by Lyla Lee
“Come on!” I said to Sally. “Let’s go look at the snacks!”
“Mindy!” Dad said. “Can you please stay in the car until I get out? I already lost you and Sally once today. I don’t want to do that again.”
“Okay,” I said, slumping down in the seat. I didn’t want to wait, but I did anyway. I still felt bad for giving Dad a hard time earlier today.
In the end, we had to wait for Julie to park her car too. We all met at the front of the supermarket before we went in. There were so many people in the store that some of the lines were spilling out into the parking lot!
“Here’s the game plan,” Dad said. “We should all stick together, but just in case we get separated in the crowd, Sally should stick with me and Mindy should stick with Julie so each group has someone who knows what to look for. We need rice cakes, stir-fried glass noodles, and honey pastries, okay? And ingredients for jeon, Korean pancakes! Mindy, do you know what everything looks like?”
“Yup!”
“Okay, then, let’s go!”
We went through the doors. Crowds of people filled the store, and loud, happy music was blasting from the speakers. Everyone was yelling and waving their hands in the air, trying to reach the products on sale. A lot of the food was already sold out!
“Quick!” I yelled. “Grab the rice cakes! And the honey pastries!”
“Excuse me! Excuse me!” Dad yelled as he pushed the cart around in the store. There were so many people, and Dad was too nice to push past them. Sometimes he even let other people push him!
“I have a better idea,” said Julie, loud enough that all of us could hear. “How about Mindy and I go farther into the store to get everything we need in those sections? Brian, you can stay here with Sally and the cart.”
“That’s an excellent idea!” I said. “Now can we please go get the food?”
I didn’t want any of the food to run out!
“Sure,” Dad said. “I’ll pick up a few things near the front of the store with Sally while you two do that. Let’s meet at the cash register.”
“Got it,” said Julie.
Unlike Dad, Julie wasn’t afraid to push past people. She wasn’t mean and didn’t hurt anybody, but she moved way faster and found everything we needed to find, plus a few more yummy things like dumplings and shrimp crackers. I liked Julie already!
By the time we were done, our cart was full of snacks, rice cakes, sweet rice crackers, and stir-fried glass noodles.
It was finally starting to feel like a Korean New Year!
Chapter 9
When we got home, Dad got out our board and game pieces for yutnori, my favorite Korean game! It’s a traditional racing game that people play on Lunar New Year. And before Mom got sick, my parents and I played it every year.
Last year, Mom, Dad, and I played against one another, but today, Dad said, “Since we have an even number of people, why don’t we do teams? Sally and Mindy, you guys can be in one team while Julie and I can be in the other.”
“But Dad, I want to be on a team with you!” I complained.
I was a little mad. Sally was my best friend. But whenever we played games with our family or friends, Dad was always on my team. Why did Dad want to be on a team with Julie?
“But then who will I be on a team with?” Sally asked, sounding confused.
She had a point. Since Sally was my friend, I guess it made sense that she’d be my partner.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Sally and I can be a team.”
In the first few minutes, Dad and I taught Sally and Julie how to play. The game is pretty simple, since you just toss four sticks and move your piece on the board depending on how many sticks land faceup. If all of them land either faceup or facedown, it’s super lucky and you can throw again!
“It’s also really good if you land on one of the corners,” I told Sally as the four of us sat down around the board. “Then you can cut across diagonally to the finish line!”
“Okay, got it,” Sally said.
I didn’t want Dad to win. First of all, I like to win! And second, I was still kind of mad at him for wanting to be on Julie’s team.
Dad eyed the clock. “Usually, you’re supposed to do two to four rounds, but I think we only have time for one round since we should start preparing for dinner soon. That sound good to everyone?”
Sally shrugged, and I said, “Yes!”
It was going to be a lightning round, all or nothing. I was so excited!
“Let’s win for sure!” I told Sally, holding my hand up for a high five.
“Yes!” she said. “Let’s!”
She gave me a high five.
I told Sally she could throw first. She threw the sticks, and they landed all faceup!
“Woo-hoo!” I cheered. “That was awesome. Throw again!”
This time the sticks landed with two of them faceup.
“Okay, so four from the first throw and two from the second,” I said. “Move six places. That was a really good throw!”
Sally beamed and moved our piece forward six times. We were doing so well already!
Dad rolled next. He got three sticks faceup.
“Oops,” he said. “Sorry.”
Julie smiled. “That’s okay. It’s only the first throw.”
“Ha-ha!” I said as I picked up the sticks. “Now our team will win for sure!”
I threw the sticks.
They landed with only one stick faceup!
“Noooo!” I yelled. “This can’t be!”
Dad chuckled. “That’s too bad, Mindy. Maybe you’ll throw better next time!”
Julie was next. She tossed the sticks and all of them landed facedown! All sticks facedown meant she could move five places, and she got to throw again! The second time, she threw the sticks and got two faceup. She moved her and Dad’s piece seven times, and it ended up on one of the corners!
This was really bad. Now Dad and Julie had a direct path to the finish line. They were only six places away from winning!
“It’s okay!” I said. “We can still win!”
