Chapter Four

***
“What are you doing on Saturday? What are you doing on Saturday? What are you doing… Saturday? Are you free on Saturday?” Eun Young practiced as she walked towards her classroom.

It wasn’t a big deal to ask a guy out. Granted, she’d never done it before but she was a strong, confident woman who didn’t have any reason to feel insecure or apprehensive about asking a mere guy out. She was a go-getter. A woman of the new millennium. A modern woman who could do anything better than a man.

“Anything you can do, I can do better,” she sang.

It was no big deal. She could do it. It was in the bag.

She grimaced. Even if she gave herself all the pep talks in the world, how come the idea of going to ask him to a freaking brunch just seemed so difficult? And she wasn’t asking him out on a date. No. As a concerned citizen, she was merely trying to improve his social life as she was sure he had none. Yes. Asking him to brunch wasn’t because she wanted to hang out with him and get to know him better and study together and all that other stuff. No. It was because she pitied him and wanted to help him meet more people.

She sighed. Okay, even the most delusional part of her knew that was a big fat lie. She straightened her back and tried to feel more confident. If she could make Hee Soo ask out the guy she was checking out at work, the least she could do was do the same with someone who, in her opinion, had shown some interest. Even if he wasn’t interested in her romantically, it did seem like he wasn’t averse to pursuing a friendship with her. At worst, it’s a friendship date. A friendship date was what it was.

She walked into the room feeling a little better. She’d phrase it like it was just a bunch of friends hanging out – which in truth it was. Friends hanging out together to celebrate another friend’s birthday. She walked towards her seat and when she was sure she’d gotten the look of nonchalance down to a tee, she looked up at him. But instead of seeing his usual smirk, she saw a girl with a short crop furiously writing something down as she listened to someone on the phone.

Okay, what the heck had happened and where was he? After a quick survey of the room, she found him sitting a few seats back, next to the girl who’d previously sat in his seat. And not only were they sitting together, they had both their phones out and he was smiling at her as she said something that must have been very interesting. Otherwise, why smile like that?

She immediately felt dejected. She’d seen that girl wave at him but she didn’t think he was interested. Had she been blind all this time? He said she was cute. Should she have paid more attention to his words then? All this while, she thought that he might he have been interested in her but were those mainly misinterpreted signals meant for another girl?

She sighed as she took her seat. Was it really all in my head?


***

Jin Soo grumbled to himself after he walked into the classroom and found some random girl sitting in his seat. Why couldn’t he be more like Eun Young? If he were, he’d have walked over and scared her so badly that anytime she saw his seat, she’d break out in hives. He would have smiled at the thought if he wasn’t watching her clearly flirting on the phone, unknowingly ruining all his plans.

Ever since Ji Won had spotted him talking to Eun Young, he’d been acting like a dog in heat, constantly asking him to hook them up. Jin Soo’s attempt at diverting his attention elsewhere had proven futile as suddenly, he was no longer interested in dating the waitress at the coffee shop and even if he were, it looked like she wasn’t interested in him. So for two days, he had had to deal with calls and emails from Ji Won asking if he’d gotten Eun Young’s number yet. And no, he hadn’t gotten it and even if had, he was absolutely not giving it to him.

Eun Young’s seat was still empty but he knew she’d kill him if he sat there so as he looked around the room, trying to figure out where to sit, he noticed his previous seat owner waving violently at him. He caught her eye but at that moment, regretted not thinking fast enough and pretending not to see her.

She smiled and waved at him to seat next to her and when he got to the seat, he thanked her.

“You’re welcome,” she said, beaming. “I’m Wang So Jung, by the way.”

Jin Soo sent her a tight smile. “Nice to meet you. I’m Han Ji Won.”

“Nice name. I’m been meaning to talk to you since you stole my seat,” she said, giving him her most flirtatious smile.

“I’m sorry about that.” He put his bag on the table and pulled out his books. He turned his face away from her and frowned. Where the hell was he professor?

“It’s no big deal. So that pretty girl you usually sit next to… she isn’t your girlfriend, is she? I don’t think she is.”

Jin Soo thought for a moment. Should he lie or not?

Just as he was about to nod, she said, “I don’t think she is. Because I saw you guys fighting over that seat some weeks ago. It was so funny.”

