7MoH 3.9
by SpringlilaJeong-in reassured him and nodded toward Vivian. Vivian curled her lips triumphantly, as if she had stolen Jeong-in from Chase, while Chase wore a slightly disgruntled expression.
Jeong-in followed Vivian outside the school building. They arrived at the sequoia tree where he had spoken with her before.
Vivian got straight to the point.
“You know what’s the most popular content among fashion and beauty streamers like me?”
What is this out of nowhere question? Jeong-in just stared at her with a blank expression.
“It’s a makeover.”
Vivian answered her own question.
A makeover refers to the process of completely transforming someone’s style. It’s a common type of content seen on TV, typically showing dramatic before and after comparisons.
On social media especially, videos of ordinary people transforming into celebrity-level appearances generated a lot of buzz. The key wasn’t just the style change but capturing the moment of discovering a new self.
“So what?”
“My follower count has been stuck at 920,000 for weeks.”
“Wow…”
An exclamation of amazement escaped Jeong-in’s lips. For someone whose followers had just reached 2 with the addition of Justin, it was an unimaginably large number.
“I’m not asking for your amazement right now.”
“Then what?”
Jeong-in blinked as if still not understanding.
“Do you know that below one million followers is considered a macro-influencer, and above that is a mega-influencer?”
“No, I don’t know that.”
“I thought so.”
Vivian shrugged lightly as if she had expected this. Then she continued with a serious face.
“Major influencers are treated like celebrities. They can collaborate with famous brands and even get invitations to award ceremonies like the Grammys.”
“Wow…”
Another sound of admiration escaped Jeong-in’s lips. It seemed like a world where the number of followers determined your social class.
“Nerd! This is not the time to be impressed, okay?”
Vivian, who had snapped without meaning to, took a deep breath as if annoyed at herself for getting caught up with Jeong-in, and spoke again while suppressing her emotions.
“I need one big hit. I think I need to do a makeover project.”
Jeong-in still looked puzzled about why she had been called over to hear about Vivian’s grand plan.
Vivian calmly said with her arms crossed,
“I need someone who has good fundamentals but terrible style. And Maddie mentioned you.”
Jeong-in’s eyes immediately sharpened.
“What’s wrong with my style?”
“Are you seriously asking? You’ve managed to take off your glasses, but think about how you usually look. Those endless checked shirts, shaggy hair, nerdy t-shirts, and pants with inexplicable fits.”
Jeong-in gave her an incredulous look and asked,
“To begin with, why would you even think of asking me for this?”
“It’s true that things went wrong with Chase because of you, that you stole Chase away from the girls, and that I think you’re not good enough for Chase.”
“That’s a long way of saying you don’t like me.”
Vivian chuckled.
They had plenty of reasons and justifications to dislike each other.
But it was strange. Jeong-in didn’t entirely dislike Vivian showing interest in him. He wondered if it was because humans are visual creatures, simply because Vivian was pretty, but that wasn’t it. Thinking about it, Vivian had something beyond her looks that attracted people.
“I’m not asking you to do it for free. I’ll give you the appearance fee that comes from the company and all the items we buy for the makeover.”
Steven had promised to pay for his first year’s tuition, but college life required much more money than just tuition. He had been thinking about getting a part-time job anyway.
“Hmm…”
“I’ll also give you Golden Field Grill gift cards.”
Seeing Jeong-in seemingly contemplating, Vivian quickly offered more bait.
Golden Field Grill, her family’s restaurant chain, had undergone restructuring with advice from Prescott Capital, closing nearly half of their chain stores. During this process, Prescott’s side took a significant stake and influenced management, but ultimately the financial situation had greatly stabilized.
Jeong-in fell into serious contemplation. The more he thought about it, it wasn’t a bad offer. He could earn money and show a new side of himself to Chase. Plus, Golden Field Grill was one of his mother’s favorite restaurants. It would be nice to go there together during Thanksgiving or Christmas.
“How many gift cards will you give me?”
Vivian let out an incredulous laugh. Meanwhile, Jeong-in was still calculating, thinking about what his mother’s favorite menu items were and how much the most expensive wine they sold cost.
“Give me five cards.”
“What?”
“If you don’t like it, forget it.”
Vivian stared at Jeong-in as if momentarily speechless. From his smooth forehead to his gentle nose bridge and soft facial lines, he really did resemble that Swedish noble model.
Recently, some influencers had been caught faking makeovers by deliberately making already attractive people look bad.
But with this nerd in front of her, there were plenty of people who could testify to his original appearance.
