CHAPTER 28

“So, did your complex stem from looking young? I don’t think looking young is necessarily a bad thing.”

“I know. When I visited Korea, they envied me for having a youthful face, calling me ‘dong-an.’ (동안 = dong-an = baby face). The problem is, I live in the United States. Guess what my nickname was in high school?”

“I don’t know. Snow White? That’s what Rose called you.”

“Oh, that’s what the Aster School kindergarten kids call me……. Oh, how I wish I had a nickname that pretty. My nickname was ‘toddler’ – you know, what they call a little kid in diapers.”

The glass Taejun was bringing to his lips halted in midair. Minhee puffed out her chest, took a deep breath, and exhaled a long breath.

“The reason I got that nickname is because……. It’s a long story, do you really want to hear it?”

“Go ahead, because now I’m really curious.”

The idea of revealing a story that no one had heard before, to none other than Taejun, felt unreal. But the lump of hurt she’d been wrapping up in her heart had swelled to a huge size, and now it felt like it was about to burst.

She didn’t know where to start, so she decided to just tell it all from the beginning.

The reason Minhee’s father settled on Hilton Head Island, a small island in South Carolina that nobody had heard of, was to take over a sushi restaurant run by an acquaintance.

“I was just a kid at the time, so I don’t know much about the details, but my paternal grandfather had a sashimi restaurant in Korea. Not an American-style sushi restaurant, but, you know, Korean-style sashimi, where they just catch the fish in an aquarium, slice it fresh, and place it on a bed of vegetables.”

Taejun tilted his head. Although he had seen small tanks with fish and crustaceans passing by places like traditional markets, he had never been to a ‘raw fish restaurant’ himself.

“You might not know. It’s delicious. Anyway.”

At that time, Minhee’s father’s university senior, who was operating the sushi restaurant, was planning to emigrate to Korea.

“My dad, who was known as the ‘son of the raw fish restaurant,’ was preparing to take over the sushi restaurant even before he emigrated. He was quite meticulous.”

After working under his senior for a year, and learning the ropes, her father took over the restaurant as planned when the senior returned to Korea.

With the money they brought and borrowed, they renovated the interior elegantly. Soon, during the spring break and summer vacation, when northern tourists flocked to the island, the business flourished to the point that reservations were required.

As soon as they had a little extra money, the first thing Minhee’s father did was send her to a private school with a high tuition. The reason was that the public high school, where Minhee was supposed to go, was not considered good due to being far from the coast, known as the “Million Mile” and close to the airport.

“The high school I went to was the only private high school on Hilton Head Island. Koreans are Koreans no matter where they go. Even though my Dad immigrated because he didn’t like the education-focused competitive society, he still wanted to send me to a good school.”

Rosewood High School was a private school attended by children of professional parents on the island, including those who owned resorts, hotels, and tourist establishments. In a school where 90 percent were white, Minhee was a minority, a lowly student, from a working-class background, who received tuition assistance.

Could there be a more cruel time than adolescence, when kids are mean to each other?

“My first nickname was ‘Sushi’ for the very obvious reason that my dad owns a sushi restaurant.”

Thanks to her school’s anti-racism training as part of its “Diversity Education,” and the strict penalties, they didn’t openly call her that in front of her. However, she was aware that some kids, who didn’t even make an effort to remember her Korean name, called her ‘Sushi’ behind her back.

“Back then, I didn’t know that I would eventually think that nickname was better. The kids who called me racially discriminatory nicknames were mostly called ‘bullies,’ and the other kids disliked them too.”

Even in the sixth grade, Minhee was on the later side of physical development compared to her peers in a place where most kids already had adult-height, mature bodies, and even started wearing makeup.

She managed reasonably well when she was in middle school, but by the time she reached 9th grade and moved on to high school, the difference was clear. The small and ordinary Asian girl was like a background presence in a school where it was unclear whether she existed or not.

Fortunately, Minhee excelled in her studies and had a few close friends thanks to her bright personality. However, throughout the 9th and 10th grades, she lived thoroughly as a ‘bystander.’ It wasn’t until her junior year, however, that she was thrust into the spotlight thanks to Noah Brown. 

“Noah Brown was the superstar of Rosewood High School. He was a year ahead of me, but there wasn’t a kid in 9th through 12th grade who didn’t like him.”

