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“Ugh, no matter how many times I look at these ribbons, they're so tacky. It's like some child comrade praising the Great Leader. But what can we do? All the kids in this neighborhood wear them, and if you're the only one who doesn't, they won't let you play. So you have to wear them.”
Jiyu nodded, though she didn't quite understand what was being said. She only understood about half of what Ae-jeong said in Korean.
With a clumsy touch, Ae-jeong spread ointment over the bruise on Jiyu's white forehead. Jiyu, who had been rushed to the emergency room with a mild concussion, had a bump on the back of her head and a bruise on her forehead. Fortunately, there were no other issues besides the bump and the bruise.
“Sigh, it'll take over a week for this bruise to go away. It's a relief it's only this much, but anyone who sees her will think she's being beaten in an abusive home.”
She clicked her tongue, sounding distressed.
“…Ow.”
As Jiyu turned her head to avoid the merciless fingers, Ae-jeong ruthlessly grabbed her chin and turned it back.
“Just bear with it. You have to apply the bruise cream for it to fade faster. Of all times, this had to happen right before school starts. Sigh, but it's not like we didn't get anything out of it….”
After the accident, Hunter's mother, Lauren Hamilton, apologized to Ae-jeong and invited them to their home once more for a playdate to make up for the one they missed, right on the first day of school.
Aster School, which Jiyu attended, and Alton School, which Hunter attended, were prestigious private schools with a century of tradition, separated only by a single street.
Aster School was for girls and Alton School was for boys; they shared the same foundation, though they had different principals.
While students of both schools attended classes at their respective institutions, they had many opportunities to cross paths. They shared a sports center with a swimming pool and a grand library, and they participated in after-school programs and club activities together. Large events like cultural festivals and homecomings were jointly organized by the parent associations of both schools.
Because they offered the advantages of both co-educational and single-sex education, and had a history of producing the social elite for generations, the two schools were considered top-tier among the competitive private schools of the Upper East Side.
On the first day of school, when it was time for the kindergarten and elementary students to go home, the area in front of the gates of Aster School and Alton School was absolute chaos. Parents chatting while waiting for their turn to pick up their children spilled out into the street to the point where it was difficult for cars to get through.
Dismissal took longer on the first day. This was due to a rule where the identity of the person responsible for pickup had to be registered with the school in advance to protect children from risks such as kidnapping or abduction, and the homeroom teacher had to go through a verification process before personally handing over the student.
Dressed in luxury brands from head to toe for the first day of school, Ae-jeong grabbed Jiyu's wrist as soon as she picked her up and pulled her toward Fifth Avenue.
“Jiyu, let's hurry. Hunter is waiting!”
She urged her on with an excited voice.
Jiyu, her face pale, suppressed the urge to scream and throw a tantrum, saying she didn't want to go. Her eyes turned red as tears welled up, but she bit her trembling lips tight.
She was afraid that if she cried and threw a fit, the gaze of all the people crowding the school front would fall on her. She couldn't decide which was more terrifying: Hunter Hamilton or the stares of strangers.
Since being rushed to the hospital with a concussion, Hunter had become an object of terror to Jiyu, scarier than a midnight ghost. However, Ae-jeong was unaware of this.
Jiyu tried to shake her head faintly and drag her feet, but Ae-jeong, who was blunt when it came to reading a child's reactions, gripped Jiyu's slender wrist and pushed through the crowd without hesitation.
As soon as they turned the corner of Fifth Avenue, they saw Lauren standing there holding Hunter's hand. While the mothers exchanged warm greetings, Hunter glared at Jiyu with blue eyes filled with irritation and contempt.
As Jiyu trembled and stepped backward, Lauren placed her hand on Hunter's shoulder and gave him a firm push.
[Hunter Hamilton. I believe you said you had something to say to Jiyu?]
Lauren asked in a smooth but firm voice.
Hunter, who had been bracing himself with his legs, was pushed forward toward Jiyu as if collapsing. Jiyu gasped and hid behind her mother, but Ae-jeong dragged her back out.
As the two stood facing each other, Hunter stared somewhere above the crown of Jiyu's head and spat out bluntly:
[…I'm sorry.]
