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Having left her phone in her room, Jiyu used Ae-jeong's phone to call Lauren. She explained the situation to Lauren, who had been worried because she hadn't seen her all day, and apologized for causing her concern.
On the way back via the subway.
Jiyu bid farewell to the future she had briefly dreamed of. The dream of going to California to start a new life faded away before it could even begin.
And so, she was back to square one.
One hundred thousand dollars.
There was no way a bank would lend that much money to someone with no credit score. The only person around her who had that kind of money was...
[...Hunter.]
Jiyu murmured his name like a prayer of despair, burying her face in her hands.
✾ ✾ ✾
Saturday morning, Hunter left the house early. In the afternoon, he had a practice match against a sophomore starter on the Columbia University tennis team. The opponent was a player from Florida whom he had faced a few times in national tournaments years ago.
Hunter tended to be weaker in doubles than in singles. The team had arranged the practice match before the semester even officially began, believing that he and this player would create great synergy as doubles partners.
Thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to get in sync with a teammate he would be sharing hardships with, he readily accepted the proposal.
He left the Hamilton residence a bit early to warm up and give himself some time to organize his thoughts. In truth, in his current state, he couldn't focus on the match or anything else.
Upon arriving at the tennis club on Randall's Island where the practice match was held, he went straight to his gear and began stretching.
Though he didn't want to admit it, the events of last night had hit him quite hard. While on the treadmill, Hunter carefully retraced the unfamiliar stories Jiyu had thrown at him.
It wasn't a tennis strategy; the very act of ruminating on someone's words was foreign to him. It was even more so because the things she had babbled were so absurd.
'An old toy? She's saying I played with her? She should at least be interesting if she's going to say things like that.'
'That I'd get bored of her? Since when? When the fuck does that "boredom" actually happen!'
'Admiring yet hating, grateful yet miserable...? What the hell did I even do? She thinks too much, which is why she comes up with all this bullshit.'
'Saying we never properly dated. Then what have we been doing all this time? Are you telling me I was sucking and licking her while we weren't even dating?'
'Curiosity. A trick of hormones. Ha... damn it. Why is she still talking about things from way back when?'
Hunter's head throbbed, unable to figure out where, what, or how things had gone wrong.
Suddenly, he remembered a piece of advice Rex had mentioned hearing from his father years ago.
[Listen, this is the most plausible thing that old fossil ever said. Don't try to understand women. Just accept the phenomenon as it is; if you try to understand it, you'll just break your head.]
Those words were true.
In contrast, his feelings toward Jiyu were far simpler.
It was true that he had asked her to date him because of a jinx. At least, that's how it started. He couldn't deny that.
'What's the problem with that now? It's not like she didn't know.'
Besides, he had long since overcome the jinx. That didn't mean he stopped believing in it entirely. His performance still improved whenever Jiyu came to watch his matches.
However, he had passed the stage of being anxious that a jinx might flip the outcome of a match. He was no longer a child, and he had improved his skills.
Though he occasionally used the jinx as an excuse when kissing, that was just... a habit.
Jiyu was convenient because she didn't pester him with requests to do this or that, or to go here or there. He was an athlete, and the tournament schedule took priority over everything. He didn't have the luxury to cater to a girlfriend's fickle whims like his friends did.
Jiyu didn't complain, even if he called her out at the time and in the manner he wanted. Except for one single thing, she accommodated everything he wanted. He admitted that it was quite convenient.
'Am I a bit indifferent?'
Hunter asked himself, a question unlike him, and shrugged.
'She's the one who asked to keep the relationship a secret. There isn't much you can do in a situation like that anyway.'
Among the emotions he felt for her, the one that was undeniably the clearest was...
'Fuck, what am I supposed to do about the fact that she turns me on?'
It was a mystery why he felt such a perverse excitement for Jiyu Parker, who was modest, plain, and lacked any obvious sexy qualities. He wished someone would step forward and explain the reason to him.
Jared was wrong.
Even when he saw women in swimsuits in magazines, or when videos of women with breasts the size of melons being pounded roughly were shoved in his face, he remained indifferent.
Yet, his mind would go blank just seeing the damn Jiyu Parker walk out in tight jeans and a sleeveless tank top. If he happened to catch a glimpse of her hidden cleavage when she leaned over, his lower body reacted instantly.
There were more than a few times when he found himself in a situation where it was difficult to stand up while with Jiyu. She was also the subject of all his sexual fantasies, accompanied by a sense of self-loathing.
Wet dreams weren't something he could control, so that was one thing, but even when he tried his hardest to think of something else while masturbating, the image that appeared before his eyes at the final moment of ejaculation was always...
Jiyu, her pale face flushed, panting while pinned naked beneath him.
After much deliberation, Hunter concluded that it was simply accumulated sexual frustration because he hadn't had sex with her yet.
The only thing Jiyu refused among the things he wanted was sex.
When the hell was that damn "mental preparation" ever going to happen?
How much longer did he have to wait for the slow and sluggish Jiyu Parker?
Every time she refused, he had to gather extreme patience and self-control to suppress himself and quietly pull his hand away.
Well, it wasn't that he didn't understand.
Since they kept their relationship a secret, the only places they met were his SUV or the treehouse. It was her first time, so it was natural that she wouldn't want to do it in a cramped car or a treehouse. So, he had made his own preparations.
Last year, as soon as he signed the agreement to go to Columbia, he asked the Hamilton family's private secretary to find an apartment where he could live for four years.
Three conditions: it had to be in the Upper West Side near the school, between 90th and 120th Streets; it had to be a high floor with a view of Central Park; and it had to be a loft space similar in size to his current room.
However, because many houses in that neighborhood were rented primarily to Columbia students, it was difficult to find a wide loft space like those downtown.
In the end, he bought two small apartments at once and had the walls knocked down. The construction had finished recently, and an interior designer was currently bringing in furniture and exercise equipment.
He planned to call Jiyu to that loft from now on. Since they would be attending the same university, he thought it would be more convenient for her too.
If commuting became a hassle... she could just live in his loft. They had already lived in the same house for two years, and since she was such a quiet and gentle girl, he didn't think it would be uncomfortable. Since there was only one bed, sharing it... wouldn't be bad.
He had put so much heart and soul into planning this, and she's going where?
California, my ass.
Does that even make sense?
When did she say going to Columbia was her dream? Why the hell is she going there?
And she wants to break up?
He could not accept it.
Who gave her permission? I'm not done yet.
[...You can't go anywhere until I say we're done, Jiyu Parker.]
Hunter muttered.
The practice match ended in his defeat. Since he couldn't focus at all, it was a natural result. Normally, he would have been consumed by the thought of grinding his teeth to avenge the loss, but he didn't care about the result of the match.
The priority filling his consciousness was that he had to talk to Jiyu again.
As for college, he intended to pressure Jiyu through Lauren. Jiyu might refuse if he said it, but if Lauren said it, she would practically die to comply.
As always, he had not a shred of doubt that things would eventually go his way.
By the time he returned to the Hamilton residence, it was already nearly ten o'clock. However, the atmosphere inside the house was strangely unsettled.
[Hunter!]
As soon as she saw him, Daisy ran up with a tear-streaked face and grabbed his clothes, shaking them.
[Something terrible happened! Jiyu is gone!]
[What are you talking about?]
Hunter asked back, frowning.
[She disappeared this morning, and she's not answering Mom's calls! And she still hasn't come back!]
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