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Watching him, Jiyu wondered if the rain was only pouring down on her head. She tilted her umbrella slightly to check. The rain was falling even harder than before. She shook her head.
‘Does he not even feel the cold?’
Ever since Daylight Saving Time began in March and the clocks jumped forward an hour, Hunter had been walking around in just a shirt—even though March in New York felt more like late winter than spring.
He would hold out in just a shirt for as long as possible, only reluctantly donning his blazer in November when Daylight Saving ended and the clocks were set back.
Lately, in particular, Hunter complained of being hot every time he ran into her.
[Why do I keep getting hot whenever I see you? It's irritating.]
Meanwhile, she was always shivering from the cold.
Jiyu pouted, glaring at the back of Hunter's head.
‘I'm not a heater. He blames me for the fact that his own body runs hot.’
Furthermore, Hunter didn't use an umbrella, regardless of whether it was raining or snowing. Back in lower school, she had seen him use an umbrella brought by Nanny when she came to pick him up a few times, but she hadn't seen him use one since he started commuting to and from school on his own.
He would walk through a drizzle as if it were nothing, and if a sudden shower hit, he would sprint down Fifth Avenue, creating a gust of wind in his wake.
If it were Ae-jeong, she would have jumped in alarm, claiming he'd catch a cold. Perhaps because Lauren knew her son was as sturdy as a wild animal—or perhaps because she intended to raise him more like one—she let Hunter do as he pleased. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say she had given up.
Once the prince of the Hamilton family set his mind on being stubborn, there was no one who could stop him.
In any case, since he ran hot, it seemed he was perfectly fine walking around in just a shirt on a rainy day when it was only 59 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, Hunter, who usually strode with long legs at an impossible pace, was unusually slow today. By this time, he should have been two blocks ahead, leaving her to see only his receding back. Instead, he had stopped at the crosswalk, quietly waiting for the signal while getting soaked.
That was strange, too. Since when did the master of jaywalking wait for the signal?
Just then, the rain began to thicken. The sound of the rain hitting the umbrella was ominous.
[What should I do...]
Jiyu, who had stopped a couple of steps behind Hunter with a slow gait, fell into deep thought. The rain, quite dense for a drizzle, had soaked through half of Hunter's shirt, making it cling to his shoulders.
The rain grew even heavier. On a day with this much rain, if an acquaintance was standing at a crosswalk without an umbrella, the common-sense, humanitarian thing to do was to ask if they wanted to share.
‘Ugh, it's going to be so awkward...’
Before she could even make up her mind, the light changed.
Jiyu walked behind him, hoping Hunter would quickly surge ahead as usual. However, with the relaxed demeanor of someone taking a stroll on a hot summer beach, he stopped again at the next crosswalk. In the meantime, his shirt had become soaked through the sleeves and back.
Jiyu eyeballed the size of her umbrella. It was small, but not so small that two people couldn't use it. She felt a pang of guilt, her heart feeling heavy as if she had indigestion.
‘Ah, whatever.’
Swallowing hard, she called out to Hunter in a voice that barely rose above a whisper. If he didn't hear her and passed by, she intended to use that as an excuse to keep using the umbrella alone.
[Um... Hunter?]
As if he had already expected Jiyu to call him, Hunter turned toward her without a hint of surprise.
As he brushed back the wet hair falling over his forehead with an annoyed look, droplets of water fell from the tips of his dark brown hair onto his shirt collar. Tiny, transparent droplets also clung to the eyelashes that half-hid his deep blue eyes, reminiscent of the Mediterranean.
Blinking, he wiped the moisture from his face with the palm of his hand.
[What.]
Their eyes met.
[Um... I think it's raining too hard. Since we live in the same apartment anyway, uh... do you want to share an umbrella? I don't have any other intentions, so don't feel pressured! I mean... you can refuse if you don't want to.]
[...]
He looked down at Jiyu silently. Having stammered and rambled, Jiyu avoided his gaze and lowered her umbrella slightly.
‘I shouldn't have said anything. No matter how hard it rains, he'll probably just snap at me, saying he has no intention of sharing an umbrella with someone like Jewel Parker.’
She quickly shifted the umbrella handle to her other hand and made an excuse.
[I just asked, so don't worry about it. Well then, I'll be going... huh?]
In that instant, Hunter closed the distance in one breath, leaning his upper body low and thrusting his head under the umbrella.
Startled, Jiyu gasped. A scent resembling Central Park on a rainy day wafted into the space under the umbrella.
Hunter's face was far too close. While she could only blink in confusion, he took the umbrella handle from her hand and held it high. At that moment, the rear wheel of a yellow cab turning a corner at high speed plunged into a black puddle, sending up a violent spray of water.
[Ack!]
Hunter swiftly tilted the umbrella horizontally, blocking the muddy water that had splashed up to waist height. Before she could even react, rain poured down on her head as she froze.
He let out a sigh of relief, then slowly turned his head with an "oh" expression.
A brief silence fell between the two of them. Hunter quickly righted the umbrella and cleared his throat.
[Ahem. Better than muddy water.]
[...]
As Jiyu stared up at him, wiping the rain from her face with her cardigan sleeve, he gestured toward the crosswalk with his head.
