EPILOGUE Part  14

Minhee calmly responded to Brianna, looking her straight in the eye.

[Thank you. As you get older, you naturally become more mature. …You haven’t changed at all. You look just like I remember.]

[……!]

It sounded like a compliment about her unchanging youthful appearance, but Brianna understood the hidden meaning behind it and was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing silently.

At that moment, Minhee oddly thought of Lara Rosenburg. It was then that Minhee understood why Brianna had returned here.

Both were essentially entitled troublemakers, but there was a significant difference in the sophistication and cunning between a small-town troublemaker and a big-city troublemaker.

If Brianna’s childish and petty troublemaking on Hilton Head Island was a 1, then the snobbish and exclusive troublemaking of New York’s upper-class women was a 10. No matter how hard Brianna tried in New York, there was no chance of reliving the glory days of being treated like a queen during high school.

Minhee couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the thought that Brianna would probably spend her life sitting at the Hilton Head Island arcade counter, waiting for the Rosewood homecoming to relive her past glory.

Seeing this, Brianna raised her eyes, about to retort, when a familiar voice called out to her.

[Min!]

[Noah!]

Noah, looking dashing in his suit, reached out to her and gave her a light hug with a cheek kiss. Seeing the two greet each other so familiarly, the people around them froze all at once.

It was as if they were stamping a big, bold confirmation on an old rumor that Rosewood High School students had half-believed for a long time.

[Noah Brown! Aren’t you going to say hi to your friend?]

Brianna interjected, squeezing herself between the two.

[Hi.]

Noah gave Brianna a half-hearted greeting, barely acknowledging her, and stepped closer to Minhee as if to block Brianna out.

[Min, you look absolutely stunning today.]

[Thanks. You look great too.]

Minhee now truly felt like Noah was just a friend. Noah often flirted playfully, but he knew well that it wouldn’t change her feelings.

[Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to homecoming! When did you get to the island?]

People were already gathering around Noah in a buzz.

Regardless, Noah, who was unreserved even in New York, behaved with reckless abandon in his home ground. Watching the people around him react with surprise and agitation brought a strange sense of satisfaction.

[I decided this afternoon. I arrived on the island yesterday.]

[When are you leaving? Did you come alone? What are you doing tomorrow?]

Noah bombarded her with questions and then leaned down to whisper in her ear, loud enough for everyone around to hear.

[Did you dump that overprotective, scary boyfriend of yours? Is it finally my chance?]

Noah winked at her playfully, making Minhee laugh unintentionally.

Then, a chilly voice answered for Minhee from behind her.

[Not a chance. Minhee is busy. Tomorrow, the day after, forever. And I’m not just her boyfriend; I’m her fiancé.]

Taejun, who had gone to get wine, was standing behind her. Noah’s blatant flirting was clearly directed not at her but at Taejun.

As the eyes of the two men met in the air, sparks flew like lightning hitting a telephone pole.

Taejun handed a wine glass to Madison and, pulling Minhee tightly by the waist, offered her a wine glass too. When Minhee looked up at Taejun and smiled, he kissed her on the temple and glared back at Noah.

Finally, Noah’s eyebrows drooped.

[Darn… You’re engaged? Congratulations, Min.]

Though his tone wasn’t congratulatory at all, Minhee smiled and replied.

[Thanks, Noah.]

Then, like parrots, those around Noah echoed congratulations to Minhee.

[Bro! There you are!]

A large figure pushed through the murmuring crowd, raising a fist toward Noah. Noah sighed softly and bumped fists.

[Trey. What’s up.]

Behind Trey, who looked like a grizzly bear after quitting sports, followed a string of football team alumni. Trey noticed Minhee standing in front of Noah.

[Oh, who do we have here! Toddler… What was your name? We almost kissed once, remember?]

[Please shut up, Trey.]

Noah covered his eyes with his hand and sighed deeply.

Taejun’s arm around her waist tightened, and with a mask-like cold expression, he stepped forward to shield her with his body. Minhee clung to Taejun, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I’m okay. Ignore them, Taejun.”

Trey flinched at Taejun’s fierce gaze but quickly regained his composure, glancing at the football team friends behind him and lifting his chin.

Seizing the moment, Brianna stepped forward, finally inserting herself into the invisible circle Noah had created.

[Trey, long time no see!]

[Yo, Brianna!]

[It’s been six months since we met in New York, right? I heard you’re doing well on Wall Street these days!]

Brianna loudly flaunted their connection for everyone to hear, prompting Trey to boastfully pull out a stack of business cards from his pocket and distribute them around.

Minhee felt embarrassed that Taejun was witnessing this childish spectacle, unable to lift her head. She momentarily made eye contact with Noah, who seemed to share her sentiment, shaking his head with a roll of his eyes.

Taejun slowly flipped Trey’s business card back and forth. It was a trader’s card from a small boutique bank he had never heard of. Taking out his wallet, Taejun placed Trey’s card inside and pulled out one of his own, handing it to Trey.

Trey, who had been laughing, read the sparsely written card and snapped his head up.

[Holy sh*t!]

Trey muttered through his teeth, then straightened his shoulders and extended his arm to Taejun.

[Mr. Baek, it’s an honor to meet a legend.]

Minhee was startled, her mouth dropping open.

The surrounding area fell silent as many eyes darted between Trey, Taejun, and Minhee standing beside them.

With one hand still around her waist, Taejun extended the hand he had in his pocket for a perfunctory handshake before returning it to his pocket.

Madison, who had been watching, whispered to Minhee.

[Minhee, what does your fiancé do? Is he famous?]

[……He’s in hedge funds. He works in finance.]

Minhee whispered quietly.

