miyoung had no desire to make things easier on him.
“So your name is Gu Miyoung now?” Detective Hae asked, and when Miyoung didn’t answer, he cleared his throat awkwardly. “It used to be Hae Mina.”
Miyoung stayed silent, unsure what to do with this randomly volunteered information.
“I’ve thought about you constantly since . . .”
“Since you walked out on us.”
“Yes.” Detective Hae’s eyes lowered as if in remorse. She steeled herself against it.
“And now what do you want from us?” Miyoung asked. She made herself and her mother into a unit on purpose. They were one and Detective Hae was separate.
“I know something’s going on that involves Jihoon.”
Miyoung didn’t reply. She didn’t like how familiar the detective seemed with Jihoon and she hated that part of it was jealousy.
Detective Hae sighed. “I know you don’t trust me, but I’m worried.”