“Oh,” was all he could say.

“Good.” She pulled out her phone. “What’s your major?”

“Medicine.”

She raised her brow. “Medicine? Perfect. So we should meet up from time to time to talk about our assignments and stuff. What’s your number?" She looked at his phone which was laying next to his textbook. "I’ll call your phone so you can store mine too. I’m really glad I finally got to speak to you today.”

***

“Ji Won ssi, what do you think of this professor?” Wang So Jung said as soon as class ended. “He’s pretty boring, don’t you think?”

It took a few seconds for Jin Soo to realize that she was speaking to him. “He’s okay,” he said as he quickly gathered his books. His attention was focused on Eun Young who he saw was already heading out of the room. “I have to run now. I’ll catch you later.” He picked up his bag and dashed after Eun Young.

Since the entire class was also leaving at the same time and blocking his way, he couldn’t quite catch up to her as quickly as he would have liked. But when he finally saw her in the hallway, and before he could call out her name, he saw some guy smile before wrapping his arm around her.


***

“Noona, what’s up?” Eun Young’s cousin, Do Woo said, giving her a side hug.

Eun Young scrunched her nose in irritation. After the disappointment she’d had to face only minutes earlier, the last person she wanted to see was him. She tried to shrug his arm off her but he wouldn’t let go. “What do you want?”

“Noona, is this how you greet your beloved cousin who’s been waiting for you?” Before enrolling, the thought of attending the same university as his cousin had irked him to no end but nowadays, he had to admit that there were some advantages to knowing a girl on campus who hung around hot girls.

When Eun Young simply knew Do Woo as the cousin she teased when they met a few times a year, she liked him a lot. Now that he was the cousin she went to school with… not so much. “How did you even know I’d be here?”

“I have my ways. So I heard you’re having a party.”

Of course he'd heard. “Which party and who told you?” she said as she walked towards the exit. Still holding her, her cousin walked with her.

“The one you’re having tomorrow. How can you have a party and not invite me?” He pouted and gave her his famous puppy dog look.

Eun Young ignored the look. “It’s for grown ups.”

He ignored her jab. “Hee Soo noona will be there, won’t she?”

“Yes. And no, I am not going to hook you guys up. How many times will I tell you you’re just too young for her?”

“But I’m only two years younger!” he protested. “How am I too young? It’s only two years!”

“Yes, when the guy is two years older than the girl, then they are pretty much agemates – two years means nothing. But when the girl is two years older, it’s almost like a fifteen-year age difference. So please, do yourself a favor and forget her.” She unwrapped his arm from her shoulder. “And face your studies or whatever.” She quickened her pace but he matched it and caught up with her.

“Whatever. I’m coming to the party. What time is it? Think about it, how can Hee Soo noona’s future husband not wish her a happy birthday?”

“It’s not a party. We’re just having brunch at our apartment and after that, we’re going to the amusement park.”

***

“Forget it. She has a boyfriend,” Jin Soo said on the phone as he walked into the coffee shop.

“Don’t lie. She hasn’t met me yet so how can she have a boyfriend?” Ji Won replied from the other end of the line.

“Look, I am not in the mood for this, okay? I just saw them holding each other so I know she has a boyfriend. Please stop bothering me about this!” Jin Soo hung up without waiting to hear anything else. Why was everything so frustrating?

He sat at his usual table and before he could take out his books, heard, “Black coffee and a slice of banana nut bread?” the waitress-whose-name-he-couldn’t-quite-remember-even-though-she’d-told-him-multiple-times said.

He nodded with a fatigued smile. “Yes. But today, make it two slices.”

“Hard day?” Hee Soo asked in an understanding tone.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

She felt a little bit relieved. He was smiling at her and not smiling through her and despite the fact that they’d only exchanged a few sentences, the conversation was already going better than it usually did. It was time to take the plunge. “I think I know something that can make you feel better.” As soon as she said that, she wondered if it sounded too corny.

He gave her a questioning look.

“What are you doing on Saturday? As in tomorrow?”

The expression on his face didn’t change. If anything, he looked a bit more confused.

“I’m kind of having a party… as in a birthday party—”

Jin Soo tried his best not to groan. “Oh, I don’t like parties—”

“… for my birthday.”

“Happy birthday.”

