Is This Guy Smiling in His Sleep?
‘What the hell? I was in New York…’
Jaehyuk woke up inside a Ferris wheel cabin. When he turned his head and looked out the window, the familiar scenery outside could only belong to K-World in Korea.
‘When did I even come back?’
“Oppa? What are you thinking about?”
At the sound of the voice, Jaehyuk turned his head. Sitting there was the woman he had just met on the streets of New York—Alina Kim.
“Why do you look so deep in thought?”
She flashed him a bright smile and crossed one leg over the other. Unlike the outfit she’d worn in New York, she was now dressed in a navy coat, a wine-colored knit sweater, dark skinny jeans, and brown boots. The cute yet undeniably sexy look made Jaehyuk’s heart pound without warning. His face grew hot.
‘Wait, did she just call me oppa…? Are we dating? Or is she just using that term? What the hell is going on?’
Just then, Alina stood up and gently sat down right beside him. With a soft, lingering smile, she took his hand in her small, pale one and held it tightly.
‘Holy shit… Thank you, God!!’
Inside, Jaehyuk was absolutely ecstatic, but he didn’t let it show. Alina rested her small head against his shoulder, still holding his hand. He had no idea how this situation had come about, but for now, with just the two of them, he wanted to savor the moment.
‘If this is a dream, I never want to wake up. Please don’t let it be a dream… Please…’
“Jihun. This idiot’s smiling in his sleep.”
“Leave him alone. Must be having a nice dream.”
Jeonghan stared blankly at Jaehyuk, who was grinning with his eyes closed, then turned to Jihun. Jihun simply shrugged it off.
“What kind of dream makes someone’s mouth do that…?”
Jeonghan kept watching the still-grinning Jaehyuk with a dumbfounded expression until a mischievous idea suddenly hit him. A playful smile spread across his face.
“Should I record this? Later when Jaehyuk gets a girlfriend, we can show her. ‘This is the true nature of the man by your side.’”
“Girlfriend? Girlfriend, huh… Now that you mention it, Jaehyuk came back to the hotel with some woman yesterday.”
“Oh, really? With a woman…? Wait, with a woman?!!”
“Yeah. He stepped out of the hotel for a bit last night and came back with her. You were passed out drunk at the time.”
Jeonghan looked at Jihun with even more disbelief than when he’d seen Jaehyuk smiling in his sleep.
“……Was she pretty?”
Jihun furrowed his brow, trying to recall the previous night. He struggled to picture Alina’s face.
“I was a little drunk too, so I didn’t get a good look… but she looked like a celebrity. Kind of like that actress from S-Pop, Katarina or something…”
“Katarina?!! Are you serious right now?!”
“I told you I didn’t see her clearly… Anyway, she was definitely pretty.”
Jeonghan shook his head in utter disbelief and muttered under his breath.
“This can’t be happening… This can’t be happening…”
Just then, Jaehyuk’s phone began to vibrate. Jeonghan and Jihun checked the caller ID.
“Alina…?”
“Must be that woman from yesterday.”
As the two of them stared at the continuously vibrating phone, Jaehyuk’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed it. Still half-asleep, he checked the screen with droopy eyes. The moment he saw the name, his eyes flew wide open. He sat up straight and quickly answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Jaehyuk. Did you sleep well?”
“Ah, yes. I slept like a rock.”
“Are you free around one o’clock this afternoon? I’d like to show you around New York.”
Alina’s voice was bright and cheerful. Jaehyuk couldn’t stop grinning as he spoke with her.
“Look at that smile. It’s practically wrapped around his ears.”
Jeonghan watched Jaehyuk chatting happily with Alina, his eyes full of envy.
A short while later, Jaehyuk ended the call. Jihun immediately asked,
“Was that the woman from yesterday?”
“Yeah. She offered to show me around New York. You guys want to come too?”
At Jaehyuk’s suggestion, Jeonghan looked completely stunned.
“Uh… Us too?”
“Yeah. I asked Alina, and she said she’d like to meet you guys.”
