Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

The final hagwon class ends, and Mrs. Pak is pleased with Yumi’s progress. Afterward, Ginny and Yumi share lunch. Ginny is a confirmed vegan whose mother keeps trying to persuade her to eat meat. Today, Ginny’s mom packed a vegan meat substitute in her bulgogi. Yumi is astonished at this parental change of heart, but Ginny says that she explained to her mother how important veganism is to her. Yumi ponders the possibility that Korean parents can change their minds if you just talk to them.

The next day, Yumi is focused on preparing for her SSAT test while her parents handle all the work related to the restaurant’s Grand Reopening. The Chungs are gradually getting over their anger at Yumi. That evening, Yumi’s mother urges her to get another perm, and Yumi explodes about how the kids at Winston make fun of her curls and everything else about her. Mrs. Chung makes light of the situation, and Yumi says, “My parents still have no idea what comedy means to me. They just shut me down and doled out my punishment for disobeying them” (245). Thinking of her mother, she adds, “And she wonders why I never open up to her” (245-46).