29 Dates Page 26

  ALEX: Really? And none of them stuck so far? What’s like a ballpark figure?

  Jisu: Hmm...more than twenty. You might be my twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth date.

  ALEX: Interesting. And how were the matches—were they all misses?

  Jisu: No, no. Not all. I mean, there were some bad ones who were the complete opposite of what you’d expect from their one-sheet. Others, I just didn’t connect with.

  ALEX: And your interactions with Ms. Moon—how are those? Do you give feedback, does she solicit it?

  Jisu: You’re asking a lot of questions.

  ALEX: Guess I might as well be honest here...

  Jisu: Yes, that’s kind of important on a first date.

  ALEX: That’s the thing. This isn’t a first date.

  Jisu: It’s not?

  ALEX: No. Maybe I should’ve led with this. I work for a matchmaking start-up. But instead of the usual dating apps, we’re trying to create a more human matchmaking experience modeled after the old-fashioned services.

  Jisu: Like what Ms. Moon is doing.

  ALEX: Exactly! So I’m doing some reconnaissance.

  Jisu: Wow. Is your name even Alex?

  ALEX: Ha, good one. Yes, it is. It’s not like I’m working for the CIA.

  Jisu: Are you really in high school, then?

  ALEX: Well, I’m eighteen. But I dropped out of high school. It’s no longer that impressive to drop out of college and pursue a career in tech, you know.

  Jisu: How did Ms. Moon even take you on if you’re a high school dropout?

  ALEX: Well, first I created a super-convincing profile.

  Jisu: Yeah, I came here thinking I’d have to have something to say about design and architecture.

  ALEX: Those were my actual interests when I was still in high school. I probably would’ve gone down that path and studied all that if I’d gone to college.

  Jisu: You probably still could.

  ALEX: I know I could. Everyone gives you an average of three to five years tops to make it in the tech world. I’ve been in it for one, so I can still decide to go to college before hitting the legal drinking age and shrug this whole thing off as a “gap year” experience if it goes south.

  Jisu: And is that also what you told Ms. Moon?

  ALEX: No way.

  Jisu: So, what fake identity did you put together to convince her, then?

  ALEX: This is going to be slightly embarrassing. But do you remember that Korean movie The Lost Boys that came out when we were kids?

  Jisu: Oh, yeah! They called it the updated Korean Goonies, right?

  ALEX: Yeah, well. That’s me. I played the lead character.

  Jisu: What? That’s not possible! That kid was crazy famous. And then he couldn’t handle the fame, so his family pulled him out of the limelight. He just disappeared after that...

  ALEX: Yeah, because he moved to San Francisco with his parents to have a normal childhood.

  Jisu: Nooo wayyyy. I loved that movie!

  ALEX: Yeah, so did Ms. Moon. So she approached my parents as a fan. We both know I don’t meet her requirements, but I think she’s just happy to claim me as a client.

  Jisu: And now you’re using her to get ahead.

  ALEX: Hey, that’s how it is. In Hallyu, in tech, even in matchmaking. People are only hiring her to get ahead. Under the guise of romance.

  Jisu: Yeah, not even much of a guise either, to be honest.

  ALEX: So, what do you think makes a good matchmaking service, then?

  Jisu: That’s the tricky part. It’s not really a formula you can discover and use on everyone. Because everyone’s so different. And the frills—the one-sheets, the fancy cafés and restaurants—none of that matters.

  ALEX: So what matters?

  Jisu: I think, at the end of the day, it just comes down to the two individuals who sit across from each other. Two personalities that spark and click. If anything, that’s the timeless formula, right?

  27

  “And in the last few slides, we’ll show how it all comes together with the Wick motto,” Dave said. He looked at Jisu and motioned her to move on to the next slide.

  It was the first time he’d actually looked at her during the whole IS presentation—the first time since he’d walked away the day before.

  “Head, Hands and Heart. The three elements of the Wick motto. The Head represents the political ideals and movements that Jisu and I worked to publicize better through this project.”