I didn’t want Sally to feel discouraged while she went.
She threw her sticks. This time she got three sticks faceup.
“Aw,” she said. “Sorry for the bad throw.”
“No, this is good!” I said. “Look where our game piece ended up!”
Thanks to Sally’s throw, our game piece reached the same corner as Dad’s and Julie’s!
Game. On.
“No!” Dad yelled, like I had a couple of minutes ago. “You got us!”
“Wait,” Sally said. “What’s going on?”
“If you land on the same space as the enemy team, you can kick them out of the space and they have to go all the way back to the beginning!” I explained. “And then you can go again.”
“Wow, that’s so mean!” Sally said as she threw the sticks again. But she was smiling like I was. There’s a reason why Sally and I are friends. “Sorry, Julie and Mr. Kim.”
“That’s quite all right, Sally,” Dad said as he moved his piece back to the starting line. “That was a very lucky throw.”
Sally’s throw got us only two spaces this time, but it was way better than having to go back to the beginning. “Good job!” I said as she moved our piece.
It was Dad’s turn, and this time, all his sticks landed facedown.
“Yes!” exclaimed Julie. “Way to go, Brian!”
Dad threw the sticks again. Three landed faceup. They had almost caught up to us already!
It was my turn to throw now. I was still really embarrassed that I got only one stick faceup the last time I went. But hopefully this time would be better.
“You can do it, Mindy!” Sally cheered. “Let’s win this game!”
I stuck out the hand clutching the sticks in Sally’s direction. “Let’s do a lucky handshake!”
“Okay!” Sally’s hand clasped mine so the sticks were sandwiched in between us. “Good luck!”
I then thr
ew the sticks, and they all landed faceup! I threw again. Two were faceup. That was more than enough for us to win!
I moved our piece to the finish line and jumped up and down with Sally.
“YESSSSS!”
We won!
Chapter 10
After we cleaned up the game pieces, we went into the kitchen to prepare yummy food for our Lunar New Year feast.
“I just have to fry some kimchi, zucchini, and cod to make the jeon, and then we’ll be all set!” Dad said.
Jeon are like pancakes, Korean-style. You mix all the ingredients into a batter and cook them in a pan like you do with American pancakes.
“Do you want me to help?” Julie asked. “I’m good with a knife and cutting board.”
“I can help too!” I said. “What can I do, Appa?”
Dad nervously glanced back and forth between Julie and me.
“Well, Mindy, you can’t help cut things or fry stuff in the pan,” he said. “But you and Sally can be in charge of covering everything with flour after Julie’s done chopping up all the ingredients! And then I can fry the jeon in the pan.”
“Sounds good!”
We washed our hands, and then it was time for some food magic!
Just like she said, Julie was really good at cutting everything into thin slices. She was way better than Dad, who still accidentally hurts himself while cooking sometimes. He’s the reason we have so many Band-Aids around the house, not me!
In almost no time at all, Julie had everything laid out neatly in a big plate, and Dad seasoned everything with some salt and pepper.
“Okay,” said Dad after he took out the bag of flour. “Now what we’re going to do is cover everything with flour. You have to make sure to get both sides of everything. I hope you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, Sally, because this can get kind of messy!”
“I don’t mind.” Sally smiled. “It sounds like a lot of fun!”
Dad brought out the small pink aprons that I like to wear when I help Dad out in the kitchen.
“You girls can wear these. Sally, I don’t want your mom to get mad at me because you have flour all over you.”
Sally giggled. “Thanks, Mr. Kim.”
Sally and I put on our aprons and started covering all the food with flour. I was afraid it might get boring, but with Sally by my side, it was actually fun! We laughed and joked around as we covered the zucchini, kimchi, and cod. We were done in no time, and Dad took out some eggs from the fridge and beat them in a bowl.
“Anything else I can do to help?” Julie asked.
Dad glanced around nervously again before saying, “You can help reheat the other things we got from the store while I make the jeon.”
“Sure!”
Sally and I watched Dad as he took the flour-covered food and dipped it in egg before frying it in the pan. There was a cool sizzling sound whenever the food hit the pan, but after a while it got boring. So we helped Julie reheat the food in the microwave instead.
Soon the entire house was filled with the yummy smell of jeon, bulgogi, dumplings, and stir-fried glass noodles. It was a whole feast!
While we were eating, Julie, Dad, and I shared stories about the different things we did for Lunar New Year. Julie said that back home in New York, her family always gathered around and made dumplings. They also ate lots of fish and exchanged red envelopes that had money inside them.
Dad looked at me. “We don’t do red envelopes like Chinese people do, but we do give New Year’s money. That reminds me, Mindy. Do you want to do sebae after we finish eating?”
“What’s sebae?” Sally asked.
“It’s when I bow to Dad and wish him happy new year, and then he gives me some money!” I said. “Usually you bow to your grandparents, but my grandparents live far away from us, so I just bow to my dad instead. It’s what people do for Lunar New Year in Korea.”
“Wow!” said Sally. “How come we don’t have traditions like that in America?”
“Beats me.” I shrugged. “But if you bow to my dad, I’m sure he’ll give you money too. Right, Dad?”
