by Sarah Suk
And then things had settled into a new normal. The world still turned. V&C was over, but I was still here.
My eyes landed on a boy in glasses standing by the punch bowl, hair gelled back. He looked handsome in his tux.
I took a deep breath as I got closer and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hi,” I said.
He turned and his eyes lit up. “Hi.”
“I wanted to thank you again, for the ride to the hospital.”
“Of course. I wanted to text you to see how things were going, but I wasn’t sure if our no-talking, no-texting, no-calling rule was still in place.”
“Right.” I took a deep breath, looking down at my shoes and then up at him. “Listen, I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
He looked surprised. “For what?”
“For never giving you a chance to explain. For shutting you out when I should have listened. For telling you that Valentine’s Day was a mistake. It wasn’t. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “I should be the one apologizing—” he started.
“You already have,” I said. “Many times.”
“Still. I’ll say it again. I’m sorry for what I said to Lisa and the others. And I’m sorry for saying all that stuff to Taemin. I really, truly didn’t mean any of it.”
“Apology accepted.”
He smiled a smile that made me melt, like my words had released a huge weight off his shoulders. “Thank you. I accept your apology too.” He cleared his throat. “I suppose there’s nothing left to do then but to tally up the bet? All or nothing, right? Loser owes the winner all their earnings?”
I bit my lip. I hadn’t been sure if Wes would want to go through with the bet, but I had come prepared with the number just in case. There was almost no way he hadn’t won, what with V&C closing early and our sales being down from previous years. It wouldn’t be fair for me to pull out of the bet now, especially when I had been the one to insist on it. I had to pay up what I owed. Even though I didn’t need it for Paris anymore, it still stung a bit to part with my money. But fair is fair.
“Okay,” I said. “On the count of three? We both say how much we earned from the beginning of the bet to now?”
“You don’t want to see my spreadsheet?” he asked with a grin.
I laughed. “No. I trust you.”
“Okay, then.” He nodded. “Three, two, one.”
“Nine hundred eighty-seven dollars,” I said at the same time he said, “Zero.”
I blinked at him, confused. “Zero?”
“Ah, yeah. See, I kind of made this mistake where I sold some products I wasn’t supposed to. So I owe my mom everything I earned, leaving me with nothing.” He laughed, running his hand through the back of his hair. “And that’s not even all of it. I have to give her everything from the fall, too. And the money I already spent on my application, so I’m actually at negative dollars.”
I whistled low. “Damn. That’s harsh.”
“Yeah. But fair.”
“So that means…”
He grinned. “You win. But since I technically made zero dollars, I guess I owe you zero.”
I burst out laughing. “Wow. Why does it feel like we both lost here?”
The hype dance song in the background faded to a slow pop melody. He smiled shyly, holding out his hand. “Dance with me?”
My heart fluttered as I took his hand. We walked onto the dance floor, his arms sliding down to my waist, mine wrapping around his shoulders. We were so close, I could almost hear his heartbeat pounding through his chest. Or maybe that was mine.
“Valerie,” he said, his voice nervous. “I wanted to tell you something.”
“Hmm?”
“I got into Toblie School of Music. And I told my parents that I’m set on going even if they don’t support me.”
A smile broke out across my face. “Wes! That’s amazing.”
“But that’s not what I wanted to tell you,” he said.
I cocked my head to the side, confused. “Oh?”
“I wanted to tell you thanks. Meeting you this year was…” He looked up at the ceiling as if searching for the right words. “It was life-changing. I know that sounds cliché or whatever, but it really was. I would never have had the guts to start my own business and pursue my dreams and take my life into my own hands if I didn’t see you doing it first. I really respect you. I wanted you to know that.”
At that moment, I truly understood what Halmeoni meant when she said there was a world inside all of us. A world that grew as we let people in, allowing them to shape us in ways we could never do alone. Maybe I had changed Wes’s life without even realizing it, but the same could be said the other way around.
“There’s something I want to tell you, too,” I said. I swallowed nervously. Thinking it and saying it were such different things. But I had to try. “Thanks for stopping me from selling those counterfeit items. And for saying a lot of things that I really needed to hear. Like how I’m more than my business and how people are people, not just helpers or hindrances. You asked me when I was going to wake up and get it, and I feel like I’m starting to.”
He looked embarrassed. “Did I really ask you when you were going to wake up and get it? God. I’m sorry. What a choice of words.”
“It had to be said.” I laughed. “And also, that thing you said at my locker? How your feelings for me are real?” I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “I feel the same way about you.”
He stopped dancing so we were just standing in the middle of the gym, dancing classmates swirling all around us. His face was full of surprise and raw, untampered hope.
“Really?”
I smiled. “Really.”
The smile that spread across his face made my heart swoop. He leaned in and I wrapped my arms around him tighter as his lips pressed against mine. It was just as sweet as the first time we’d kissed, only this time there was nothing to hide.
CHAPTER TWENTY WES
Monday / May 11
Now that Mondays were no longer for business, I used the extra time in the morning to practice saxophone in the band room. Auditions might have been behind me, but I still had my solo at the Senior Showcase coming up. I needed all the practice time I could get, and Mr. Reyes was more than happy to help me out.
