The Connection Made in New York
A few days later, the day of the trip finally arrived. Jaehyuk, now on summer break, along with Jihun and Jeonghan—who was on vacation—landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the United States.
“Ughhh…”
Jihun, who had slept almost the entire fourteen-hour flight from Incheon to New York, stretched his arms wide as he walked through the terminal.
“Let’s drop our stuff at the hotel I booked first, then head out and have some fun.”
“Okay. But do you actually speak English?”
At Jeonghan’s question, Jihun answered with complete confidence.
“Didn’t you see me at immigration? Besides, if I couldn’t speak it, why would I suggest a trip to America? Just trust your big bro here.”
“You do know I have the earliest birthday out of the three of us, right?”
“Let’s just hail a taxi first.”
At Jeonghan’s words, Jihun smoothly changed the subject, pulled out his phone, and called for a taxi.
“”
While Jihun was speaking fluent English on the call, he suddenly switched to Korean.
“Yes. I’ll see you later, then.”
After Jihun hung up, Jaehyuk and Jeonghan stared at him blankly until Jaehyuk finally asked,
“Was the driver Korean?”
“Yeah. I called a Korean-owned taxi company.”
“Ohh…”
A short while later, the three of them reached the hotel by taxi and unpacked their luggage.
While organizing his things, Jaehyuk slowly scanned the hotel room and recalled his previous life.
Life really is strange. In my last life, the only overseas trip I ever took was a three-night, four-day stay in Japan for a drug deal with the yakuza.
Back then, at twenty-eight, Park Jaehyuk had gone to Tokyo on what amounted to business for the Gangryonghoe. Suddenly he wondered if this life could truly be different from the last.
This life… things can definitely change, right? They have to… right?
He had already resolved some of the regrets that had haunted him until his final moments in his previous life, but there were still tasks left unfinished. Avenging his uncle, who had been murdered unjustly by the Gangryonghoe. The road to that goal was still long, and a vague anxiety began to creep through his chest.
No. Don’t get anxious. You’ve handled everything well so far. There may be variables, but don’t crumble. Don’t live a life where you can only regret never doing anything again.
Yet Jaehyuk calmed his uneasy heart by remembering that he had already achieved some of the goals he once pursued. At the same time, he made a firm vow: the revenge for his uncle that he had failed to accomplish in his previous life would be completed in this one.
“So what are we eating for lunch?”
“No idea. What’s New York even famous for?”
“Let’s decide what to eat first.”
Jaehyuk’s question was answered first by Jeonghan, then by Jihun, who was scrolling through his phone.
Still staring at the screen, Jihun asked them both,
“What do you guys want? Burgers? Pizza? Steak?”
Jeonghan thought for a moment before replying,
“Hmm… How about burgers? Since it’s the first day, maybe we should keep it simple.”
“Then how about Emmy Squared? They have pizza too.”
“Okay, sold. What about you, Jaehyuk?”
Still finishing his unpacking, Jaehyuk answered,
“Pizza and burgers… Sounds good. How about we have a drinking party tonight?”
Jihun grinned.
“Perfect. We’ll drink at the hotel bar, and lunch is on me.”
“Whoa, our little brother’s really showing off his generosity.”
“Honestly, I feel like I deserve to be called ‘hyung’ at least once for this.”
Jaehyuk quietly watched his two friends—Jeonghan and Jihun—and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. The worries that had arisen when he thought about the tasks ahead seemed to ease, if only a little.
While we’re here, let’s empty our minds and just enjoy the trip. Set the worries aside for a while.
“Ugh, these heavy bastards… Hic… Ngh…”
That evening, Jaehyuk—wrapped in a gentle haze of alcohol from drinking too much whiskey—was carrying his two friends, who had passed out first, back to their room.
Once inside, he tossed the completely drunk pair onto the beds and stared down at them in disbelief as they mumbled strange nonsense, still not fully conscious.
“Suyeonnn… I wuv youuu… Ehehehe… Our Suyeonnn… So cuteee…”
“It hurts, capybara… The capybara’s hurting… Hmnnyang…”
Maybe… I should step out for a bit?
He decided to take a walk to sober up and stepped outside the hotel.
Jaehyuk strolled slowly down the street, savoring the scenery of New York for the first time in his life.
The breeze is surprisingly cool for a summer night… Feels nice.
As he wandered aimlessly through the unfamiliar streets of New York, he came across a sight that felt strangely familiar. It was Times Square—one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Times Square…? I’ve only seen it in photos, but seeing it in person, it’s insanely flashy. It feels like I’ve been sucked into a movie screen.
Drunk on the neon signs pouring from the buildings and the dazzling street performances all around him, Jaehyuk roamed back and forth across Times Square and the surrounding streets.
Wait… which way was the hotel again?
Lost in the dazzling lights of Times Square and the city, he had been walking without direction. He stopped, looked around with a panicked expression, realizing something was wrong.
Thanks to the nearly forty-degree whiskey still fogging his brain, he had wandered so much that he had completely forgotten where their hotel was. Jaehyuk tried to stay calm and reached into his pocket for his phone.
Where was the hotel…? I need to check on my phone… Oh, fuck. I left it behind.
It was a total disaster.
“I’m screwed… Seriously, I’m completely fucked… Why the hell did I leave my phone…? Ugh…”
He muttered to himself without realizing it. Just as he was about to look around for help in this foreign land, a woman’s voice called out from behind him in Korean.
“Um… Are you Korean?”
Jaehyuk whipped his head around, a glimmer of hope in his eyes at the thought that she might be a fellow Korean tourist.
