“You had a good crowd tonight.” Ellen claps her hands together in delight. “Every time we walked by you had a long line. I heard people say it was the best food at the festival and that they were so sad you would be closed until after Seollal.” She turns to Wansu. “Did I say that right?”
Wansu nods with silent approval.
“Isn’t my Korean getting so good? Wansu says I sound like a native.”
She doesn’t, but we all bob our heads in agreement.
“I bought these soaps by myself!” She holds up a small clear bag that contains four blocks of soap that look like a slice of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. “I even haggled a little. Of course, Wansu helped but I did it mostly myself. I think I could go to a café and order alone, not that I would want to, Wansu, but if I had to, I could, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” Wansu agrees.
Ellen preens with pride. “We wanted to come over and say goodbye. We’re headed home now. Don’t stay out too late.” She comes over and gives me a pat on the face and presses a kiss on my head. She does the same to Yujun.
Sangki taps the side of his cheek. Ellen laughs delightedly and gives Sangki a kiss as well.
“Two moms hasn’t turned out all bad,” Sangki murmurs as the moms walk away.
“Obviously two moms are superior,” Jules says.
“I mean, yeah, if that’s all you have, then I guess two moms will do, but in reality two dads are the best,” Sangki counters.
“In what world are two dads better than two moms?” Jules shoots back.
As the two bicker, Yujun tilts his head and smiles at me, his dimples deepening. He’s happy and so am I. I came to Korea to find my family, to figure out where I belonged, and what I learned was that family has never been about blood. Family is about the people you love and the people who love you back, and in that circle, you are never an outsider, a person with no name. You always belong.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The end of this book is bittersweet for me because I really love Hara and her found family. It will be hard not to revisit them in the future. I want to start by thanking everyone who stuck with me for the second book. The story of Hara and Yujun and all of the others was too big to be told in one book and I’m thankful for the opportunity to be granted so many pages to share the complete story.
Thank you to Cindy Hwang, who believed in me and this duology and who worked so hard to get these manuscripts into publishable works. Ms. Hwang, you do an endless amount of hard work and likely only receive a fraction of the recognition for it. Thank you!
Thank you to Steve Axelrod, who does important work behind the scenes. I appreciate all you and your team does on my behalf.
To Nicole, the novelist assistant extraordinaire, thank you for the work that you do, the creative ideas you generate, and your daily support.
To my friends and daily email and text recipients (Jeanette Mancine, Melissa K., Meljean Brook, Jessica Clare, Robin Harders, Syreeta Jennings, Lea Robinson, Elyssa Patrick, Anne Sowards, Grace House), thank you for your friendship and support. I would not have made it as a writer without you.
Christina, please never leave me.
Diane Park, you are a marvel. I hope you look at yourself every day and acknowledge how fabulous you are. Thank you for reading this, helping me with language and cultural elements, and sharing your friendship.
To the Berkley/Penguin team, thank you for the hard work you do every day: Angela Kim, Fareeda Bullert, and Jessica Brock.
To all the readers, bookstagrammers (Literary PenGwyns, your Instagram messages are so uplifting), Facebook groups, YouTubers, and Twitter friends, thank you for your kind messages and pretty pictures. For the readers who leave reviews on B&N, Amazon, and Goodreads, thank you for the time and effort you put into the reading community.
To the family who found me and the family I’ve created, I love you. Thank you for all your love and support.
To the adoptees and friends and family members of adoptees, I see you! I hear you. Your stories are important and so are you.
READERS GUIDE
Seoulmates
Jen Frederick
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
What does the concept of “found family” mean to you?
Are found families changing the way we observe holidays?
Do you think Wansu’s choice at the end was the right one for everyone involved, or did you wish for a different outcome for the Chois?
How comfortable would you be living in another country whose primary language was different from your own? Or how comfortable would you be living in another country with the same language?
What food do you crave when you’re away from home? What do you like to eat while traveling?
What are some of the landmarks you’d like to visit in Korea?
What are some of the foods you would like to try in Korea?
Are you a rice or potato person?
JEN FREDERICK is a Korean adoptee living in the Midwest with her husband, daughter, and rambunctious dog. Under the pseudonym Erin Watt, Frederick has cowritten two #1 New York Times bestselling novels.
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