CHAPTER 87

Turning her head, a blonde woman whose age was hard to guess at the next table pointed to Minhee’s dress. Her sophisticated style and unnaturally taut face made it hard to tell her exact age, but she seemed to be somewhere between fifty and seventy. Next to her stood an older-looking man who appeared to be her partner, holding a wine glass.

[Thank you. Your dress is stunning as well.]

[Thank you. That dress is from Jia New York, right? From the Midnight in Paris collection. I think it’s last fall’s FW season. The production is better than I expected].

[What? Oh, yes, it’s a Gia New York dress. How did you know?]

[How did I know? Because I’m the design consultant for the Jia New York brand.]

[Oh my! Then you must know Designer Jia really well!]

Minhee was thrilled to meet someone who knew King Jay’s famous designer fiancée. How captivating must Jia be to have captured the nation’s “public asset”, King J. Minhee found this conversation much more enjoyable and comfortable than the awkward one with Miles.

[Jia? I know her well. I raised her, after all.]

[Raised her? What do you mean?]

A cheerful, upbeat voice came from behind them. They both turned at the same time and a slender, sexy Asian woman with long, wavy hair leaned over Margot’s shoulder with a mischievous glint in her eye. 

With delicate, feline features contrasting with her plump, sensual lips, she exuded a unique aura. The woman called “Margot” lifted a witchy, wrinkled, pointed finger and tapped the forehead of the woman clinging to her affectionately.

[You.]

[Oh, an undeniable fact. Hey, it’s our dress!]

Recognizing Jia, the fiancée of King J at first glance, Minhee was frozen in place. Jia stood next to Margot, scrutinizing Minhee from head to toe, then nodded in satisfaction.

[The neckline is just the right depth. Elegant and sexy. Oh, look at me! I’m Jia, the designer of this dress. By the way, it looks really good on you! I think you look better than the models on the catwalk! Seeing someone wearing my creation, I momentarily lose my senses… Pardon my rudeness.]

[Th-thank you…!]

Minhee was mesmerized as she looked at the woman who was smiling coolly at her. Just meeting a celebrity she had only seen in photos and videos was shocking enough, but to have the designer of the dress compliment her directly was unbelievable. Without the usual sensitivity and shyness Minhee had imagined fashion industry people to have, this confident, casual woman exuded an irresistible charm.

‘Wow… Unnie, you’re so cool!! No wonder King J is crazy about you! Can I be a couple fan now?’

Minhee inwardly squealed, barely containing her excitement.

[Where’s your handsome fiancé? You’re here all alone?]

Margot asked Jia in a gruff, indifferent tone.

[Jaehee is rehearsing his opening speech right now. I heard from Lili that you’d arrived, so I came to fetch you. I’ve reserved the head table for the hosts, so open your wallet wide when we do the charity campaign later. The party’s about to start, shall we go in before it gets crowded?]

After Jia waved goodbye to Minhee and left with Margot and her husband, Minhee leaned back against the table, almost collapsing.

‘Inside information!! King J is giving the opening speech?!’

Minhee’s heart was racing as she gulped down her champagne in one go. As she lowered her chin that had been tilted back, a peculiar sight unfolded before her eyes. A tall, broad-shouldered man was walking backward.

It was only for a brief moment, but it felt as if time had rewound.

‘Wow… I’m so glad I came to this party. It’s more entertaining than a circus!’

Watching the man’s well-sculpted back as he walked backward, a sense of déjà vu suddenly struck her. Abruptly, the man pivoted on one foot, spinning half a turn. When Minhee saw his face, her mouth opened silently.

She hadn’t exactly avoided imagining this scenario. She knew he was a lawyer in Manhattan, and she vaguely imagined that, since she lived in Manhattan, she might run into him somewhere, on the street or at the corner deli, someday.

If they happened to cross paths, she thought about whether she should acknowledge him, or should she pretend not to know him. Should she greet him warmly like meeting an old friend, or just make eye contact and pass by like a casual acquaintance?