[The light changed.]
Only then did she turn her gaze toward the traffic light. The white pedestrian signal had changed from a walking figure to a flashing countdown accompanied by a red palm.
Hunter held the umbrella tilted slightly toward her and gave her a light nudge on the back.
[Let's go.]
The two crossed the crosswalk side by side. After repeatedly hesitating and stopping while taking a stride ahead, he matched his pace with hers from the middle of the block.
Hunter's arm, holding the umbrella, occasionally brushed against her shoulder. Seeing her left shoulder poking out from under the umbrella, she realized she had underestimated the width of his shoulders. On the other hand, there was a bit of room on her side.
Jiyu tilted the umbrella slightly toward Hunter. He immediately shifted the angle back to where it was. She glanced at him, inwardly surprised.
She thought he would spend his whole life acting on instinct, like an animal hanging from a monkey bar. He'd actually become a human.
The Hamiltons might have failed at other things, but they had relentlessly instilled manners and etiquette in him from the moment he could understand speech. It seemed that the thorough training had finally started to take effect on Hunter Hamilton.
As Ae-jeong often said, it was a marvel to behold.
After walking in silence for a few blocks, Jiyu suddenly asked,
[Why on earth don't you carry an umbrella?]
Hunter shrugged and answered indifferently.
[I don't know. It's a hassle.]
Typical.
Jiyu fell silent again.
The sound of rain drumming on the umbrella made her ears feel muffled. Rain clouds covered the sky, and the surroundings sank into a dark, blue-gray hue. The red lights of the cars lined up along Fifth Avenue blurred in the rainwater, glowing dreamily.
The violent sound of the rain filled the awkward silence that lasted for a couple of blocks. There was something she was curious about regarding Hunter, but she struggled with how to bring it up.
‘Should I start with some small talk?’
But she had never shared any casual conversation with Hunter beyond what was absolutely necessary. Thus, she felt lost as to where to begin.
As she stole a glance at Hunter from the corner of her eye, she felt an inexplicable fluttering in her stomach. Standing so close to him, she realized just how much he had grown recently.
Noticing her gaze, Hunter shifted only his eyes to look down at her, then tilted his chin up slightly.
[What.]
[Hmm?]
[Why are you looking at me like that.]
[I'm not. I wasn't.]
Jiyu played innocent and avoided his gaze.
[You just looked at me with a face that said you had something to say.]
She flinched inwardly. How did he know?
24
The Hunter Jiyu knew was the kind of person who would sprint through the rain at full speed rather than share a small umbrella with someone. He had always been that way. Yet today, despite being drenched, he walked with a deliberate air of leisure.
‘Did he wait for me so we could walk together?’
She opened her mouth to ask, then closed it again.
‘There’s no way.’
If she asked, she’d likely just be mocked. Jiyu racked her brain, searching for a safer topic. Fortunately, just as it had been when they were children, he didn't wear an impatient expression or rush her just because her response was a bit delayed.
Thanks to that, she thought of a neutral topic that was good for conversation.
[Are you going to the Spring Fling?]
[Spring Fling?]
He arched an eyebrow.
The ‘Spring Fling’ was a regular dance party for students of Manhattan private schools, catering to those attending all-girls and all-boys schools. The party held in the spring was called the Spring Fling, and the one in the autumn was called the Fall Fest.
The tickets for these dance parties, held in five-star hotel ballrooms or grand event halls, cost 200 dollars per person.
[You know, the dance party.]
[Ah. That.]
These co-ed dance parties were held for each grade starting from 5th grade, the beginning of middle school, but Jiyu had never once attended. This was because Chloe's parents had issued a ban on dance parties until the 9th grade.
Since her best friend couldn't go, Jiyu had postponed attending as well. While she was curious and wanted to go at least once, it wasn't something she desperately craved.
As far as she knew, Hunter had also never attended such parties. The parties were usually held on Friday evenings, and since Hunter had tournaments almost every weekend, he spent his Friday afternoons in special training with his coach.
[What about you?]
Hunter asked back.
[I'm thinking of going this time. With Chloe.]
[When is the party?]
[Friday in two weeks. Are you going too?]
At that, he pulled his phone from his pocket to check something. She caught a glimpse of a dense chart with "Tournament Schedule" written on it. He spoke in a nonchalant tone.
[Maybe.]
"Maybe." In 'Hunter-speak,' that was practically the same as saying he would definitely attend.
Jiyu was slightly surprised but said nothing. Once a month, there was a week without tournaments to review match footage, and it seemed the timing aligned.
She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the apartment building a block away. It was surprising that they had managed to reach home safely, conversing like civilized human beings without any sarcasm or arguing.
[Stop by the treehouse for a bit first.]
When Jiyu looked up with a questioning gaze, Hunter handed her the folded umbrella.
[There's a tournament this weekend. It's L2, but this time I'm challenging the Under-18 tournament instead of Under-16. It's an important match that college coaches come to watch.]
Something cold and stinging settled in Jiyu's chest.
‘Of course. I almost misunderstood for nothing. I'm glad I didn't ask.’
