"Wow, so many people…!"
"I was wondering what you ant by not needing to take a car, but it’s this crowded several blocks before Tis Square…."
"Wow, look at all the police around. This is crazy. If I’m not careful, I’m going to end up lost in Arica."
The buzz of conversation filled the air.
At around 6 PM in New York, it was packed with people.
To be honest, I had never seen this many people in my life. The last ti I encountered such a massive crowd was when I went to hear the New Year’s bells, but this was on an entirely different level.
In fact, even before reaching the buildings adorned with the giant billboards synonymous with Tis Square, the scene was chaotic for several blocks. I had heard that people camped out the day before just to secure a good spot for the Ball Drop event on December 31st, and it was common for them to bring several diapers to wait in one place.
When Henry told this, I thought he was half-joking, but seeing this crowd right before my eyes made realize the need to be cautious. Fortunately, we could track our location through our phones, so there was no risk of losing our party.
"Wow, Yujin. Look at all the cosplayers. There are so many Marvel characters… I want to go and ask them for a photo."
"If you want to get scamd for a $10 tip, feel free to go."
"Eww…."
The more people there were, the more scamrs there were.
In any case, we were almost at our destination. Between West 43rd and 44th Streets, on the left side of 7th Avenue, we were only a few dozen ters away from the multi-purpose building that was plastered with the famous billboards of Tis Square. The top floor of that building was where today’s party would be held.
Should I be impressed by the wealth and connections it took to rent a place like this, or should I be thankful? Even so, Henry responded with a cheeky answer saying it was only 20% of the paynt for lending Icarus Gear, assuring there was no need for concern. If there was a problem with the attire, he could lend sothing, he claid.
I was just glad I could reassure them.
The current ti was 6:58 PM.
We had just wrapped up the awards ceremony that started at 6 PM. I thought we had plenty of ti to arrive since the party started at 7:30 PM, but that was a serious misconception. The traffic police were spread all around, controlling the masses and conducting thorough inspections of personal belongings.
Of course, they approached us and checked our bags. Since we had only a few items, it didn’t take long.
While the police officer finished inspecting our bags, he smiled and added,
"Everyone thinks the fireworks will explode at midnight with confetti, but we actually fire fireworks every hour as a rehearsal. In just one minute, you’ll see quite a spectacular sight."
"Is that so? I’m looking forward to it."
At the sa ti, solemn music began to play.
Among the thousands of people gathered, cheers erupted sporadically as the countdown began on the famous billboard of the building synonymous with Tis Square.
After what felt like the longest 60 seconds in the world, the fireworks went off.
───Boom!
"…Wow. That was a bit underwhelming."
"Well, there are still five hours to go."
Of course, the fireworks were quite small.
The billboard reading "ONLY 5 HOURS TO GO!" indicated the ti remaining until midnight. Still, it was certain that the display in five hours would be much more magnificent. Thankfully, we weren’t far from our destination, so when I tried to leave the area, the traffic police asked if we were really going to leave. I heard that once you leave, you would have to reclaim your spot.
After assuring them it was fine, we escaped the bustling crowd. It took us about five minutes to travel 150 ters due to the congestion. While this was sowhat applicable even after entering the building, once we went further inside, we could clearly see that they had separated the elevators and lobby with gates.
The scanner automatically activated, scanning us up and down, and at the sa ti, the ramp lit up green, and the heavily closed gates opened. Most of the people waiting inside the building stared at us with wide eyes.
Of course, there wasn’t much ti to absorb their gazes; the scanner allowed us all in, and the elevator imdiately arrived on the first floor.
The doors will open.
As soon as everyone boarded, the doors closed, and the elevator rose as if soaring to the sky.
When the elevator stopped, a dimly lit interior hallway appeared, filled with a dark decor. It wasn’t just dim because there were no lights; it seed to create an intentional sense of mystery and atmosphere. As we ventured deeper inside, staff mbers who seed to work on that floor approached us first.
"I’ll take your bags. For those who need them, we will guide you to the dressing room, so please browse as needed and choose an appropriate dress code."
"…I didn’t understand that, Yujin."
"They’ll take care of any unnecessary bags, and for those who didn’t prepare their outfits, they’ll lend them here."
Though I muttered about the automatic translation feature being useless, what could I say?
