vitamin shots at the grocery store. The last thing they needed was for him to get sick, too, because he was so worried about Miyoung.
“Don’t give him such a hard time,” Somin said to the small dog, whose body still vibrated in her arms. “He’s been through a lot. He’ll give you more attention later.”
She moved into the kitchen to give Dubu breakfast and found a note from her mother.
If you get home when it’s still breakfast time, there’s toast in the fridge. Hope you were studying and not partying, my daughter.
Somin almost laughed. She would definitely not count last night as a party. Even if she thought it skirted the line of being a mom-approved activity. Good thing her mom rarely asked questions as long as Somin’s grades were good and she didn’t have any open wounds.
As she set the dog bowl on the floor, the doorbell rang. She wondered who it could be and considered ignoring it. But the bell rang again and again, so persistently that Somin gave in and answered. And when she swung open the door, she immediately regretted it.
“Jihoon’s not here,” she said, glaring at Jihoon’s father.
“I know he is. I saw you walk up here together. So go get that boy before I cause a scene.”
“This is private property. I could call the police.”
“Somin,” Jihoon said from the hallway. “I can handle this.”
“Good to see you know what’s best for you,” his father replied.
“Oh yes, I know,” Jihoon said. There was a gleam in his eyes. Something sharp that confused Somin. She’d never seen such a harsh look on her best friend before.
Then Jihoon stepped forward and slammed his fist into his father’s face.
Mr. Ahn stumbled back and might have fallen if Jihoon hadn’t grabbed him by the collar.
“You here for a handout?” Jihoon asked through gritted teeth. “You think I’m an easy target because you remember when I was small and weak? Well, obviously I’m not anymore.”
Somin grabbed Jihoon’s arm. “Jihoon, let go. This isn’t what you want.”
“You think you know what I want?” Jihoon said, his face contorted in rage. Somin almost stepped back, but she knew if she did, Jihoon might do something he regretted. She pried his hands free, trying to drag him away. He felt like solid steel, unmoving. But at least he let his arms drop.
“You’ll regret that,” Jihoon’s father said, smoothing his collar.
“I don’t think so.” Jihoon slammed the door closed.
“Jihoon-ah—” Somin began, ready to chastise him.
He spun on her. “How dare you.”
Somin was taken aback by the venom in Jihoon’s voice. “How dare I? You were attacking your father! In a public hallway where any of my neighbors could have walked by.”
“So you’re upset I could have gotten caught?”
“Jihoon-ah, this isn’t like you. What’s gotten into you?”
Jihoon shook his head, lifting a hand to his temple like he was fighting off a headache. “I don’t know. I just got so angry. I couldn’t stop myself.”
“I get it; he makes me angry, too—”
“No, you don’t get it. You don’t know what it’s like to have a father like that. To have him haunting your life. You don’t even remember your father.”
Somin considered letting it go. Even as the pain of Jihoon’s words stung her, she tried to work on agreeing with him because she knew he was hurt. But instead she whispered, “You’re wrong. I do remember him.”
“What are you talking about?” Jihoon asked. “You always said . . .”
“I know what I said. But I lied.”
“Why would you lie about something like that?”
Somin considered changing the subject. Why was she even bringing this up now? They had bigger problems to worry about. But Junu had been right, damn him. She needed to stop pushing her pain aside just to cater to Jihoon’s. “I lied because I didn’t want to hurt you. My father was a good man. He loved me, and I really loved him. But I felt like if I said that, if I was sad about him in front of you, then it would hurt your feelings. Because your father was so . . .” She couldn’t think of an easy way to describe Jihoon’s horrible father.
“So you lied to me? For over a decade? Why would you think that’s better?” He was looking at her like she was a stranger, like he thought she’d done something shameful.
“I did it to protect you,” Somin said, suddenly defensive. “I did it because it’s what you needed.”
“Maybe you should stop thinking you know what’s best,”