Chapter 85.1

Chapter 85.1

Feeling much better, Miran turned halfway in her seat and started chattering at Andre’s side profile.

“For just two days, I visited the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, and the White House. Guess who I saw near the White House?”

She looked at him expectantly, hoping for a response.

“No idea.”

Andre replied indifferently. Miran tugged at his sleeve and whined.

“Come on, at least try to guess. Conversations should have some back-and-forth to be fun.”

“Bill Clinton.”

He casually threw out the U.S. president’s name without a hint of thought.

After sneaking a sideways glance at him, Miran finally couldn’t hold back and spilled what was on her mind.

“Did you know there’s a ‘Lafayette Square’ north of the White House? And right in the middle, there’s a statue of your ancestor. I took a picture in front of it.”

Miran tilted her head.

“I wanted to see if it looked like you, but it was too tall to see the face clearly. He seemed pretty tall, though. Have you ever seen it, Andre?”

Andre snorted.

“There’s one in New York. Why bother?”

“There’s a statue of your ancestor in New York? Where?”

“Union Square.”

“Oh! I went there with Seunghyuk-oppa.”

Andre’s face visibly hardened, and he let out a heavy sigh.

Miran winced. He was the type who wouldn’t so much as blink at most things, but whenever Seunghyuk’s name came up, it was like storm clouds gathered over his head. She vaguely suspected it was jealousy, but she couldn’t figure out what triggered it.

‘Did he somehow notice I used to have a crush on Seunghyuk-oppa?’

Unlike her, Andre was subtly perceptive.

On a purely emotional level, Miran simply liked Nam Seunghyuk as a person. His unshakable confidence, natural sense of style and talent, polite demeanor, and even the way he handled his immature younger cousin. He was, in many ways, a senior worthy of respect. And perhaps, without realizing it, that feeling might have shown unconsciously.

Testing the waters, she asked.

“Andre, do you not like Seunghyuk-oppa?”

“I hate him.”

Andre replied without a second’s hesitation. Surprised by the intensity of his words, Miran asked again.

“Why? I’ve hardly met anyone who doesn’t like Seunghyuk-oppa.”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

He’d definitely noticed. But it wasn’t like that right now, not at all. Feeling anxious, Miran rushed to explain.

“It’s true that I had a brief crush on him as a freshman, but now he’s just a senior I respect. Absolutely, never, ever do I like him as a man.”

Andre whipped his head around and glared at her.

“…. What are you doing?”

His eyes flashed like a camera going off.

Miran’s shoulders flinched.

“Sh-Shouldn’t you be looking ahead? It looks dangerous…”

Miran’s voice crawled with anxiety, wondering if she’d stirred the wrong pot.

Andre slowly turned his gaze. His jaw twitched as he looked ahead with a fierce look. A bluish vein pulsed at his temple, and the tendons in his clenched hand gripping the gearshift swelled.

He’s angry. What do I do? Miran racked her brain.

“Sh-Should we, uh, listen to music?”

Miran pressed the CD player button on the center console. She’d never seen Andre listen to music, so didn’t really expect anything to be in it.

To her surprise, the CD whirred, and a powerful guitar riff blared out. The idea of Andre, who seemed like he’d listen to classical opera in a Rolls-Royce, was listening to rock music while driving a sports car. It made him seem different.

The intro felt familiar, maybe from a Billboard pop mix tape she’d bought from a street cart last year. Though she occasionally listened to pop when she was in the mood, Miran had little interest in the artists or songs themselves.

“I’ve heard this song before. Who’s it by again? The title’s right on the tip of my tongue…”

She mumbled to herself, stealing a glance at Andre who remained silent.

“…Ah, nice song.”

Miran added awkwardly then fell silent, shrinking under the oppressive air Andre was radiating. The chilled interior of the sports car filled with the rock melody. As the song neared its end, Andre muttered, almost like a sigh.

[Oasis, Wonderwall.]