.jpg)
Hunter crossed his arms and curled one corner of his mouth up in a cynical smirk.
[Ah. The bus stop. There is one about an hour's walk away at my pace. For you... maybe two hours?]
Jiyu's face darkened, and her shoulders slumped.
[I see... Then sightseeing is out of the question. Um, by any chance, is there a library in the villa?]
Thinking positively, it wouldn't be bad to shut herself away here, go swimming, and read books leisurely in the garden. No, it would actually be great. Since Ae-jeong wouldn't be around to follow her and slather on sunscreen, she could even try tanning for the first time in her life.
However, she was worried because she had only brought three books, intending to spend most of her time sightseeing. She would likely read one book every day.
[Ha, this bookworm, even here. There isn't one. Even if there is, there isn't.]
Jiyu pouted.
He's just being cranky for no reason. He's exactly the same as when he was a kid.
Judging by how he spoke, there probably was one somewhere, but he seemed unwilling to tell her. If he refused to tell her until the end, she could just ask the staff or Lauren.
Just then, Hunter shrugged as if he had no choice.
[Come with me. You can't drive and you don't know the way.]
Jiyu snapped her head up and blinked. Was he serious?
[…….]
[You don't want to? Why are you silent?]
Jiyu shook her head vigorously.
[No, no! It's not that... What about tennis? Don't you have to go to tournaments or camps or something?]
He practiced tennis every day, so she couldn't understand how he had time to go sightseeing with her. From what she heard from Ae-jeong, even here, he attended tennis camps or junior tournaments...
Only then did Jiyu realize that upon entering college, Hunter had "graduated" from tennis camps and junior tournaments.
He arched an eyebrow and looked down at her from the bridge of his nose.
[Do you expect me to do nothing but play tennis even on vacation?]
[No, it's not that... Are you really okay with that?]
A Hunter who didn't play tennis for even a single day. It was hard to imagine.
He gave a bitter smile and shrugged.
[Who knows. It's a first for me too. It's only two weeks a year; what could possibly happen?]
[Ah....]
Once the vacation ended, Hunter planned to stay at the Hampton villa for only one week before returning to Manhattan to move into a new apartment he had arranged near Columbia University. She had heard that he was scheduled to do unofficial training at the university tennis center even before the semester started.
NCAA Division I representative players were people who had no time to rest from practice during the three-month summer break, except for perhaps three weeks. No one would criticize him for taking a short break before entering college.
However, if there were no tournaments, it meant there was no need for a Jinx.
Jiyu couldn't tell if the strange emotion she felt was relief or disappointment.
[So, when my father starts rambling during dinner about going here and there, I'll tell him I can't because I have to be your tour guide, so you play along. Do you understand?]
Jiyu's shoulders slumped slightly again.
Of course.
There's no way he made that offer because he wanted to spend time with me. I almost misunderstood again.
[...Okay.]
She felt pathetic for still getting disappointed by things like this.
[Did you say you wanted to go to Monaco?]
Hunter asked, as if suddenly remembering what she had said earlier. Seeing Jiyu nod enthusiastically, he thought for a moment and then declared nonchalantly.
[Then, we'll start with that place.]
✾ ✾ ✾
Jiyu was at the Monte Carlo Country Club (MCCC), the most historic tennis club in Monaco.
Sitting on the outdoor terrace of the elegant clubhouse restaurant, she looked around. Ivory parasols were placed throughout, casting cool shadows. Even the parasols with their wooden ribs looked luxurious.
On the round table sat a glass of lemonade with condensation droplets, the coffee Lauren had been drinking, and some leftover cookies Daisy had been eating.
Daisy was having a playdate with Flora, a friend from Aster School, and was playing excitedly in the club's outdoor pool. Lauren was chatting with Flora's mother while keeping an eye on the children.
Flora said she was spending her summer vacation in Saint Tropez. To make the playdate happen, Flora's parents had driven a luxury mega yacht from Saint Tropez to Monaco.