Lauren pressed down on Hunter's shoulder, urging him.
[And?]
Hunter tilted his head and let out a sigh.
[Forgive me.]
[And?]
He abruptly held out something he had been clutching in his hand.
[This is my apology gift.]
Startled, Jiyu instinctively took a step back. Seeing this, Hunter's expression soured. Then, Ae-jeong gripped Jiyu's arm and forced her forward.
Jiyu's gaze fell upon the object he was holding. It was a book neatly wrapped with a gift ribbon.
[Oh….]
Jiyu's lips parted in a small circle. It was the latest installment of the unicorn series she loved. Her shoulders, which had been hunched up to her ears in tension, lowered slightly. She reached out with her small fingers and took the book.
“Jiyu, what do you say when you receive a gift?”
Ae-jeong poked her in the back.
[…Thank you.]
Jiyu uttered the learned greeting in a tiny, fading voice. At that, Hunter whipped around and looked up at Lauren, making a demand.
[Done, right? Now let me go to the playground. Rex took all the kids to the Central Park playground except for me.]
However, Lauren shook her head with a stern face.
[No. Today, you will have a playdate with Jiyu at home. Act like a gentleman, Hunter Hamilton, unless you want to be banned from the playground again.]
Then, she nodded toward Ae-jeong, signaling it was time to leave. The two women urged the children along and headed toward the apartment on 80th Street.
Unable to contain his overflowing rage, Hunter stomped his feet, making a growling sound in his throat.
Fearful of being left alone with Hunter, Jiyu hugged the book tightly to her chest and scurried along, following Ae-jeong's back.
Hunter, who had been standing with a face flushed red and blue, quickly caught up to her. He then abruptly grabbed her arm. Jiyu flinched and stopped in her tracks.
After checking with a sidelong glance that the adults weren't looking, Hunter whispered in her ear.
[I really hate you, Jewel Parker.]
His anger leaked out like a gust of wind through the gaps in his teeth.
Jiyu rubbed her still-throbbing forehead and swallowed her tears once more in a sense of unfairness. She hated Hunter too. But lacking the courage to say it out loud, she endured it and hurried her pace.
✾ ✾ ✾
[Rosa, please take the children down to the playroom.]
As soon as they arrived at the Hamilton residence, Lauren made a request to Hunter's nanny.
[Yes, Mrs. Hamilton.]
The elderly Hispanic nanny nodded and took Hunter's bag.
Ae-jeong gasped in surprise and asked Lauren.
“Is the floor below this one also Hunter's house?”
Lauren nodded with an indifferent expression. The Hamilton residence occupied the top three floors of the apartment.
“The floor below is the family floor used by our family. Below that is the staff quarters.”
Ae-jeong's mouth dropped open.
“Then who uses this floor—I mean, the penthouse floor?”
Lauren shrugged one shoulder.
“This floor has a hall for events, a formal dining room, a drawing room, a study, and guest rooms.”
“I see….”
With a stunned gaze, Ae-jeong scanned the view of the terrace, Central Park, and the Hudson River visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The space, decorated with artworks and antique furniture and as open as a playground, seemed to be the 'hall' Lauren mentioned.
“Then, shall we go out to the terrace and have tea while the children play?”
“Yes, yes! That sounds great! The terrace!”
Ae-jeong nodded vigorously, wearing a smile thick with flattery.
Lauren turned elegantly toward Hunter, who was pouting.
[Hunter, I heard Jiyu really loves books. Why don't you go to the playroom and show her your library?]
It was a soft command that sounded like a suggestion.
Hunter pushed away the hand stroking his head as if it were a nuisance. Lauren signaled Rosa to take the children down.
Jiyu, who had been standing pressed against the wall to avoid Hunter's sight as much as possible since arriving at the penthouse, felt curiosity and longing flicker in her eyes for the first time.
A library…? Would there be many books?
Rosa took the hands of the two children and headed toward the spiral staircase connected to the family floor. Hunter, with a face full of grumpiness, shook off Rosa's hand and ran down to the lower floor ahead of them.
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