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[I'm grateful too, Olivia. Daisy is so shy that I thought finding a new tutor would be a real headache, but knowing you'll do it takes a huge weight off my mind. Oh, right! Do you have any special plans for this summer? A trip, perhaps?]
[No, I don't.]
Jiyu shook her head.
The last trip she had taken was to Naples, Florida, during the winter break just before Alan died. Now that it was certain she would be staying in New York, she planned to start looking for a job tomorrow.
[Then, why don't you come to the South of France with us this summer? You've worked so hard studying and babysitting Daisy all this time. Consider this my graduation gift for your college entrance, so don't refuse and come with us, okay?]
Blinking in surprise, Jiyu felt a sting in her nose at Lauren's consideration. There was no way she could refuse a proposal that went beyond mere kindness toward an employee. Jiyu bowed her head once more.
[Yes, I'll go. Thank you so much.]
✾ ✾ ✾
Saturday afternoon. Jiyu took the subway toward Brooklyn. She had been told that Ae-jeong's employer had given her permission to stay overnight.
The basement room, which was merely vast and desolate, smelled of musty mold. A bed, a built-in closet, and a small table used as a dining area were the only pieces of furniture.
Sitting with her chin resting on the table, Jiyu suddenly confessed.
“Mom, Mrs. Hamilton asked if I could be Daisy's live-in tutor, and I said yes. She said she'd advance me a year's salary. I think I can use that money to cover the rest of my Columbia tuition.”
In the small kitchenette that occupied one corner of the room, Ae-jeong, who had been trimming vegetables for the soup, slid down to the floor with the knife still in her hand.
“Mom!”
Startled, Jiyu approached Ae-jeong, who was crouching. Her shoulders shook violently a couple of times as she covered her face with her hands.
Jiyu gently took the knife from her hand, placed it on the sink, and hugged her frail, thin shoulders. The smell of pain-relief patches for muscle aches stung Jiyu's nose.
“Mom, why are you crying….”
Jiyu's voice trembled thinly, overcome with emotion.
“Because I'm happy. I'm just so happy.”
Ae-jeong quickly wiped her tears with her rough hands and released Jiyu's arms from around her shoulders. Then, she sprang up.
“Let's go out. Mom got her weekly pay, so let's eat out today. We can't afford anything expensive, but we can at least go to a Chinese restaurant.”
“…Really?”
It was their first time eating out in two years.
With bok choy, fried rice, and appetizing General Tso’s Chicken before them, Jiyu brought up the invitation to the Hamiltons' villa in the South of France.
As soon as she mentioned it, a spark of life returned to Ae-jeong's eyes for the first time in a long while.
“Oh, I remember Hunter's mom showing me photos before. There was this brilliant white mansion standing majestically on a cliff by the sea, with an outdoor pool and a tennis court right next to it… It looked like a villa from a movie about billionaires. I was so envious.”
“Really?”
“I'm telling you! My goodness, who would have thought you'd actually get to go there, Jiyu? As expected, having a rich friend… uh, I mean….”
Ae-jeong, who had been raising her voice in excitement while munching on the bok choy, caught herself and trailed off, glancing at Jiyu. Jiyu chuckled and changed the subject.
“Mom, I don't have a swimsuit. I don't really need anything else, but I think I'll have to buy one.”
The mother and daughter both smiled bitterly with similar expressions. Without needing to say it, they both thought of the warm pool villa in Naples, Florida, their last travel destination when Alan was still alive.
“There's an outlet nearby. Let's go shopping tomorrow morning. I've seen some great finds even among the 80 or 90 percent off items. It's a villa in the South of France, after all; I have to dress my Jiyu up in some pretty clothes so she looks like a rich girl's daughter.”
Ae-jeong laughed out loud for the first time in a long while. She then poured cola into a glass and held it out as if proposing a toast.
In that sight, Jiyu saw a lingering image of her mother laughing happily while drinking champagne on the day they had dinner in dresses at their new house.
She loved that image. So, she smiled along and held out her glass of cola.
✾ ✾ ✾
The Nice Côte D’Azur airport, which she had vaguely expected to be glamorous, was smaller and more modest than she had imagined.
While Lauren and Daisy sat in chairs, Jerard and Hunter each pulled a cart and stood before the luggage conveyor. When Jiyu hovered nearby, Hunter, wearing the hood of his sweatshirt, glanced at her and gave a dismissive nod of his head.
