“My purse can always use an update, Mom,” I say in my sweetest and most tragic voice. “But Eugene made sure I couldn’t do that. Do you know all my cards got declined just as I was about to buy some new dresses and shoes?”
Mom puts a hand to her forehead. “So embarrassing. And the clerk knew who you were, of course?”
“Of course! She addressed me as Ms. Hae the entire time. I wanted to die on the spot of humiliation.”
Mom squeezes her eyes shut for a moment. “Eugene should at least allow you to maintain dignity. How are you supposed to marry properly when your cards get declined like that in front of others? Was there anybody around?”
I lower my voice. “Young-shin from the Geum Yun Group.” The heiress didn’t see me, I don’t think. I only spotted her walking by with her entourage. But there’s no need to mention that. What’s important is that a member of the Geum Yun family was there—Mom and Young-shin’s mom have a seething rivalry going back at least ten years.
Mom shudders. “This will not do. At all. Well! I’m here now, and things are going to be different.”
“Why didn’t you make things different sooner?” I ask, relieved and smug that my plan is working. She’s so distracted she hasn’t mentioned those dossier pests, not even once.
“Because I’ve been busy. And I thought Eugene would do a good job, figuring out what makes you tick. After all, he’s closer to your age than me.”
“But older in spirit. And he doesn’t understand women at all.”
Mom laughs in female solidarity.
“So you aren’t busy now?” I ask, wondering how fully she’s committed to being on my team.
“No, I’m still…a little busy. It’s just…” She sighs. “We can talk about it later.”
Something’s weird. She isn’t as angry with Eugene as I expected, especially after I brought up the Geum Yun Group. Still, Mr. Choi and Ms. Kim are out of their hell assignments, plus—maybe—I’ll have full, unlimited access to funds. So I’m not going to complain too much.
“Anyway,” Mom says, “the very first order of business is to go get facials.”
“I thought you wanted to see the twins first.”
“Yes, yes, we’re going to do that, too, but I don’t think your skin can wait. It’s so…dreadful. It’s lost all its dewiness and has the texture of a dry sponge.” Mom sighs like somebody just asked her to un-bankrupt a company in the next two hours. “And we need to discuss possible men. I know many of the selected men have become unavailable, so I had Ms. Lim research substitutes.”
“Ms. Lim didn’t have to do that,” I say sweetly with a fake smile. Why does she have to be so damn competent? I need to find a good time to bring Declan up. And soon. I can’t be looking over husband candidates when I have a boyfriend.
“Of course she did. Your marriage is our utmost priority right now.” Mom’s voice is too firm and determined. And almost grim, which is new. She’s acting like if I don’t get married, Hae Min is going to go under.
Except I know that isn’t the case.
I cast a glance at Mr. Choi, but his eyes slide away. I realize that something nobody wants to talk about happened while I’ve been here in L.A. What the hell is it?
But absolutely nobody seems interested in sharing the information, not even Mom. She only gestures at Ms. Lim, who calls the concierge to make a spa appointment. Thankfully, the spa can’t take us right now, but they can tomorrow morning.
“American spas are so inconvenient,” Mom mutters.
I say nothing, since she’s irritated and there’s nothing I can say to cheer her up. If this were Korea, they’d find a way to accommodate her.
So Mom and I decide to see Ivy and Tony and their new twins and then go have dinner together afterward. And I plan to grill my mom—subtly, of course—until she tells me everything.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Yuna
On the way to the hospital, I start to text Ivy and Tony, then change my mind and text all my friends. Mom could potentially run into any of them if they go to see the twins.
–Me: My mother’s in L.A. Please don’t tell her about Declan.
–Court: No problem.
–Evie: Um. Did you sleep with him?