Dinner with Auntie Megumi

 Winter, Friday (Feb 18)

Juwon: Thanks for inviting me for brunch and a talk. WIll this be a “good talk” or a “bad talk” for me?
Tae: *shares the story of being abandoned by his birth mother then handed over by his step-aunt to a vampire in Forgotten Hollow where he spent his infancy and childhood
Juwon: Wow, so the 4-star celebrity Brytani Cho is your birth mother but she doesn’t know it? No wonder you struggled to introduce yourself. Will you tell her you’re her son?

Tae: I haven’t decided yet.  But I’m taking Auntie Megumi to a Korean restaurant this evening. Care to join us?

Juwon: Would I ever!

This morning, Watcher tells me that I’ll be leaving Mt. Komorebi in around 1½ weeks. This town has been good to me; I learned about my birth parents, got in touch with my cultural roots, got better acquainted with the extended Crew, and connected with Juwon.

Now that I’ve completed my aspirations, however, I don’t have much else to do. I’m ready to relocate to Nordhaven!

Like my last move, I’ll only take my highest-quality garden seeds with me, with the exception of my Crystal Tree. Since I can only grow a new one from a normal Gemstone seed each time, I’m going to move with this Crystal Tree stashed in household inventory.
Speaking of trees, notice my two small trees? My greenhouse has the lowest ceiling height, so I downsized my out-of-season Coconut (left) and Cherry (right) trees to fit inside.

I stop by this vending machine whenever I remember, but I’m still missing 1 regular Simmi and 6 bonus ones. I wonder if I’ll even get the last regular Simmi before moving. In other news, I’m close to finishing my Element collection, so Watcher is preparing a museum for me in Newcrest.

Tae: Auntie Megumi, I’ve never told you how grateful I am for the way you’ve cared for me. Thanks for all you’ve done for me ever since my birth

Megumi: Not to mention that I bought and ate your atrocious Crown Roast the other day.

Tae: Yes, that too. I also want to introduce you to someone very special to me. Auntie Megumi, Juwon Park.  Juwon, Auntie Megumi.

Juwon: A pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Tae, may I order the Cupid Juice?

Tae: No, you don’t need it. *rolls eyes

Tae: I also wanted to tell you that I ran into Brytani Cho at the recent GeekCon. I failed to introduce myself and was too nervous to make a good impression.

Megumi: Do you want me to contact her and tell her about you?

Tae: No, not yet.I don’t want to get to know her only to learn she thinks I’m nothing but a PR nightmare.

Megumi: So, Juwon, are you Tae’s boyfriend?

Juwon: *whisper, whisper, whisper

Megumi: Seriously? He doesn't want to take your relationship to the next level? I imagine you'll need to be patient. Four weeks ago, Tae’s world was upturned when he learned the truth about his birth parents. He seems to struggle with letting others in.

Juwon: That makes me feel a little better. Um, may I call you Auntie, too?

Megumi (to herself): Juwon truly wants them to be “official" and Tae is obviously crazy about Juwon. I wonder what’s really holding Tae back from making a commitment?
Sigh, if only my son Kiyoshi would settle down with a nice Asian girl or boy!

Watcher's note: This a "fond" jab at the high expectations Asian parents place on their children in terms of education, marriage, career, and so on. In high school, I never heard the end of my father’s “why can’t you meet a nice Japanese boy?” He even sent me to a Buddhist church in the next town (tho’ he’s of Shinto faith) in hopes I’d meet one. Sadly, my search was cut short when I accidentally over-plucked my eyebrows and he grounded me for a month, lol.

Megumi: I may not be your birth mother, Tae, but I’ve loved you ever since I held you in my arms a few minutes after your birth.

Tae: Thank you, Auntie Megumi. I’m sorry I’ve been so terrible at keeping in touch.

Megumi: I’m always here for you! I would even endure another of your yucky Crown Roasts, if that’s what it takes for us to spend time together.

(When leaving the restaurant)
Megumi: Thank you for dinner and introducing me to Juwon, Tae. Let’s do this again soon!

Tae: Yes...huh? Who’s that? What’s wrong with him?
Megumi: That’s Ted Roswell, Mayor of StrangerVille, and his wife Meredith.  Looks like he’s been infected.

Tae: Infected by what? Watcher, is that infection something I’ll need to deal with in the future?

Watcher: Hmmm, probably not.