Made in Korea

by Sarah Suk

  Yep. It was risky. If I didn’t know it before, I definitely knew it now, by the way Valerie’s eyes widened in shock. But as much as I’d gone back and forth on the idea, I knew it was a risk I had to take. It was worth it. With Valerie’s money, not only would I not have to worry about paying my school fees by May, but I might even be able to put some aside for the rest of the semester’s tuition due in August. According to Kristy Lo, who I had casually had a conversation with to see what she knew about Valerie’s business, V&C K-BEAUTY had made around two thousand dollars last year. Apparently, that was a record breaker for any student business at Crescent Brook. With my money, Valerie’s money, and some financial aid applications, I might really be able to make this happen.

  “Are you serious?” she said. “No. No way.”

  Not unexpected. When I’d told Pauline my idea, she had predicted Valerie would say this. “That’s a big ask,” Pauline had said. “What makes you think Valerie will agree?” But I’d seen the look in Valerie’s eyes when we were in the haunted house. She wouldn’t back down from a little competition.

  I straightened up, looking down at her from my full height. “Why? Are you scared you’ll lose?”

  “Me? Lose?” she scoffed, quickly masking her initial shock. “Are you forgetting who swept who at the Halloween Market?”

  “Then why not? If you’re so sure you’re the better business—”

  “I am the better business,” she said, scowling. “There’s no comparison. I just think it would be wildly unfair for me to take such a bet against you when you’re so obviously at a disadvantage.”

  “I’ll take my chances.” I was oddly satisfied watching her get flustered. It was cute. “I need to make more money, and more money fast, and I’m guessing that you’re in the same boat.”

  That was a guess, but judging by the way she pressed her lips together, it looked like I wasn’t far from the truth. “What makes you so sure you’ll win?”

  “I’m not,” I admitted. “But I think I can put up a good fight. Better than I did on Halloween. Give me a chance to redeem myself.”

  She looked at me for a long time. I held my breath, certain she would say no and tell me to get lost. But then she nodded once, decisively, and said, “Fine. What’s the timeline for this bet? Whoever makes the most money by when?”

  “I was thinking prom.” Prom was on the first day of May, right when my enrollment and housing deposits would be due.

  I could see her doing quick calculations in her head. “Prom works.” She nodded a few times like she was very satisfied with this timeline. “Yeah. That works really well. We’ll have to judge this by seventy percent of the total profits. Charlie and I split things seventy-thirty, and I can’t gamble his earnings.”

  “Fair.” I’d discussed this with Pauline, too. Conveniently, we also split things seventy-thirty, so her cut was safe from the bet. It was just me on the line.

  “Spreadsheets,” Valerie said, snapping her fingers. “Do you have one? I’m going to need to see a spreadsheet of your earnings when we tally up the bet so I know you’re not lying.”

  The bet had been my idea, but I was amazed at how quickly Valerie was making it hers. Her mind moved fast, leaving no bases uncovered.

  “Spreadsheets,” I said. “Done. And no making up numbers, either.” I stuck my hand out. “Deal?”

  She scoffed. “Like I need to make up numbers to beat you. Fine.” She grabbed my hand and shook. “Deal.”

  I didn’t let go right away. Wow. We’re really doing this. And suddenly it hit me. The true weight of the risk. And the fact that I was still holding her hand. I let go quickly, all the bravado I had been putting up seeping away. “Okay. Well. May the best business win.”

  Now I was the one who was flustered. The part I had rehearsed was over, and I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore.

  So I did the only thing I could think to do. I pushed past her into the bathroom and locked the door.

  CHAPTER SEVEN VALERIE

  Saturday / November 16

  I blinked, staring at the bathroom door where Wes had disappeared, my heart pounding in my ears. He was a weird one. I still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him or the way my stomach flipped whenever he was near. I pressed the back of my hand against my warming cheek. I didn’t see him very much around school, but when I did, I couldn’t shake the image of him kneeling down and untangling my stockings from the haunted-house lights. But enough about that. What the hell had I just agreed to?

