Mina wiggles in my arms, reaching for Ethan, who promptly hands off one of the squirming toddlers to Joel like a pro before taking her.Joel catches the kid on reflex, eyes widening in alarm as he suddenly finds himself holding a very sticky, very wiggly child.
I grin at his misery.
“Congrats,” I say sweetly.“You’re officially part of the family.”
Joel groans, holding the child at arm’s length like he’s just been handed a ticking time bomb.“This is some kind of punishment, isn’t it?”
I smirk, but before I can say anything in response, the toddler, either oblivious or completely entertained by Joel’s suffering, giggles and wipes their hands—covered in something sticky and suspiciously red—right across the front of his hanbok.
Joel freezes.“Oh, come on.What evenisthis?”
Ethan slaps him on the back.“You don’t ask questions.You just accept it.”
Joel mutters something under his breath, shooting me a glare like I personally orchestrated this situation.Which, honestly, Iwouldhave if I’d thought of it first.
I’m still grinning when my mom appears, clapping her hands.“Alright, let’s get started!Everyone, gather around!”
The chaos shifts as the crowd begins repositioning toward the doljabi table, where an elaborate display of symbolic items sits, ready for Mina to choose her fate.I slip into my designated front-and-center spot, setting my hands primly in my lap as if that will somehow stop the impending doom I can already feel brewing.
Joel plops down beside me with a sigh.“So what are we betting?”he asks, nodding toward the table as he tries to wipe away the red goo.
I glance over at Mina, who’s already eyeing the objects in front of her like she’s assessing battle strategy.“Mom’s praying for doctor.Ethan’s betting on judge.Dad’s convinced she’s going to be in business.”
At that moment, Mina reaches forward, grabs the money first, then immediately yeets it over her shoulder.
The room bursts into laughter.
“She saidabsolutely notto capitalism,” Joel murmurs, chuckling.
I shake my head.“She’s my favorite person alive.”
The laughter dies down as Mina makes her second attempt, zeroing in on the microphone.
The collective gasp from the room is immediate.
My mom practically vibrates in place.“She’s just like you, Anna.”
I groan.“God, let’s not start that.”
Joel leans in.“I don’t know, Ace.Seems like fate.”
I elbow him in the ribs.“Shut up.”
He chuckles softly.
But I can’t ignore the way my mother is looking between the two of us now, a glint in her eyes that makes me deeply uneasy.
And then she says the words I’ve been full-ondreading.
“Since our little star has chosen music, I think it’s only right that Anna and Joel play something for us to celebrate.”
I exhale slowly, schooling my face into something neutral as the room shifts.People murmur excitedly, already repositioning to get a better view, while my mother beams.
Joel leans in slightly.“No escape now, Ace.”
I resist the urge to stick my tongue out.Instead, I stand, smoothing down my hanbok before picking my way through the crowd toward the makeshift performance area.
Joel follows with a little too much ease, like he’s enjoying this way more than he should be.