“…Fine. I’ll give you five cards.”
“Give them to me upfront.”
“…Alright. I’ll give them to you upfront.”
Vivian answered with clenched molars. But Jeong-in seemed to have more negotiation conditions to add.
“But about that makeover thing. Can we do it a little later if we’re going to do it? Like about half a year later.”
“What? Why half a year later?”
“The prom is around then.”
At that moment, Vivian’s expression greatly wavered. She stared intently at Jeong-in, unable to hide her surprise.
“You, don’t tell me…”
“That’s right. I want to go to prom at least once too.”
The prom, which he had dismissed as a party for immature fools, might have been something like Jeong-in’s forbidden fruit. He may have thought it was meaningless and stupid, but deep down, he had wanted to experience it once.
“Ten cards.”
Vivian’s eyes flashed as she suddenly doubled the stakes from Jeong-in’s initial request. It was almost eerie.
“…Huh?”
“I’ll give you ten gift cards.”
Jeong-in looked at Vivian with suspicious eyes. Such offers always came with conditions.
“I’ll help you from promposal preparation to the prom day makeover. Much more stylishly than a nerd like you could ever imagine. But in return, let me film a vlog to upload.”
Jeong-in sank into deep thought. He had always run away, hidden, and lacked confidence in front of people. That’s why it was always Chase’s role to take the initiative.
Before high school life ended, he wanted to step up first for once.
“Ten gift cards in addition to the appearance fee. Upload the video three months later, and delete it before college life begins. If these conditions are met, I’ll do it.”
This time Vivian fell into thought at Jeong-in’s conditions. The calculator in her head, often dismissed as lacking ‘book smarts’ but having ‘street smarts’ ran quickly.
Anyway, a video’s impact is greatest in the first few days. Three months would be enough. Moreover, a promposal video meant she could feature not only the pretty nerd in front of her but also Chase on her channel.
Plus, she could maintain the image of ‘the cool me who supports others’ love.’ Among girls, there were quite a few who secretly wanted a GBF, a gay best friend. She could fulfill their fantasies too.
“Deal.”
The two of them finished their deal and exchanged wary glances before finally extending their hands for a handshake.
* * *
Today is the day of destiny.
Even without setting an alarm, Jeong-in’s eyes snapped open. Normally, this would be the time to toss and turn wanting more sleep, but today was different.
At 7 PM today, Jeong-in would face his fate.
Today was the day Harvard would announce their early admission decisions.
“What’s this?”
Jeong-in asked Suzy, looking at something placed on the dining table after coming down to the kitchen. A white rectangular object sat on a plate.
“They weren’t selling Korean rice cakes. This is Japanese, but it’s pretty similar.”
It was kirimochi, a Japanese rice cake.
“This is just superstition. My son is going to be a scientist.”
Suzy shrugged and handed Jeong-in the Pop-Tarts he usually ate. Jeong-in stared quietly at the silver package she offered but picked up the rice cake instead. Suzy smiled knowingly, as if she expected this.
“Where are you going to check the results?”
“Justin’s house.”
Justin had received his acceptance from MIT two days ago. Rachel apparently had a meltdown after hearing the news. It seemed unbelievable to her that she would be sending her son so far away to the East Coast.
If Jeong-in got into Harvard, he would be attending a school just a five-minute drive from Justin. Nothing could be better than that.
As soon as school ended, Jeong-in headed to Justin’s house with Chase.
Justin’s parents were busy working as usual and planned to return home late tonight. Only his grandmother was at home. And today, as always, she was entranced as soon as she saw Chase.
The three went up to Justin’s room on the second floor.
Chase and Jeong-in sat side by side on Justin’s bed, each with a laptop in front of them.
“Oh? It’s raining.”
Justin pointed toward the window.
December was the rainy season in this region, the time when it rained the most. Jeong-in looked at the raindrops hitting the window, wondering if it was a good omen.
“I’m so jealous of you, Justin.”
Justin, who had already received his acceptance, was the most enviable person in the world right now.
“I’m starting to think I should have applied regular decision. You know what? MIT announces their regular decision acceptances on Pi Day, at Tau Time.”
Even for acceptance announcements, MIT chooses dates that satisfy math enthusiasts. They have a tradition of announcing regular decision acceptances on Pi Day, March 14th, at 6:28 PM, which is 2π when expressed in hours and minutes.
“Are you waving ice cream in front of a hungry child?”
“Boo, MIT.”
When Jeong-in complained, Chase joined in with jeers. Justin grinned sheepishly. Then, looking at his watch, he exclaimed,
“It’s the moment of truth!”