[Go wait over there.]
His tone was blunt.
Hesitating for a moment, Jiyu gave an awkward smile and went to sit beside Lauren and Daisy.
Once again, the life of a 'servant in a great house' began—where the body was comfortable but the mind was uneasy. The only difference from before was that she was now trying her best to keep her mind at ease as well.
Having finally left Aster School, where she had spent thirteen years building a complex bond of love and hate, she would enter Columbia University—the school she had dreamed of since childhood—at the end of August.
It was like finding a thin sliver of light leaking in from afar after wandering lost in a pitch-black cave. Hope possesses a mysterious power; simply being able to dream of four years from now made life feel much more bearable.
Now that she was an adult, the range of things she could do had expanded. Thus, she vowed to prepare thoroughly over the next four years and achieve the independence she had postponed the moment she graduated from college.
Two men with similar backs walked ahead, pushing carts piled high with suitcases. Hunter, whose growth had finally stopped at 6 feet 4.5 inches, had now surpassed Jerard in height. Lauren and Jiyu, holding the hand of a bouncing, excited Daisy, followed behind them.
As soon as they stepped outside the airport, two men dressed in uniforms of cream shirts and light blue trousers approached them.
[Welcome to Nice, Monsieur Hamilton!]
Greeting them politely in English mixed with a thick French accent, the two men took over the cart handles and guided them toward the parked vehicles.
Just then, Daisy scurried over to the large alphabet letters that spelled out '#NICE'.
[I have to take a photo here this year too! Hurry up!]
[Ah, that's right. If it weren't for my sweetheart, I would have forgotten the Hamilton family tradition.]
Jerard responded to his daughter with an exaggerated clap of his hands, then handed his phone to the employee pushing the cart and asked him to take a photo.
[Lauren, Hunter! Let's go. Olivia, too.]
[Leave me out of it.]
Hunter replied in a disinterested voice. Lauren glared at him and asked Jiyu.
[Olivia, could you drag Hunter over? He doesn't listen to a word his parents say. He seems to listen to you at least a little.]
Hunter had recently upset Lauren and Jerard by declaring that this would be the last time he participated in a family trip. He had held out against going on this trip as well, only reluctantly changing his mind after Lauren persuaded him by saying that since she had invited Jiyu as a guest, Jiyu would be terribly bored if he didn't come.
'Actually... it would be more comfortable if she didn't come.'
But he couldn't let those words out.
After that night, Jiyu hadn't seen Hunter for a while. Despite living in the same house, it was strangely impossible to run into him.
At first, she thought it was a relief, but as time passed, she wondered if he was avoiding her. Then she quickly shook her head. Hunter Hamilton was not the kind of person to avoid anyone.
It was only just before leaving for the airport that Jiyu encountered him for the first time, and she struggled desperately to avoid any situation where they would have to speak one-on-one. Thanks to Daisy, who clung to her like glue, she had been quite successful until now. However, because of Lauren's request, she could no longer avoid him.
Biting her lower lip, Jiyu slowly raised her gaze and glanced at Hunter. Hunter also looked down at her, moving only his eyes.
The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked down. An image she absolutely should not recall in this situation flashed vividly in her mind. Her cheeks burned so much they felt prickly.
Letting out a small sigh, Hunter pulled down the hood from his head and strolled forward with his hands in his pockets. Then, he looked back and urged her.
[What are you doing? They told you to come too.]
[Huh? Oh, okay.]
Jiyu followed quickly behind Hunter.
Jerard and Lauren were standing in front of the landmark sculpture at the Nice airport, holding Daisy's hands on either side for a photo.
She recalled her childhood, standing between Ae-jeong and Alan and holding their hands for photos while traveling long ago. A poignant longing filled her, making her throat feel as if she had swallowed a stone.
The five of them huddled in front of the sculpture, scrambling to figure out where to stand. Daisy stood between the Hamilton couple, and Hunter stood next to Lauren. As Jiyu hesitated, not knowing where to stand, Lauren gestured to her.
[Olivia, go stand next to Hunter!]
Approaching hesitantly, she stood with a small gap between herself and Hunter.
The employee holding the phone looked at the screen and gestured.
[Please stand closer together!]
At those words, Jerard pulled Lauren closer by the shoulder. Just as the hesitating Jiyu was about to move her foot a few inches, Hunter placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her in until their sides were touching.
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