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Her eyes light up. “Yeah, for sure. I mean, if there’s too much food that is.”
I nod and hand my menu to the waiter and he walks away.
“Okay, get me caught up. How was your first day? Was it awful? Did they walk on eggshells around you, treat you like a princess, act like your shit doesn’t stink?” I ask.
Jessica scrunches her nose. Cute.
“They may think my, um, poop, doesn’t stink. But they sure did think my clothes and hair and overall look were an offense to mankind. Other than getting primped, poked, and prodded without my permission, it was actually an awesome day. You’re so lucky you get to do this executive training. Sounds like it’s going to be pretty cool. You’ll work with the Marketing department on the upcoming Sky High Conference and apparently be in charge of a pretty important project. They’ll go over that with me, I meanyou, later.” Jessica’s demeanor changes immediately as she begins talking about the work, sounding genuinely excited.
“And you met Sunny Cho in the elevator. She’ll be your manager,” she continues.
“Um, Jessica? Sunny is not your boss,” I say.
“Yes, she is. Well, no, you’re right. She’s notmyboss. She’ll be your boss,” she says, lowering her head and hiding behind her bangs.
“No, what I mean is, I’m fairly certain her role is to be your manager, in the sense that she worksforyou, to do all the things you want or need. Like, an assistant. Not a manager like a boss.”
“What? Why would I need an assistant? I’m just a... I mean, I’m just an intern. I guess you might need an assistant in your role, though.”
“Not gonna lie, nothing you’ve told me about your time here so far sounds exciting at all. I hate being followed around, checked in on, having stuff done for me because someone is anticipating my needs. It’s suffocating. And those projects just sound like...a lot of work.” I laugh. Honestly, Jessica’s dream role is exactly the kind of misery I thought this executive training would be. The two of us couldn’t want anything more different.
“Well, it’s gotta be better than what you’ve been doing, right?” she asks.
“No way. We walked around and hit up Greenwich Village and Washington Square Park. Did you know NYU is justright there, in the middle of the city, not behind some gate or tucked away on a perfectly manicured campus? Then we spent like an hour at Duane Reade to shop. I’ve never seen so many different types of candy. This morning we went to some tiny, messy corner market called a ‘bodega’ and grabbed bagels for breakfast. The dude was yelling at us because we didn’t know what we wanted to order, it was hilarious. And then at the office we just hung out and signed some paperwork and went through a couple boring presentations. But it was all kinda cool, ya know? Like, I didn’t realize how competitive it was to get into this program. So the other interns are all these impressive people who are here to learn a lot of shit. But they’re also down to do nothing during this internship and just having it on their résumé.”
I finish going through the list of memories I stored in my head from just the first two days in New York and realize how quiet it’s gotten at our table. I look over at Jessica and she’s staring back at me with a small smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes.
“Most people come to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty or Central Park. But you go to a bodega and Duane Reade and make it sound like it’s the best time ever.”
Heat hits my cheeks and I pray I’m not turning red. I sound ridiculous, going on and on about places the average person doesn’t give a second thought to.
Thankfully, she continues, her voice warm and kind. “You make it all sound so fun. And it’s awesome you all get to hang out on top of working and living together.”
“I’ve actually never had a job. Or a roommate. And here I am sleeping on the bottom bunk in a living room in an apartment with ten people. I guess I was just taking it all in,” I say.
Jessica’s eyes are smiling, and I can tell that she’s really listening to what I have to say. There’s a surge of anxiety in my chest as I realize that I’ve never actually shared feelings and shit with anyone, let alone a complete stranger. And here I am spilling it all out to Jessica. My dad likes us to keep things behind closed doors, away from anyone not within our inner circle or hushed by a non-disclosure agreement.
“It all sounds great. I mean, other than the ten people to an apartment and the sitting around all day doing nothing,” she teases. “But I’m glad you had a good time. For me, it’s like, well, I’ll never get an opportunity like this again. So even though I knew in the back of my mind it was some sort of mistake, I just wanted to enjoy it for one day, you know? To experience how the other half lives.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I know exactly how you feel.”
My mind is racing. What could a summer in New York be like on my own? Not as the rich son to a chaebol family. Not having the future of Haneul Corp hanging over my head. Just laughing with friends over ten-dollar meals. Wearing regular clothes that I picked out for myself and learning to do my own laundry. Being around people my own age instead of ancient executives who hate me for who I represent.
“So here’s a wild thought,” I say before I can think twice about it.
Jessica’s eyebrows raise over her water glass as she takes a sip.
“What if we just don’t tell anyone what’s going on? What if we keep going over the entire summer like we did for this first day? I think today went pretty well. Other than a few hiccups no one even seemed to think twice about it. There’s no one in this office that knows me or you,” I suggest.
“What are you saying? How could we pull this off? There’s no way.” Her words all say no, but she’s leaning in further toward me. She’s listening. She’s interested in the possibility.
She smells good. Not like the expensive, overpowering perfume my mom or sister wear. Something simple but clean. Is it the possibility of doing something nefarious and having Jessica as my partner in crime that’s making me this drawn to her?
She’s not my style at all. One, she’s not a chaebol, that’s obvious. Two, despite the clothes and hair and makeup Sunny Cho has given her today, she looks uncomfortable in Dior. I would never think that possible. Gucci, maybe. But everyone should enjoy Dior. And three, well, my dad would never let it happen. Though if he knew how dedicated Jessica Lee is to doing good work for Haneul Corp, hemightthink differently. Doubtful. He’d hire her as an assistant to some mediocre man, but he’d never let me date her.
I shake my head. Now I’m thinking about dating her? Our worlds are way too different. Get back to business, Elijah.
“Look, it’s simple. You do you, but in my place. I’ll do me, but in your place. Everyone already thinks they’ve fucked up in the planning and organizing. They’re all too scared to fuck up again. So we’ve pretty much bought ourselves each a golden ticket to the summers of our own making. Keep going as you are and so will I,” I say.
