The luxury sedan he had requested from the hotel began to drive north toward the affluent neighborhood of Chicago’s Old Town.
A hazy fog, a product of Lake Michigan, was wrapped around the skyscrapers, and it was impossible to distinguish what lay at the end of the long, straight road. The car, gliding smoothly over the road without a sound or vibration, felt as if it were willingly being drawn into an adventurous story, not knowing what awaited.
The desolate scenery, reminiscent of a dehumanized and ruined future city or Batman’s Gotham City, made me quietly rub my arms as I turned my gaze from the window.
Yuni-Noona, who had changed into a more glamorous and relaxed outfit for the after-party, was hastily touching up her makeup in the back seat of the sedan.
“The CEO is really fired up today, isn’t he? For some reason, he even said he’d do an interview tomorrow. He was always so reluctant to step into the spotlight, saying the artists are the main characters.”
Noona said, darkening the shading of her eyeshadow. It looked like she was just swiping it on roughly, but the effect suited her.
“Well, it’ll definitely be good publicity if the CEO’s interview and photos get out. We don’t know when we’ll have another exhibition in Chicago, but it can’t hurt to get our name out there, right?”
I smiled back at Noona as she closed her eyeshadow case and shrugged.
Unlike Noona’s casual assumption, my smile felt awkward at the thought that he might have accepted the interview with the opening of the New York branch in mind. Had he not given her any hint yet?
“Anyway, today’s opening party was seriously no joke. To be honest, this gallery isn’t exactly a huge powerhouse, you know? But the guest list was so stacked. Wow… I was out of my mind, just handing out business cards left and right.”
Noona’s expression and voice, as she turned her body completely toward me, were still brimming with the excitement of the party. I was reminded of her in Hong Kong, diligently greeting people and exchanging business cards, wondering if there might be a place that would recognize her abilities and potential and scout her. Whether it was for studying abroad or a new job, it seemed clear that Noona wanted to gain experience overseas.
“What’s this, Seo Yeehyeon, are you still nervous? You’ve gone all quiet.”
As she took a sip of the coffee that had been resting in the cup holder of the armrest between us, Noona saw my tense face and poked my cheek with her index finger.
“I’m still not used to parties like this…. And I’m worried about my English….”
After the trip to Chicago was decided, I had taken lessons twice a week from the English teacher who taught Noona and Hyung. I had also studied on my own, and he had helped me a little in the evenings. My studies with him… had mostly evolved into learning risqué words or phrases, eventually extending into dates that led to physical intimacy.
In any case, even though I had studied more, it had only been for three weeks. It wasn’t enough time to build up my skills to a level that could cover for both my lack of confidence in English and my unsociable personality.
“You’re good, you’re just saying that. Ms. Han was praising you, you know? She said you’d surpass Kwon Juhan in a few months, so he’s in total study mode these days because of you.”
When I bragged about flying first class and staying in a five-star hotel, Kwon Juhan apparently cried, saying it wasn’t a business trip but a luxury tour, and that if he’d known, he would have come along no matter what. Adding that, Noona tapped the cushion on the armrest, delighted.
Noona, vowing to take pictures at the after-party to send and tease him, didn’t actually seem to want to annoy Hyung, but rather to share the present moment with him. They bickered so much when they were together, but now that they were apart, it seemed she felt a little empty. Sometimes, I envied their friendship.
Throughout elementary and middle school, I had never made what you would call a best friend. Morae and Hyung were, of course, precious friends, and they had almost never acted like a couple in front of me, but their solid bond was like a distinct current, visible even without them holding hands or embracing in front of others. It was difficult for the three of us to form a perfectly balanced triangle as friends. Even between Yuni-Noona and Juhan-Hyung, who were like twins or doppelgängers, I was a different color.
Following that train of thought, I realized that, surprisingly, I had him.
The bond that connected him and me wasn’t just a fiery passion for each other, the thrill of romantic feelings. He was the person who drew out the most stories, emotions, and thoughts from my concrete-like self, and who accepted and understood them without any distortion. The meaning he held for me was not just that of a romantic partner.
Suddenly, I missed him. The feeling was so clear and specific that my face flushed in the dark car, as if he had caught me.
Thinking my silence meant I still hadn’t relaxed, Noona stopped her chatter and took my hand. We looked at each other and grinned.
The car came to a stop in front of a three-story mansion on North State Parkway, just a block away from the ‘Original Playboy Mansion’ where Hugh Hefner had once lived.
As if to announce that a party was underway inside, the entrance of the solemn and massive brick building was decorated with brilliant lights.
“The lighting here must be amazing. Yeehyeon, take a picture of me.”
Looking around at the lights, which were reminiscent of a Christmas season luminaria, Noona took her phone out of her small clutch, but her face fell.
“Ah, the battery… My portable charger is dead too. Yeehyeon, let’s take some pictures with your phone. I’m live-posting my Chicago trip on social media right now. I even posted a picture of your work on display. Look, there are over 100 comments alrea—… oh… it died.”
