Love on Park Avenue - Namjoohyuk

Episode 13: There is no free lunch

November 1st, 2007.

Juhyuk and I chatted on Wednesdays and Sundays. He and I emailed each other on other days, he said he liked reading about my life in New York. Due to the time difference, he usually called me around 9 pm. The truth was I longed for his presence - it felt unbearable to be so far away from him. In the midst of the mad rush of commuters stampeding down a narrow Subway escalator, I thought I saw his face, more than one occasion. The void left by Daniel's absence worsened my depression.

Juhyuk and I used to sit on the fountain ledge, watch street performers dance or catch a piano player playing Chopin if we are lucky, under the Washington Square Arch. I just couldn't pass the same Washington square park anymore though it was so close to where I lived. New York was an unforgiving place for the lonely, I learned painfully in Juhyuk's absence. I began to notice couples holding hands everywhere I went. The familiar places didn't give me the same joy. I was stranded on a sub-island inside an island.

I didn't talk about any of this to Juhyuk. Instead, I thanked him for the butterfly and the letter. "It wasn't too cheesy, was it?" he chuckled.

"No, I thought it was pretty cute. But I wouldn't do that too often. I might start taking you for granted." I laughed back.

Although Shirley didn't see the reporter ever again I told Juhyuk anyway, in case the reporters were pursuing him. He listened and said, "I'm glad everything is ok. I'll take care of it. I'm sorry you have to deal with it. I hope you weren't scared? 

"I'm fine. No one really knows me here. I'm just worried about you, Juhyuk." I said. I normally hated male chivalry but I liked the way he said "I'll take care of it" - it was a side of Juhyuk I had not seen, there was something sexy about an older man who had the confidence to make things happen. I told him about Shirley's wedding plans. She was getting married in six months. The stress of planning was getting to her. Chris forked up all his bonus money to buy her a 2-carat diamond ring to propose to her. 

They had reserved Tavern on the green in Central Park which also cost them a small fortune. I didn't bother asking Shirley was it really worth that money because I knew she had fantasies about things like this. Juhyuk was amused by all the fuss they were making. 

Since he had already done it once, to a woman he didn't love, I assumed he wouldn't like to talk about weddings, but he didn't mind. "It's nice to see how normal people plan their weddings, " he said.

My personal life was a turbulent sea, with fast currents and many up and downs, but things were smooth at work. There was a new guy in the securitization team, Ryan. He was 6'3" with a short upper torso that looked way too developed compared to his long legs that looked fragile in comparison. He injured his legs while playing basketball and had lost his scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. He still couldn't exercise his legs which explained his unbalanced body shape.

Ryan wasn't the kind that gave up easily. He was from a blue-collar family in Pennsylvania and it had been his long life dream to get into an ivy league college. He went to Vanderbilt and through his networks, he had ended up at Lehman like me. Despite his Italian heritage, he looked more like Swedish rather than Italian. He had blue eyes and blond curly locks and boyish features. Ryan liked to brag about his dates but overall he had a good heart. It was nice to know I wasn't alone dealing with 150 loans and properties.

The following week, I received a phone call around nine although it wasn't Wednesday, our usual day. Since it was around the same time, I instinctively said Anyoung, an informal way of greeting in Korean, but it was not Juhyuk on the other line.

"Miss. Suk? Anyounghaseyo.This is Hojun, Sohn. Juhyuk's secretary. We met briefly in Rio. " The man on the other line enunciated in Korean. Yes, I remembered him. Joohyuk's secretary who gave me a look that said, "she is trouble" in the hotel lobby.