  Jisu and I. It was difficult to focus on presenting to the class when there were unresolved issues between them. Or at least for Jisu, they felt unresolved. For all she knew, Dave was done talking to her once the presentation was over. But at least in the moment, he was being civil.

  “For example, the first labor union rally we attended had a modest attendance. The purpose of the rally—the Head matter—was the issue of unionizing. Which leads to the Hand.”

  It was now Jisu’s turn to talk.

  “The Hand represents the actual work and technical skills that go into exercising these political and cultural ideals, like unionizing and getting more people to vote. These images were posted across social media. They not only embody the ideals, but also the technical data we mined to determine how and when to post them for maximum impact.”

  “Wow, some of these photos are really great,” Mrs. French interjected as Jisu went through each image on the projector.

  “Jisu took most of them,” Dave said.

  Was that a compliment? He was stating a fact, but also giving her credit. Jisu turned to him and tried to give him an encouraging smile, but he ignored her. Maybe it wasn’t an olive branch.

  “And the last part of the Wick motto—the Heart,” Dave continued. “For this project, the Heart symbolizes our personal passions, which determined the kinds of events we attended and researched.”

  “I picked the Feminism in the Digital Age art show at The Lab, and Dave picked the labor union meetings and rallies,” Jisu said and concluded the presentation.

  Despite the tension between them, they had done a good job of passing the ball back and forth and completing their project without issue. Jisu turned to the last slide. The End.

  “Good work!” Mrs. French said. “Jisu, you should send this presentation to the schools that have you wait-listed. It might help.”

  Jisu nodded and followed Dave back to their seats. The next duo queued up and started their presentation. The class moved on, but Jisu had a hard time paying attention. Their big project was over and there was no longer any reason for them to talk to each other, unless she could salvage things.

  “That went really well!” Jisu leaned to her left and whispered toward Dave’s direction. He seemed not to hear. “And we didn’t even go over fifteen minutes,” she said. “All the practice was good for something.”

  “Yeah. Hopefully Mrs. French gives us a good grade,” Dave said before quickly turning his attention back to the front of the classroom.

  Jisu also turned to the front of the classroom, exhaling with defeat. She sat mere inches away from Dave, but it felt like a million miles. Jisu liked him. She always had. Despite however he felt about her now, was their friendship really so weak that it couldn’t withstand one bout of miscommunication? Was this the end?

  No. Jisu wasn’t going down without a fight.

  “I didn’t know about you and Sophie,” she said to Dave. She didn’t care if anyone else heard or if Mrs. French had to shush her from the front of the classroom.

  Dave kept his eyes forward. But he was listening, she could tell. He tilted his head toward her when she spoke.

  “I didn’t know I could offend someone so much,” he muttered back.

  “I wasn’t offended. I was just shocked. I thought you and Sophie were still together.” Jisu wished he would at least face h
er.

  “I would’ve explained if you let me. But you just ran off. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Jisu slumped back into her seat. She felt helpless, like a deflated balloon. How else was she supposed to react, then? And she was here now, apologizing. Why couldn’t they at least go back to where they’d been before? Friends.

  “What are you doing after school today?” she asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Wanna go hang at DP?” Jisu asked as casually as she could manage. Maybe the approach was to gloss things over.

  “Jisu.” Dave turned to her finally. “We’re done with the project. There’s no reason for us to hang out anymore.”

  Her shoulders dropped and she blinked rapidly to contain the sudden burning sensation in her eyes. His words cut deep. They were the final blow to whatever remaining pride she had left. Was this how he’d felt when she’d run off? Was he doing this on purpose—to show how he’d felt? But how could he be mad at her? She hadn’t known what had happened between him and Sophie—he had never disclosed this.

