If You

Emily was writing on her laptop next to Seungri's bed when there was a soft tap on the door.

“Good morning,” Jiyong called, entering the room. “How'd we sleep?”

Seungri rolled his eyes. “I'm not a kid, Jiyong,” he reminded him. “I slept fine.”

Jiyong smiled as he kissed Emily on the top of her head. “I have a surprise for you,” he said, handing her an envelope. Emily closed her laptop and set it on a nearby table. “Is today a special occasion?” she asked, inspecting the envelope closely. Jiyong shook his head. “Just open it,” he prodded.

Emily tore it open and pulled out two glossy tickets. “I don't…” she scanned them and her eyes widened. “These are tickets to Nashville,” she whispered, looking up at him. “Am I…?”

“We,” Jiyong corrected, leaning against the bed. “We're going to Nashville.”

Emily let out a shriek and threw her arms around him. “I can't believe it!” she gasped. “This is the best surprise ever!”

Jiyong laughed. “I thought it would be,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “It's about time I met your family anyway.”

Emily pulled back, tears on her cheeks. “When do we leave? she asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon. We'll spend a week there.”

Emily hugged him again. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Next time we're all going,” Seungri said decidedly. “You're just lucky I'm stuck here and can't stow away in a suitcase.”

Emily laughed. “Next time,” she promised. “I have to call my sister,” she said, squeezing Jiyong's hand before leaving the room. As she dialed she felt another wave of excitement crash over her. I'm going home! she thought excitedly.


******


Emily could barely contain her excitement as the plane taxied up to the gate. We're here! she thought ecstatically. We're actually here!

They got off the plane and entered the familiar airport. It was fairly busy for a weekday, though not nearly as packed as the airport in Seoul. The buzzing conversations around her were trivial, but in English, which was surprisingly comforting.

“Interesting,” Jiyong muttered.

“What?”

“I was just expecting more cowboy hats,” Jiyong confessed.

Emily burst out laughing. “Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see plenty,” she promised, tucking her arm under his. They retrieved their bags and went up to the pickup area. Jiyong checked his watch. “What time did they say they would be here?”

“Emily!”

Emily turned around just in time for her sister to barrel into her. “Hey Mandie,” she gasped. “Don't squeeze me to death.”

Mandie let go just as their brother ran up. “Hey Em!” he said, picking her up and swinging her around. “I can't believe you're here!”

“Me either,” she said breathlessly. “You can put me down now.”

He set her down and she pushed her hair out of her face. “Mandie, Silas, this is Jiyong.”

Jiyong bowed deeply. “It's nice to meet you,” he said. Silas gripped his hand and shook it heartily. “Heard a lot about you,” he said. “Nice to put a face to the name.”

“That's a beautiful jacket,” Mandie breathed, eyeing the patterned material. “Emily said you had wonderful taste.”

“That's quite a compliment,” he said, giving Emily a wink.

“Bags are in,” Silas announced. “Ready to go?”

They climbed into Silas’ truck, Emily and Jiyong taking the back. “Everyone's been dying to meet you,” Mandie called. “Dad won't know what hit him.”

“Didn't you tell him we were coming?” Jiyong asked. Emily shook her head. “I wanted to surprise him. It'll make his week.”

They left the airport and Emily looked out at her beautiful city. The summer sun was high and showering the city in blazing light. “Look,” she said, pointing, “there's the Batman building.”

“The what?” Jiyong asked, craning over her shoulder. “You have an entire building about Batman?”

“No silly, it's a cell phone building,” Mandie interjected. “See? The two cell towers look like Batman's mask.”

“Cool,” Jiyong breathed. “What else?”

Emily scanned the skyline. “There's the football field,” she said, “but our team isn't very good.”

“They'll make a comeback one day,” Silas said staunchly. Emily rolled her eyes. “Silas is a die-hard Titans fan,” she whispered. “The Cumberland River's over there somewhere, and the Ryman. I'll take you on a tour while we're here.”

“What's a Ryman?” Jiyong asked. Emily laughed. “Sorry, it's a really famous music venue. All the great musicians have played at the Ryman.”

“Sounds like we should join the ranks,” Jiyong commented.

“You'll have a hard time finding many KPOP fans around here,” Emily told him. “There can't be more than a handful in the whole state.”

“That's just sad,” Jiyong muttered.

They left the city and followed a highway that slowly went from six lanes to two. The city became sparser until only rolling fields and barns passed by their windows. “Are there any people here?” Jiyong wondered aloud. “It looks so empty.”

“It's farmland, mostly,” Silas replied. People around here have acres of corn and barley and soybeans. It's pretty peaceful.”

