Side Story 3 (1)

Since their calls were mostly made in the early morning by Korean standards, Taekyung would face Soyoung almost immediately after waking up. After their marriage, the face that greeted her every morning was moved to a glass screen.

His rich, fine hair was floating in the air at will, and his skin was shiny. His expression, offset by her usual sharpness, was drowsy, and his voice remained even deeper. She couldn’t understand why the messy look was more exciting than the neatly organized figure.

“Is everything okay with you?”

Taekyung remained silent for a while as if he was fumbling, but soon shrugged with a very insincere attitude.

– Everything is fine except for the skepticism of wanting to do something here by myself.

“Don’t make me feel so bad.”

– If you don’t want to hear nagging from me, you have to do well, so I don’t have to worry. There’s really not much time left now till we meet. I’m tired of saying this every day, but… Hold on a little longer.

“I am really fine. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard, but I’m really much better now.”

Studying abroad was still difficult, but So-young did not want to cause useless worries to Taekyung. So whenever she talked to him on the phone, she would pretend to be stronger than necessary.

That didn’t mean So-young was lying. At first, every day was a challenge, but now she has grit to endure. Taekyung smiled lightly, as if he had read her mind.

– If so, that’s a relief, but I don’t think you’ll speak so weakly. I can’t help but worry about you.

“You exaggerated a lot in front of me.”

– You have to work harder.

“Okay. Ah… You should get ready for work now. I’ll go back to the library.”

– Unnecessarily thoughtful.

“I’m afraid you’ll be late.”

– Well, that’s great. I’ll contact you later on my way to work. It’s cold, so hurry up and go in.

On her way back to the library, So-young looked around the campus in a new mood.

Life in New York has already entered nearly four months. At the beginning of the program, it was overwhelming to just follow classes to eat and sleep, but now she has friends to strengthen comradeship and she also joined a couple of clubs in the school.

Every day was a series of hardships, but So-young felt ‌she was growing little by little. As such moments of awareness accumulated, confidence and self-confidence also grew. By the time Taekyung came to the United States, she seemed to be able to greet him with a more confident appearance than before.

* * *

[I don’t think I’ll be able to call you for now since I’m going to a meeting. Good night in advance.]

When she washed up, a message arrived from Taekyung. So-young took a can of beer out of the refrigerator. Then she rubbed her wet hair and headed to the front window of the living room.

Soyoung lived in an apartment ‌in Midtown Manhattan. The high-end new apartment boasted a huge monthly rent as it was built in the center of the city, and the feeling of spending over 10 million won every month was ridiculous. However, Taekyung clearly ignored her resistance for safety and convenience in life.

In fact, everything was wonderful except for the burden of money. This was because the distance from the school was close, and all the elements that make up the building from the lobby to the interior were convenient and sophisticated. In addition, from armed security to all kinds of amenities, apartments provided maximum safety and satisfaction to residents.

As she approached the window, the beautiful night view unfolded like a panorama under her feet. Soyoung swallowed a sip of beer, staring at the towering skyscraper. It was a scene where she was admired every day, but a familiar loneliness came rather than excitement.

Taekyung has visited New York about six times so far. Considering his schedule, it was enough to say it’s a lot.

On the day she met Taekyung for the first time in a long time, Soyoung shed tears. Taekyung comforted Soyoung, not knowing what to do, but her tears did not stop easily.

The time they spent together for the first time in a long time really flew by. The two traveled around famous restaurants and cafes, watched performances, and took aimless steps to explore various parts of the city. It was a time when even the breathing felt sweet.

It was too much to take a long vacation, so Taekyung stayed only two days before returning to Korea. The sense of loss So-young felt after sending him was hard to express in words. It has been repeated six times.

Soyoung glanced at the calendar on the wall.

It was December soon.

Taekyung would come by the end of the year. Unlike before, it was a long vacation of more than 10 days. To spend the end of the year with So-young, he seemed to do his best to finish the project.

[Oh, don’t talk to me. When would it have been easier to work with the team leader? These days, he has been very sensitive. He doesn’t give me a chance to breathe at all and pushes me, hoo… Between the leader or me, I’ll die sooner. Please take me, okay?]

Listening to the story of the colleagues, who sometimes send and receive greetings, Taekyung seemed to overwork the team members to finish the project a little faster. Still, thanks to this, it seemed that the end of the year could be spent comfortably because progress was faster than the original goal.