June 18, 1920, Friday afternoon
The clock pointed to 4:30.
Lee Jun-hyuk stood up from his office chair.
He pretended to organize the documents on his desk, but in truth, not a single letter had caught his eye all afternoon.
What exactly was this ‘important talk’ Catherine wanted to have?
“Are you leaving already, sir?”
Mary asked with a surprised expression.
On most days, he would have stayed in the office at least until 7, long after sunset.
“Yes. I have an important appointment.”
He adjusted his necktie again.
This morning, he had spent quite a while deliberating in front of his wardrobe, and eventually selected a navy silk necktie with special care.
It was the one Catherine had given him last Christmas Eve.
He put on his jacket and picked up his hat.
“Have a wonderful evening!”
Mary said playfully, smiling as she offered her farewell.
Sharp as ever, she had clearly realized this was no ordinary appointment.
***
He left the office.
New York in June still had long days.
Sunlight tilted westward, casting long shadows between the buildings. The streets were beginning to fill with people getting off work, but there was still time before his 5 o’clock appointment.
It was a fifteen-minute walk to Central Park.
He deliberately walked slowly, trying to organize his thoughts, but his mind kept racing ahead.
He felt like a boy about to go on his first date.
Even though, counting all his lifetimes, he was well past sixty.
“What’s there to be nervous about, really?”
He asked himself that question several times, but his heart kept pounding regardless of his will.
He arrived at the entrance to Central Park.
4:50.
He had purposely arrived a little early, and sat down on a bench where he could clearly see the meeting spot, waiting for her.
The park was peaceful.
In the pond, ducks swam lazily, and the unfamiliar song of some bird softly erased the city’s noise.
He took out a cigarette and lit it.
He wasn’t much of a smoker, but at times like this, it helped calm his nerves.
The solitary smoke drifted away on the breeze.
“Jun-hyuk.”
A clear voice called to him.
He turned his head, and Catherine was walking toward him from the park entrance.
A pale blue dress fluttered gently in the breeze, and though she wore no hat, her luxuriant blonde hair shimmered gold in the afternoon sunlight.
She looked so picturesque as she approached that even passersby paused and turned to look, as if enchanted.
He stood up and waved at her.
“You’re early?”
Catherine came closer and spoke.
As always, she had that subtle, pleasant scent of rose about her.
“No, I just got here.”
It was an obvious lie, but she knew it and simply smiled kindly, pretending not to notice.
“Shall we take a walk?”
The two began to walk side by side.
At first, they walked in silence.
Unlike usual, even Catherine didn’t speak, and in that silence a gentle tension hung in the air.
The lake came into view.
On the gentle ripples, the sunset began to paint the water gold.
Catherine was the first to break the silence.
“Wasn’t Chicago really dangerous? I read in the paper there were even shootouts…”
“There were a few dangerous moments, but everything was resolved safely.”
“Please don’t go to such dangerous places alone anymore.”
Her voice held not reproach, but genuine concern.
“I can’t promise, but I’ll be as careful as I can.”
“No, promise me.”
Catherine stopped and turned to face him.
Her blue eyes were more serious than ever before.
It was the expression of someone who had made a great decision.
“To me… you’re too important now, Jun-hyuk.”
It felt as if his heart had dropped to the ground.
He’d anticipated something like this, but hearing it directly from her gave it an entirely different weight.
“Catherine, you too—”
“Wait a moment.”
Catherine raised her hand and cut him off.
“I have something I want to say first.”
She took a short, deep breath.
And then, as she started walking again, she slipped her arm gently through his.
For the first time.
It was the first time he’d walked arm in arm with her in a public place.
“From the first time we met on the ship last year…”
Catherine began.
Her voice trembled ever so slightly.
“I felt you were a truly special person. Not because you’re from the East… it’s hard to explain. Everything about you was completely different from others—your gaze, your way of speaking, your way of thinking.”
They walked slowly.
Some passersby glanced at them curiously. An Asian man and a white woman walking arm in arm—still a novel and unusual sight in 1920s New York.
“And when you went to Chicago this time…”
Catherine stopped again.
She looked up at Lee Jun-hyuk.
Because of the difference in height, she had to tilt her head slightly.