6:59 PM.
Justin hurriedly squeezed himself between Chase and Jeong-in. Then he looked back and forth between their screens.
The rapidly moving second hand passed the number 10.
“When I count to three, refresh. Got it?”
At Justin’s words, Jeong-in nodded while holding his breath, and Chase quietly placed his hands on the keyboard.
“One, two, three.”
Click.
The sound of both pressing their keyboards simultaneously echoed.
The screens flickered, and after a brief loading period, the pages changed.
The three of them showed strangely varied expressions.
One screen displayed “Congratulations,” while the other read “Deferred.”
Chase roughly ran his hand over his face. A dark shadow fell across his features.
Meanwhile, Jeong-in couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. Though the letters were clearly legible, their meaning didn’t quite register.
Justin helplessly looked back and forth between their screens. Then, with a voice full of sympathy, he called out to Jeong-in.
“Jay…”
But Jeong-in stared at the screen without moving. His screen displayed the following message:
My Application Status: Deferred
Thank you for applying to Harvard University. We are very grateful to learn about your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and dreams.
After careful review, your application has been deferred to the regular decision review process.
Harvard University has received more applications than usual this year, making the selection process more competitive than ever. Although we cannot offer you immediate acceptance in this early round, your application remains under consideration…
That’s all that was visible on the page. But Jeong-in didn’t even think to scroll down to see more.
After a long while, his stiffened lips finally opened.
“Why…”
His voice trembled. It felt like something like a large stone was stuck in his throat.
“What did I do wrong…?”
Justin cautiously spoke up.
“It could be a system error.”
“No…”
Jeong-in shook his head weakly. As if even those words couldn’t comfort him, he stared blankly at the screen before him.
Justin opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. No matter how hard he tried to find appropriate words, there were none that could make this moment less painful.
“Why… what was I lacking?”
Jeong-in’s GPA is 4.0, the highest in the entire school, and his SAT score is more than sufficient, it’s overflowing. He won the California State Mathematics Competition, and even obtained a patent for a project that purifies harmful components of nail polish and acetone using moss. On top of that, he has a record of AP courses filled with 5’s and competitive recommendation letters.
And he had to live so hard to create all those things.
Justin carefully tried to comfort Jeong-in.
“Let’s read more below. Okay?”
“What difference would that make anyway?”
Jeong-in’s voice sharpened. Among the three of them, he was the only one who wasn’t accepted.
“Haah… I’m sorry.”
As if unable to control his emotions, Jeong-in took a deep breath and covered his face with both hands.
Chase spoke in a heavy voice.
“If you don’t go, I won’t go either.”
Justin’s eyes widened. No, why would he say such a thing! Looking at Chase with disbelief, Justin rolled his eyes to gauge Jeong-in’s reaction.
Sure enough, Jeong-in, who had buried his face in his palms, lifted his head slightly. The look in his eyes visible above his fingertips was cold.
“…What?”
“What meaning would there be if it’s not with you?”
Justin desperately signaled him to stop by slightly shaking his head where Jeong-in couldn’t see, but Chase seemed not to notice.
“I’m sorry, Jeong-in. If me giving up means you can get in, I want to do that.”
“What? Are you joking right now?”
Jeong-in practically threw his laptop onto the bed and jumped up.
“What? ‘If you don’t go, I won’t go’?”
Jeong-in’s voice cracked at the end. His insides were boiling hot.
“Some people worked their butts off, but it’s so easy for you to give up like that?”
Chase took a breath as if to say something but couldn’t give any answer and just sighed. Jeong-in turned around and tried to leave the room.
Chase followed a beat late and grabbed Jeong-in’s wrist. Previously, Jeong-in had left and gone home when he was upset.
“Jeong-in, can’t you break that habit of leaving whenever you get angry?”
“Let go! I’m going home!”
Jeong-in tried to shake off the hand holding his wrist. But he only staggered from the recoil while Chase didn’t budge at all. He tried twisting his body again to pull his hand free, but only heard Chase’s pressing voice calling, “Jeong-in.”
“I understand what you meant. But I have nothing to say! Let go!”
He was starting to pant for breath, but Chase didn’t even blink.
“…It hurts.”
Only then did Chase let go of his hand. The hand that wouldn’t come free despite his struggling was liberated so easily just because he decided to let go.
Everything was too easy when he did it. Even in this small matter, Jeong-in felt defeated by Chase.
Jeong-in glared at Chase while breathing heavily, then went down the stairs without giving him a chance to grab him again. Chase couldn’t hold back and followed him.
