“Slow down, there’s more. It’s called bruschetta con formaggio e miele. You have to use good cheese and honey to make it right. My dad sent me a postcard with the recipe. He likes making this.”

“He sounds like a sweet guy.”

“He is. A gentle and kind man. So I have a hard time understanding my mother’s choice. If she didn’t have the affair, we’d still be a happy family.”

“Do you hate your mom for that?”

“What? How could I hate my own mother? Without her, I wouldn’t exist. I wouldn’t have met you. My mom is … different. She doesn’t think like a normal person. It might be because she’s a lesbian. No, I don’t know. She has too much love to give. She is an open-minded go-getter, intelligent … but she’s too different from my father.” Jihyun pours out his thoughts. He must have been bottling this up. “My dad learned about the affair while he was struggling after his larynx surgery. He couldn’t sing professionally anymore. It must’ve hit him really hard. He made up stories about studying abroad in Italy, and just like that, he left, and I …” Tears well up in Jihyun’s eyes. He shakes his head. “Sorry. I’m boring you with my sob story.”

“No, you aren’t.” I reach across the table and gently touch the back of his hand. “Your hands are so soft, softer than mine.”

“It’s your turn, Yeoul. Tell me about yourself. Your parents, your brother, your childhood.”

“You know some of it. I told you some when you were visiting me at the hospital.”

“Yeah … wait, we are using the honorific again. Okay, let’s make some rules so we won’t keep reverting back to it. There will be a penalty for using the honorific.”

“A penalty?”

“You have to grant the other his or her wish.”

“Okay. Starting … now!” A long silence follows. I smile a bit, and get up to explore his house, checking out one room and then the other, and then go into the bathroom. The wall and the floor are covered in spotless white tiles. I don’t see a single strand of hair on the floor. He must have a maid who comes every day. In this mirror I look vibrant and rosy-cheeked. I wash my hands and turn around to get out of the bathroom, but stop myself to rinse my mouth first. I sit down on the sofa, and the cuckoo bird jumps out of the clock to chirp eleven times. Jihyun breaks the silence.

“You must be tired,” he says and laughs. For some reason Jihyun keeps bursting out laughing. What’s so funny? He pauses, puts on a straight face, and tries speaking in a serious tone: “Yeoul, you must be exhausted. Going on a road trip right after being discharged was too much.”