Page 10 of Drama Queens Don't Fall For Charming Boys

“Miss Lane? Is there something specific you’re looking for?” I ask.

She rubs her forehead as she squeezes her eyes shut. “I can’t explain it. I’m looking for someone who embodies William perfectly. I need to feel it in here.” She presses her hand to her chest, her heart. “I feel it when I look at you, but I’m sorry to say I haven’t felt it with any of the guys who auditioned. A few have come close, so I may need to audition them once again and pick one of them if I have no choice. But I’m hopeful my perfect William will walk through the doors.”

“I know you’ll find him,” I tell her with an encouraging smile. “You always find the perfect actors to play the right roles. But don’t stress, okay? Everything will work out in the end.”

She laughs softly. “I like your optimism, Mia.”

I return to my seat and finish reading through the script. The next guy doesn’t do half as good a job as Lionel, but the next one looks pretty good. I’m really not worried. I know we’ll have a leading guy by next week.

When theater is over, I leave the auditorium and meet my dad in the parking lot. He rolls down his window and tips an imaginary hat. “Lorenzo is here to take the lovely Miss Mia to Ji-Ho’s.”

My dad loves to play roles whenever he can, just like me. When he drives me or my friends anywhere, he takes on the role of Lorenzo the chauffeur. I’m hanging out at Ji-Ho’s today because Halmeoni added a new dish to the menu and according to Dad, it’s “to die for.” So you bet your butt I want to try it.

“Good afternoon, Lorenzo,” I greet as I slide into the passenger seat. “Did you hear back from your agent regarding the role for that action movie he was pressing you to consider?”

Dad shakes his head as he pulls out of the parking lot. “It’s a great role, but you know I want to stay at home with you for your last years with us. After you graduate, you’ll fly off to L.A., never looking back once. Abandoning your poor father and mother and leaving us with an empty nest. What are we ever to do without our little Mia?”

Of course he’s kidding. Dad and I like to be overdramatic about everything. We’ll probably live in the L.A. house whenever we have jobs, since we both still want to live in Edenbury when we’re not working on any projects. Dad decided a few years ago that he was going to limit the number of projects he took on because he realized that he was missing out on my and Willow’s lives. He spent so much time in L.A. when we were little that he regretted missing some of our milestones. Luckily, he and I were able to star in The Beat of My Heart last summer and will do the sequel next summer. I have no idea what lies in store for either of us once I graduate, but I’m excited for whatever is to come.

“You know I always tell you to take the job if you want,” I tell Dad. “Mom and I want you to follow your dreams.”

“You and your mother are my dream. I dedicated enough of my life to my career. You two always come first.”

I smile as I lean back in my seat. “I love that you’re home, too.” Even though I understood at a young age that my dad’s job meant he had to be away from us for a few months at a time, it was hard. Though it got easier once I started getting roles and understood exactly what my dad was going through.

“How’s the play going?” Dad asks.

I lift my shoulders. “I don’t know. Miss Lane is still struggling to find the perfect male lead. I’ve never seen her so stressed about a performance before. She really believes in this play.”

“I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end.”

“That’s what I said.”

We talk about other things, like what’s going on in the acting world, news going around Edenbury, and the latest school gossip. My friends and I aren’t really in with the crowd, so we have no idea what the juicy gossip is. A few minutes later, we pull into Ji-Ho’s. Ah, home sweet home. It’s like a second home to me.

Dad puts on his server uniform and goes into the kitchen while I greet the staff in Korean. Willow and I grew up speaking Korean to our grandparents, but we speak English to Mom and Dad.

The staff is super happy to see me, and since it’s not busy today—which is rare because the place is usually packed—we manage to catch up on each other’s lives. Before heading into the kitchen to say hi to my grandmother, I make a quick stop at the back office to see how Harabeoji is doing. My grandfather takes care of the day-to-day operations while my grandmother takes care of the kitchen. Harabeoji is always so stressed, especially now that the restaurant has expanded. His desk is always overflowing with documents and papers.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Harabeoji,” I say as I enter the office.

His head snaps up from the document he’s reading and his face lights up. “Mia! What a nice surprise. Come here.”

I walk over and wrap my arms around him. “How are you? Please don’t tell me you’re overworking yourself like always.”

We spend a few minutes catching up. I would stay here for hours, but Harabeoji really needs to get back to work and I don’t want to disturb him. After kissing his cheek, I make my way to the kitchen, where Halmeoni is giving instructions to the kitchen staff.

“Annyeonghaseyo, everyone!” I greet.

“Mia!” Halmeoni opens her arms wide and I run into them. “I love when you surprise Halmeoni like this. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my beautiful granddaughter. I’m such a lucky old woman.”

“Dad told me you put a new dish on the menu and I need to try it.”

“Of course, of course. I’ll give you the dish right away and you tell me if you like it or not.”

“I’m sure I will,” I tell her with a grin as I lower myself at one of the tables.

Halmeoni wastes no time setting me up with the new dish. As soon as I take a bite, my mouth explodes with all the delicious flavors and I find myself devouring the thing.

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