Justin, who didn’t know what to do, stamped his feet before following them a step late. In the living room downstairs, there was only the grandmother. Justin looked around and asked her.
“Have you seen them?”
The grandmother pointed to the front yard.
The two were engaged in round two in the front yard, getting soaked in the falling rain.
Screech…
Hearing the sound of something scraping the floor, Justin turned to see the grandmother, who had come out at some point, sitting in a chair on the porch watching the two fight. It seemed more entertaining than a telenovela.
“Why should I be the one put on hold?”
Jeong-in’s voice shot out sharply, mixed with the rain.
“You haven’t even wanted this seriously for that long! It’s been my dream since I was little!”
Chase quietly looked at Jeong-in as they stood in the rain.
“That’s why I said I was sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Then what should I do?”
“I know it’s not something for you to be sorry about! I know I’m being unreasonable right now! I know everything!”
Jeong-in was panting. He had no time to care about his clothes getting cold and wet or his hair sticking to his skin.
“But… what can I do about being angry?”
Chase’s expression crumbled. His eyes were filled with sympathy for Jeong-in.
“Don’t look at me like that!”
Fighting in the falling rain, Jeong-in turning away, Chase grabbing his arm, Jeong-in shaking him off. It was like a scene from a drama, entertaining enough for the grandmother.
“You haven’t even read the rest yet. And you weren’t rejected. It’s just been delayed a bit.”
“Hic…”
Finally, the tears he had been holding back poured out. This farce in the rain ended as Chase pulled Jeong-in into his arms.
“What do I do… What do I tell mom…”
“You’re the most upset person in the world right now. Why are you thinking about others?”
Chase cupped Jeong-in’s cheeks with both hands. His small face, soaked with tears and rain, looked utterly miserable.
He carefully wiped both of Jeong-in’s cheeks with his thumbs. Then he said in a gentle voice,
“Let’s go home. I’ll take you.”
“Hngh… hic…”
“For now, take a hot shower today and drink some warm cocoa. Then we’ll slowly read the part we didn’t read earlier. Okay?”
Jeong-in nodded quietly, his spirit deflated. Chase led him to his car, arm wrapped around him.
As soon as the front door opened, Suzy’s eyes widened at the sight of the two drenched figures.
“Jeong-in?”
Jeong-in looked at Suzy without saying a word.
Jeong-in’s lips were tightly closed as if he didn’t even have the courage to speak. His sharply hardened jaw trembled slightly.
Jeong-in painfully parted his lips as if trying to say something. But seemingly unable to hold himself together any longer, he ran up the stairs without saying anything.
Suzy stared at Jeong-in’s retreating figure with a bewildered expression, while Chase’s face was filled with complicated emotions.
“I heard the results came out… What happened to Jeong-in?”
“…He was deferred.”
“Oh no… And you, Chase?”
“I got in.”
“That’s great. Congratulations, Chase.”
Suzy smiled gently. Then, ignoring how wet he was, she gave him a light hug and patted his back. It was a somewhat heavy congratulation.
Chase hung his head and said in a subdued voice,
“…I’m sorry.”
Suzy looked at Chase for a moment, then quietly spoke.
“Chase.”
His gaze remained fixed on the floor.
“Look at me, honey.”
Chase slowly raised his head. Suzy looked at him with a gaze that was both warm and firm.
“I’m upset because Jeong-in is upset. You must be too, right?”
“…Yes.”
“But this isn’t something you should apologize for. Do you understand?”
After a moment of silence, Chase nodded with a downcast expression. He felt a kind of warmth from Suzy that he had never experienced before. A straightforward, unwavering, and gentle affection. It was undoubtedly something Jeong-in had inherited from her.
“Now I have a son to comfort, so I should go. Drive safely.”
Chase nodded briefly. Only then did the heavy stone in his heart seem to settle a little.
As he was about to leave through the front door and head to his car, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. And looked back once more.
Just looking at the small two-story house gave him the illusion that his heart was warming.
Jeong-in did as Chase had suggested. He showered with warm water and drank hot cocoa topped with plenty of cream.
Then he sat at his desk, opened the application results screen again, and scrolled down.
We were deeply impressed by your outstanding academic achievements and meaningful projects. However, beyond your academic accomplishments, we would like to know more about who you are as a person.
To better evaluate your application, we encourage you to submit an additional essay that can better showcase your background, passions, and personality.
