Chapter 99.1

Chapter 99.1

Back home, Miran went into the bathroom and stood before the sink.

“Should’ve left the makeup on.”

Her pale bare face stared back at her from the mirror. She let her gaze travel slowly over her reflection. Faded jeans, a plain white T-shirt. The necklace André had given her was the only thing of value, the one piece that felt out of place.

The woman who had clung to André’s arm outside Lincoln Center had been flawless. A necklace studded with dazzling diamonds that caught every light, an elegant blue dress that brushed her ankles, blonde hair pinned up loosely to show off her blue eyes as she smiled up at him. She looked like a heroine from an old Hollywood film.

The two of them had looked so right together Miran couldn’t even summon jealousy. The woman had stood at André’s side with such assurance that Miran had felt like she was intruding.

“I knew this day would come sooner or later…”

And now it had happened twice in a row.

André had said it was business, but she wasn’t a fool.

The pain was so sharp she thought it would be better to rip her heart out with her own hands, but breakups happened every day to countless lovers. She loved André, but if his heart was with someone else, she wouldn’t beg or cling.

Living with him in New York, she was reminded daily of the vast distance between them. She knew she was loving someone out of her reach.

That was why it didn’t make her angry to see him with another woman. It just hurt. She had tried her best not to show her insecurity, but somewhere inside she’d always known this relationship would eventually hit its limit.

After a shower and a change of clothes, Miran sat on the living room sofa, staring blankly at the night view. It was still beautiful, but never once had it felt familiar.

That was how all of New York felt. Fascinating, thrilling, dazzling… But a place for someone like her.

She’d only been here three months, yet she felt the city chose who was allowed to survive. It swallowed up the ambitious, the sharp, the driven. The rest it chewed on for a while before spitting out.

Miran knew she wouldn’t last here.

What she longed for were the narrow alleys lined with old houses, her favorite snack shop, Juran unni’s crunchy radish kimchi, the sound of her own language that she didn’t have to strain to understand. A place where even with flaws she could live an ordinary life, and love.

All the things she had forgotten, hidden beneath the happiness of being with André, suddenly came rushing back with aching clarity. Her nose stung, and then her eyes filled with tears. She fought to hold them down, knowing if she started crying she wouldn’t be able to stop.

Just then, the bell rang behind her.

Miran slowly rose and walked to the front door. The marble floor was icy cold beneath her bare feet. As soon as she opened the door and stepped back, André strode inside.

There was a faint scent of women’s perfume on him. She’d smelled countless perfumes at Macy’s, but never one like this. Refined, expensive.

Smells nice. Even her perfume is perfect.

She greeted him in a daze.

“You’re home early.”

“I left as soon as the first act ended.”

“I see.”

As usual, André pulled her close, lowering his head as if to kiss her.

Without thinking, Miran turned her face. His lips brushed past hers and landed on her cheek. His shoulders flinched, then he slowly raised his head.

She kept her eyes fixed on the pocket square at his chest. She didn’t trust herself to look at him without breaking down.

He let out a long sigh.

“Kang Miran—”

She pressed lightly against his chest and slipped out of his arms, walking toward the living room.

“Let’s sit and talk.”

She sat down on a single-seater sofa. Sitting next to him would only make her want to lean into him, and leaning into him would only make her want to stay in his arms. André chose the sofa closest to her, resting his elbows on his knees and lowering his head.