Page 104 of Show Off

I open my mouth and then close it again. He might have a point.

“Dal.” He reaches out and puts a hand on my arm. “I may not be the best communicator. I’ve made many mistakes. But in choosing not to tell this part of your parents’ story, I did what I thought would be best for you and your brother. For your parents’ memory.”

Words escape me, so I look at Ji-Hoon.

“Bro.” He’s scratching his head, a hint of a smile at the edge of his mouth. “You should see the look on your face.”

“Fuck you.” There’s no venom in the curse. All the fury’s drained out of me. “You think this way, too? That I should have left it to Lana and her parents to tell their story their own way?”

“Yeah,” he says, and I’m not surprised. “I do.”

I wait a few breaths to feel differently. To feel righteous indignation or the sense that I’ve still got a leg to stand on. There’s nothing. Only the sense that I’ve done the wrong thing.

“You’re right.” I look from Ji-Hoon to Korain and back again. “You’re both right. It wasn’t my place. I should have trusted Lana to know the best way to handle their story.”

Korain’s eyes soften. “Your heart was in the right place, joka. Your brain just didn’t follow.”

“Neither did your mouth,” Ji-Hoon adds, and I glare at him. “What? Just telling the truth. You have a fine appreciation for the truth.”

I hate when he’s right. “How do I fix this?”

“With Lana?” Korain cocks his head. “You’re asking a sixty-two-year-old man who’s never been married?”

“Hey, now.” Ji-Hoon grins. “I’ve never been married, and I happen to be an expert at love. Rosa told me I’m the best man she’s ever dated.”

I glare at my brother. “This is helping me, how?”

“She said I’m incredible,” he continues. “Sweet and smart and sensitive.”

“You are,” I mutter. “You’re also kind of a dick.”

My brother keeps going like I haven’t spoken at all. “She said this is the strongest, most stable relationship she’s ever been in with a man, because I respect her and see her as an equal.”

“Great.” I get it, my big brother’s bested me at love. “So tell me, oh wise and magnificent one, how do I win back my girl?”

“Show her youseeher,” he says, like it’s obvious. “That you know where you screwed up, sure. But she also deserves the truth.”

“Which truth?”

With a way-too-wise smile, my brother leans close. “That you hang on her every word. That you worship the ground she walks on. That you’ve memorized every freckle on her nose, every gesture she makes, every memory she’s shared with you. That youknowher, Dal. And that you love her because of it.” He pauses to search my eyes. “Can you do that?”

I swallow hard, emotion clogging my throat. He’s right. My big brother’s right, and so is my uncle. I look from Korain to Ji-Hoon, these two men much smarter than I am. A fierce wave of love cuts me off at the knees and I’m suddenly gasping for breath.

“It’s okay.” Korain touches my other arm, looking relieved I’m not angry. “Relationships are messy, Dal. The people in them are human, and humans mess up. It’s how you fix your mistakes that matters.”

“Okay.” I draw a few breaths, allowing my head to clear. To find a path forward that means winning Lana back. “I can do this.”

I look to my family, praying like hell they agree.

“You’re right, namdongsaeng.” Ji-Hoon smiles. “You can.”

CHAPTER15

CONFESSIONAL 1204.5

Judson, Lana (Public Relations Director: Juniper Ridge)

My father had affairs.

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