He was everyone’s first love and unrequited crush, the kind that every teenage girl on the island goes through at one time or another.

With his wavy light brown hair swept back and a smize in his dark blue eyes, Noah was already over 6 feet tall in ninth grade, the star quarterback in varsity football, and, on top of that, he was the heir to the large golf resort hotel in the middle of the island. Despite his background, Noah was also quite a good student.

“With that kind of background and looks, you’d think a terrible personality would make him flawed, but he had a good personality too.”

Noah was a Southern Gentleman (someone who puts the interests of others first, especially women). He was polite, laughed easily, and his playful jokes were never as crude as those of his peers.

Noah was surrounded by kids who wanted to get to know him.

“I looked up to him like any other kid and had a vague crush on him, but it was more like liking a star on the screen.”

Taejun stared at Minhee with sunken eyes. Minhee was hugging her knees and resting her chin on them, staring off into the distance in reminiscence. The way she described ‘Noah Brown’ felt strangely similar to someone Taejun knew well.

‘He’s like Kim Junhee.’

The only difference was that Taejun felt a peculiar hostility towards ‘Noah Brown,’ whom he barely knew, something he had never felt towards Junhee. Why?

“So, does Noah Brown have anything to do with your complex?” 

Taejun’s voice suddenly broke through Minhee’s trip down memory lane, causing her to startle. She slowly nodded her head.

“Noah is… my trauma, my complex, and my first love.” 

First love. While he understood the meaning, the term was foreign to Taejun. The word burrowed into his heart like a blood-sucking tick, causing an uncomfortable feeling that he couldn’t pinpoint.

“Keep going. So?”

Taejun’s chilly and curt voice urged Minhee on.

In the summer of 9th grade, Minhee applied to work as a junior camp counselor at the golf resort operated by Noah’s family. As soon as the vacation started, she found herself working there.

Her main responsibilities included assisting with camp activities, overseeing children, and helping with camp activities, and cleaning up after them.

“At that time, I didn’t know, but Noah was also working there as a junior camp counselor, learning the ropes of the resort.”

On the first day of the summer camp, seeing him at work, Minhee was so excited that she called her close friend Madison like a fan reporting, spying on Noah to know what he was doing and who he was talking to.

Since Minhee was responsible for the younger kids, and Noah for the older ones, they didn’t get many opportunities to work together. If they happened to cross paths, Noah would give a polite nod with a smile, and pass by without knowing Minhee’s name or the fact that they attended the same school.

One day, when a counselor fell ill and couldn’t make it to the ecological conservation hiking trip for seniors, Minhee was chosen as a replacement for the junior counselors. he was assigned a seat next to Noah, who was standing at the back of two rows of kids. As she nervously approached him, Noah greeted her warmly.

Before coming back to the island to take over the family business, he had lived in New York City, and Minhee found his accent, void of the drawn-out vowels characteristic of the Southern accent, impressively neat.

[Hey! Thanks for filling in for Jason. I’m Noah.]

Noah extended his hand to Minhee. Unaccustomed to introducing herself with a handshake, Minhee awkwardly extended her hand, mumbling a ‘hi’ in a croaky voice. Noah lightly shook her hand then let it go.

Frozen like a fan meeting her idol, Minhee looked at Noah with wide eyes. She was puzzled by his expression as if he was waiting for something.

[Did I already know your name, and I forgot? Sorry if I did. What’s your name?]

[Uh… Minhee.]

[Minnie? Like Minnie Mouse?]

[No. Minhee.]

[It’s a pretty name. It suits you.]

As Noah smiled broadly, Minhee’s ears perked up. She felt like she now understood why girls adored Noah Brown.

While walking along the line of children, checking if any were falling behind or if new kids were joining, they followed the boardwalk laid across the swamp.

[Min, which school do you go to?]

[Th-the same school. I mean, Rosewood High School. 9th grade, no, soon to be 10th grade, one grade below you-]

Due to Noah casually shortening her name and calling her ‘Min,’ Minhee was flustered and stuttered through her words. Noah suddenly put his arm around Minhee’s shoulder and smiled mischievously.

[Min! You should’ve told me something so important sooner! Go Gators!]

[Um… Go Gators!]

Noah clenched his fist and enthusiastically shouted the school mascot’s cheer. Hesitant at first, Minhee finally joined in, raising her small fist. Noah tilted his head and chuckled, amused by her awkwardness.