The Lobby Escape
Jiyu felt a gnawing sense of guilt as she slipped out of the house and made her way to the lobby.
Friday evening. She had invented a story to her boyfriend about needing to visit her counterpart’s house early on Sunday for a team project and returning home late. It wasn’t entirely a lie.
While the tournament was underway, she planned to finish the American History team project and her English homework. It had just enough truth to it.
These days Hunter was traveling to tournaments with his coach, Jake Langdon, instead of his parents. Sometimes his father would tag along, but this weekend Lauren, the plastic surgeon, was at a conference in Pittsburgh, and Jared had already told Olivia he was in Singapore on a massive real estate development trip.
If she suddenly announced she was going to the tournament, Olivia would fire off a barrage of awkward questions.
How did you get invited? Why only you? You’ve always been bad blood with Hunter. When did you two become such good friends?
The way Olivia grilled her, it was the most annoying thing in the world. In the worst case, the meddlesome woman might even tag along to the tournament.
Most of all, she could never breathe a word about Hunter’s winning jinx.
‘Who would believe it, even if I told them?’
The Hunter who took the superstition seriously, and the woman who had been dancing to his tune for years. She had no desire to convince anyone else of something she herself couldn’t fully understand. Yet the guilt lingered. She was trapped in this absurd ritual, and she couldn’t escape it.
The moment Jiyu stepped into the lobby, the tall man carrying a massive tennis bag over his shoulder stepped out of the private elevator. A dark blue band encircled his wrist, the same shade he had worn the day he first won a tournament. He kept hundreds of them in his closet, swapping in a fresh one for every match.
The two exchanged silent nods, then walked out of the apartment separately, as if they had simply crossed paths by chance.
Hunter was the first to leave. He opened the trunk of the sleek black SUV parked at the corner of Fifth Avenue and loaded the tennis bag inside.
Jiyu felt as if she were committing a forbidden act. She approached him with her head lowered, as if someone might see. When she gripped the heavy canvas strap of the bag and stood hesitantly near the car, Hunter closed the trunk and shot her a sideways glance. Then he opened the rear door and gestured.
“Get in.”
“Eh? Uh… thanks.”
The instant Jiyu climbed into the back seat, Hunter slammed the door shut, circled to the opposite side, and slid inside. Her jaw dropped in surprise.
‘The power of education…’
Hunter Hamilton, the boy raised by wolves in the forest, now seemed almost like a normal person. She had watched every inch of that transformation, yet it still felt strange and alien.
“Good morning, Olivia!”
Diego Ramirez, the Hamilton family driver, turned around with a warm smile.
“Good morning, Diego.”
Jiyu returned the greeting with a small smile.
“Now we’re off.”
Diego pulled the car onto the quiet Fifth Avenue of a Sunday morning in response to Hunter’s signal. The two sat side by side in the back seat, staring quietly at the scenery rushing past the windows.
Jiyu watched the Central Park Mall give way to Midtown, hesitated, and finally spoke.
“Where are we going right now?”
Hunter slowly turned his head and answered in a casual voice.
“Glen Cove.”
As if anyone would know that place on the spot.
Jiyu had never even heard the name Glen Cove.
“Ah… where is that?”
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Long Island.”
“Is it near your family’s summer cottage?”
The Hamiltons called their grand Colonial-style mansion built on thirty acres right on the waterfront in Southampton the Summer Cottage. It was a tradition passed down from the 1920s, when their ancestors bought land by the sea and built a small house they dubbed the cottage.
“No, the cottage is in Southampton. Glen Cove is a bit north of Manhasset.”
“I see… How long will it take from here?”
Hunter shrugged.
“About an hour if there’s no traffic.”
Jiyu nodded. It surprised her that she could have such an ordinary conversation with him without any sarcasm. Yet it still felt awkward.
“Um… what about the coach?”
“We’re meeting at the court.”
“I see.”
So they would be traveling alone. Jiyu quietly placed her canvas bag on her thigh, rummaged through it, and pulled out a book. When she had nothing to say, she read.
“Why are you carrying so many books?”
“Reading material, homework, a laptop… and a little snack?”
Hunter frowned.
“What homework?”
“Um… English assignment. I have to read Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and write the first draft of an essay. For the American History team project, I have to finish my section on the types and differences of 19th-century North American immigrants.”
He sighed, then suddenly began explaining the matches today.
“We’ve already won all the preliminary rounds. Today there are only the semifinals and finals. The semifinal opponent is easy—I’ve beaten him before. But the final… he’s ranked third in the 17-and-under national rankings. He’s a blue-chip recruit, and his UTR is higher than mine. Of course—”
Hunter lifted his chin with self-assured pride.
“This time I’ll win.”
In Hunter’s language, that meant he had beaten the opponent before.
“Uh… yeah. Good luck.”
Then his expression turned serious.
“You’re my winning jinx. Where am I supposed to get good luck?”
Jiyu stammered in surprise.
“Oh, right. Uh… anyway, I hope you win and become champion.”
“Of course.”
Hunter caught her words with a nonchalant shrug and tapped her book with his index finger.
“That means all the homework must be finished by the end of the semifinals. …Eh?”
“No more burying your head in a book during the match like last time. I’ll give you homework time, but for the final you’re to put everything away and focus only on me. Don’t take your eyes off me winning. Got it?”
“……”
Jiyu didn’t know what to say. She blinked, and he pressed again.
“Answer me, Joo Parker.”
“Okay! I got it…”
Only then did Hunter’s lips curve in a barely visible smirk. He leaned back comfortably against the seat.
By the time they reached Glen Cove, fine raindrops were streaking the windows in a steady pattern. The sky had looked hazy, and the unpredictable spring showers were returning. Today’s match was indoors, so it was fortunate.
Diego pulled up right at the entrance because of the rain. While Jiyu packed her books and notes into her bag, Hunter stepped out first and carried the tennis bag and a small cooler from the trunk. As he opened the rear door, a deep voice greeted them.
“Good morning, Hunter!”
It belonged to Jake Langdon, Hunter’s tennis coach. Jiyu had taken two years of private lessons from him, so the face was familiar. When Jake saw Jiyu exit the car, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Whoa! Olivia? It’s been how long?”
“Hello, Mr. Langdon.”
Jiyu greeted him shyly, the first time in a while.
He had been handpicked after the Hamiltons’ rigorous screening process. An NCAA champion with an impressive career at an Ivy League tennis team, he was an exceptional coach.
Jake led them into the waiting room beside the lobby, curiosity written all over his face.
“Olivia, here to cheer for Hunter?”
“Um… yeah…”
Jiyu answered vaguely. Jake’s smile turned meaningful as he glanced between her and Hunter. The look of an adult who thought, “I’m cool, so I’ll pretend not to know until you two talk first” was unmistakable.
Ugh, he had misunderstood completely.
If she asked directly, he would immediately deny it.