And with that, the conversation shifts to Nora and Jeremy, Alex’s ten-year-old twin cousins from Seattle, who take turns showing Halmoni their soccer trophies and new cleats. Over the next thirty minutes, I try to let myself relax into the conversation, but the word girlfriend keeps ringing in my ears.

Eventually, when Halmoni informs us all that it’s time for Elvis’s diabetes shot, the call ends. Alex closes the laptop screen and turns to face me, taking my hands in his.

“How was that? I hope it wasn’t too overwhelming,” he says. “I promise, no one was recording or anything. My mom warned them all ahead of time—they get it. Well, I mean, except Uncle Hugh, obviously. But I think you’re safe there.”

I shake my head and smile. “I’m not worried about that.” And it’s true. I may have spent most of the video call worrying about the official status of my relationship with Alex, but even through my nervous state I could tell that his family was genuinely kind and respectful. There’s no way Alex’s mom or Halmoni or even little cousin Nora would sell us out. “Your family’s pretty great,” I say to Alex.

He grins back. “Yeah. They are.” For a moment, I get lost in Alex’s eyes, picturing us at future Jeon family gatherings, imagining how Alex’s mom and Umma would get along, how Nora would die at the chance to spend time with Leah.… Would it be so wrong to let myself be his girlfriend? To call him my boyfriend and bring him home to meet Appa?

Buzz! Buzz!

The timer on Alex’s stove buzzes, alerting us that the oxtail soup is done. And with it, I feel all my happy fantasies zapping away. Don’t let us down, Mr. Noh said. I think of Kang Jina and Jiyoon, who chose to follow their hearts and paid the ultimate price: Jina losing her career as an idol, and Jiyoon losing her boyfriend.

I need to get out of here. My brain is a scrambled mess. I should be focusing on how to best position my bags for Lane Crawford, not getting lost in fantasies of things that will never happen so long as I’m a DB idol.

I hop off the couch, grab my jacket from the back of the dining room chair, and look around for where I left my bag.

“Hey, where are you going?” Alex says, standing in the living room doorway, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Don’t you want to taste the fruits of your labor?”