“Thank you. Actually, my birthday is today.” Which wasn’t true. Her birthday was the next day but it occurred to her that she might have to play a little dirty. He was clearly trying to decline the invitation but as she’d promised Eun Young, she wasn’t going to let him. “You won’t refuse a girl’s request on her birthday, would you? And it’s not really a party. It’s just brunch with some friends and my best friend makes the best coffee in the world.” She’d hoped that would at least pique his interest but there was no reaction from him. She continued. “Her grandfather played a huge role in establishing the current coffee culture in Korea and she’s even better than some baristas who’ve trained in Italy.”

“I’m sure that’s an exaggeration.”

“No, it’s not. You must come over and taste it. If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“I’m sure I’ll….” It wasn’t that he had somewhere better to be but the idea of attending a party hosted by people he didn’t even know didn’t sound too appealing. And why was she inviting him anyway? She couldn’t possibly be interested in him too, could she?

The expression on his face wasn’t too promising so Hee Soo decided to throw out her pride. She already knew that Eun Young would have no problem inviting Annoying Guy to her party so she had to succeed with this guy – her ego wouldn’t be able to survive it otherwise.

“You’re not going to say no, are you? The brunch starts at 10 and is only an hour long so you can just stop by for a few minutes. I just really want you to taste the coffee. If you don’t come I’ll be really upset and I’ll never wait on you again. And I’ll tell my co-workers what a mean guy you are and you won’t be able to show your face here again. Is you refusing to come by and taste the world’s greatest coffee worth having to find a new coffee shop because you can’t come here any more? Just come by for a few minutes. Between 10 and 11 tomorrow morning. Hold on. Let me give you my address and I’ll also put my number there so you can call me if you get lost.”

***

“It looks like he really isn’t coming.”

Eun Young looked at the wall clock – it was already 10:40. Yeah, he probable wasn’t going to show up. She shook her head. They were both rather pathetic, weren’t they? How could they call themselves strong women? They couldn’t even manage to get two guys to show up at their place.

“What a freaking disaster this turned out to be. You couldn’t get that assh.ole Annoying Guy to come because he prefers some ugly girl and Ugly Guy completely dissed me even though I pretty much embarrassed myself begging him to come. Eun Young ah, we need to develop better taste in men.”

“Forget about all that. You should be enjoying your birthday and not worrying about some stupid guy. Go and talk to your guests instead of worrying about that idiot.”

They’d invited about twenty close friends but if they counted those who’d simply shown up for food and left, had probably hosted almost eighty people. But it was expected anyway. Whenever there was news of free food, college students were expected to show up. Which was why Hee Soo had cooked up a storm that morning.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he didn’t come. He’s clearly not interested in me. I don’t know, maybe he thinks I have cooties?” She put her hands up in defeat. “I should have read the signs instead of sinking further in my delusion.”

Normally, Eun Young would have provided some words of encouragement but even she couldn’t come up with something to say.

“I already told you to forget about this nonsense. Forget about men. Unless,” she said raising her eyebrows up and down teasingly, “you don’t mind Do Woo. He came here just for you.”

Hee Soo hissed and frowned. “I already told you that he’s cute and all but I don’t believe in cradle robbing.”

Eun Young laughed. “Well, if you ever change your mind, let me know.”

“I’m not that desperate.”

Eun Young’s laughter suddenly stopped when she noticed someone walk through the door. “What’s he doing here?” she whispered to herself. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. The hell? What was Lee Jin Soo doing at her place? In a matter of seconds, she went from being stunned to feeling pleasantly surprised. How in the world did he find her and instead of feeling flattered, should she be slightly worried that he had some stalking tendencies?

“Eun Young ah, what’s with that expression on your face?” Hee Soo asked. When she turned to see what her friend was looking at, she spotted Jin Soo. “OH MY GOD!”

Eun Young was immediately awoken from her daze. “What? What?”

“He’s here! Oh my God, he’s here!”

“Who’s here?”

“Him! Cute Guy. I can’t believe he came! I’m freaking out. He came! I knew he’d come! What do I look like? WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE?”

Eun Young was still confused. He really came? This late? “Where? Where? Which one?”

“That one over there. In the tan shirt. Wearing glasses.”