  It wasn’t like me to make such a big decision on the spot, but it had been near impossible to resist. If I could double my income by May, that would mean I could take Halmeoni to Paris this summer. This was almost too good to be true. Wes was basically offering me free money! How could I turn him down? Besides, I was 99 percent sure that I had this bet in the bag.

  Well. Maybe 90 percent.

  The truth was that V&C sales hadn’t been so great since Halloween. We’d been down numbers, and from what I’d been hearing, Wes had made somewhat of a comeback over the past couple of weeks. It was probably a fluke. No need to worry.

  I quickly moved down the stairs, searching for Charlie. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even be at this party. Parties weren’t really my thing. Too many people, and I never knew what I should be doing. Small talk? Dancing? Standing by the houseplants, nursing my drink? Nope, no thank you, and please spare me. But apparently Charlie felt like he’d made a pretty big fool of himself to Pauline on Halloween, and he’d been waiting for a non-school setting to try to make up for it. I was just there for moral support.

  As I made my way through the living room filled with dancing classmates, the music switched from an electronic techno beat to an upbeat K-pop song, and everyone went nuts.

  “I love Crown Tiger!” someone shouted.

  I tensed at the name. It’s not that I hate K-pop. I listen to it sometimes, including Crown Tiger. They have good songs. A nice mix of soft ballads and hype dance numbers. Even Halmeoni likes their music. But ever since Wes had started selling their beauty products, I’d been boycotting them. Some might have called it petty, but what can I say? I’m the queen of petty.

  “You’ve met the new guy, Wes Jung, right?” a girl was saying as I stepped through the mirrored French doors that led into the kitchen, making sure to shut the doors behind me to muffle the music. “Do you think he’s dating anyone? He’s so cute.”

  “I don’t think so, but Lisa Carol has her eye on him for sure,” her friend said, sipping from a red plastic cup. “I don’t think he’s interested, though. From what I hear, he’s only into music and his new K-pop beauty business.”

  “That’s been going super well, huh? Each time I’ve gone, he’s sold out before the first bell rings.”

  “Ooh, are you a Crown Tiger fan too?”

  “Nah. I just go to see Wes’s face.”

  The two girls giggled, and I felt a prick of uncertainty. My confidence dipped to 85 percent. I yanked the fridge door open so hard the bottles clattered inside. The two girls glanced my way before skittering out of the kitchen to continue their conversation elsewhere.

  Heat bubbled up inside my stomach as I grabbed a bottle of beer and popped the cap off. It was fine. Everything was fine. I was still mostly positive I could win this. I mentally brought up the image of my Moleskine notebook. It would feel so good to hit my five-thousand-dollar goal. I might even exceed my goal with Wes’s money, which meant Halmeoni and I could stay in a nicer hotel. It was, in fact, a good thing that Wes’s business was doing well. The more money he made, the more money I would take from him, because no matter how well he was doing, I knew I could do better.

  I took a sip from my bottle and grimaced. Yuck. I don’t even like the taste of beer. I’d just grabbed it to distract myself from those girls. I was considering draining the rest of it down the sink when Pauline stepped into the kitchen, her eyes searching the room like she was looking for someone.

  “Hey, Valerie,�
�� she said, her gaze falling on me. As always, she was wearing a sea-inspired outfit. Today was a gray rib-knit turtleneck sweater tucked into a high-waisted skirt patterned with jellyfish. The jellyfish skirt was kind of cute, actually. Vintage. I wonder if she’d thrifted it. “Have you seen Charlie? Lisa said he was looking for me.”

  “He’s around here somewhere,” I said, rolling the unwanted beer bottle between my palms. Maybe I could hide it behind the toaster. Leave it for the Carols to find in the morning.

  “Thanks,” Pauline said. She started to leave but hesitated by the door, turning to look back at me. “Could I ask you a question? I mean, I know I technically just did, but another actual question?”

  I raised an eyebrow. I could count on one hand the number of times Pauline and I had talked. We’d never really had much reason to. She’d never even come by my locker to shop. “Sure.”