Essay topics you might consider include:
* An experience that significantly influenced your identity or dreams
* A challenge you overcame and how you grew through the process
* A personal story that reveals your unique perspective
If you wish to submit an additional essay, please upload it through the application portal by next week.
We deeply appreciate your continued interest in Harvard University and look forward to reviewing your updated materials.
It was a somewhat tight schedule of one week, but all that was required was one additional essay.
Jeong-in’s eyes flashed like a protagonist in a drama who turns to the dark side after experiencing hardship.
“Harvard, you bastard. You want to know more about me? Fine. I’ll tell you.”
Jeong-in interlaced his fingers and stretched them forward, then immediately brought his hands down onto the keyboard. And began typing at a furious pace.
The essay began with the story of his father, which he couldn’t bring himself to write about before. It continued with his experiences as an immigrant, stories about his mother, and how he went from disliking Chase, the school’s most popular quarterback, to eventually dating him.
How he had clung to achievement in his desire to escape prejudice. And how he realized that he too had prejudices against others.
Looking back, not everything had been picture perfect. He had held prejudices, been exposed, run away out of fear, but ultimately faced the challenges.
As he wrote, words poured out like a broken dam.
Only then did Jeong-in realize. He was finally, truly writing his own story.
Jeong-in stayed up all night. The next morning, with bloodshot eyes, he opened the application portal and uploaded the new essay without hesitation. Then he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep as if he had fainted.
When he woke up from his deathly long sleep, Jeong-in had to kick off his blanket, feeling the embarrassment of having sent what felt like an overly emotional love letter.
But a few days later, he received an email from an admissions officer.
I truly enjoyed reading your essay. It was so fascinating that I read it in one sitting, and it gave me a vivid understanding of who Lim Jeong-in is as a person. And now, I’m curious about your future.
Once again, thank you for sharing your precious story.
There was no direct mention of whether he was accepted. However, when he showed it to his counselor, Ms. Mendez, she said this was as good as an acceptance letter.
And a few months later, Jeong-in did indeed receive his acceptance letter.
* * *
“Ugh…”
Jeong-in woke up from a deep sleep, half-conscious, to the sound of a ringing phone. For a moment, his body swayed, nearly falling off the edge of the bed.
With his eyes barely open, he fumbled for his phone.
[Code Red: Caution Required🚨]
The contact name with a siren symbol at the end was clearly displayed on the screen. It was Vivian Sinclair.
“…Hello.”
— Nerd! Are you still sleeping? Do you know what time it is?
“No, I got up earlier…”
— You’re lying. You think I can’t tell you just woke up? Here I am preparing at the crack of dawn to help you, and you’re taking it easy?
Such attitude. Jeong-in frowned with sleepy eyes.
“Why did you call?”
— The makeover needs to look more effective, so come looking as lame as possible today.
“Lame? Like, what should I do?”
— Just dress like you normally do.
“…”
Jeong-in could hear Vivian giggling through the phone.
— Oh, and don’t forget to wear glasses like before!
After urging him to hurry, Vivian hung up abruptly. Jeong-in looked down at his phone with a dumbfounded expression.
Today was the day for the promposal. More precisely, the day he had to do it.
He’d gotten this far partly swept along by Vivian’s insistence that she would handle everything. Yesterday, he even had to go to school behind Chase’s back for a rehearsal. With so many people already involved, it was too late to back out.
Anyway, he couldn’t think of any particularly good ideas on his own. And he thought this might be a good opportunity to bring some positive closure to Chase and Vivian’s relationship.
Jeong-in dressed as usual and put on the blue light glasses Chase had given him. Then he rode his bicycle to school, something he hadn’t done in a while.
The dawn in Bellacove was beautiful as always. The street trees swayed overhead as if cheering him on, and the morning breeze from the ocean was cool enough to drive away any remaining drowsiness.
The school was quiet at this early hour.
In the hallway, girls in cheerleader uniforms were already there fixing their makeup. Makeup pouches were scattered on the floor, and some girls were applying false eyelashes in front of small lighted mirrors. Everyone was putting extra effort into their appearance, knowing they would be in Vivian’s video.
As always, a banner hung on the hallway wall:
[30 Days Until Prom. Have You Found Your Date?]
One month before prom, this was when promposals were most actively carried out.
Since Chase Prescott was the varsity team’s quarterback, the concept of today’s promposal was for Jeong-in to become his escort cheerleader.
Madison, who had been fixing her friend’s makeup, spotted Jeong-in and smiled brightly in greeting. Jeong-in waved back.
Vivian’s help wasn’t free. Jeong-in had to drink yogurt smoothies throughout the event and express admiration for them. It was a brand she was advertising for. This was truly exhausting in many ways.