Eun Young look around the room. There were a couple of guys with tan shirts. There was also a couple of guys wearing glasses. But when she narrowed it down to one guy wearing both, in the direction Hee Soo was pointing at, her heart sank. No, that couldn’t be right. There was no way it was right. Jin Soo hadn’t come for her but for Hee Soo?

She looked over at Hee Soo and there was no mistaking it. The guy her eyes were transfixed on was Lee Jin Soo. The guy that was cluelessly walking around trying to find someone wasn't looking for her but for her very best friend. She shook her head at the absurdity of the entire thing. How ridiculous.

“Eun Young, I don’t think he can see us so I’m going over to him. I’ll bring him here and introduce you. He came! He really came!” She gave her a quick hug. “This was the best idea ever. I’m glad you made me invite him. I love you.”

***

“You don’t mind making a fresh pot for him, do you?” Hee Soo said with a wide smile as she held Jin Soo’s hand and followed Eun Young to the kitchen. Shortly after she’d met him and made the introductions, he’d reminded her of the coffee she’d spoken so highly about.

“Hee Soo, where did you put my purse? I can’t find it,” one of their friends said from the doorway.

Hee Soo hissed loudly. Of all times to be bothered. She hadn’t even spent up to five minutes with him and someone was already taking her away. She shyly looked at his face then quickly looked away before giggling to herself. Oh, he was just so cute.

“Hee Soo yah, please hurry up.”

“Jin Soo ssi, I have to go for a bit. Do you want to come with me?” I was weird to ask him to come to her bedroom to stand and watch as she tried to remember where she’d kept her friend’s purse but on the other hand, she really didn’t want to leave him with Eun Young. What if history repeated itself and he ended up falling for her? She glanced at Eun Young who looked a hundred percent focused on making the coffee. There was nothing about her demeanor that gave Hee Soo any cause for concern. If anything, she was being a bit standoffish. Hee Soo, have more confidence in yourself! And she really didn’t like herself when she became resentful of Eun Young’s ability to attract guys. She shook it off. Yes, it was okay for her to leave them alone for a few minutes – nothing bad could come out of it. No, she wouldn’t give in to her insecurities. “Or if you don’t mind waiting here, I’ll quickly attend to this and return.”

“No problem.” He smiled, glad that she’d finally let go of his hand. “I’ll wait here.”

“Eun Young, take care of him for me.”

Glad to be finally alone with her, Jin Soo watched as Eun Young poured some coffee in the coffee filter. He'd been shocked when Hee Soo had introduced them but when Eun Young had stretched out her hand to him, clearly pretending to have never met him, he'd replied in kind.

“You’re the last person I expected to see here.” But seeing her had made the entire trip worthwhile. He'd intentionally arrived late so that he could show his face without having to hang around for too long but now he wished he’d arrived on time.

“Yeah?” Even though Eun Young had made sure her eyes had stayed directly on the coffee, her senses were entirely on him. She still couldn’t believe that all this while, Hee Soo had been talking about Jin Soo. Seeing how happy she was, could she even tell her about the girl in their class? And was he some kind of player?

“You mean to say you’re the girl who’s better than baristas who’ve studied in Italy?”

“Hee Soo said that?”

“Yes.”

“She exaggerates a lot.”

“I was looking forward to tasting this amazing coffee. Now that I see who’s making it, I am sure it will disappoint me,” he joked.

Eun Young knew that it was meant to be funny but she just wasn’t in the mood to laugh.

He waited for a retort and was disappointed when he got none. What was going on? He studied her face and even though she looked calm, he could tell that the mood between them was different from it had ever been. Plus, she’d barely looked at him that day.

He sat on a stool and watched as she brewed the coffee. He didn’t know a lot about the process of making coffee but as he watched her in action, he knew he was watching a professional.

“You’re not going to say anything?” he asked softly.

“Like?”

“Like how I must be stalking you or something?”

She smiled. “Why would I say that? I know Hee Soo invited you.”

“You know?”

“She’s my best friend. I met her at orientation and we’ve been close since then. You go to the coffee shop she works at, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Not liking where the conversation was going, Jin Soo decided to change the subject. “Friday’s class… we missed each other, didn’t we?”

She shrugged. “Did we? We don’t have to sit next to each other for every class, do we?”