  She leaned against the kitchen counter, pondering her question. “About Charlie. We haven’t spoken in a while, until he started talking to me again at the market. Wes seems to think he might like me.” She cocked her head to the side, looking at me curiously. “Is that true?”

  I nearly choked on my beer in surprise. God, why was I still drinking this? I put it down on the counter and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

  He’s been in love with you ever since you partnered together for that aquarium field trip! I wanted to say. Sophomore year had been a tough one for Charlie. It was the year his dad said he was going to move back to America, but he ended up taking a promotion at his job in Korea instead. It was when the beauty packages started, though I was fairly certain that Charlie would have rather had his dad back. Apparently, he’d confided some of these things to Pauline while they were eating lunch in front of the otter tank.

  “She just listens so well,” he kept saying afterward. “I felt so much less alone talking to her. And she’s so much fun, too! Did you know she’s basically a science genius? She’s definitely smarter than me, but she acts like my opinions matter and I have good ideas. Me! Good ideas!”

  “Why would you feel alone when you have me and your mom around?” I’d asked. “And since when did you have so many opinions about the aquarium, anyway?”

  “It’s not about the aquarium, Val. It’s about the way she really sees me.”

  I hadn’t gotten it then and I didn’t really get it now, but still, I was tempted to recount all of this to Pauline. But it wasn’t my place to share Charlie’s confession, even if I did know the origin story by heart from the number of times he’d recited it to me. So I simply shrugged and said, “If you want to know, you should ask him.”

  “Right. Go straight to the source,” she said, nodding thoughtfully. “That makes sense. Thanks, Valerie.”

  She smiled and started to leave, when a niggling thought at the back of my mind made me say, “Wait. I have a question for you, too.”

  She turned, her hand resting against the French doors. I could see through the mirrored doors into the living room, where people were dancing, the muted sound of Crown Tiger booming against the glass. Annoyance swelled inside me like a balloon about to burst.

  “Why are you helping Wes with his K-beauty business when you’ve never even visited V&C K-BEAUTY?” I asked, my voice more accusatory than I meant it to be. “I remember every single customer who shops with us, and you’ve never come once. I just thought you weren’t into K-beauty, which is fine, but now you’re Wes’s business partner? Why?”

  A flicker of surprise crossed her face. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were that bothered by it.”

  “I mean, of course I notice,” I said impatiently. “People are either customers or non-customers. You’ve always been a non-customer.” And now she fell into the third category of people: competition.

  She searched my face for so long I started to feel uncomfortable. I was beginning to regret asking when she finally spoke.

  “You’re right,” she said. “I’m not into beauty products. Not because I’m not curious about them, but because I have eczema. A lot of products make me flare up, so I stick to the skin-care routine my dermatologist has me on.”

  “Oh.” My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. How had I never known that before? Her skin looked fine to me right now, but now that she mentioned it, I did remember instances when her skin looked a bit more flaky, red, and irritated than usual. I always wondered in those moments why she didn’t come to our store and buy a moisturizer.

  “As for why I’m helping Wes, it’s because my dad wanted me to get involved in a Korean-related activity before letting me volunteer at the aquarium. Wes’s business seemed like a good opportunity. He was just starting out and he needed help. And he sees me as a friend.” She smiled faintly, her eyes not leaving mine. “Not just as a customer or non-customer. That’s why I felt like I could approach him.”

  A knot twisted in my stomach. “Oh,” I said again, not sure what else to say. It was strange having my own words said back to me. It felt totally fine to think of people as customers or non-customers in my own head, but having someone else say it out loud hit differently. Like maybe it wasn’t such a normal way to think about people after all. I awkwardly took a swig of the beer I didn’t want, just to have something to do. It burned down my throat.

  “Anyway, I should probably go find Charlie now.” Pauline pushed the doors open, letting Crown Tiger’s music come blasting into the kitchen full force. “See you.”

  The doors bounced shut. I watched her go, feeling like a total jerk.