We chuckled as we looked at the phone in Noona’s hand, which had gone completely black.
Fortunately, my phone, which had been charging at the hotel all evening, was fine. As I unlocked my phone to take a picture of Noona posing under the arched structure in front of the entrance, she broke her pose and showed interest.
“What’s this, what’s this?”
Her narrowed eyes looked mischievous.
“Since when was our little bee Seo Yeehyeon the type to put a lock on his phone?”
“Ah… it’s not that… I was just worried I might lose it on the trip…. I’m roaming, so it’d be bad if someone picked it up and made calls….”
“Why are you making such elaborate excuses? It’s that age when everyone has secrets. It’s perfectly normal.”
Even as she said that, a subtle, playful smile remained on Noona’s face. She seemed convinced there was another reason for locking my phone but didn’t press any further.
After a round of photos, Noona rang the bell, and an employee with a gentle expression opened the door. The inside of the mansion was like a maze. As we passed through several rooms and small drawing rooms along a long corridor, the boisterous noise and music of the party grew closer.
He, having arrived earlier, was coming to meet us from the other end of the hallway. Without his jacket, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows, and his neatly styled hair now falling over his forehead, he looked to be in a very good mood.
He had a very high tolerance for alcohol, so I had never seen him drunk before, but even if he wasn’t drunk, it seemed the alcohol was one reason for his elation. Finding that fascinating, I glanced at his face as he slung an arm over my shoulder.
On the stairs leading down to a hall much larger than the drawing rooms we had just passed, he pressed his lips close to my ear and whispered.
“I told you not to come looking so pretty….”
Though he said that, the outfit I was wearing was one he had personally chosen and gifted to me for this gathering. Saying that I didn’t need to be too formal since I was attending as an artist, he had paired a casual-fit suit with a navy and white striped t-shirt.
“Hmm… what’s this? Won’t this make people more suspicious?”
Pressing his forehead against my temple, he playfully tugged at the small bandana scarf tied around my neck. A few people’s gazes were turned our way, making my throat feel a little dry.
The truth was, there were traces of him left here and there on my neck. Ever since the day we had slept together after In-woo-hyung’s visit, he had developed a habit of leaving marks, mainly on my chest and neck.
He didn’t leave them in highly visible places like the middle of my neck, but the boat neck t-shirt he had chosen for me today happened to reveal the red marks above my collarbone, leaving me no choice.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s all my fault. I was presumptuous.”
Thinking I was looking at him resentfully, he tightened his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer as he apologized. He looked happy even as he repeatedly said he was sorry. Noona, who was walking ahead, glanced back, but because he was so unusually excited, she seemed to think the close contact was just part of his tipsiness.
The people enjoying the gathering here and there in the hall, which was large enough to hold a small banquet, were mostly dressed formally like him, but without ties, with shirt buttons undone, sleeves rolled up, and with a loose and cheerful, relaxed air about them. One woman in a stunning silk evening dress had taken off her stilettos and was enjoying a cocktail barefoot, chatting with a cheerful expression.
The atmosphere suggested that everyone in the hall knew each other well, or had at least been aware of each other’s existence for some time. As he had said, it didn’t feel like an extension of a formal business party.
He first introduced Noona and me to the owners of the mansion, who had provided the space for the gathering.
Jane Song, a Korean-American woman from New York, and Connor Drake, from Orland Park not far from Chicago, were a married couple who had studied abroad in London with his parents. They were business partners in the fashion industry in Chicago and also avid collectors of works by promising new artists.
“I asked them to help me find a place to hold a small party in Chicago, and they graciously offered their home, saying, ‘Where else would you go when our house is right here?’ Ah, Yuni, you already said hello at the gallery earlier, right?”
The couple and Noona briefly exchanged greetings first, and then he introduced me as a new artist at Phantom whom he had very high hopes for.
“This man and I enjoy buying good works from lesser-known artists. To be honest, the works of already famous artists are just ridiculously expensive, aren’t they?”
Jane exclaimed as if it were unfair, but even I could tell right away that the couple wasn’t refraining from buying works by famous painters for financial reasons.
“At the gallery, I saw Yeehyeon’s nude painting and immediately told A-Wei I wanted to buy it, but he refused, saying it wasn’t for sale yet.”
As Jane shot him a glare, saying it was mean of him to dangle it in front of her like a bully when he had no intention of giving it to her, Connor thankfully brought cocktails for Noona and me from the bar set up on one side of the hall.
“A-Wei, by the way, I invited someone I wanted to introduce you to. Is that okay?”
“Of course. If it’s someone Jane is introducing, I’d make time to meet them anyway.”
He answered readily and cheerfully, but as he brought the cocktail glass to his lips, his eyes seemed momentarily lost in other thoughts. He didn’t seem like the same person who had been laughing and talking loudly just a moment ago.
“He’s not active in Chicago, but your timing worked out well this time. I thought it would be good for you two to meet. I just heard from him a little while ago that he’s about to arrive. Ah, there he is!”
At Jane’s welcoming gesture, I reflexively turned around as well.
Leave a Reply