Page 39 of The Name Drop

“Would you like me to serve your meals in the formal dining room, the breakfast room, or on trays in your respective bedrooms?” Mrs. Choi asks.

“We’ll take them in the breakfast room please,” I say. She nods and shuffles away to the kitchen to get everything prepared.

“The breakfast room? You have a separate room. For breakfast.” Ella nods her head, impressed.

“It’s not really just for eating breakfast,” I say. But it does have some more privacy. Knowing the interrogation I’m about to get about Elijah, I’d like to be as far away from earshot of Mrs. Choi as possible.

“I’m tripping that you have servants,” Ella says, eyes following Mrs. Choi as she leaves to set up the table in the breakfast room.

“Just the one. But I don’t really consider Mrs. Choi a servant.”

“She’s paid. To serve you.”

“Okay, Ella, I get it. This lifestyle is very different from back in California. You don’t have to drive home the obvious.” A tiny bit of guilt creeps up, threatening to lodge itself in my throat. Maybe I shouldn’t be enjoying all of this as much as I have been. Especially not while Elijah, and all the other interns for that matter, are crammed into a tiny apartment.

She raises her hands. “Hey hey, I’m not judging. I’m all for you having your fairy-tale summer. You deserve this.”

“All I wanted was a shot to do something great. The rest of this is just gravy offered to me by a generous soul,” I say.

“I like him,” Ella says.

I know who she’s talking about so I quickly try and redirect.

“Yeah, I can tell,” I tease. “And it was obvious Jason was pretty into you too. Your duet was iconic.” I’d found Ella and Jason deep in conversation a few times throughout the day, both on the boat and afterwards when we all went to get cannoli in Little Italy. They even sang “Spring Day” together when we ended the night at karaoke. Not only did they both know the vocal line lyrics, but they also knew all the rap parts. They’re a match made in BTS ARMY heaven.

Her cheeks pinken.

“I meant Elijah,” she says, but she doesn’t deny the connection I spotted between her and Jason. “Not much of a talker, but I’m into the air of mystery. Plus, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

“What are you talking about?” Ella’s not the only one blushing now.

“Come on, Jess. You can’t fool me. I’m your bestie, remember? He likes you. You like him. It’s cute. And he fits in this whole fairy-tale aesthetic. I Googled him, by the way, and he is most definitely loaded.”

“You did not,” I say, shaking my head at her brazenness. I’m way too afraid of having my search history tracked.

I let out a deep sigh, and with it all the confusing feelings I thought I was keeping hidden from everyone, including myself. “I won’t deny it. I do like him. But I’m not going there. I can’t. We’re way too different. Plus, I really have to stay focused. There’s a lot of work to do, and if all goes the way I’ve planned, it could change everything for me. I’m not willing to take the risk of getting distracted just because a guy’s nice to me and makes me laugh.”

“And is hot...” Ella adds.

“Okay, yes, he’s hot,” I admit.

“And has that quiet-confidence-but-with-a-heart-of-gold thing going on...” she continues.

“Yeah, and there’s that,” I agree.

“And can pull off a pair of jeans like it’s nobody’s business...”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” I laugh.

Mrs. Choi enters with a large tray, setting two bowls of bibimbap down on the table, along with a bunch of other smaller bowls filled with various banchan. Ella and I take our seats and dig in.

It’s quiet while we eat, which isn’t really like Ella. She likes to fill any empty space up with her words.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

She nods, putting her spoon down and slowly looks up at me.

“I meant it when I said you deserve all this, Jess. But be careful, okay? Like, get in and get out. Do your thing this summer, make an impression, and earn those connections. But don’t become too caught up in it all,” Ella says.

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