At that moment, a guy walked into the kitchen and Jin Soo immediately recognized him as the person he’d seen with her the previous day. His body stiffened in response.

“Noona, what’s wrong with you? You’re supposed to be helping me with Hee Soo noona. It’ll soon be time for us to head to Everland. Can you make sure we sit together on the bus?”

“Please go away.”

Jin Soo smiled as the situation became clear. He felt the tension leave his body and he was suddenly in a good mood. He listened to their conversation as they kept bantering and after her cousin left, said, “Eun Young ssi, I was wondering… maybe after—”

“You know Hee Soo?” she said, interrupting him. “She’s my best friend.”

“You already mentioned that.”

She finally looked up at him and met his gaze. “She likes you a lot.”

“Really?”

“You look surprised. You didn’t know? Why do you think she invited you?”

“She wanted me to taste some great coffee?” It wasn’t that he was surprised about Hee Soo’s feelings but that he was surprised at how direct Eun Young had been.

“I’ve known her for almost three years now.”

“You already said that.”

“I’ve only known you for a few weeks…”

“And…?”

“From the little I know of you, I think you’ll be perfect together.”

He shook his head and looked down. Of course things would turn out this way. Things were never simple in his world – it was like he was cursed or something.

“Absolutely perfect,” she continued. “So I hope you’ll come to see that too and give it a chance. She's beautiful and kind and any man would be lucky to have her.” She placed a mug of steaming coffee right in front of him. “Enjoy.” She nodded towards the door. “I’ll go and get Hee Soo now.” As she walked out of the kitchen, sure that her words carried no weight with him, she wondered if it was possible for him to have a happy ending with Hee Soo. But if there was anything she knew, it was that there was no future for her and Annoying Guy. It was funny how life turned out sometimes.

Jin Soo watched as the tight smile she’d kept on her face disappeared as she went through the door. He turned back to look at the mug in front of him. It smelled great and was the only good thing left about the morning – not with that hint that she’d just dropped like an anvil. Even a blind man could see that she wanted him to be with her friend. Just like one could lie by omission, what is possible to reject by diversion?

He recounted the events of the last twenty four hours and was amazed at how quickly things could change. One minute he was thinking of asking her out. The next minute he was convinced she was already taken. And just when he discovered he was wrong and was going back to his original plan, she rejected him before he could even say a word.
He snorted. Was this really happening? He hung his head back in resignation. It was probably for the best anyway. After all, he’s sworn off crazy women. Maybe God had done him a favor.

“Jin Soo ssi, you’re here?” Hee Soo said as she walked into the kitchen approximately one minute later. “Why are you hiding? Everyone is getting ready to leave for the amusement park so we’ll be leaving soon. So,” she said, smiling at him. “What do you think of the coffee?”

Finally remembering the reason he was there in the first place, Jin Soo sat up straight. He smiled at her then took a sip of the now slightly cooler drink – it was perfect.


THE END.

***

Epilogue.

“Eun Young ah, can you please make sure he’s still there?”

Eun Young groaned. Not again. This was the third time Hee Soo was making her walk outside to make sure the groom was still standing there. “I don’t have to go out to make sure that he’s still there because he’s still there!”

“Please,” she said, putting her hands together in a begging pose. “Just one more time.”

Eun Young sighed, walked to the door and peeked outside. And just like she expected, Jin Soo was standing next to his uncle and aunt and greeting guests as they walked into the hall behind him.

She turned around and back to her friend. “He’s still there. And why wouldn’t he? Didn’t he propose to you? Aren’t you guys in love? Why would he choose to ditch you on your wedding day?” she spat out in exasperation. “Or is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Yes, he proposed to me. We are in love. I don’t know why he would choose to ditch me on our wedding day but when I think of the journey we’ve been on, I can’t believe it’s happening,” she said as tears welled up in her eyes. “Deep inside, I’m scared that he might be too good for me.”

On seeing that, Eun Young moved closer and carefully hugged her friend, making sure their make up didn’t smear on either of their dresses.

“He’s not too good for you. What’s so special about him? Aren’t you the newest lawyer at Kim, Park and Choi? What’s so great about him? He’s still an intern at a hospital.”