Sometimes Pauline would join me, showing up at the band room every Monday out of habit. On this particular Monday, she was grinning from ear to ear with good news.
“Wes, guess what?” she said. “My dad and I are going to visit Jeju Island this summer!”
“What? That’s amazing!”
“Yeah. I’m really excited.” She beamed. “Anyway, I wanted to say thank you. For letting me be part of your business and encouraging me to not let go of my Korean heritage if I still have an interest in it. I didn’t think that would impact me so much, but it did. And obviously my dad is thrilled.”
“Hey, you did all the work,” I said, laughing. “I just made a suggestion. You’re the one who ran with it.”
“Still. Thanks.” She smiled and then glanced at the clock behind my head. “Don’t you have somewhere to be right now?”
I did. I packed up my saxophone and jogged up to the second floor, where Valerie and Charlie were already standing outside room 217. Even from afar, I could tell Valerie was nervous by the way her jaw was moving. She was definitely eating a strawberry Hi-Chew.
“Yo,” Charlie said, fist-bumping me as I approached. “Talk her down, will you? She’s been nervous about this the whole morning.”
Valerie scowled, pinching Charlie in the elbow. He yelped.
“I am not nervous,” she said. “I’m just… a little on edge.”
After much persuasion from both me and Charlie, Valerie had finally decided to tell Ms. Jackson the entire truth about what had happened with the counterfeit items. Why she had decided to sell them, and why she’d chosen not to go through with it. Business might be closed for good, but she could still lift the suspension and resto
re legitimacy to V&C for the sake of its legacy. Plus, she respected Ms. Jackson too much to let the school year end without telling her the truth.
She’d been avoiding meeting with her mentor for weeks while she tried to work up the courage to say everything she wanted to, but now she was finally ready. Or at least as ready as she would ever be.
“Hey,” I said, putting my hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. “You can do this. You’re Valerie Kwon. And you already know Ms. Jackson’s on your side. She’ll hear you out. Besides,” I grinned, “you have to tell her that you got into RLU Wallace School of Business.”
After being initially wait-listed, her acceptance letter had come a few days after prom. She’d called me screaming, and I’d gone over to her house, where her halmeoni was beaming and her dad kept saying, “I knew she’d get in all along! My daughter the businesswoman.” The school was close enough that she could visit her halmeoni every weekend, which was important to her. And it was only five hours and seventeen minutes away from Toblie, with traffic. Not that I had done extensive calculations or anything.
“You’ve been wanting to share the news with her since you got it,” I said.
“You’re right, you’re right.” She took a deep breath, shaking out her arms and muttering to herself, “Okay. Let’s do this.”
“Good luck,” Charlie said. He opened the door for Valerie. She stepped inside, turning around and sneaking me one last look.
“You got this,” I said.
She grinned and took a deep breath as the door swung shut behind her.
Friday / May 29
The night of the Senior Showcase came faster than I was ready for it to. Now that it was the end of the school year, it felt like time was just vanishing before my eyes.
I peeked out from behind the curtain. The auditorium was filled with people. Were Mom and Dad out there? I’d invited them last minute, sliding the poster advertising SENIOR SHOWCASE across the jade marble counter over breakfast. “We’ll take a look at it, Wes,” Mom had promised, while Dad received it with stony silence. We hadn’t spoken much at all since my acceptance letter came in the mail. I was beginning to think we might never speak again.
“Wes,” a familiar voice behind me said.
I turned, letting the curtain drop. My body filled with warmth, easing my nerves. “Hey, Val.”
She grinned, tortoiseshell sunglasses perched on top of her head. “I just came to wish you luck.”
Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed me lightly on the cheek. This would never stop being the best feeling ever.
“Wes!” another voice yelled from across the room.
Valerie and I both looked up to see Charlie and Pauline walking toward us. Not just Charlie and Pauline. Charlie, Pauline, and Taemin.
“Whoa,” I said, my eyes widening. I hadn’t seen him since that day at Snow Bunny. “What are you doing here?”
“Charlie invited me,” Taemin said. He grinned sheepishly, looking back and forth between me and Valerie. “Listen, I wanted to say sorry to both of you. I mean, I still stand by the fact that you’re the ones who hired me and I don’t think I really did anything wrong in that department—”
“Taemin,” Charlie coughed into his hand.
“—but I will admit, I almost screwed up your whole relationship by miscommunicating some info, and for that I really am sorry,” he finished. “Believe me when I say I was trying to do the right thing. But honestly, I’m pretty sure I did more harm trying to do the right thing than if I had just done the wrong thing.”
Valerie and I exchanged glances.
She sighed, glowering at Taemin. “You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that? Hiring you was a huge mistake. But I guess I have to thank you for telling Wes about my counterfeit plan,” she added. “I would’ve done something I really regretted if you didn’t. So thanks.”
Taemin raised his eyebrows and grinned. “So, I did do one right thing, then. Maybe I’m not a lost cause after all.”
Mr. Reyes rushed up to us, waving his conductor’s baton in the air. “Students! The show’s about to start!”