She had forgotten that there was only one reason why Hunter would wait for her in the rain and walk in step with her under an umbrella.
How stupid.
[Without changing your clothes? You're soaked.]
She asked in a subdued voice.
[Doesn't matter. I'll be waiting, so you can go change and come back if you want.]
[...I don't mind either.]
Suddenly feeling deflated and exhausted like a popped balloon, Jiyu didn't have the energy to argue with Hunter about whether to go to the treehouse or not. She just wanted to finish the Jinx ritual quickly and shut herself in her room to relax and read a book.
Entering the apartment lobby, the two walked silently toward the corridor leading to the courtyard, maintaining a slight distance between them.
Actually, she had thought Hunter would eventually find her annoying, realize how foolish this was, and stop. But even in 9th grade, he still called her out like this before important matches.
Only after searching the internet for various examples of how strictly athletes adhere to their pre-game routines did she force herself to accept it.
She only granted his request to come to the treehouse about once every three times. When they were younger, it had been hard to refuse because she wanted to read the books in Hunter's library, but now she could simply borrow books from the school library.
However, because of Hunter, she received math tutoring from one of the best tutors in the industry at a minimal cost, and because of Ae-jeong, who walked around with her head held high thanks to Lauren's influence, she couldn't completely ignore his requests.
In truth, whenever the great Hunter Hamilton begged her to come to the treehouse, she felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.
The rainy courtyard looked somewhat lonely. It was too early to be called evening, but dusk fell early in the courtyard surrounded by the high-ceilinged apartments.
The lamps, shaped like classical gas lights and standing between Art Nouveau cast-iron benches painted in a low-saturation green, were lit. Like flying insects drawn to light on a midsummer night, thick streaks of rain swirled around the yellow glow.
Without even opening an umbrella, the two walked quickly toward the treehouse.
[Go up first.]
In front of the ladder, Hunter gestured toward the entrance with his chin.
[Huh? Oh...]
She answered awkwardly and stepped onto the ladder. He had surprised her several times today. She had a vague feeling since last year that Hunter was gradually becoming more human, but the fact that he thought to let her in first instead of just jumping in himself to escape the rain was strange and unfamiliar.
Lost in thought and climbing the ladder by inertia, Jiyu suddenly slipped. One of her legs slid through the rungs of the ladder, and due to the weight of her backpack, her upper body lurched backward.
[Whoa!]
The backpack hit something with a thud.
[Ugh.]
At the same time, a long arm shot out and wrapped around her waist.
Hunter, who had been standing idly, instinctively caught Jiyu as she fell backward and grumbled above the crown of her head.
[Hey, wake up, Munchkin... Jewel Parker.]
The impact was absorbed by the backpack on her back, but the mental shock remained intact.
‘He was about to call me Munchkin, wasn't he?’
Munchkin was the nickname he used when his younger sister, Daisy, climbed onto his exercise equipment and played dangerous pranks. She felt embarrassed that she had almost landed on her butt in a puddle of rainwater right in front of Hunter, and that she was being treated like a child like Daisy.
Jiyu's face flushed red in an instant. It was a relief that her back was to him.
[S-sorry. The new ladder is too slippery...]
The plastic ladder, which had been replaced recently due to complaints that the old wooden one was dangerous, had rounded edges and was slippery when wet.
Leaning against Hunter, Jiyu struggled, waving her arms as she tried to put her slipped leg back onto the plank. Then, he muttered as if annoyed.
[Just stay still, I'll set you up.]
He released the arm wrapped around her waist and firmly gripped her forearm with both hands, slowly pushing her up.
Jiyu hurriedly climbed the ladder and entered the treehouse. The inside was even darker than the outside. However, it was a space as familiar as her own room.
Without hesitation, she walked across and plopped down on the sofa. As she brushed away the hair clinging to her forehead and cheeks, she noticed her thighs, glistening from the rain.
‘Oops. My skirt is too short; I hope he didn't see inside when I was climbing up.’
According to school regulations, she had to wear short leggings under her skirt, so even if something were visible, it would be shorts, not underwear. Even knowing that, her cooling cheeks flared up again.
Jiyu shook her head vigorously to erase the useless thoughts.
Hunter was different from other boys who were crazy about girls. He had no interest in anything other than tennis. She could bet a week's allowance that if he had to choose between a sexy, attractive woman in a bikini and a tennis racket, he would choose the racket without hesitation.
Just then, Hunter entered the treehouse, awkwardly bending his upper body.
When they were young, it never felt small even when several people crowded inside, but for some reason, the treehouse felt like it shrank every time she visited.
It felt like only yesterday that she sat on the sofa reading books while he climbed onto the roof, thumping around before jumping down to the floor; it was hard to believe that had been years ago.
‘Is this what adults call nostalgia?’
Growing older felt, somehow, unsettling.
As Hunter slowly straightened his back, his head touched the ceiling, where cobwebs were haphazardly stretched. He seemed slightly surprised as well, quickly lowering his head and shaking his hair a couple of times like a large dog. Water droplets splashed in all directions.
Jiyu wrinkled her nose and turned her head the other way.
Soon, Hunter walked over with heavy steps and plopped down beside her.
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