“Get in formation! The target’s car just entered the parking lot!”
As soon as Vivian closed her phone, she clapped her hands to establish order. Suddenly, everyone around became busy.
“Make sure you film this well! Got it?”
Vivian didn’t forget to intimidate her manager holding the filming equipment. The man operating the camera flashed an OK sign.
Jeong-in stood at his designated position with nervous anticipation. He was hiding behind the male cheerleaders at the end of the cheerleader line.
More than ten cheerleaders lined up on both sides of the hallway. They faced the walls, holding their breath while waiting for the target to arrive.
Finally, Chase entered. At that signal, the cheerleaders turned to face forward one by one, like a wave.
The percussion players from the marching band at the back began beating their drums. The cheerleaders stomped their feet to the rhythm and shouted,
“P! R! O! M!”
The tempo gradually became faster and more intense. Madison tumbled down the path in the middle. Behind her, Vivian and other cheerleaders also showcased their best skills. Consecutive tumbling, back handsprings, backflips. A festival of all kinds of techniques unfolded.
At the designated timing, two male cheer members lifted Jeong-in high. After floating in the air momentarily, Jeong-in landed and balanced himself on the shoulders of the two male cheerleaders. Then he held up a large board with a message for Chase,
[Number 7! Will you go to prom with me?]
But something seemed off. Chase was dressed like a Regency-era nobleman.
A well-ironed tailcoat, a neatly tied cravat, even a stiffly upright collar. His golden hair, seemingly meticulously styled, shone brightly. Darius Thompson beside him was dressed similarly. The final touch was Max Schneider wearing a donkey costume.
Suddenly, realization struck Jeong-in. Chase had also planned to make a promposal today.
Sure enough, Chase looked at Jeong-in with a perplexed expression, then ran his hand over his face as if completely deflated.
While Jeong-in hesitated in confusion, Vivian gave him a signal through gritted teeth. Snapping back to attention, Jeong-in delivered his line,
“Chase Alexander Prescott, will you go to prom with me?”
The entire hallway fell into momentary silence. All eyes focused on Chase in his nobleman attire.
Chase deliberately paused, as if to heighten the atmosphere. And when the tension reached its peak, he slowly opened his mouth,
“Yes.”
The spectators erupted in cheers. The cheerleaders threw the prepared flower petals and set off small fireworks.
Chase slowly walked toward Jeong-in.
“I’ll take my boyfriend now.”
Chase reached out, wrapped his hands around Jeong-in’s waist, and gently lifted him. Jeong-in’s feet softly touched the ground as he was effortlessly lowered.
Still holding Jeong-in’s waist with both hands, Chase pulled him close and kissed him lightly. Another round of cheers and applause erupted.
Of course, among this crowd, there would be people looking at the couple with disapproving eyes. But the overwhelming majority of supportive people drowned out all those gazes.
And so, the promposal ended perfectly. Although the cheers and applause subsided, the hallway still buzzed with excitement.
Chase lightly brushed Jeong-in’s hair with his fingertips and asked,
“How did all this happen?”
“Vivian offered to help. It wasn’t free, of course.”
Jeong-in pointed to the camera set up at the corner of the hallway. Chase turned his head, looking for Vivian. Not far away, she stood with her arms crossed, wearing a satisfied expression. Chase gave her a slight nod.
“Vivian.”
Vivian reflexively looked in their direction.
“Thank you.”
Vivian blinked in surprise for a moment. Then she quickly turned her head away.
Awkward with emotional expression, she pretended not to care and instead went over to hassle Darius and Max who were standing behind Chase.
“What are you two supposed to be dressed as? Shrek?”
“…What?”
Max’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Vivian continued nonchalantly.
“Chase is Prince Charming, you’re Shrek, Darius, and Max is Donkey. Isn’t that right?”
“Donkey?!”
Max shouted angrily, throwing off his donkey headpiece. Laughter erupted among the crowd.
Chase explained to Jeong-in.
“…It’s ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ I’m Mr. Darcy. Darius is Bingley, and Max is the horse I rode in on.”
“Oh no…”
The sound of Max and Darius bickering could be heard from behind.
“See, Thompson! I told you I should have been Bingley. This is blackwashing! Bingley is white!”
“It’s not my fault there weren’t any horse costumes that fit me.”
Chase turned his attention away from his squabbling friends and looked at Jeong-in.
“It was a meaningful class for us, and a meaningful novel, wasn’t it?”
Honors English Composition.