I had co in wearing the semi-formal suit I had been gifted beforehand—of course, I would send it to the cleaners once I took it off—since I had attended many public or sowhat solemn gatherings in New York, and this outfit had perford admirably each ti. So aside from the thick white padding I wore, I didn’t have much to leave behind.
Even so, a couple of people wanted to wear sothing a bit nicer, so they headed to the dressing room while I secretly scanned the QR code set up below to discreetly send tips for five people.
After waiting for about five minutes, everyone returned to the lobby in better attire.
Then the staff contacted soone sowhere—
"That was quick. How was December 31st in New York?"
"It was packed with people."
"That’s the characteristic of my hotown, the land of opportunity—Big Apple, New York. Co in and take a seat. Being here first is a privilege bestowed upon you all for the restaurant that will operate from next year."
Henry had arrived.
Despite it being just a week since I last saw him, everyone looked at with puzzled expressions. They seed quite curious about who he was, or perhaps they half-rembered him.
After having finished his dinner, he left a ssage for everyone to et him at the bridge, claiming that his presence would liven up the atmosphere, then disappeared.
As the strange mood settled, Dice spoke up.
"Yujin, who is that person…?"
"The person who will likely beco the President of this country around December next year."
At the sa ti, a barrage of question marks erupted from everyone else, excluding .
The world was indeed a strange place.
"Ugh, I’m so full…."
"I ate way too much."
"But usually, teppanyaki restaurants don’t serve this much…."
Harmony and Dice patted their bloated stomachs as they sat back in their chairs, breathing heavily.
To be honest, they were right. Even the two chefs responsible for today’s catering claid it was their first ti cooking enough ingredients for a few days’ worth of operation in one day, wearing expressions filled with both challenge and astonishnt.
Indeed, today marked the first mass cooking attempt in what was originally a teppanyaki course restaurant. All six of us were served the sa portions for appetizers like salads and sashimi, but after the grilled vegetables, things started to get bizarre—two chefs cooked 20 black tiger shrimp on the spot.
Of course, half of them were mine.
The sa went for the salmon, scallops, and other grilled fish that followed. Though the restaurant was typically known for its flashy skills and stunning fire shows, today was an exception. The chefs’ abilities were being tested to their limits as they checked the doneness of the food and cooked it properly.
During that ti, showing off tools like sauce bottles, oil, knives, and spatulas would have been nothing short of a suicide attempt to them, I guess. Of course, they briefly showed such skills while cooking, but it was significantly shorter than one might expect.
Still, aside from that, the five others—not counting , including Harmony—envied how much I had received, leading to my request for slightly larger portions, which contributed significantly to their bloated state. It felt like we had significantly departed from the teppanyaki course category, but no one cared much about that.
The steak and fried rice needed no explanation. Those who had co with were likely having their first experience eating this much at in their lives. Had we paid for this al, factoring in tips, taxes, and the exchange rate, we would have probably spent hundreds of thousands of won on just one al, but as always, it passed without any major issues.
And thus, we returned to the beginning.
"Still, they say there’s always room for dessert, right?"
"Right now, my stomach is pushing against my dessert capacity."
"Pigs."
"Even if you say that…."
Of course, I didn’t gain weight no matter how much I ate.
While they debated how to eat without feeling too stuffed, I casually took one of each dessert laid out in front of and settled into a spacious glass-walled table to start eating them one by one.
The heating activated, and the circulating warm air contrasted sharply with the cold wind from outside. The glass window was cold to the touch. Below us, hundreds of people were waiting for the New Year. Given that our dining ti had significantly lengthened, the current ti was nearing 10 PM. Just monts ago, the building next door had erupted with fireworks far more extravagant than those at 7 PM.
As everyone chatted, Henry suddenly sat down in front of , isolated on the balcony.
I was the one who opened my mouth first, however.
"Outside, there isn’t much happening, right?"
"Who else would it be if not ?"
I silently held up my watch on my left wrist, and he chuckled, giving a knowing look.
"It seems like you’ve wrapped up your work."
"I could never say that. You have no idea how much my aides are hounding ."
Then, quietly, he continued speaking.
"It seems that by providing Icarus International as a super package, Camp Henry will spread its wings even wider. Is there sothing you want? If you have anything, I’d consider your opinions positively, depending on the content of my position regarding U.S.-Korea relations."