  Through the doors, I spotted Wes standing in the living room, looking around for something or someone. Lisa Carol immediately bounded toward him, double-fisting drinks. One for him, one for her. She smiled brightly at him and he smiled back, taking the drink as she led him over to a group of her friends.

  Apparently, Wes Jung wasn’t just the most popular business anymore. He was also the most popular guy. Was it because of what Pauline had said? Because he was approachable? Unlike me, apparently. Was that why his business was doing better than mine lately? Was it going to keep getting better?

  Confidence: 80 percent.

  I scowled. Forget moral support. Charlie’s a big boy. He can handle this himself. I’ve had enough of this party.

  Going home, I texted him. And then, because I felt bad for leaving early, I added, Sorry. Let me know how it goes with P.

  I drained my bottle of nearly full beer in the sink and let myself out the back door.

  * * *

  Lucky for me, it wasn’t too far from Lisa Carol’s house to mine, and the night was surprisingly warm for November. I popped a grape Hi-Chew in my mouth as I walked. I needed all the help focusing I could get. I couldn’t get cocky. I had to up my game to guarantee my win against Wes.

  Focus. Focus. Focus.

  Verdict after five grape Hi-Chews: fruity breath, but no new ideas. Oh, Hi-Chews, how could you fail me?

  I walked through the front door of my house, toeing off my shoes. It was still early in the evening. I could hear the clink and clatter of metal chopsticks against rice bowls in the kitchen. The smell of doenjang jjigae filled the air. My mouth watered. Korean soybean-paste stew is one of my favorites, and I hadn’t had any food at the party. Looked like coming home early was a good idea for more reasons than one.

  I poked my head into the kitchen, where Umma and Appa were sitting at the table, eating dinner. “I’m home,” I said.

  “Valerie, long time no see!” Appa said. He was still in his dress shirt and pants, his tie loose around his neck like he’d just gotten back from a house showing. He was clean-shaven as always, keeping up his polished image for his real estate clients. “I haven’t seen your face in ages. How’s my daughter doing?”

  “Good,” I said. “Where’s Halmeoni and Samantha?”

  “Samantha had a group project meeting, so she’ll be coming tomorrow instead. And Halmeoni’s in her room, resting. She ate earlier,” Umma said. “Did you eat yet? I made your favorite jjigae.”
/>   I smiled. Things might have been tense with Umma sometimes, but she’d always had an uncanny sense for preparing my favorite foods when I most needed them. “I haven’t eaten yet. I’ll get some rice.”

  As I headed for the kitchen cupboards to pull out another rice bowl, Umma gave me a once-over, her eyebrows creasing together.

  “Valerie, what are you wearing? Are you still shopping for old clothes worn by other people?”

  “It’s called thrifting, Umma.” I tugged self-consciously at my vintage eighties vest, trying to let her comment slide off my back. I loved this vest. It was one of my best thrift-store finds.

  Umma shook her head, looking at Appa over her chopsticks. “Your daughter is always digging through garbage for clothes.”

  “If it’s her style, what’s wrong with it?” Appa said. I felt a swell of gratitude for him.

  Umma sighed. “Did we immigrate all the way here just so she can wear other people’s clothes? No, we did not.”

  Appa looked chagrined. “I suppose you’re right. Valerie, do you need yongdon to go shopping?” He was already reaching for his wallet. “I can give you allowance if you want.”

  “It’s fine, Appa,” I sighed, scooping rice into my bowl from the rice cooker. I just really wanted them to drop it now. But Umma was still going.

  “Why don’t we go shopping together sometime, Valerie? We’ll get you some nice, brand-new blouses. And some practical shoes too.”

  I tried not to cringe. Shopping with Umma was about as much fun as staring at the spinning rainbow wheel on a frozen MacBook screen. She was very picky and had a specific style she envisioned for me—a.k.a. not my style at all.

  “It’s time you think about your future, Valerie,” she said. “And start dressing for it. When I was just a little older than you, I was already applying for office jobs to help support your halmeoni. You think anyone would have taken me seriously if I didn’t dress like a professional? It will be fun! We can upgrade your wardrobe together.”