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.“Not as in dating, of course.Just helping with this party you’re apparently putting together to raise medical funds.”“Oh.” I glance around, hoping for someone to show up, while clutching my fists, furious no one had.Where are Michelle and Lily?“Appears you need a little help,” he says.I follow his gaze to the paper flower piles, the trash scattered about the gym, and the easels heaped by the bleachers where the pictures of North Korean kids are supposed to be displayed.I can only imagine the panicked look I must be wearing.“I could put you to work.” I plant my hands on my hips and pretend to size him up.“You man enough?”“I hadn’t pegged you for a party organizer,” Kang-dae says.“But I’d hate to disappoint someone of your lineage.”I scowl.He has no idea how mentioning my lineage disturbs me.“I can put on a party if I need to.But since you’re here, you can go find some humans to hang these ridiculous lanterns.”He laughs, shakes his head, and with a salute, marches off.The moment he leaves, I text Michelle and Lily, asking them where they are.Next I call the maintenance office about the tables and dump the first box of flowers onto the gym floor.By the time I have flowers stretched out in long roped lines across the gym floor, Kang-dae saunters through the gym doors, a parade of soccer players following in his wake.“Will these suffice for the humans you were asking for?” Kang-dae asks.I’ve no idea how he managed to wrangle the soccer team to help hang decorations, but who am I to complain? I show them the ladders and hand them fishing line.Meanwhile, a group of ajusshi come in with the tables.After I direct where to set them up, I drag the ropes of flowers to the tables and start taping them to their fronts.“Care for help?” Kang-dae asks.I glance at my watch.Four o’clock.I have three hours to finish decorating and somehow slip into my dress.I’d call Marc, but he’s at his training until 7:00 p.m.He won’t even be at the party on time.I hand Kang-dae a rope end.“Hold this,” I say, and stalk to the other side of the table, where I tape down my portion of the rope.“Quite the operation you’ve undertaken,” Kang-dae says, lazily watching as I wrestle with the rest of the string before we move onto the next table.“Do you think this whole clandestine endeavor will work?”“I hope so.” I stand back to assess my work.The flower strand is skewed and two of the loops are off-center.“Let’s hope it works better than my decorating.”“Agreed.But if it were me, I’d just lie my way into North Korea.Why mess around with all of this nonsense?”“Because it has to look believable.We can’t just go traipsing into North Korea without a reason.There is no way the government would allow a bunch of teens into the country.Plus, what would our parents say? You know it would be all over the news.”“If you say so.” He sprawls out on a bleacher, crossing his arms.“So how long have you and Marc been dating?”It feels like we’ve been together forever, but as I think about it, I realize it’s only been about four months.Then I blush as I remember our first kiss.It was right after he’d saved me when Haemosu pulled me into the Spirit World through my locker.“Not long,” I say, trying to fluff a flower I’d accidentally stepped on.“He’s been really supportive through all of this.I don’t know if I could’ve made it without him.”“Oh, I’m sure you could.You’re tougher than you think.You should give yourself more credit.”I focus on the flower, not sure what to think about Kang-dae’s look or why he’s complimenting me.We work for the next few minutes in silence, putting the final touches on the flowers and then piling the flower arrangements onto the tables.The soccer team hauls in ladders and yells directions to each other.Kang-dae and I are tacking the photos onto the easels when Michelle and Lily rush in, each holding a long white cake box.“Girl,” Michelle says, out of breath.“I’m over-the-world sorry.The vendor called and we had issues.Lily and I had to taxi it to the other side of eternity to find another bakery that had fresh kongtteok.”“Those rice cakes better taste good.” I peek inside the box, discovering round cakes of steamed rice sprinkled with beans and smelling of honey.My stomach growls at the sight.“Don’t worry, though, I saved plenty of work for you.”“So.” Michelle scoots closer to Kang-dae.“Who’s your friend?”“Kang-dae, meet Michelle and Lily,” I say.“He’s a friend from Yonsei University.While the two of you were touring Seoul, he came to my rescue.”Michelle is all smiles and she bats her eyelashes.Even Lily looks a little overwhelmed by Kang-dae’s striking looks as she sets the boxes on the table.“You could drag that background against the wall and set it up behind the donation table,” I tell him.“Your wish is my command,” Kang-dae says.He flashes my friends a smile and then heads across the gym.“My, my,” Michelle says.“Where did you pick that specimen up?”“Does Marc know about him?” Lily asks.“He’s actually a friend of Marc’s.” I smile over this, because Marc actually hates Kang-dae.“Does he have a girlfriend?” Michelle asks as she uncovers the cakes.“He’s a college boy,” Lily says.“I’d stay clear.”Michelle grins.“I know.”“I really don’t know much about him,” I say.“But I do know we’ve got a party to get on.”Astonishingly, by seven o’clock, the room is set up.Techno music plays over the system, and the air smells a mix of sweet from the rice cakes and savory from the sesame-seed sauce for the kimbap [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]