  “I mean,” Dave started. “I’m not going to force you to hang out with me. I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

  Dave looked nervous, and he kept his gaze on the ground, by her shoes, like he was too nervous to look up at her. Maybe he was afraid he’d jumped the gun too early. He really had. But he hadn’t screwed everything up. And maybe all he needed was a sign.

  “Are you going to Tiffany’s party this weekend?” Jisu tried her hand one more time.

  “I don’t know. It depends.” He finally looked up at Jisu. “Are you going?”

  “Yeah, I’m going. It’d be crazy to miss it,” Jisu said. “You should go!”

  Dave nodded his head, but he didn’t say anything.

  Jisu was out of things to say. She turned her attention back to the presentation happening in front of the classroom. She stared straight ahead as calmly as she could, but she felt rattled. In her mind, she was flashing the biggest green light and waving the largest GO sign at Dave. She wanted him to see it. Was he seeing it?

  MARCH 25, SAN FRANCISCO

  DATE NO. 27

  NAME: Lee Yongi

  * * *

  INTERESTS:

  Comic Books, Gaming, Woodworking

  * * *

  Parent Occupations:

  Investment banker; Pediatrician

  * * *

  Yongi: Who would you say is your favorite superhero?

  Jisu: Hmm. I like Batman.

  Yongi: Same! He’s a superhero without mutant, crazy powers. He goes above and beyond for Gotham.

  Jisu: I mean, the whole wealthy-billionaire thing and having a fancy butler that does tricks doesn’t hurt.

  Yongi: Ha, that’s true. Still, he’s my favorite above Superman, Green Lantern and all those guys.

  Jisu: Oh, I also really like Wonder Woman.

  Yongi: Of course. I knew you’d say that.

  Jisu: Say what?

  Yongi: Wonder Woman. Every girl I know says that.

  Jisu: What’s wrong with liking Wonder Woman? She’s a badass.

  Yongi: It’s just so...expected. You really don’t like any other character? You just have to pick her? And no one really picks Catwoman or Supergirl either.

  Jisu: Isn’t Catwoman a villain?

  Yongi: Originally, yeah. But she’s more like antihero. She’s not perfect, but you root for her.

  Jisu: Yeah, I know what the definition of an antihero is. And technically, she’s an antiheroine.

  Yongi: There we go again with the politicizing.

  Jisu: I’m not overtly politicizing anything. I’m just stating a fact.

  Yongi: Okay, but choosing Wonder Woman as your favorite superhero of all time isn’t a political choice?

  Jisu: You’re saying it’s only political when I happen to pick a female character. It sounds more like you’re the one putting political meaning into it.

  Yongi: I’m not. I just think it’s interesting how every girl I ask says she loves Wonder Woman.

  Jisu: Well, if there were more female superheroes, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But then again, if there were more female superheroes, that might annoy you.

  Yongi: What? No, that wouldn’t bother me. Just as long as they don’t stop making Batman movies just to make more Wonder Woman movies.

  Jisu: Exactly my point.

  Yongi: What do you mean?

  Jisu: You can’t say you support more female superheroes if you’re not willing for Marvel or DC to make space for them.

  Yongi: Then to echo what you’re saying, you can’t have Wonder Woman and other female heroes take up all the attention. Then it’s unfair for the male superheroes.

  Jisu: You’re acting like things have been perfectly equal between men and women. They haven’t. That’s why when a female superhero gets any bit of attention, it’s going to feel unfair even though it’s not. You ever think about how what you perceive to be normal is someone else’s oppressive reality?

  Yongi: “Oppressive reality”—really? We’re talking about comics.

  Jisu: We’re not just talking about comics, Yongi.

  Yongi: Well, whatever. Also, Batman and Wonder Woman are part of the DC world, not Marvel. DC and Marvel are so different.

  Jisu: Ugh. I know that.

  Yongi: Did you really though?

  Jisu: Yes. But believe whatever you want. I really don’t care about convincing you either way.

  28

  It was the first time in ages that Jisu had slept in on a Saturday. Not sleep in until 9:00 a.m. and then do a tiny bit of homework before lunchtime. More like sleep past noon until every cell in her body felt completely restored.

