Chapter 80.1

Chapter 80.1

Miran looked at him with clear, bright eyes and continued speaking.

“There’s no such thing as a lost opportunity because of Andre. I’ll study English hard in New York for six months, then go back to Korea and definitely become a flight attendant.”

She shyly added.

“Then I can come visit you often.”

Andre leaned back slowly in his desk chair.

Going back to Korea in six months?

He took a deep breath. Whether it was the dinner sitting heavily in his stomach or something else, the pit of his stomach felt queasy.

Miran didn’t know, but there were far more airlines in the U.S. than in Korea. If her dream was to become a flight attendant, there was no need to return to Korea.

‘I guess I’ll tell her when the time’s right.’

He decided to put off minor concerns until after the September shareholders’ meeting. Softening his firm expression, Andre gave her a faint smile.

“…Alright. Work hard.”

Brushing off a strange unease, he picked up the envelope on his desk and placed it in the desk drawer. Miran, unaware of his feelings, smiled at him lovingly.

—

On the first Monday of June, the summer term began at a language school in Midtown’s Murray Hill.

Every morning on his way to work, Andre would drive Miran to the school and drop her off at exactly 8:45 in front of the language school. When she got out of the car, waving with a bright smile, he would lower the heavily tinted window halfway and give a single wave back.

As the window rolled up and Andre focused ahead, the car pulled away. Miran always stood there, waving until his car was out of sight. Though she couldn’t see through the tint, she felt he might look back.

She chose “Miranda” as her English name. In class, all the Korean students introduced themselves with polished English names, so she chose one after thinking a lot.

“Andre, I picked an English name!”

Miran excitedly told him the moment he got home from work. But he only raised an eyebrow.

“Miranda! What do you think? It’s the closest to Miran.”

“…”

Andre took off his jacket and had a reluctant expression. Disappointed that he didn’t seem to like the name she carefully chose, Miran pouted.

“What? You don’t like it?”

“…It’s my grandmother’s name.”

Miran blinked in surprise.

“Oh.”

“Your name is pretty. Don’t change it.”

She’d always thought her name sounded old-fashioned, but she covered her mouth to hide how happy his words made her.

Andre turned away, pretending not to notice, and let out a small chuckle.

And so, Miranda returned to Miran.

Classes started at nine and ended at two. Afterward, Miran would grab coffee with the friends she made from the school and head to nearby Bryant Park to chat in their clumsy English.

Speaking was still awkward, but she began picking up familiar words here and there when others spoke. Her fear of English also faded a lot.

New York was full of things to see and places to go. She visited museums to see artworks from textbooks, snagged cheap same-day tickets in Times Square to watch musicals.

She gasped at the high price of tteokbokki at a Korean restaurant in Koreatown on 32nd Street, and marveled at the pizza at Lombardi’s, said to be New York’s oldest pizzeria, in Little Italy.

But when dinnertime came, she turned down invitations to clubs or parties and returned to Andre’s apartment.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go out and have fun. But it was far more satisfying to sit in a corner of his study, use English homework as an excuse, and steal glances at Andre as he worked.

Andre, who always looked so neat and tidy, would stand there poring over documents with his tie loosened, a couple of his buttons undone, and with his cuffs rolled up looking relaxed. Just watching him made her sigh with contentment. The days of missing him and waiting for replies that never came felt like a distant memory.

By late June, New York had fully entered summer. It was quite hot during the day, but with no rainy season and low humidity, it was the perfect weather for going out and about.

After class, Miran went for a picnic in Bryant Park with the friends she’d grown close with.