Chapter 96.2

Chapter 96.2

André exhaled sharply. He raised his head and glanced at her expression. His brows faintly drew together.

She was staring down at the pendant, lips pressed tight, her face clouded. She didn’t seem pleased. Setting her back on the bed, André muttered,

“Wait a moment.”

He left again and returned with the jacket he’d dropped on the coffee table. The thought that she might not like the necklace he had chosen stung, but at least he’d stopped by the Lafayette residence to bring others.

“André—”

Miran clutched the pendant, about to speak as though to refuse.

Before she could, he hastily pulled the contents from his pockets. Necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, glittering with jewels, spilled across the bed like cheap trinkets tossed from a stall in Chelsea.

“Oh my God!”

Miran gaped at him in shock, staring up with a dazed expression.

“Did you… rob a jewelry store?”

He reached into his pockets, shook them out, and tossed the rest of the contents onto the bed without a second thought.

“Something like that.”

André set his jacket on the bench at the foot of the bed and jerked his chin at the glittering pile of jewels.

“If you don’t like the necklace, choose something from there. Surely one of them will suit you.”

Miran couldn’t help laughing, the absurdity breaking through.

“What is all this, really…”

André lifted her chin in his hand.

“You don’t like it?”

She gave a wistful smile and shook her head. What had held her back was the echo of others calling her things like a high-class escort or a kept woman.

“How could I not like it? I’ve never received anything like this before… And they just seem far too expensive.”

“Take it. It’s the first time I’ve ever given something like this too.”

At that, Miran’s lips trembled. Her clear eyes, gazing up at him, glistened with tears.

“Really?”

“…Yes.”

She swallowed the surge of emotion rising in her throat. His hands, fumbling to clasp the necklace earlier, had been clumsy enough for her to notice.

He had never given jewelry before, never clasped one around anyone’s neck. Emptying a pile of jewels onto the bed for fear she might dislike the necklace he had chosen—that wasn’t like the ever-confident, arrogant André at all. There was something raw and tender about it, awkward as a boy in his first love.

Sweat beaded at his temple as he lowered his gaze. Seeing that, the tight knot in her chest loosened and melted away. At that moment her heart whispered to her:

This man loves me.

Miran resolved not to torture herself with suspicion anymore.

When she reached out her arms, he leaned closer, his eyes fixed on hers. For the first time, she saw uncertainty flicker in those guarded eyes. Cupping his face gently in both hands, she kissed him softly.

“The necklace is beautiful. Thank you, André.”

—

Wednesday, the third week of August. The filming date for Flushing Video had been set.

Early that morning André dropped her off at the language school, telling her he’d be too busy to return home until nearly midnight. Miran was relieved. She didn’t want to trouble him with thoughts of filming or anything else while he was already so pressed for time.

Seunghyuk was a talented director, but winning an award at Sundance—the dream of every filmmaker—required both skill and luck. Most likely, Flushing Video would fade away as nothing more than a memory. But to Miran, that alone was enough.

Instead of going into the academy, she headed briskly to a pickup spot nearby that Seunghyuk had given her in advance.

The large van Seunghyuk drove was packed in the back with crew members and film equipment.

When Miran climbed into the passenger seat—kept open especially for “Michelle”—the crew erupted into cheers so loud her ears rang, welcoming her aboard. Startled, she flinched, and Seunghyuk glanced back with a mock scowl.

“You’re scaring Michelle. Calm down, OK?”

Then he reassured her.

“Don’t worry. They were just anxious, and now they’re overexcited that the new Michelle has arrived. Ignore the noise in the back.”

Immediately the crew howled in protest, insisting it wasn’t fair for Seunghyuk to hog Michelle all to himself.

The atmosphere felt strange to Miran. She had never been welcomed so warmly on any set before, and the attention left her humbled.

She turned in her seat, smiling brightly, and bowed her head.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Miran.”

At once, the noisy van fell into a hush.