  The last few months of Jisu’s life had become an emotional roller coaster and the ride was finally coming to an end. The night before, Jisu had done a face mask, applied various fragrant creams to her skin and sprinkled lavender oil onto her pillowcase to ensure full slumber. Putting her phone on Do Not Disturb and turning off all the alarms felt like a luxury, and she made a mental note to do it more often.

  The next morning, when she woke up at half past noon, it wasn’t because anxiety or a panicked dream startled her awake. It was from the afternoon sunlight that spilled into her room. And when Jisu woke up, she felt ready to tackle whatever life was going to throw at her, however easy or difficult it was.

  Still half awake, she reached for her camera and took a few photos of the sunlight and shadows that hit her bedroom walls. She eventually rolled out of bed and made her way downstairs.

  “I was getting a little worried,” Linda said and offered a smile. She was reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. “I almost went in to check if you were still breathing.”

  “Just catching up on sleep.” Jisu let out a yawn and stretched her arms out. “I feel like I’ve been barely functioning for the last few weeks.”

  “I’m glad you got some rest. You’ve been working so hard.” Linda nodded toward Jisu’s laptop. “You just got a notification on your computer. Maybe some of that hard work has paid off.”

  Linda pushed the laptop toward Jisu. Jisu flipped it around. She hadn’t logged out of the application portal, and there was an email from the UChicago Admissions Office. Her heart started to beat rapidly and she ran up the stairs and into her room just as quickly. Jisu closed the door behind her and ran to her desk. She took a quick breath before clicking on the email.

  Dear Jisu,

  Welcome and congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Chicago.

  Earning a place in our community of scholars is no small achievement, and we are delighted that you selected UChicago to continue your intellectual journey.

  Jisu let out a scream before she could even finish reading. It wasn’t a rejection.
It wasn’t a wait list. UChicago wanted her, Jisu Kim, as a student!

  Mandy rushed in without knocking, looking worried. “What happened, what happened? Are you okay?”

  Jisu was too excited to speak. She jumped up and down and showed Mandy.

  “Oh, my god, congrats, Jisu! You did it! This is amazing!”

  “I have to call my parents!” Jisu picked up her phone and dialed them immediately. Her excitement kept growing. She didn’t even pause to consider the time difference like she usually would. Who cares if it’s 3:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m. there? They won’t mind.

  “Jisu? Is everything okay?” Mrs. Kim answered, sounding equal parts groggy and concerned. Maybe the news could’ve waited just a few hours.

  “Everything is amazing, Umma. I just got into UChicago!” Jisu shouted. She heard her mother gasp and then rustle her father awake.

  “UChicago, honey. UChicago!” Mrs. Kim said. “Jisu-ya, that’s so great. We all know how hard you’ve worked.”

  “Congratulations, Jisu!” Mr. Kim shouted in the back before clearing his throat. He sounded half awake, as well. But they both were ecstatic for her.

  Much to Jisu’s relief, they made no mention of her still being on the Harvard wait list. She wondered if she was more excited about going to Chicago instead of Cambridge for the next four years. Better to attend somewhere that immediately welcomed you instead of pushing your way into a school that wasn’t sure.

  “Enjoy this moment, my Jisu! You deserve it!” Mrs. Kim said. “Your Appa and I won’t tell your Haraboji. We’ll let you call him. Actually, you should just try him now. You know how he’s always up so early. I’m proud of you!”

  All this hard work was worth it to hear those words from her mother. The acceptance was only sweetened by her parents’ approval.

  Jisu dialed her grandfather.

  “Jisu! What a wonderful way to start my day!” Jisu was already in a great mood, but hearing her grandfather’s voice lifted her spirits even more.

  “Haraboji, I have some great news.” Jisu was so happy, she was nearly giggling to herself. Haraboji probably could tell because he was starting to laugh, too.