The next evening, Emily was still held up at work, but Joon’s parents had already arrived.
So I hurried into the kitchen to prepare some appetizers for them before dinner.
Joon’s mother stepped away to the bathroom while Joon stayed at the table with his father, Young-ho.
I was preparing appetizers and bringing them straight to the table. Then Young-ho switched to Korean, turned red as a tomato, and began speaking to Joon in a slightly raised voice.
They spoke freely, clearly assuming that I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND Korean. But the thing was, I’d started learning Korean after Emily got married.
I hadn’t told anyone about it yet. I’d simply been studying it quietly.
And then I froze in the doorway when I heard WHAT Young-ho was saying to his son.
Young-ho (in Korean): “Oh my God, how much longer are you going to hide this from Emily?
