to comfort Miyoung and yell at her at the same time. And that’s what she wanted to do. To tell Miyoung she was an idiot for continuing to blame herself for Yena’s death, but she also wanted to comfort her friend who was still mourning her mother. And Somin knew that when you were grieving, words meant nothing if your mind didn’t want to believe them. “It’s not just about you—it’s about closing the tear between worlds. You’re too weak to make the journey. Trust them to do it. They’ll be fine.”
“Will they?” Miyoung asked. “Jihoon shouldn’t be trying to take care of me; he’s still grieving his halmeoni. You know he went back to the old restaurant the night after we moved out? Just stood out front, never went in.”
Somin was surprised at that. “How do you know?”
“Hwang Halmeoni,” Miyoung said. “She was worried, so she called me. I told her to keep letting me know whenever he’s there.”
“Wow, Gu Miyoung, taking a page out of my book.”
“You mean I’m meddling,” Miyoung said.
“Is that what you think I do?”
Miyoung’s face fell. “Oh no, I don’t . . .”
Somin laughed. “No, it’s fine, I know I’m a meddler, but I can’t help it.”
“Do you really think they’ll be okay?”
“Don’t worry,” Somin said, even though it was all she was doing. “Junu is smarter and stronger than he looks.”
Miyoung lifted her brow. “Those are not words I’d have thought would come out of your mouth.”
“Maybe he’s not the worst person I’ve ever met,” Somin said with a shrug, turning to take out mugs and to hide her flushed cheeks.
“I’m not really good at this whole friendship thing,” Miyoung said. “But I think I’m supposed to ask you if there’s something you need to talk about.”
“No, of course not,” Somin said. “I mean, if there was something to talk about, then that would make me weak, right? I’d have been swayed by a pretty face. If there was something to talk about, it would be so embarrassing, right?” She was rambling but couldn’t seem to stop herself.
“I’m not sure if you’re asking me an actual question,” Miyoung said, looking like she’d just stepped into a room on fire and had no idea how to put it out. Somin would have laughed if she wasn’t currently spiraling.
“I don’t really know if I’m asking one either,” Somin admitted as she filled two mugs with the steaming tea.
“Am I supposed to ask a question right now?” It sounded like Miyoung hated being part of this conversation, which made it that much more meaningful to Somin. Because however much her face said she wanted to run away, Miyoung stayed.
“I just can’t stop feeling . . . things,” Somin admitted. “Isn’t it weird for me to feel anything for him? He’s, like, hundreds of years old.”
“Do you really want me to answer?” Miyoung asked, still looking slightly perplexed.
Somin handed Miyoung a mug of boricha. “Yeah, sure.”
“Well, when it comes to immortals, just because someone’s lived for a long time doesn’t mean they’re mature,” Miyoung said, taking a sip and hissing through her teeth when the tea was still too hot.
“Are you talking about everyone? Or just Junu?” Somin asked.
“Someone who’s immortal doesn’t keep aging in the normal sense. They just keep existing.”
“What does that even mean?” Somin asked in frustration.
“My mother once explained it to me. I guess she wanted me to be prepared for what it would feel like once I stopped aging. I wouldn’t have felt old the way a human feels old when they age. I’d have felt . . . eternal.” Miyoung blew on her tea and tried another sip.
“Do you think that’s how Junu feels?”
“Junu has lived for a dozen lifetimes with a twenty-year-old face,” Miyoung said, and when Somin gave her a blank stare, she continued. “You can’t expect someone who’s physically unchanging to change emotionally the same way you would.”
“So you’re telling me that even though he’s lived for hundreds of years, he’s still got the emotional capacity of an immature boy?” Somin asked, and Miyoung smiled. “That checks out.”
“I’m saying that Junu has more emotional similarities with Jihoon than with your harabeoji.”
“You’re not so bad at this friendship thing,” Somin said, finally taking a sip of her tea. It was still a bit too hot, but it felt good going down, a warm comfort.
“Maybe not, but this whole caring-about-people thing is still really new to me, and I think it’s affecting Jihoon.” Miyoung blew out a frustrated breath.