“Mindy!” Dad exclaimed.
Oops. I guess I shouldn’t have said that!
Dad sighed. “Sebae isn’t just about the money. Yes, a little pocket change is nice, but it’s meant to be a way for your elders to bless you for the new year.”
Julie laughed. “I can give some money too,” she said. “Maybe I can give some to Sally, and you can give some to Mindy?”
“You don’t have to,” said Dad.
“Don’t sweat it. It’d be my pleasure!” Julie said. “I just wish I had red envelopes!”
Dad got out comfy cushions and put them on the living room floor. He and Julie sat facing Sally and me.
“First, I want to make sure you two know why we do sebae, because, like I said before, it’s not just about getting money,” said Dad, shooting me a look. “In Korea, respect for your elders is very important. So, in order to earn your money, you have to wish the adults a happy and healthy new year while you give them a deep bow. And the adults bless you, too. Sally, Mindy can show you how to bow.”
“Yup!” I said. “I learned how at Korean school last year.”
“Okay,” said Sally. “Show me how!”
I went to stand right in front of Dad. He gave me a big smile.
“Well,” I said. “First you put your hands clasped in front of your head like this, right hand over left.” I lifted my hands so they were both at the level of my eyes. “Then slowly sit down, putting your left knee to the floor, and then the right.”
Being careful to not trip on my dress, I knelt down onto the floor.
“And finally, bend forward so you’re halfway to the floor before you stand up again.”
I did my bow to show Sally.
“Wow,” Sally said after I stood back up. “That looks hard.”
“It’s really easy!” I promised. “We can do it together!”
Step by step, I guided Sally into a proper jeol.
“Happy New Year!” I yelled when we were done.
Sally followed my lead. “Happy New Year!”
When we were done, I looked up to see that Dad was taking pictures of both Sally and me. He looked really proud, and Julie smiled at us too.
“You two were so great!” Dad said. “Happy Lunar New Year. Hope you both have a great rest of the school year! Study hard but don’t forget to have fun, okay?”
“Okay!” we said.
After, Sally and I each got a twenty-dollar bill!
Now we were a bit richer!
Chapter 11
Soon it was time for Sally to go back home.
“Thanks for having me!” Sally said. “It was really fun! Well, except the getting lost part.”
Dad frowned. “Right. I’m so sorry that happened, Sally.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Kim,” said Sally. “It was my fault anyway. Mindy and I were the ones who ran off after the Pikachu balloon! My mom will understand, I think. And I’ll make sure to memorize her number!”
Her mom drove up to the front of our house, and Sally gave me a hug before she left.
“See you at school!” she said.
“Yeah, see you!”
After Sally was gone, it was time to say goodbye to Julie.
“Thank you so much for having me over,” Julie said warmly. “I was bracing myself for spending this holiday alone, but in the end, I’m really glad that I didn’t.”
“We were glad to have you over as well,” said Dad. “Mindy and I don’t really know that many people in the area either, so it was great to see you.”
Although I still didn’t know how to feel about Julie, she was pretty nice, and we’d had a lot of fun together today. And I liked that she made Dad happy.
“Yeah,” I said. “Don’t be a stranger!”
Julie looked really happy, like Dad and I had just given her a puppy.
“See you at work, Brian,” she said to my dad as we walked her out to
her car. “And I’ll see you around, Mindy?”
She gave me a big smile.
“Yup!” I grinned.
After Julie left, Dad and I went back into the house. What a day it had been! I wasn’t sure if I could still love the holiday as much without Mom here to celebrate with us, but maybe I could still like it. And we could have new traditions and make new memories with our new friends.
Once I was back upstairs, I showered and put on my pink corgi pajamas. Even though the hanbok was pretty, it felt good to wear comfier clothes again.
Dad came to my room to tuck me into bed.
“Wow,” he said. “We had a really busy day today.”
“Yup,” I said. “I hope the next Lunar New Year is more boring.”
Dad laughed. “You and me both, kid.”
He was about to leave when I said, “Appa?”
“Yes?”
“Do you like Julie?”
Dad’s face turned strawberry red. “Why do you say that?”
“So, you do like her!” I said. “Sally said you did, and I guess she was right.”
“Well,” Dad said. “It’s too early to tell. But she is very kind. We usually don’t really interact with each other much at work, but today she helped me a lot when you girls went missing. Are you uncomfortable with the fact that I might like her, Mindy?”
I shrugged. I was a little sad because I missed Mom, but I knew Dad couldn’t miss her and be sad forever. I don’t think Mom would want that, either.
“I just hope she makes you happy.”
Dad smiled, but his eyes were shiny, like he was about to cry.
“Aw, thanks, Mindy.”
He gave me a little kiss on the forehead.
“But you have to tell me before you marry her, okay!” I yelled, jabbing a finger into Dad’s chest. “And get my permission!”
Dad jumped in surprise. “Mindy! It’s way too early for that. But sure, if that ever happens, with Julie or any other person, I will definitely let you know.”
“Good,” I said with a firm nod. “Good night, Appa.”
“Good night, Mindy.”
