“You’ll have to forgive my father.” Bo-Ra folded her arms over her waist as she took unhurried steps down the garden pathway. “He’s never been very patient.”

The warm night was breezeless and heady with lilac. Bo-Ra glanced over at the tall, young man walking beside her. Even in her heels, she just reached his shoulder. And he looked impressive in his black suit, different than she’d expected.

“You’ll have to forgive my father too,” Seung-Bae responded. He kept his head down as they walked, shortening his pace to match hers. His expression was troubled. “I wish he hadn’t told your parents that I was moving to California. That’s what he wants, not what I want.”

“Why don’t you want to go? California is beautiful; I know you’d love it there. Stanford is amazing too.”

“Seoul is home,” he answered simply.

Bo-Ra smiled to herself. Seung-Bae was as reserved as she remembered. It suited him. He was still slender, not yet grown into his height, but his features were sharp and appealing in the delicate way fashionably favored as handsome, and, overall, she found him attractive. He’d grown up well. Even his soft voice was appealing, low and melodic. When he spoke, the cadence intrigued and made her curious to watch the movement of his lips.

“Did you ever imagine that we’d meet again like this?” she threw her head back and looked up as if searching for stars beyond the thick canopy of clouds. “When was the last time I saw you? I’m trying to remember …”

“Our fourth grade year. It was just after White Day.”

“Ahh … I remember now. You made me a card,” Bo-Ra laughed. “You confessed to me. Do you remember? You wrote that you’d be mine forever.”

Seung-Bae’s mouth curved into a wry smile. The small dimple it carved into his cheek fascinated her. She tried to recall if he’d had it in primary school, but if he had, she had no memory of it.

“You didn’t come to back school after that,” he said. “The teacher announced to the class that your family had moved. I went to your house, but no one answered. A neighbor eventually came out,” he chuckled, “and yelled at me for banging so loudly on the gate. She told me you were already gone.”

“I never told you I was leaving, did I. I never said goodbye.”

“No.”

“Ah, Seung-Bae, I’m so sorry. I was dreadful to you, wasn’t I? You have to forgive me. I was a terror as a child, I admit it. But don’t you think it’s somewhat romantic? Two childhood sweethearts being reunited ten years later?”

“We aren’t children anymore.”

There it was. The wall that she’d been prodding towards, afraid to find.

“No. We aren’t children anymore.”

“I apologize for tonight. It wasn’t my intention to mislead you, or your parents. My father just sprung all of this on me and, honestly, I haven’t been straightforward with him. Our relationship … well, it’s always been complicated. But the truth is that I have someone I like, someone who is very special to me.”

Bo-Ra’s mouth went dry. Her hands felt clammy and, despite the heat, she ran her fingertips over the goose bumps that suddenly rose along her arms.

“The foreign girl?”

Seung-Bae stopped. She continued forward a step and then turned to face him. Her heart quickened as she watched him straighten. His face hardened, the line of his jaw working as if he’d come to a conclusion. He looked terribly beautiful, and Bo-Ra suddenly felt desperate and afraid.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Do you love her?” Bo-Ra wasn’t sure why she’d asked the question. It had just slipped out. She wanted to take it back. She didn’t want to know the answer.

“Yes, I love her.” Seung-Bae’s face softened as if with relief.

Bo-Ra wanted to slap him. To rake her nails across his face. How dare he turn her down? How dare he make her heart flutter at one moment and then plummet at the next? How dare he not be on her side after he’d promised all those years ago to belong to her? She’d let her guard down for him, raised her parents expectations, and this was how he repaid her? It was nonsensical for her to be so angry, a voice inside her head mockingly pointed out, but she couldn’t help it. The rush of emotions had a life of their own. Her hands clenched into fists. Her fingernails bit into her skin.

“I think I’d better go,” he said. “Would you tell my father that I’m taking a taxi home? And give your parents my thanks for dinner.” He paused and then nodded to her. “It was good to see you again, Choi Bo-Rah. Take care of yourself.”

Bo-Rah nodded in return and then watched in silence as he strode towards the gate and disappeared into the night.

He was loyal. But then, hadn’t she known he would be? And at that moment, more than anything else, she realized that she coveted that loyalty for her own.

Take care of yourself. Yes. That was exactly what she intended to do.

She pivoted on the point of one stiletto heel and headed back into the house. As she made her way towards the dining room where she’d left her parents, low voices coming from her father’s study drew her attention. The door was ajar. She slowed and then paused to listen.

“It has been arranged. The Hong Kong business is yours once the children are married,” her father said. Then he cleared his throat, and Bo-Ra heard the soft tinkle of liquid being poured into a glass. “But,” he continued, “I understand there is a girl. Is it something to worry about?”

Through the sliver of the door’s open space, Bo-Ra spotted Seung-Bae’s father. His back was to her, but then he turned and smiled amicably at her father who stood unseen at the far end of the study. Attorney Kim lifted a glass to his lips and sipped the amber fluid inside.

“I hardly think so,” he replied. “The girl is just a foreign e he’s taken a momentary fancy too. It’s nothing to worry about.”

He moved out of her line of sight, and Bo-Ra backed away from the door. Her hand flew to ; her arm pressed against her heart. It was racing, and suddenly she saw everything clearly. She’d known Seung-Bae’s reaction to her advances was all wrong. And now it all made sense. The boy was being manipulated. He wasn’t in love – he was confused. His emotions were being toyed with by a calculating gold-digger.

Bo-Ra’s chin jutted upward, her confidence soaring. This was a situation she could handle. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to remind a shameless piece of trash of its proper place. This girl was nothing – just another leech that needed a lesson in the perils of playing with fire.