That class was special. Their first conversation started there, they had arguments where one stormed out, love was confessed through a poem, and they worked on their first project together. The subject of that project was the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice.’
At one point, Chase had even called the prejudice-filled Jeong-in ‘Elizabeth’ after the protagonist of ‘Pride and Prejudice.’
“I wanted to ask you first. I was a step too late.”
“…Ask me.”
Chase asked with a serious expression.
“Jeong-in Elizabeth Jay Lim. Will you go to prom with me?”
After a brief pause, Jeong-in smiled brightly and answered,
“Yes.”
Once again, their lips met.
* * *
Knock knock.
The sound of someone knocking at the door broke the silence in the house. Suzy came out of the kitchen and hurried to the entrance.
Her eyes widened when she opened the front door. Dressed in a deep navy suit, Chase looked like a male lead straight out of a romance movie.
“Hello.”
“My goodness… You look so handsome, Chase.”
“I’m glad.”
“Wait, I’ll call Jeong-in.”
Suzy called out to the second floor with an energetic voice.
“Jeong-in! Chase is here!”
After a moment of silence, a small rustling sound came from upstairs. Then Jeong-in came down the stairs.
He looked completely different from usual. Jeong-in wore navy tailored pants that fit his slender legs perfectly, paired with a matching blazer. Underneath, he wore a shirt with subtle embroidered patterns and no tie. His once shaggy hair that almost covered his eyes was now neatly styled, revealing half of his forehead.
“Oh my… Jeong-in! You look so beautiful and handsome. Don’t you think so, Chase?”
Chase couldn’t even answer, his mouth half-open. He could only stare blankly at Jeong-in coming down the stairs.
“What did Vivian do to you?”
Jeong-in just smiled slightly at Chase’s words.
In truth, Jeong-in had spent the past three days being dragged around by Vivian through shopping hell. Vivian was relentless, insisting that the prom outfit had to be perfect, and Jeong-in was drained both physically and mentally. But seeing Chase’s expression now, it seemed all that effort hadn’t been in vain.
Suzy didn’t even have time to continue her admiration before frantically pressing the shutter button on her phone.
“Kids! Look this way and stand together! Good! Now, let’s take one from over there too!”
Taking pictures like this when picking up a prom date was one of the very common traditions in American prom culture.
“That’s enough photos, mom. We’ll be going now.”
“Wait a moment, kids.”
Just as Jeong-in was about to turn toward Chase, Suzy quickly stopped them. She went into her room briefly and returned with a small plastic case in her hand.
Inside the transparent case were two meticulously prepared boutonnieres placed side by side. The boutonnieres, beautifully composed of light pink roses, baby’s breath, and unidentifiable green leaves, were stunning.
“Mom…”
At prom, it was another tradition for dates to pin corsages or boutonnieres on each other. Suzy had taken care of this detail that the two had overlooked.
“You need flowers.”
“Thank you.”
Chase gave Suzy a light hug.
“Come on, pin them on each other. It’s tradition.”
At Suzy’s urging, the two pinned the boutonnieres to the left lapels of each other’s jackets. The pink roses complemented both Jeong-in’s navy blazer and Chase’s navy jacket perfectly.
Chase asked Suzy,
“You’ll come later, right?”
“Yes. I’ll be there.”
Suzy hadn’t attended many parent association events, citing her busy schedule. Moreover, since Jeong-in never attended, she had no reason to go to proms or dances.
But this time was different. It was because Jeong-in had personally invited her to the prom.
Suzy readily accepted when Jeong-in asked her to come as a chaperone.
Even though her role would be to monitor whether the kids were behaving properly and ensuring there was no alcohol in their cups, for Suzy, this prom would be both her first and last.
As they opened the front door and stepped outside, a stretch limousine was visible on the street. The elongated middle section of the limousine was something they had often seen in movies and dramas.
“What’s that?”
“We should follow tradition.”
Tuxedos and dresses, corsages and boutonnieres, and limousines. The symbols of prom.
Perhaps they were obvious and cliché, but Jeong-in could hardly believe he was actually part of it all.
The limousine carrying the two of them pulled into the school parking lot. Colorful balloons hung from the streetlights, swaying gently in the evening breeze.
Excitement filled the scene everywhere.
Students dressed in gowns and tuxedos gathered in small groups, laughing and taking photos, greeting each other warmly. Tonight, they were the protagonists of this world.
After getting out of the limousine and approaching the gymnasium building, a deep bass sound could be heard from outside. It didn’t matter what song was playing. Today was prom, and Chase was by Jeong-in’s side.