Valerie, Charlie, Pauline, and Taemin all gave me one last thumbs-up before going to find their seats. I took a deep breath and joined the rest of the band on stage with my saxophone. Mr. Reyes took his spot in front of us. Today his socks had music notes. I was surprised I’d never seen them before.
“Welcome to Crescent Brook High’s Senior Showcase, everyone!” Amelia Perry, the MC of the event, declared. “Tonight we’ll be seeing performances from several of our seniors, showcasing what we’ve been working on all year. We’ve got music, dance, a theatrical performance by yours truly and the senior drama club, and much more. To kick us off for the night, please join me in welcoming Mr. Reyes and our senior band class!”
The audience burst into applause as the curtain went up and the spotlight shone.
Mr. Reyes lifted his baton and the music began.
No matter how nervous I feel before playing, once I start, I know I’m home. I let the music carry me, harmonizing with all the other instruments in the band. When it was time for my solo, I didn’t even have to think about it. The music simply came, hours of practice taking over my muscle memory so all I had to do was focus on the emotion.
The audience didn’t make a sound for the whole performance. Were they as captivated as we were up onstage? As we neared the final note, I thought I saw tears shining in Mr. Reyes’s eyes. It was a moment to be proud of, for all of us.
He raised his baton, arms wide, holding the final note. And then he let it go and the audience erupted into cheers. People jumped up to their feet, whistling and stamping their feet. Adrenaline rushed through my body as we all stood up to bow.
* * *
“Wes, you were amazing,” Valerie said, squeezing my hand as I joined her in the audience after my set.
“Yeah?” I knew I was smiling like a fool. I couldn’t help it. “My live performance was as good as the video?”
She grinned. “Even better.”
“Seriously, dude, you’re a saxophone master,” Charlie said, thumping me on the back. “I mean, I figured you’d be good, but I didn’t know you would be that good.”
“Agreed,” Taemin said. “I think we should all go out to celebrate Wes’s sexy saxophone playing after this. Bingsu, anyone?”
“Only if you’re paying,” Pauline said.
Valerie’s hand wrapped around mine as we watched the rest of the Senior Showcase performances. I was happy. So unbelievably happy. But still, I couldn’t help but glance around the auditorium every so often as the drama club and dance teams performed onstage, searching for two familiar faces. Were they here? Had they come? Had they seen me play?
As the a cappella group finished up their set, Ms. Jackson took the stage, Mr. McAvoy wheeling up a table of trophies next to her. I felt Valerie’s hand tense in mine.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“Every year they acknowledge the student businesses with awards during the Senior Showcase,” Valerie said. “Businesses that don’t get suspended, that is.”
“You had a great talk with Ms. Jackson though, didn’t you? And she lifted your suspension after hearing your story.”
“Yeah. But still. It was a big mistake.” She bit her lip, nervous at what would happen, or what wouldn’t happen. I squeezed her hand.
“This year, we have so many young entrepreneurs to celebrate,” Ms. Jackson said into the mic, holding a stack of gold envelopes. “It’s been my greatest delight as a teacher to see students taking chances and growing in ingenuity. Through trial and error, these students have grown to be wonderful entrepreneurs and even more wonderful human beings. Please join me as I call them up to the stage.” She opened the first gold envelope. “For Best Teamwork, Joanne Patel and Rebecca Sanders and their bracelet business!”
The audience whooped as Joanne and Rebecca made their way up to the stage, hands clasped together and held over their heads in
victory.
“For Best New Business, Wes Jung and Pauline Lim for their K-pop beauty business!”
I froze, immediately looking at Valerie. Was this okay?
She smiled and nodded, knowing what I meant without words. “You deserve it. Go!”
Pauline and I made our way up to the stage to receive our trophies. The list went on as more and more students joined the stage. The trophies dwindled until there were only two left.
“Finally, for Best Overall Business,” Ms. Jackson said, and I could have sworn she got a little choked up, “please join me in welcoming Valerie Kwon and Charlie Song of V&C K-BEAUTY to the stage.”
The audience thundered with applause. I cheered loudly with the rest of them as Valerie, stunned, made her way up to the stage, Charlie steering her from behind with his hands on her shoulders.
They received their trophies, and Ms. Jackson leaned forward to whisper something in Valerie’s ear. She nodded, still stunned, and took the mic from her mentor.
“Hi, everybody,” she said.
“Hi, Valerie!” people in the audience shouted.
She laughed, her shoulders relaxing. “Ms. J asked if I could share a bit about my business and what I’ve learned over the past three years. I’ll keep it short, but first, people love a good deal. Second, know what the values of your business are and do your best to stick to them. Even if it’s tempting not to.” She swallowed hard, glancing over her shoulder at me and then at Ms. Jackson and Charlie standing on either side of her. “Third, and this was a hard one for me… the best part of a business isn’t the profit. That’s part of it, for sure, and the part I focused most on for a long time. But profit doesn’t forgive you when you make mistakes. It doesn’t believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself. It doesn’t give you second chances when you don’t deserve them. But people do. They’re what make this whole thing worth it. So thank you to everyone who has ever supported V&C, whether you shopped with us or not. We truly could not have done it without you.”
