She trails off. She must be remembering all my anxiety spirals from back when we were in college, when I was still coming to terms with the fact that I’m bi and was so scared that my parents would find out. Back then, my highly traditional parents finding out about my sexuality seemed like a worst nightmare situation, since I’d heard about other kids who were Korean, Christian, or both being disowned for coming out as gay.

“Yeah,” I reply. “I was terrified for the longest time, but after I met my friends, Val and Kiara, here in SF… I felt safer and more confident about everything. The first time we all went to Pride together, my parents saw the pictures on social media and had a lot of questions. I was shaking the entire time, but I came out to them. They were surprisingly more ambivalent about it than I thought they’d be. Not totally accepting like the picture-perfect parents on TV, but not opposed to it, either. Although I think they still secretly want me to end up with a man.”

Celeste winces. “And you can’t even tell them you’re not interested in guys. Because you are.”

“Right,” I sigh. “How about you? If I’m remembering correctly… your parents have known for a while now, right?”

She nods. “Yup. I was a bit of a wild kid, especially by Korean standards. And ever since I first got caught kissing a girl in middle school, they’ve known I’m not straight. They still wish I was, though,” she adds with a bitter laugh. “That’s part of the reason why I moved back to LA as soon as my mom was able to take care of herself. Honestly one great thing about my parents’ divorce is that now I only have one parent who actively pressures me to settle down with a man. I haven’t heard from my dad in eight years, and honestly? Good riddance.”

“That’s so tough,” I reply. “I’m sorry.”

By then, I’ve finished packing, and Celeste walks me to the door of the studio.

“It is what it is,” she says. “Luckily, I have a chosen family in LA and a close friend in Seoul who gets it. He’s coming to hang out with us for Christmas this year, staying with me for a week before traveling elsewhere in the country.”

“Oh, that sounds so fun!” I exclaim. “Is this the friend that helped you while you were having a hard time back home?”

Celeste nods. “Yup. His name is Min-joon. We’ve been friends since we were kids. That’s actually one of the reasons I know I’m definitely lesbian,” she adds in a dry, vaguely humorous tone. “Because if I liked men, we’d be married by now.”

A giggle escapes from my lips. “Wait, and he doesn’t like you in that way, either?”