She had pondered these possibilities before. But such an encounter had never occurred. Until now.

The man took a few more steps closer, standing across from her.

[…Min?]

[…]

The deep blue eyes she remembered were filled with careful joy as they met hers. He tapped the corner of his eye with his finger.

[I thought I caught a glimpse of you. It’s happened a few times before, so I brushed it off, but this time it really was you. Min, do you remember me?]

Minhee stared at him blankly and slowly nodded her head.

[Good. You’re still… beautiful. The same as before. I recognized you at a glance.]

‘He thought he caught a glimpse of me? Did he know I was in Manhattan? And… still beautiful?’

Minhee knew the image he was seeing today was the best result of the makeup artist’s skills and the beautiful dress. 

‘But “the same as before”?’

Wondering if Noah was teasing her, Minhee silently studied his expression. With his robust physique, his sun-bleached light brown hair, and his blue eyes – the 26-year-old Noah still had a touch of youthful innocence, looking as striking as the model for an American casual brand.

But instead of the playfulness she remembered, his expression held a hint of wariness, as if afraid a small animal might run away, and a subtle heat she hadn’t noticed before. It felt like a blow to the back of her head.

‘He’s serious.’

That’s when she realized. The Noah who had seemed so skilled and impressive, almost older than her, was actually just a teenager, only a grade above her. Now that she understood that, things she hadn’t noticed before became clear.

‘Noah must have liked me a lot more than I thought.’

Back then, she had been too preoccupied with fending off the malicious teasing and bullying from Noah’s friends to pick up on his feelings. Come to think of it, it was Minhee herself who had been avoiding him and rejecting his attention, and for quite a long time.

‘Ah… I was so young and clumsy.’

Minhee straightened her shoulders and smiled at Noah.

[Hi, Noah. It’s good to see you again. How have you been?]

In the past, the mere thought of seeing Noah again had filled her with trembling and heartache, but once the shock of their reunion wore off, she felt genuinely happy to see a familiar face amongst all the strangers. At that moment, she realized that she had finally overcome an old trauma.

A bright smile spread across Noah’s face, like the sunshine of their summer camp days.

[Ah… It’s so good to see your smile again. I’ve been doing well. What about you?]

With the round table between them, Minhee and Noah greeted each other like old friends from their hometown, asking how each other was doing and sharing their fun memories of summer camp.

[How did you come to this party anyway?]

[I have a child I’m responsible for at school, and she’s having some issues, so I’m working as a live-in tutor until things settle down, and, uh…… my employer gave me an invitation. You?] 

[There’s a nonprofit department at the law firm I work at. A college friend of mine works there. They received an invitation but had an extra one. Oh, there they are!]

When Minhee looked in the direction Noah pointed, a woman with deep brown hair and an intellectual demeanor was conversing with someone but scrutinized Minhee with a sharp gaze.

‘Oh dear. Some things never change.’

Minhee suppressed a smile. Noah Brown was still Noah Brown. In the past, she would have been intimidated by such a piercing gaze, but now she found it a little amusing.

Suddenly, a clear bell rang out. Someone dressed as a waiter rang a bell, announcing the start of the party as the doors to the party hall were flung open. People streamed in.

[Min, what’s your table number?]

[Table 2. What about you?]

[Table 11. After dinner, when the dancing starts, promise me you’ll dance with me first. Since you ruined my high school senior prom, you owe me that much.]

[I didn’t even go, so how could I―]

[Exactly!]

Noah grinned mischievously, winking at her. His expression, unchanged from when he used to wink at Minhee while dumping bags of flour over the kids’ heads during ‘Counselor Prank Day’ at summer camp, made Minhee burst out laughing.

Minhee wandered around the party, looking for her table number. There was a long table for the organizers and VIPs right in front of the stage, with round tables on either side, and the table on the right was Table 2.

A few people were greeting each other around the round table. As Minhee approached the table, slightly flustered, someone tapped her shoulder from behind. Startled, she turned around to see Luca grinning widely, like a cat with a fish in front of it.