CHAPTER 81

Minhee was honestly impressed by the brazenness with which Devon pursued her own desires; she didn’t even feel the need to package or hide her true feelings.

Minhee slowly chewed and swallowed the sandwich, but it felt like a large lump was stuck in her throat.

‘Should I just go ahead and blurt out that I’m Taejun’s s*x partner that he rolls around with every day?’

Feeling ashamed, Minhee sighed. 

‘What kind of bragging is that?’

[……I don’t feel comfortable answering personal questions about my employer.]

[There’s no need to be so sensitive about a simple question. Unless you have other intentions.]

Minhee flushed, unable to respond. It’s true that she’s in a relationship with Taejun that she can’t disclose to others, and it’s also true that she has feelings for him.

Eyeing Minhee over the small table with its pristine white tablecloth, Devon let out a derisive snort. Minhee could tell what she was thinking – it was all too reminiscent of the half-lidded, scornful way Brianna used to look at her.

[I’ll give you some honest advice, Minhee, you’re not familiar with the Upper East Side, so you might not know, but that kind of man doesn’t just meet any woman. He’ll look for a woman who can fulfill the conditions he’s lacking. The truth is, that man is from ‘new money’, not ‘old money’. To become firmly established in Manhattan’s high society, he’ll need a woman from an ‘old money’ background who can build his social connections.]

[What are you implying right now—]

[Minhee, listen, I’m trying to help. New York may seem incredibly free and open, but the high society of the Upper East Side has no entry or exit. It’s essentially just a stagnant pool where those insiders mingle with each other. They can be ruthlessly cruel to outsiders in ways you can’t even imagine. If you don’t want to get hurt by venturing into a world you don’t belong in, the best thing to do is avoid it preemptively.]

Minhee’s mouth dropped open as she watched the woman in front of her, who had a lot to say and was chewing her salad with a smug look on her face.

Suddenly, she remembered the primary school art teacher, Laura, calling Devon a ‘striver’, someone who struggles to be part of high society.

Laura was also an Aster School alumna, two years below Devon, and you’d think they’d get along, but Laura had a particular dislike for Devon.

[I don’t know how she has the nerve. Trying to act like the ‘it girl’ of high society with her ‘old money connections’, it’s so embarrassing.]

[Huh? Who are you talking about?]

[Who else? Devon! She’s always making a fuss, so I asked a friend about her. Turns out her sister was in the same grade as her. She wasn’t even from old money, but was getting tuition assistance to attend while living in Queens! Even back then, she was desperately trying to mingle with the upper-class kids. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to get a subsidized education. I lived in Brooklyn and went to school on financial aid!]

[Me too!]

Laura, finding common ground with Minhee, stretched her arms out toward her. Minhee clapped their palms together in an even sound.

[One in four students in New York’s private schools receive tuition subsidies, and the subsidized kids are responsible for the “socio-economic diversity” of the school. That’s why the rich people pay the high tuition fees and make the donations, isn’t it?]

[Right.]

[With my parents being a nurse and a teacher, it would be so ridiculous for me to try to pass myself off as old money just because I went to Aster School.]

[……Why does Devon go around telling lies that will be found out so quickly?]

[You’re a private school kid yourself, so you know what I’m talking about, but there are some kids who grow up seeing the lives of the rich, upper-class kids up close, and their self-esteem crumbles, whether it’s because of relative deprivation, or envy, or jealousy, or whatever, and then at some point, they start to internalize and emulate the lives of those rich kids.]

[Ah, I see.]

[Even as adults, they’ve internalized the idea of ranking themselves by wealth, to the point where it becomes their very identity.]

[That’s kind of sad, I’ve never been immune to self-esteem issues myself.]

[Who hasn’t had such experiences?]

[In my case, it wasn’t financial relative deprivation. The private school I attended may have been considered elite, but it was more on the level of a Manhattan public school compared to Aster. But there were much more deeply rooted specters that tormented me. I’ve overcome a lot of it now, though.]

