Starry Night

nine

Following Bogum and Seolhyun, we all head outside to a deck studded with tin lanterns. It's beautiful out here, actually. The sun still hasn't completely fallen, but it's getting close, and the mountains are limned in orange and pink behind darkening silhouettes of trees. Everything's in that middle stage between day and night, which somehow seems more exciting out here in the wilderness than it does in the city. As though something's on the verge of happening.

The deck quickly fills with people, some of them standing against the railing to watch the sunset, others saving seats on the patio furniture to listen to guitar music. Waiters begin circulating after-dinner coffee and tea. We walk past Candy, who is talking with some other guests, and when she spots us, she calls Seolhyun over to meet them. The rest of us jog down the wide deck steps to a clearing and head toward the compound's fire pit.

It's a beautiful bonfire, with rustic split-log benches circling it. A few guests are toasting marshmallows over the flames, and there's some sort of make-you-own-s'mores station on a table. Nearby, white lights are strung on a cedar pergola, underneath are three lanes of horseshoes set up.

"Want to play?" Minjun asks Jungkook. "I have to warn you, I'm pretty much a horseshoe genius, so I'll probably beat you."

"Is that so?"

"Legendary," Minjun confirms. "At least, I was when I was ten, which is the last - and, well, only time I've ever played."

Jungkook chuckles. "If it's like ring toss at the amusement park, I kill at that. Let's do this." He looks at me. "You in?"

"Hand-eye coordination is not a strong suit," I tell him. Every time I've ever played games where you have to get up in front of others and do something in a spotlight - like bowling or charades - I generally am too concerned about onlookers watching me and end up looking awkward. "Maybe I'll watch a game and see how it's played first."

"Throw a horseshoe, try to hit the stake," Jungkook says.

"You make it sound easy."

"No, I think you're making it harder than it really is," he says, smirking. "Sometimes you just have to say screw it and go for it."

Hyejeong chimes in that she wants to play, and it's only now I notice that Bogum is missing. Maybe he hung back with Seolhyun to talk to Candy. Or maybe he's staking out the bartender. Who knows. But I wish he were here so that we could revisit his earlier interest in taking photos of the moon - and maybe so that he could be a natural buffer between me and Jungkook.

When we've been talking, all the horseshoe lanes have filled with teams. So we stand at the edge of the pergola and wait for a free stake, watching the game in progress. That's when I feel and gentle tap on my shoulder.

I look up to see a woman about eomma's age, with pale skin and her hair pulled tightly back in a smooth ponytail. "Aren't you Daniel Bae's daughter?"

"Yes." My shoulders tighten. Then I recognize the woman. Lee Jieun. I've seen her in the clinic. She runs a vocal entertainment. She used to be one of my dad's patients.

"I thought I recognized you," she says with a smile. "Is your family here?"

"No, I'm just vacationing with some friends." I look toward Jungkook and Minjun. Jungkook nods in greeting.

"Ah," she says. "Beautiful place, isn't it? I've been here the last few days filming a audition video with a small crew."

"That's really cool."

She nods. "It's been a great shoot. We leave tomorrow morning. How's your dad doing? I haven't seen him since he worked on my back this spring."

"He's okay." I feel like I should say something more positive than that, but honestly, it's hard for me to muster the words.