She only knew that Taejun was the head of a successful hedge fund at a young age, but she didn’t really understand what that meant. Terms like quant, IPO, and mergers had gone in one ear and out the other, but judging by Trey’s attitude, Taejun was quite famous on Wall Street.

[I applied to TJH Capital last year but failed the interview. But to meet the legendary creator of the fastest-growing hedge fund’s quant program in this backwater place…!]

Taejun looked at Trey coolly before breaking into a smile.

Hierarchy among males tended to be determined in a very simple and primitive way. Physical strength, political power, and financial wealth. Everything else was secondary.

[Send me your resume.]

[Wow, thank you so much!! Oh, and congratulations on your engagement.]

Trey’s previously boastful demeanor vanished, replaced by a servile bow, which was more bitter than satisfying. Trey turned to Minhee with an awkward smile, a look she had never seen before.

[Congratulations on your engagement. You live in New York, right? We should have a Rosewood High School Manhattan alumni meeting. Don’t you think, Noah?]

When Trey tried to involve Noah, Noah, seemingly eager to escape the conversation, looked around without responding, while Minhee was left speechless, blinking.

Then Brianna jumped in.

[A New York alumni meeting sounds great! I lived in New York too, so invite me.]

[……Don’t you live in Staten Island? It must be hard to come out by ferry.]

Trey seemed unaware that Brianna had returned to Hilton Head Island. Staten Island, south of Manhattan, had been a landfill site 20 years ago.

Next to Brianna, one of her entourage asked, ‘Didn’t you say you lived in Tribeca?’ Brianna’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.

[I did live in Tribeca with my boyfriend!]

[Oh, wasn’t your baby daddy a married man? Did you finally get him to divorce his wife? Nice work. His house was in Tribeca, right?]

With Trey’s tactless response, it became clear that Brianna hadn’t married, had a child, and divorced, but rather had a child with a married man and returned home. Brianna’s face went pale.

Even Minhee, watching, felt too embarrassed to continue watching. She quietly tugged on Taejun’s sleeve. He immediately leaned down and listened to her.

“Let’s leave. The party isn’t as fun as I thought.”

Taejun nodded, placing a hand on her back and turning as if he had been waiting. Minhee turned back and waved to Noah.

[We’re heading out first!]

[Sure. See you later, Min!]

Noah smiled warmly, waving back before turning away.

Minhee hugged Madison, who was standing beside her, saying goodbye.

[I’ll send a wedding invitation. Please come if you can! Thank you for always holding my hand, Madison! I mean it.]

[Minhee! See you later. I’ll definitely come to the wedding. Keep in touch!]

* * *

They were on their way home, the hood down, feeling the cool sea breeze blowing in from the Atlantic. Although it was still summer, with September, the days had noticeably shortened, and it was getting dark around them. A bright crescent moon followed the car’s tail.

“I feel strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain… I feel a bit sad, a bit amused, and relieved. My emotions are all tangled.”

Minhee had no desire to take revenge on those who had tormented her long ago.

She just wanted to see herself not running away but standing strong when she faced them again, unlike her younger self.

But at today’s homecoming party, she felt as if she had discovered that the ghosts from her difficult past were nothing but flimsy, cheap paper models.

“Hmm… Want to kiss?”

Minhee burst out laughing.

“What’s that, all of a sudden?”

“I’ll make sure you don’t think about anything else.”

Taejun glanced at her with a lazy smile. Minhee’s heart fluttered like a wave.

“…Really?”

Taejun interlocked his fingers with hers, pulling her closer. As she watched Taejun softly kiss from the back of her hand to her fingers, her heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe.

Suddenly, a place came to mind.

It was a secluded parking lot next to a hiking trail where Hilton Head Island high schoolers went to “make out” and do naughty things away from adult eyes.

Kids who got boyfriends all talked about it. She had only imagined it.

“I want to go somewhere. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard a lot about it.”

Minhee whispered secretively into Taejun’s ear, smiling. The sports car’s engine roared as it sped down the quiet street.

* * *

The secluded parking lot, surrounded by tall trees, was empty. Taejun kept his promise to make her forget everything.

Shaken by the thrilling sensation, Minhee couldn’t think of anything but Taejun, who persistently explored her.

Lying back in the seat, her hazy eyes saw the starlight above Taejun’s shoulder rhythmically swaying in the dark night sky. Taejun exhaled roughly, driving his hips deeper. Beneath her knee, draped over his shoulder, the faux jewels on her shoe sparkled brighter than the stars, reflecting the moonlight.

Taejun lifted his upper body to look down at Minhee. Her dazzling chest, exposed above the pulled-down dress, swayed with his movements, catching the full moonlight. Taejun grasped her chest and hungrily sucked on the peak.

“Ah!”

Minhee’s muffled moan escaped as she clamped her mouth, her body stiffening and trembling. Taejun pulled back his hips one last time before thrusting deep. Minhee’s inner walls, writhing in cl*max, clamped and released around his p*nis without pause.

“Ugh!”

The hair-raising pl*asure made Taejun inhale sharply, his entire body tensing as he released a deep groan.

The cool breeze blowing through the tall trees cooled the sweat. Taejun sluggishly sat up, adjusted Minhee’s clothes, and seated her on his thigh.

Relaxed in his arms, Minhee glanced at the side mirror and chuckled. She tucked stray hair behind her ear, wiping the smeared lipstick from his lips with her finger.

“What if Dad kicks us out when we go home looking like this? We’ll have to sneak in after he falls asleep.”

Minhee’s teenage-like remark made Taejun’s chest shake with silent laughter.

“Let’s do that.”

“Taejun, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything. I have no regrets now. I feel like I’ve been reborn. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

As their lips met again, the dark night of the secluded parking lot on Hilton Head Island tilted intimately over them.