Jeonghan thought for a moment before turning to Jihun.
“I’m down. Making a local friend while traveling is always useful. What about you, Kang Jihun? You in?”
Jihun stayed silent for a second, then nodded.
“I’m in too.”
“Wow… Is this even real?”
Jaehyuk, Jeonghan, and Jihun met up with Alina at a café near their hotel. The moment Jeonghan saw her for the first time, he couldn’t close his gaping mouth. He leaned over to Jihun, who was sitting beside him, and whispered,
“Hey, Kang Jihun.”
“What?”
“She really is Katarina-level.”
Jihun glanced at Jaehyuk, who was sitting next to Alina and grinning like an idiot, then muttered back with clear envy,
“I know, dumbass.”
Alina looked at Jaehyuk with her large, sparkling eyes and asked in Korean,
“Jaehyuk, where were you and your friends planning to go in New York?”
“Hmm… I wanted to visit Times Square first. And the Empire State Building… Do you have any recommendations as a local?”
“A lot of people go to Central Park or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The observation deck at the Empire State Building you mentioned is popular too.”
While they were getting travel recommendations from Alina, Jeonghan suddenly asked Jaehyuk,
“By the way, how did you two even meet?”
Jihun also turned to look at him, waiting for the answer. Jaehyuk hesitated for a moment before replying honestly.
“Well… I drank quite a bit yesterday, so I went out for a walk to sober up. I ended up wandering around and got completely lost.”
Jihun raised an eyebrow.
“Huh? Didn’t you have your phone?”
“I accidentally left it behind. Anyway, while I was lost, I ran into Alina and she guided me back to the hotel.”
Jihun took a sip of his Americano and blurted out,
“Jaehyuk almost became an international orphan.”
“Don’t you mean international lost child?”
“Oh right. My bad.”
When Jihun misspoke, Jeonghan immediately corrected him. Jaehyuk stared at Jihun with a dumbfounded expression.
“What the hell? Why are you suddenly throwing parental insults at me?”
“Sorry.”
Alina looked at Jihun with a gentle smile and spoke in a playful, teasing tone without any malice.
“That was quite the slip of the tongue… You’re in dangerous territory.”
“Ahem… So, where should we go first?”
When Jihun tried to awkwardly change the subject out of embarrassment, Jeonghan teased him.
“Look at this guy changing the topic because he’s losing.”
“We have to decide on a destination, idiot.”
“You think you can just gloss over that? You’re buying lunch. Steak.”
“Steak my ass. Just eat whatever I feel like buying you.”
Watching Jihun and Jeonghan bicker, Alina smiled softly and whispered to Jaehyuk in a low voice,
“Your friends are really fun. You must never have a dull moment.”
Jaehyuk smiled back and nodded.
“Exactly. They’re good friends.”
Even though they were enjoying a pleasant trip, Jaehyuk had far too many things he needed to do. There was a hint of bitterness hidden behind his smile. As if she had sensed the complicated emotions swirling inside him, Alina—who had been watching him while he looked at his friends—showed a slightly hardened, meaningful expression.
After planning their itinerary with Alina, Jaehyuk, Jeonghan, and Jihun began exploring various parts of New York with her.
“Come to think of it, this is your first time traveling abroad, right Jaehyuk?”
Jihun asked as they walked down the street.
“Yeah. And my very first overseas trip is to America, of all places.”
“Exactly. Thanks to you, Jihun, I get to experience traveling in the States. I’m loving it.”
Alina turned to Jaehyuk.
“So this is your first time traveling abroad.”
“Have you traveled overseas before, Alina?”
“I’ve been to Rome, London, Moscow, Madrid, and Tokyo.”
“You’ve traveled a lot. Have you never been to Korea?”
“No. I was thinking of going alone next year after I graduate from university.”
As the four of them walked along chatting happily, a man was secretly watching them from behind. But none of them noticed his gaze at all.
The man was a white Caucasian with black hair, a black mustache, and a black beard. He appeared to be in his late thirties, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and light-colored jeans.
Denis Komarov. A killer affiliated with the Komarov Bratva.