Everything surrounding Jiyu was a scene from a different world, something one would only see in the pictorials of a high-society magazine. She sat in a sophisticated, modern white rattan chair and looked down from the terrace.
On the brick-colored clay court, Hunter and Jerard, dressed formally in classic tennis whites, were training.
Jerard was scheduled to participate in a senior tournament for members aged 35 and over at the MCCC tomorrow morning. As soon as they finished breakfast in the third-floor dining room this morning, he had approached Hunter with a negotiation.
[Son, if you train with me at the MCCC for just one hour, I'll excuse you from family events during this vacation. How about it?]
When Hunter snorted and didn't even respond, Jerard bared his teeth and threatened him.
[Just you wait, Hunter. I'll make sure to drag you to the dinner with Chairman Yeon-jun the day after tomorrow.]
[Ferrari Testarossa.]
Jerard paused at the unexpected answer. Then, he deliberately frowned fiercely.
[Hunter Han Hamilton, don't cross the line.]
The bright red Ferrari Testarossa was a classic supercar that Jerard cherished and only drove during vacations.
Jiyu watched the conversation between the father and son, her eyes darting back and forth. She had to admit she secretly enjoyed their bickering. It was entertaining just to watch.
She wasn't the only one; Lauren and Daisy also watched with intrigued faces, as if they were viewing a tennis match whenever the two clashed.
The sparking negotiations between the father and son almost always ended in Hunter's victory. This time was likely to be no different.
[Father. You know that obsessing over sports cars is a typical symptom of a midlife crisis, right? Driving a sports car doesn't make you younger, so it's a bit... pitiful to see.]
[What, you brat!]
As Jerard shouted, Hunter threw his winning move.
[Two hours of training. Including winning strategies.]
Jerard, with a face full of agony, deliberated between the Testarossa and the winning trophy, then shut his mouth and glared at Hunter. Hunter glared back without even blinking. Eventually, Jerard shook his head and spat through his teeth.
[You ruthless brat. Deal.]
When Jerard held out his fist toward Hunter, Hunter smirked and lightly bumped it.
That was how they ended up here.
Hunter had promised Jiyu that he would show her around downtown Monaco once the training in front of Lauren and Jerard was over, and in exchange, he demanded to be excluded from all subsequent schedules. Jiyu mumbled an awkward thank you to him, as he had pre-ordered.
However, when they came here, Jiyu ignored Hunter's glaring eyes telling her to ride next to him, grabbed Daisy's hand, and quickly climbed into the SUV driven by Jerard.
A luxury convertible driven by Hunter?
She was afraid she might touch something wrong in such an expensive car, and she also doubted whether he could properly handle a manual gear.
Life is precious, after all.
She spread a book open on the table and read about half a page, then looked at the cool sea stretching beyond the tennis court whenever the strong sunlight made her eyes sting. When she felt thirsty, she took a sip of the refreshing and sweet lemonade.
But she couldn't concentrate on the book at all, and her gaze kept drifting toward the tennis court.
Hunter, playing tennis with his father, looked much more relaxed than usual.
Thanks to constant exercise, Jerard boasted agile footwork that made it hard to believe he was in his late 40s. However, while Hunter, who had just entered his 20s, looked leisurely without a single break in his breathing, Jerard already seemed out of breath.
Hunter, who focused on his opponent with terrifying intensity and put power into every swing during a match, was now teasing Jerard with a playful face.
He held the racket flat, bounced the ball a few times, hit it high into the air, and then lightly caught it with the edge of the round racket like a circus act.
[Wow...!]
An exclamation escaped Jiyu's lips involuntarily.
When they were young, she often saw Hunter playing around with tennis balls, but since he grew older and his tournament level rose, it had been ages since she had seen him act like that.
Hunter caught the ball as it rolled off the edge of the racket after staying there for about a second, and bounced the ball on the ground three times. It was his serve routine that everyone knew. Every time the ball bounced, the red dust of the clay court puffed up and then softly settled.
Jerard, holding the racket with both hands and taking a basic defensive stance with his knees slightly bent, waited for Hunter's serve in high tension.
.jpg)