OUR HEARTBEAT [BEOMJUN] ✅

twenty-four

Friday, after the podcast aired, we started getting the most outraged emails we’d ever seen. Mr. Looking for Love hadn’t called in, and people weren’t happy with us. As if the podcast was staged, and we arranged who did and didn’t call in.

Arin read the emails to me as we were getting ready for the cook-off at my house. Apparently part of Arin’s new job in postproduction was responding to emails we didn’t have a chance to read on air, and deciding which ones we should read on future episodes.

“This girl says that she feels you guys strung her along and forced her to listen until the end with your fake promises,” Arin said, looking at her phone as we stood in my kitchen.

I let out a single laugh. “That’s probably because at the beginning of the show Sieun said I wonder if Looking for Love will call in today. Do you think people will stop listening because of this?” I asked, suddenly worried.

“No,” Arin said decisively, putting her phone down on the counter. “People are obviously emotionally invested if they are this angry. And besides, people don’t listen just for Yeonjun.”

“These emails sure are making it seem like it.”

Arin turned to her grocery bag and pulled out a pineapple. We had gone to the store right after school for Arin’s supplies. Yeonjun was bringing his own.

“How are you going to respond?” I asked, nodding toward Arin’s phone.

“How about: Get a life?” Arin offered with a mischievous grin.

“Not sure Ms. Lee would approve of that.”

She walked back over to her phone and checked the screen. “Here’s a good email.”

“Yeah?” I put the chicken in the fridge.

“ ‘Dear Beom.’ ” She paused and wiggled her eyebrows. “It doesn’t include Sieun.”

“I’m scared.”

“ ‘I love you on the show. What advice would you give to someone who wants to ask you out?’ ”

“Ugh,” I said.

Arin glanced up. “Why is that an ugh? I thought it was nice.”

“That person doesn’t know me at all!”

“What do you mean? This person listens to you every week and this person is smitten.”

“Okay, fine, then I don’t know who send it  at all.”

“The sender obviously wants to change that. I think it’s cute.”

“No. Not cute.” I pulled a box of chicken broth from the grocery bag. “What are you making tonight, anyway?”

“Hulihuli chicken.”

“Mmm. I love that stuff.”

“I know. It will transform Yeonjun’s heart into putty.”

“Is that a weird way of saying it will give him a heart attack?”

“No! It’s an amazing way of saying he will finish falling in love with me.”

“Oh. Got it.” Our bags were unloaded and in an hour Yeonjun would arrive.

“He’s bringing a friend, by the way,” Arin said. “Someone else to judge, because he thought you’d be biased.”

“Who’s he bringing?”

“He didn’t say.”

“Should we go change?” I asked. We were still both in our school clothes, and I felt sweaty and grimy.