As Denis stared at one of the four people and fell into thought, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He answered in Russian.
“It’s me.”
“Denis Komarov. Everyone has gathered.”
“Understood. I’ll head there right away.”
He hung up the phone, slipped it back into his pocket, and watched Alina Kim’s retreating figure with an expression full of complicated emotions. After a moment, Denis turned around and walked away.
Jaehyuk, Alina, Jeonghan, and Jihun continued exploring every corner of New York. Alina guided the three men through various tourist attractions, showing them the best spots the city had to offer. They eventually made their way to the Empire State Building. While admiring the view from the 86th-floor observation deck, Jihun spoke up.
“I’m going to the restroom real quick.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Once Jihun left, Jaehyuk was peering through a coin-operated telescope at the New York skyline.
“Wow…”
“Hey. Let me have a look too.”
Jeonghan took his turn at the telescope, completely absorbed in the dazzling view of the city. While he was distracted, Jaehyuk turned to Alina.
“Which university do you attend, Alina?”
“Oh, I go to Harvard.”
“Harvard…? You must be really smart.”
“Not particularly. Compared to my father… I’m still lacking.”
“Wow… What does your father do, then…?”
Alina smoothly changed the subject and asked him a question instead.
“By the way, when is your birthday, Jaehyuk?”
“Mine? August 17th… Huh? That’s tomorrow.”
Alina’s large, sparkling eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh?? We have the same birthday? Mine is August 17th too.”
“Really? That’s amazing. What are the odds…”
Then Alina asked cautiously,
“Jaehyuk… do you have any dating experience…?”
“Dating experience??”
Her question left Jaehyuk feeling somewhat flustered. He looked at her while his mind raced.
‘What is this? Why is she asking something like that? Is she interested in me? Or is it just a casual question? What is this situation?’
After thinking it over, he answered,
“I… don’t have any at all. Dating experience…”
“Ah… I see. You seem like such a considerate person, I assumed you’d have some experience.”
Alina gave him an awkward little smile. Jaehyuk stared at her blankly before asking,
“What about you, Alina? Do you have any dating experience?”
“……Um… I suppose I do?”
“Yeah. With your looks and everything, I figured guys must swarm around you. I thought you’d have at least tried it once.”
“Ahaha… But I don’t, actually.”
At her words, Jaehyuk’s eyes widened as he thought,
‘With that face and those credentials—she’s practically perfect in every way—and she has zero dating experience?? Is there some kind of problem…??’
“What are you two talking about?”
Jihun suddenly spoke up from behind Jaehyuk, startling him.
“Whoa! Give me some warning next time, idiot!”
“Sorry if I scared you. But what were you two talking about?”
“Just… stuff about dating experience?”
Jihun grinned and offered his sage advice.
“Ah, looks like this big brother needs to give you a proper lecture on romance. Alright, listen up, student. Dating is all about—”
“Never mind. I’d rather look at the New York skyline.”
“……Your attitude as a student is terrible.”
Jaehyuk continued admiring the view through the telescope with Alina. The four of them spent a fun time together at the Empire State Building.
Several hours later, as the sun set and darkness fell, they left the building and headed back to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. When they arrived at the entrance, Alina spoke to Jaehyuk with clear reluctance.
“Well then… have a good night, Jaehyuk.”
Her ears were noticeably flushed red. Jaehyuk gave her a gentle smile.
“You have a good night too, Alina.”
The three friends entered the hotel. Once Jaehyuk was out of sight, Alina turned and walked away. As she strolled down the street, she exchanged messages with someone on her phone—in Russian rather than English.
[[Uncle. Are you finished with everything?]]
— ALINA
A reply soon arrived in Russian.
[[Sorry, but I’ll be about thirty minutes late. Wait for me in Central Park. I’ll get there as fast as I can.]]
— DENIS
Alina made a slightly pouty face and replied in Russian.
[[Okay. I’ll see you at Central Park later.]]
— ALINA
After sending the message, she let out a deep sigh and began walking toward Central Park.