They turned down a long driveway lined with huge verdant trees on either side. “Is this your house?” Jiyong asked. Emily nodded, suddenly unable to speak. As the house came into view she felt relieved, like a battered ship coming into sight of the harbor. She leapt out almost before the truck was parked and raced up the front steps. “Emily, slow down!” she heard her brother call, but she ignored him and rang the doorbell. There were footsteps, then the door opened and her dad stood there, gaping. “Emily!” he exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face. Emily threw her arms around him. “Hi Daddy,” she whispered, squeezing him tightly.

He wrapped his arms around her, patting her back gently. “I thought you were in Seoul,” he said thickly. Emily pulled back a little, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. “We wanted to surprise you,” she said, blinking rapidly. “Who's we?” her dad asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emily turned around and nodded at Jiyong, who was waiting by the truck. He joined them on the porch, looking surprisingly nervous as he bowed to her dad. “Dad, this is Kwon Jiyong. Jiyong, my father, David Carter.”

“It's nice to meet you, sir,” Jiyong said deferentially. Her dad shook his hand firmly. “So you're the one that liked to yell at my daughter.”

Alarm flashed across Jiyong's face, but before he could stammer a reply her dad grinned. “I'm just teasing you, son,” he said, clapping him on the shoulder. “I'm thrilled to meet you.”

Emily held back a smile. “Let's go inside,” she suggested, taking her bag from Silas before entering the house. It hadn't changed since her last visit, the high ceilings and oak paneling giving the house an airy feel. It still smelled of freshly cut grass and clean sheets, which meant her dad had been working hard to maintain her mother's standards.

Her dad offered to give Jiyong a tour of the house and they disappeared upstairs together, already deep in conversation. Emily collapsed on the couch and sighed. “Well?” she asked. “What do you think?”

“He's gorgeous!” Mandie bubbled. “I mean, you sent pictures, but he's even more handsome in person!”

“Shhh!” Emily said, smiling. “This house carries voices, remember?”

Mandie sat across from her. “Is it serious? Do you think he'll propose?”

“Mandie!” Emily admonished. “We’ve been dating for less than six months. I hardly think-”

“But that's gotta be why he came with you!” Mandie insisted. “He probably wants to ask for Dad’s permission.”

Emily looked at Silas. “Are you hearing this?”

Silas folded his arms. “Normally I agree with you, sis, but it does seem like a long way to come just to hang out.”

Emily dipped her head. “Well you're wrong,” she whispered. “This is more of an escape than a vacation.”

“Did something bad happen?” Mandie asked.

“If I tell you, you have to swear to keep it from Dad,” Emily warned. “He's been through enough since Mom died.”

“Now you're scaring us,” Silas said, leaning on Mandie's chair. Emily took a deep breath and told them about the letters, Jiyong's ruined car and the knife attack. “Seungri will be out of the hospital soon, but Jiyong wanted to get away from Seoul for a little while.”

“Why didn't you tell us?” Silas demanded.

“You must've been terrified,” Mandie whispered, taking Emily's hand. Emily swallowed hard.

“What matters is they caught the girl behind it,” she said lightly. “She's just a jealous fan. They're called sasaengs in Korea.”

“You have to tell Dad,” Silas said flatly. “He deserves to know.”

“He'd only worry about me,” Emily said stubbornly. “It's not like any of you could've done anything about it. It's over, so let's just forget about it.”

“Forget about what?” her dad called, coming back down the stairs. “Just telling stories,” Emily said, getting up. “Are Tom and Mattie coming up later? I was hoping we could all have dinner together.”

“They're out fishing, but they'll be back for dinner,” he dad assured her. “I'm sure they're dying to see you.”


******


Jiyong watched Emily as she bounced around the kitchen, her eyes sparkling as she teased her sister. This was a good idea, he thought to himself. I should have brought her sooner.

Tom and Mattie, who Jiyong assumed were Emily's other brothers, soon arrived, brown from the summer sun and each with a cooler full of fish that they tossed aside to embrace their sister. One of them picked her up like Silas had and swung her around the kitchen. Emily kicked him, but she was laughing so hard it wasn't very effective. “You may have gotten taller, but I can still take you,” she threatened merrily.

No wonder she fit in so well with us, Jiyong thought, chuckling quietly. I'd even say she's been holding back all this time.

“What are you hiding in the corner for?” Mandie demanded, grabbing his arm. She dragged him to the stove and gave him a wooden spoon. “Emily told me you can cook, so you stir the beans,” she instructed. Jiyong stirred obediently, keeping an eye on the horseplay behind him.

“Alright, that's enough!” Mr. Carter called. “Put your sister down and go clean those fish.”

“Hold on, Dad,” Emily said, tugging her shirt down. “Jiyong, these are my brothers, Tom and Mattie.”

Jiyong gave a half-bow from his station. Tom folded his arms. “Emily's told us about you,” he said. “Weren't you the one that punched-”

“Okay, go clean the fish,” Emily interrupted, giving him a shove toward the door.