Hee Soo chuckled despite herself. “That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what could you possibly mean? There’s no reason for you to be insecure about this at all. Unless there’s something else.” She had a nagging feeling that her friend was hiding something. She knew about people having cold feet before their wedding but she’d never heard of a bride getting cold feet on behalf of her groom. “There’s nothing else, is there?”

She shook her head. “Of course there’s nothing else – I guess I’m just being silly.

Eun Young grabbed a tissue and very carefully wiped her tears. She reached over for some make up and carefully reapplied her concealer.

Hee Soo sat still and smiled. What would she do without her in her life? She was the best friend anyone could ask for – which made her feel worse every time she lied to her.

The truth was, she really was keeping something to her. When Hee Soo had announced eight months earlier that she and Jin Soo were engaged, she couldn’t help but register the shock on her friend’s face. And she had every reason to react that way because the last she’d heard, she and Jin Soo had ended their fifteen-month relationship. When asked to explain the turn of events, Hee Soo had made up a story of how a drunk Jin Soo had come over to her place, confessed that he couldn’t live without her and proposed.

What had really happened was that a month earlier, after gathering some liquid courage with the help of three bottles of soju, Hee Soo had gone over to his place to find an equally drunk Jin Soo. One thing led to another and they both woke up the next morning lying next to each other with Hee Soo only wearing a bra and the rest of their clothes scattered all over his living room.

Not long before she’d made the engagement announcement to Eun Young, she’d taken an e.p.t test that read positive. Panicked, she’d called Jin Soo and after he’d gotten over his initial shock, said that he didn’t think it was right for her to have an abortion. So he proposed that they get married as he didn’t want to disappoint his family and was sure she didn’t want to do the same.

However, even after Hee Soo had relayed to him that her doctor had informed her that the test had given a false positive reading and that the absence of her period was entirely stress related, he hadn’t said anything about calling off the wedding.

Love was selfish and Hee Soo wasn’t stupid. It had taken her six months of flirting to finally get him to ask her out and once they were in a relationship, she'd made sure she was good to him. And while he was also good to her, she often felt that he never really fell in love with her. But since he proposed, she was going to marry him. And as she picked out a hall and chose her flowers and wedding dress, she rationalized it by believing that she had enough love for both of them. Being with the man of her dreams was all that mattered, right? And maybe she was wrong about him and he really was in love with her. Otherwise, why would he continue with the wedding plans?

But as the day approached, she’d begun to feel more and more unsettled and knew that she wouldn’t fully breath easily till he said, “I do.”

“Perfect,” Eun Young declared as soon as she was done with Hee Soo’s make up. “You are absolutely gorgeous. Jin Soo is going to just die when he sees you.” And she meant every word of it. She couldn’t be happier for them.

Yes, she’d been disappointed when he turned out to be the guy Hee Soo was crushing on but she’d decided that it was no big deal. They’d remained Creative Writing 101 seatmates and still chatted before each class but it never went beyond that. It was one of those things where they got along when they were together but never followed it up by trying to meet each other at other times. Even though he and Hee Soo didn’t start dating for a while, Eun Young knew he was off-limits and treated him as such.

And after he and Hee Soo became a couple, they’d maintained their friendly but distant relationship throughout the years except for an entire week shortly after his mother died when he’d called her every night just to talk. On those nights, she’d generally just listened to him speak about a bunch of things, none of which was his mom, and offer input here and there. But the phone calls had ended abruptly - much like they'd begun.

She’d never told Hee Soo about the true identity of Annoying Guy nor about the late night phone calls Jin Soo had made shortly before they broke up. Sometimes, she felt like she’d been keeping secrets from her, but then at other times, she realized that telling her would just create unnecessary, unjustified drama. Hee Soo was happy with her cute guy and that was all that mattered.

And as for her, Jin Soo had introduced her to a different kind of annoying guy on one of the rare occasions that she’d tagged along on their date and although Han Ji Won was as odd as Jin Soo had described, he also made her laugh and was generally entertaining – even if he did go overboard from time to time. So in some way, both of them had gotten what they wanted. Hee Soo was with her cute guy and she was with her annoying guy.

“Hee Soo, it’s time!” her mother said from the doorway.

Hee Soo looked at her friend as tears threatened to escape her eyes. “It’s really happening!”

“Yes, it is,” Eun Young replied, matching her enthusiasm. She gave her one last quick hug. “Be happy.”