"What are you talking about on December 31st? In a place with just you and , isn’t that a little too much of a discussion that could decide the nation’s direction?"
I hurriedly interrupted. If things were going to go well, then what I wanted was for my family and friends to be well-off; anything else, like U.S.-Korea relations, was far from my concern.
So, I said the following.
"Just finish your term without any la-duck period."
"Haha, you sound just like that polar bear. Don’t worry. There’s nothing here that could catch out. My nickna is ‘The Prester John of the Democratic Party.’"
"Then I must be the serpent of Eden. This eting is like the forbidden fruit itself."
"You’ve got quite the sharp tongue."
And then ca the follow-up.
"It looks like in a few minutes, the al for the main team will also be finished. Unless sothing unexpected happens, I’ll retreat to the back room again. Make sure to enjoy yourselves. Do you need transport back to the hotel?"
"It’s less than a 20-minute walk, so don’t worry. Everyone’s stuffed to the brim, so we’ll need to walk it off…."
"Then that’s settled."
With that, he disappeared.
After a few minutes, however—
"Y-Y-Yujin! Lorentina is here! Lorentina is real!?"
"Oh."
Minah had been caught by the shark.
Thinking about it, Harmony only knew Logan, so it would be her first eting with Lorentina. Lorentina, rarely wearing a satisfied expression, began to pet Minah’s cheek, and thankfully, Moni didn’t seem to dislike it. It was enjoyable to watch two people of considerable looks being put together.
Of course, that wasn’t the end. When many familiar faces gathered from sowhere, the total on the balcony rose to fourteen, and conversations blossod everywhere. Naturally, the Korean representatives, along with the staff who had tidied up, were bombarded with questions about whether they had any plans to co to Arica, so I offered my condolences.
anwhile, the pastry chefs got busier. As everyone was taking one treat after another, the situation quickly changed from having just a few people to an entire group. In no ti at all, they began to knead dough and crack dozens of eggs. They were people who were receiving proper compensation for their work, so there was no need for to worry.
Thus, as conversations flourished, ti passed 11 o'clock and rushed toward midnight.
The six of us, including the Korean representatives, the pastry chefs, and the chefs responsible for the course al, crowded around the glass window, watching outside. I would say that today marked the most luxurious December 31st of my life.
Snow was lightly falling, and countless singers were performing. However, that too had ended, and now only a few minutes remained until the New Year.
As I gazed quietly, imrsed in a feeling that was hard to describe, Lorentina placed her hand on my shoulder and added,
"This gathering could only happen thanks to you, the youngest."
"…Is that so?"
"Of course. Stand tall and take pride in it. If you’re a mber of the main team, that’s how it should be."
I chuckled softly.
And finally, I turned to look around.
With only ten seconds left until the New Year, everyone approached with smiles on their faces. I didn’t know what they intended to do, so I wore a slightly dazed expression, but as they opened their arms, I instantly realized what they ant.
As each of them embraced , they began to speak.
"Thank you for all your hard work, youngest."
"When the new year cos, I hope everything goes well. If you have any hardships, let us know, and we’ll help."
"Wishing you only good things from now on."
A variety of colorful wishes to wrap up the year.
Before I knew it, there were only ten seconds left. As the voices of people outside roared through the glass, Harmony and Dice opened their arms wide with smiles.
"You’ve worked hard all this ti, Yujin. I look forward to next year as well…."
"Thank you always. Happy New Year."
I replied, smiling at them.
"I’m truly grateful to both of you for following here."
At that mont, a hug.
And then—
───Boom! Boom!
With beautiful background music, confetti and fireworks blood in the black sky of the New Year.
It was the best January 1st of my life.
"…By the way, Yujin. Didn’t you say you were going to broadcast?"
"Oops."
At that mont, I gestured and quickly turned on the stream.
Fortunately, as the fireworks began to burst, all the newly arrived viewers could enjoy January 1st in Arica. Of course, everyone was too busy teasing about where my mind had wandered off to. But the fireworks were beautiful, and everyone could enjoy their second New Year.
What a clumsy person, haha!
She’s like a pure snake w, w, w, w, w
The very definition of a fool, haha!
Another nickna added to the list, haha!
Useless!
Thus, my list of nicknas grew to include "fool."
What a thing.
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