“Are you rich?” Mattie asked excitedly.

“Mattie!” Emily exclaimed. Jiyong saw her cheeks flush with embarrassment and he bit back a laugh. “You could say that,” he replied casually. Emily gave Mattie a glare that sent him scurrying after his brother. “Sorry,” she whispered.

“I probably would've asked the same thing,” Jiyong replied. “If it helps, I can't tell them apart.”
Emily giggled and laid her head on his shoulder. “Well, they're practically identical,” she said, sticking her finger into the pot. “Which is ironic since Mattie and Mandie are the actual twins.” She tasted the beans and frowned. “Never enough salt,” she murmured.

The boys came back with the cleaned fish and Mr. Carter fried it in a massive skillet. The smell made Jiyong's stomach rumble, though he couldn't figure out what the little things bobbing around the fish were. “What are those?” he asked, pointing at them.

“They're called hush puppies,” Emily explained. “They're basically pieces of fried cornbread.”

What's a cornbread? he wondered.

“You're getting the authentic Southern experience,” Mandie sang out.

They all sat down at the table and began piling their plates with food. Jiyong bit into a hush puppy and was surprised at how savory it was. Daesung would love this, he thought, eating another one.

“So, Emily, what have you been up to these last several weeks?”

Emily glanced at Jiyong. “We've been pretty busy,” she said casually. “Jiyong just released a new album last week.”

“I can't wait to hear it!” Mandie said enthusiastically.

“I have to admit,” Tom said, “You’re not as flamboyant as I thought you’d be. In those pictures Em sent of you, you looked like a show pony.”

Jiyong raised his eyebrows. Did he just call me a horse?

“They’re talking about your clothes,” Emily quickly clarified, kicking Tom under the table. “Tom meant you have fancy clothes.”

Still doesn't make sense, Jiyong thought, but he nodded anyway. “Sorry, my English isn't great,” he apologized.

“Will you be doing any sightseeing while you're here?” Mr. Carter asked. “Emily, you should take him to BB King's for barbecue. I hear they've got a great band this week.”

“We might,” Emily agreed.

“How long have you been doing music?” Silas asked.

“Pretty much my whole life,” Jiyong replied. “BIGBANG’s been together nearly ten years now.”

“Wow!” Mandie exclaimed. “You know, ever since Emily's started working for you-”

Emily raised her eyebrows and Jiyong stifled a laugh. “Well, not exactly for me,” he said, earning a smack from Emily. Mandie's cheeks pinked exactly like Emily's did when she was embarrassed. “You know what I meant,” she said. “Anyway, I've been listening to a lot of KPOP and I'm officially addicted.”

Jiyong smiled. “Does that mean you're. BIGBANG fan?”

“V.I.P. all the way!” Mandie declared enthusiastically.

“So, what language is your music in? Japanese?” Mattie asked.

Emily choked on her water and Jiyong put a hand on her arm. “It's Korean, you idiot,” Mandie hissed across the table.

“Mandie, don't call your brother an idiot,” Mr. Carter admonished her gently.

“Have you thought about doing an album in English?” Mattie asked, ignoring his sister.

“Sure, but I'm not the only one making the creative decisions.”

“You should listen to his music before forming an opinion, Mattie,” Emily interjected. Mattie shook his head. “That's okay, sis. I can't listen to that Asian stuff without laughing. It sounds so silly.”

“Mattie!” Mr. Carter said authoritatively. “I apologize, Jiyong. My son isn't normally like this.”

Jiyong nodded understandingly. “It's alright,” he said easily.

“Ching chong, ching chong,” Mattie muttered under his breath, then he laughed. Emily threw her napkin on the table and left abruptly, putting a hand to her mouth. Jiyong felt a torrent of biting remarks on the tip of his tongue, but he contented himself with a scathing look as he got up to follow her.

“Let me,” Mr. Carter said, wiping his mouth. Jiyong sat back down, unsure of what to do as Mr. Carter left the room.


******


Emily heard the door open and close behind her and she folded her arms.

“Your brother is young,” her dad began.

“That's no excuse!” Emily snapped, turning around. “I've never been so humiliated in my life!”

“I'm not saying he's getting away with it,” her dad said, holding up a hand, “but don't let your first night home end in anger.”

Emily sighed. “Do you always have to play the therapist?” she asked, sitting on the porch swing. Her dad chuckled. “It does help keep you kids from killing each other,” he said, sitting beside her. He leaned forward. “You wanna talk about why you're really here?”

Emily shifted slightly. “It was a surprise from Jiyong,” she said nonchalantly. “He wanted to meet everyone.”

“I believe you,” her dad replied, “but you're my daughter, and I can tell when you're upset. You can tell me anything, Emily.”

Emily sighed. “It's a long story.”

Notes