Jeong-in held Chase’s hand and entered through the gymnasium doors.
A completely different world unfolded before their eyes.
Twinkling lights hung from the ceiling like stars, and a golden disco ball rotated slowly, casting soft light. Golden streams of light danced along the floor and walls.
In one corner was a dessert table. Cupcakes with delicate decorations, bite-sized cookies, and a large punch bowl with ginger ale rippling with soft foam. Everything was classic prom perfection.
Music selected by the DJ flowed from the stage. He made people dance with fast songs, then switched to slow ones.
With slow guitar sounds, Ed Sheeran’s voice, a staple for occasions like this, filled the air. Students began to look at each other. Some hesitantly reached out their hands, while others were already holding their partners’ hands and moving toward the center of the floor.
“Shall we dance?”
Chase extended his hand. Jeong-in looked down at it for a moment. Somehow, a wave of emotion surged through him.
Chase had been the prom king who existed only in his imagination. Someone Jeong-in thought belonged to a completely different world. And now, that person was standing before him, extending his hand.
Adolescence is ruthless. It was a time of foolishness, imperfection, and fragility where everything seemed on the verge of breaking. But in that adolescence, one could also find the love of a lifetime.
Jeong-in took a deep breath. Then slowly, he took Chase’s hand.
The two naturally stepped onto the dance floor. Chase gently wrapped his arm around Jeong-in’s waist, and Jeong-in lightly placed his arms around Chase’s neck. They moved slowly to the flow of the music.
“Look, your mother is here.”
At Chase’s words, Jeong-in turned his head. In the distance, he could see Suzy standing at the gymnasium entrance wearing a dress. Chase gave a slight nod in greeting, and Jeong-in waved. Suzy was watching the two with what seemed like a touched expression.
Jeong-in turned his gaze back to Chase. Chase’s image reflected in Jeong-in’s dark eyes. The colorful lights were tinting Chase’s golden hair with beautiful colors.
Looking into those blue eyes that had completely shaken his life, Jeong-in said with a trembling voice,
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything. There’s so much I wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for you.”
Chase had opened up a new world for Jeong-in.
“That’s what I want to say.”
And the reverse was equally true.
They danced, shared punch, took photos together under the photo booth sign, gradually doing all the things people do at prom.
And soon, the highlight of prom approached, the announcement of the king and queen.
The gymnasium lights dimmed slightly, and the spotlight installed on the stage slowly gathered its light.
The vice principal took the microphone.
“This year, the moment of crowning the prom king and queen will have special significance. Because this is the last year we’ll be selecting a prom king and queen.”
A small murmur spread throughout the gymnasium.
The tradition of selecting prom kings and queens at high school dances was gradually changing. More schools were switching to gender-neutral titles like ‘prom royalty’ or ‘prom sovereign,’ and many places were eliminating such titles altogether.
The vice principal continued with a meaningful smile.
“Now, I’ll announce the historic final king and queen.”
There were no surprises. Chase Prescott and Vivian Sinclair were selected as prom king and queen. When their names were called, cheers erupted in the gymnasium.
The two slowly ascended to the stage. Crowns were placed on each of their heads, and a king’s cape was draped over Chase.
Chase said he would skip the speech and just wished everyone a good night, and then it was Vivian’s turn.
Vivian elegantly tilted her head as she took the microphone.
She was perfect today as always. Her sequined dress shimmered softly under the stage lights, and her long red hair emphasized her enchanting aura. She was like ‘Jessica Rabbit,’ a character famous for her intense red hair, sensual dress, and glamorous atmosphere.
“I’m happy to be chosen as the final king and queen with my old friend Chase. I’m satisfied with wearing the last crown, but I’d like to give up the first dance to someone else.”
The first dance was the tradition where the two people selected as king and queen opened the floor by dancing together.
Vivian continued with a sweet smile.
“Don’t be shy, come out, Jay Lim.”
As soon as Vivian finished speaking, someone gently pushed Jeong-in from behind. Jeong-in found himself standing in the middle of the floor.
The lights dimmed slightly, and soft music began to play.
Then, Chase descended from the stage. Walking slowly through the crowd, he stopped in front of Jeong-in. He then removed the crown he was wearing and placed it on Jeong-in’s head.
“May I have this dance, my king?”
Chase asked with an exaggerated bow like a stage actor, and Jeong-in burst into laughter.
“You’re silly.”
The two took each other’s hands again. And they danced, moving gently.
And so, the prom night deepened.
<To be continued in the next volume>