Chapter 89.1

Chapter 89.1

The ringing stopped and the call connected.

“Unni! Why’d you take so long to answer? I was worried!”

― Ooh, Miran-i?

Juran’s voice was hoarse as if she’d just woken up from her sleep.

“Aren’t you going to work today, Unni? You’ll be late!”

― …I took the day off.

Juran never took days off. She worked relentlessly, cashing in unused vacation days at the end of the year. Now that Miran thought about it, her voice sounded subdued. A sudden wave of fear hit her. Juran was healthy aside from back and wrist pain from the barbeque restaurant and occasional swelling.

“Are you sick? Did you catch a cold?”

― Huh? Uh-huh, this flu is pretty bad.

“Flu in the summer…? Have you taken medicine? Unni, don’t skimp to save money and go to the hospital, okay?”

― Okay, okay, I got it. How’s my baby sister? Are you behaving yourself?

“…Huh? Uh-huh, Iiiii am studying hard. My English has improved a lot. Study very hard, you know what I’m saying?”

Caught off guard, Miran changed the subject with a playful tone, and only then did Juran finally laughed out loud.

― What kind of talk is that? You keep me alive with your silliness, honestly.

Miran was concerned that Juran’s voice was weaker than usual.

“Miss Kang Juran, don’t get sick while I’m not around.”

― Aigoo, hang up now. The phone bill’s going to be high.

Juran always tried to cut the call short when Miran started nagging.

“There’s still plenty of money on my phone card!”

― Use it sparingly. You’ll need it when you’re a flight attendant traveling abroad. And don’t buy food out—

Sensing that it was just about time for Juran to start nagging, Miran waved her hand.

“Ah, got it, got it! I’ll call again next week. Miss Kang Juran, you know I love you so much!”

― Cheesy. Ah, hang up.

Juran mumbled with obvious embarrassment, then abruptly hung up.

Juran, like someone else, didn’t say ‘I love you’ to her, but Miran knew she was deeply loved. Grinning, she flopped onto the sofa and rolled around. She missed her sister.

I wonder if she’s feeling really lonely on her own…

Thinking about it made her feel guilty and she felt sorry for her sister. Her eyes welled up. Sniffling, she checked her watch again.

It was almost 6:30 p.m.

Miran ate a quick dinner and finished her homework in André’s empty study. It was nearly 9 p.m. It looked like he was going to be very late.

That morning, while driving her to language school, she’d asked if something was wrong at work, but he brushed it off, saying it was nothing to worry about.

‘Is he not telling me because I wouldn’t understand?’

Miran gave a bitter smile. It was true. She couldn’t help, let alone grasp what the issue was.

Miran went to bed early for once. In the morning, she found a note on the pillow beside her:

I have to leave early for a while, so I can’t drive you.

Always keep your phone on you.

Her shoulders slumped. Not getting a ride was fine, but she missed André. Without him, the apartment felt too big and silent.

“I need to talk about Flushing Video too.”

Plus, Hyunjung’s birthday party was on Friday.

‘I’ll stay up until André gets home today.’

—

With an ambitious plan, Miran headed to Macy’s after class to buy Hyunjung’s birthday present.

She wandered the first-floor cosmetics section, sniffing perfumes until she couldn’t distinguish them anymore. After much thought, she chose Estée Lauder’s Pleasures, a fresh scent that was released last year. It suited Hyunjung’s bubbly personality perfectly.

Then she went two blocks down to Koreatown for kimbap and impulsively stopped by a bookstore. It was the only one in Manhattan selling Korean books.

“I shouldn’t just eat kimbap, I should feed my mind too.”

If she loved reading like Juran, maybe she could’ve been the smart, intellectual person André could confide in about his troubles.

“It’s not too late. I can start reading now.”

From the 30% discount section, she picked Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Among the countless books there, it was one of the few titles she vaguely remembered hearing about.

She bought kimbap and side dishes at a deli and returned home. The one good thing about André’s absence was that she could eat smelly food without worry.

André had never once made her feel self-conscious. Having lived in Korea for three years, he was reasonably familiar with Korean food. But knowing he grew up eating meals by French chefs, she was cautious.

Eating Western food daily was a bit tough, but it couldn’t be helped. So, whenever she had the chance to eat outside, she would eat Korean food.

Whatever the case, since she didn’t have to pay rent, she barely had any reason to spend the money she brought. That made life in New York feel much richer. She was simply grateful that she didn’t have to worry about money when friends invited her out.