[To be honest, I really lost a lot of self-esteem going to Aster School. But after going to college and entering the real world, most of us were able to overcome it. Like finding out our ‘lower-class’ family was actually just a normal middle-class one.]

Minhee nodded, bitterly reminding herself that she had overcome some of her old complexes through her ‘practice’ with Taejun.

[You do know that Devon married a partner lawyer almost twice her age and divorced him after three years, right?] 

[Yeah.]

It was an open secret at Aster School crowd.

[Minhee! You can’t tell anyone this! A friend told me that Devon had to leave with not a penny because of a prenuptial agreement, and now she’s having trouble even paying her studio rent, so she’s been trying to meet rich men everywhere. It’s kind of sad that her self-esteem has dropped so low that she has to fabricate her past, which anyone can find out about with a little digging.]

When Minhee, who was recalling her conversation with Laura, didn’t eat or respond, Devon felt she was ignoring her. She blurted out, irritation evident in her voice.

[Are you not interested in passing that position on to me?]

[Huh??]

[Minhee… you’re still young and inexperienced. Honestly, wouldn’t that position be too much of a burden for you? What do you think? It must be difficult to handle…if it gets to be too much and you want to quit, be sure to tell me first, okay?]

Devon reached out and patted the back of Minhee’s hand. Taken aback by Devon’s seemingly friendly gesture, Minhee was at a loss for words.

[…….]

[I’ll take that as a yes, then.]

In the past, Minhee might have been intimidated by Devon’s Brianna-like appearance and haughty attitude looking down on her. But strangely, this woman no longer frightened her. Instead, a small flame burned hotly in Minhee’s chest. Minhee took a breath and looked straight at Devon as she spoke.

[Devon, I think you’re mistaken. The reason he hired a live-in tutor is because of Rose, not because he needs a woman. Rose is a child who lost her parents, and she needs stability in her daily life. My role is to help her adjust to the new environment, and the contract won’t end until June. I’m sorry, but I can’t quit yet.]

Shaking her head as if Minhee wasn’t making sense, Devon let out a derisive snort.

[I understand the situation, Minhee. I know you must have your own ambitions as well. Well, since the contract ends in June anyway, it’s not much longer. I’ll send in my resume in advance, soplease put in a good word for me. Say, I’m an Aster School alumna with plenty of tutoring experience and social connections, so I can arrange Rose’s playdate group with the best kids in Manhattan. Got it? I’ll pay for lunch.]

[…….]

[Shall we get going then?]

Minhee was dumbfounded. She felt like looking around for hidden cameras, as if this entire lunch with Devon was an episode of a trashy reality TV show set against the backdrop of the Upper East Side.

The person asking her to give up the tutor position didn’t even mention a word about Rose, her sole interest being Taejun.

Minhee was taken aback at encountering someone who so shamelessly and blatantly revealed herself as a gold digger. And she felt a pang of self-reproach.

‘Do I have the right to criticize Devon when I became the employer’s s*x partner while being his niece’s live-in tutor?’

Devon was only interested in Taejun’s wealth. But Minhee had asked for not only Taejun’s body but also his heart. She felt more brazen than Devon and was filled with self-reproach.

‘Maybe Taejun would be more comfortable with a woman like Devon because all she wants is money, not his heart.’

After Taejun silenced Minhee’s confession of love with a kiss, she never brought it up again. Taejun, too, made no mention of the day, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything.

There could be no clearer signal. 

‘I had mistaken Taejun’s kindness for love.’

His treatment of Rose showed it as well. Despite his cold appearance, he was extraordinarily gentle and caring with her. People may have initially misunderstood Taejun due to his gruff, intimidating image, but Minhee now realizes.

‘Taejun is a good person.’

Because she loved him, she had recklessly ascribed his consideration and kindness towards his s*x partner as love.

‘It’s my fault. I crossed the line first.’

Taejun had emphasized it multiple times before the contract was signed. Yet, unable to contain her overflowing emotions, Minhee had twice revealed her ‘nasty, consuming, and bothersome feelings’ to him.

But by dismissing her confession outright, Taejun demonstrated the margins of tolerance he extends to his s*xual partners.