What he saw was a stunningly beautiful young woman who looked like a celebrity. She had long, straight brown hair, a delicate face, large sparkling eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. She appeared to be in her early twenties, around 5’6” with a beautifully curved figure. Wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt over a white tee, slim jeans, white sneakers, and carrying a beige crossbody bag, she approached him and asked again in Korean,
“Is something wrong?”
Whoa… Who is she? A celebrity?? Or an influencer?? She’s incredibly beautiful…
For a moment, Jaehyuk was dazed by her beauty, but he quickly snapped out of it and asked for help.
“Well… I came to New York on a trip with my friends from Korea. I stepped out for a walk and forgot where the hotel was.”
“Hmm… Couldn’t you just look it up on your phone?”
“……I left it in the room…”
She stared at him blankly. Even Jaehyuk knew how ridiculous the situation sounded, so he averted his eyes in embarrassment.
She must think I’m an idiot…
“……What’s the name of the hotel?”
She asked while pulling out her phone from her crossbody bag. Jaehyuk answered,
“It was the Ritz-Carlton.”
She quickly tapped on her screen, apparently searching for the location, then said,
“Come with me. I’ll walk you there.”
“Thank you.”
And so Jaehyuk walked through the streets of New York with the beautiful stranger he had just met, talking as they went.
“What’s your name? I’m Park Jaehyuk.”
“I’m Alina Kim.”
“Are you American? Your Korean is incredibly good…”
“I am American. I learned Korean from my Korean-American father. He lived in Korea for a long time before moving to the States and changing his citizenship.”
“Ah, so your mother isn’t Korean?”
“That’s right. She’s Russian-American.”
Listening to Alina, Jaehyuk looked at her more carefully. Beyond the first glance, there was something distinctly exotic about her that set her apart from ordinary Koreans.
I’ve heard that mixed Korean-Russian girls can be unbelievably beautiful, but…
As they talked about all kinds of topics, Jaehyuk gradually learned more about her. She was twenty-two by Korean age—two years younger than him. Her hobbies were similar to his: reading and board games. She was very interested in Korean culture, including K-pop and Korean dramas. Her favorite foods were pasta and steak. In turn, he shared things about himself. The two of them slowly got to know each other.
While they were happily chatting, a few raindrops began to fall from the sky. Alina pulled a three-fold umbrella from her bag, opened it, and said,
“Let’s share it.”
“Uh… Are you sure that’s okay?”
When Jaehyuk hesitated, she grabbed his arm with her small white hand and pulled him close.
“It’s fine. Come under.”
But the umbrella wasn’t very large. For Jaehyuk to stay completely dry, Alina’s shoulder would have to get wet. I can’t let the owner of the umbrella get soaked while I use it. Feeling guilty, Jaehyuk shifted his body slightly outside the umbrella even though it meant his own shoulder would get wet.
“Your shoulder’s going to get soaked…”
Alina’s face crumpled with worry, but Jaehyuk simply smiled at her and said it was no big deal.
“I’m fine. Let’s keep going like this.”
Even as his shoulder grew damp, Jaehyuk did his best to keep Alina dry as they walked toward the hotel. All the while, their conversation continued. Though they came from different countries and different environments, their dialogue flowed more naturally than conversations between people who had lived in the same place their whole lives. That was how Jaehyuk felt. He wondered if Alina felt the same.
After some time, they arrived at the Ritz-Carlton New York. Jaehyuk followed her to room 1207, knocked on the door, and called out in Korean,
“Hey. Kang Jihun. You in there?”
A moment later, the door opened slowly. Jihun appeared with messy bedhead, still half-asleep.
“Huh…? What the…? Where did you go…?”
“Um… well…”
Jaehyuk felt too embarrassed to admit he had walked all the way to Times Square to sober up and then gotten lost.
“I just… went out to clear my head from the alcohol…”
“But who’s the person next to you…? She’s insanely pretty…”
“Ah… that’s…”
Fortunately, Alina seemed to sense Jaehyuk’s discomfort and gave Jihun a vague explanation of how they had met.
“We ran into each other while I was out for a walk.”
“Ah… I see… Wait…?!”
Then Jihun realized they were in New York and that Alina was speaking fluent Korean. He blinked several times and asked her,
“Are you Korean?”
“No. I’m American.”
“Oh… But your Korean is really good… Yawn…”
Still half-asleep, Jihun yawned and shuffled back into the room. Before following him inside, Jaehyuk turned to Alina and said goodbye.
“Anyway, it was a really nice time. Get home safely and have a good night.”
“……Um, Jaehyuk.”
Alina stopped him. Her cheeks flushed slightly with shyness as she held out her phone.
“Let’s… exchange numbers. While you’re here… I can show you around New York.”
Huh…? What is this situation…?!
Caught off guard, Jaehyuk stared at her phone with wide eyes. In a tiny voice, she asked,
“Do you… not want to…?”
Not wanting to miss this chance to form a connection with the breathtakingly beautiful Alina, Jaehyuk answered quickly.
“No, no. Of course not. I’ll put my number in.”
He entered the number from his eSIM-issued phone into hers. She immediately dialed it. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Alina smiled brightly and said,
“That’s my number. Contact me at this one while you’re in America. And when you go back to Korea…”
Her face grew even redder, as if she was too embarrassed to continue. Finally she managed to say,
“I’ll give you my Instagram… Please message me often.”
Having said that, she hurried toward the elevators. Once Alina disappeared from view, Jaehyuk stood there blankly, alternating his gaze between his phone—now containing her number—and the direction she had run. Then he went back into the room.
Lying down on the bed, Jaehyuk couldn’t help but grin like an idiot as sleep slowly took him.
Maybe this life… might actually be worth living. It feels good.
That was their first meeting—the encounter that would later drag Jaehyuk into many large and small incidents, and the beginning of a lifetime together with her.