“I was really scared. What if something happened to you… I couldn’t even sleep properly. It was then that I realized for sure.”
“Realized what?”
“How much I…”
Catherine trailed off.
Her cheeks turned crimson.
Whether it was the sunset, or shyness, he couldn’t tell.
“That I love you.”
Time seemed to stop.
He could hear nothing of the park’s noise, the birds, the wind—only the gentle sound of her breathing and the echoing beat of his own heart.
“Me too…”
Just as he was about to respond, Catherine softly placed her finger on his lips.
“Not yet. There’s still something I want to say.”
She lowered her hand.
Then, she started walking again, this time a little closer, leaning gently on his shoulder.
“My grandfather always said: True love knows no borders, no races, no barriers. But the world doesn’t always see it that way. I know that.”
It was true.
In the United States of 1920, a romance between an Asian man and a white woman was anything but an easy path.
There were still many states where such marriages were illegal.
“But, I don’t care.”
Catherine said firmly.
“No matter how the world sees us, I choose you, Jun-hyuk.”
Lee Jun-hyuk stopped in his tracks. Then, he took her hand.
Soft and warm.
Her hand trembled a little.
“I love you too, Catherine.”
He said it in English, enunciating each word. ‘I love you too, Catherine.’
In his past life, he had never once uttered such words aloud.
But now, they came naturally, straight from his heart.
Catherine beamed.
A clear tear glistened in the corner of her eye.
They were tears of happiness.
“But…”
Lee Jun-hyuk said carefully.
“I’ll have to go to Pyongyang this December. To see my family, after seven years.”
“I know.”
“And…”
“Can’t I go with you?”
Catherine spoke first.
Lee Jun-hyuk stared at her in shock.
Her eyes were absolutely sincere.
“To Pyongyang?”
“Yes. I want to see your family with my own eyes. And the world you grew up in.”
This was not simply a travel proposal. Meeting one’s family—in this era, it meant an intention toward marriage.
“Are you serious, Catherine?”
“Of course.”
Catherine gripped his hand more tightly.
“But before that, you should meet my family first. My aunt, Chloe. She’s very influential in New York society.”
“When would be good?”
“How about tomorrow? Saturday evening, there’s a small dinner party at my aunt’s house.”
It was sudden, but there was no reason to refuse.
“All right. I’ll be there.”
The sun was almost down. Darkness began to fall over the park, and streetlights flickered on one by one, lighting the path.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
Catherine asked.
“Shall we go to Delmonico’s Restaurant?”
“I’d like that.”
The two linked arms and left the park. The streets bustled with people out to enjoy Friday night, and now they, too, were among that happy crowd.
“So this is really the beginning.”
He was now officially Catherine’s lover. And come December, they might even go to Pyongyang together. How surprised his family would be—especially his father…
But that was for later. Right now, nothing was more important than this moment with her.
As they walked toward Delmonico’s, he thought to himself.
Life truly is unpredictable. Things he could never have imagined in his past life were happening before his eyes, like miracles.
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
Catherine asked.
“I was just thinking how happy I am right now.”
She smiled radiantly.
Under the glow of the streetlights, her smile sparkled more beautifully than any jewel in the world.
They arrived at Delmonico’s Restaurant.
Being Friday evening, there were quite a few guests, though not as many as in the old days.
“Mr. Lee! Long time no see. And tonight, you’re accompanied by a very special lady.”
The head waiter recognized them and greeted them politely.
“Please, let me show you to the finest table by the window.”
It was a spot with a full view of Fifth Avenue.
The evening scenery of New York stretched outside the window like a painting.
“So, what is Chloe like?”
Lee Jun-hyuk asked.
Catherine fiddled with her fork as she replied.
“It’s hard to define her in a single word. She’s very progressive and independent… but at the same time, she cares deeply about family honor and tradition, so she can be a little conservative too. She’s lived alone since her husband passed away ten years ago, but in New York society, she’s a power behind the scenes.”
“What if she doesn’t like me?”
“She’ll surely oppose at first. But don’t worry.”
Catherine held his hand and smiled.
“My aunt cherishes me like a daughter. If she sees that I’m truly happy, she’ll eventually accept us.”
“I see.”
As he enjoyed the oysters served as an appetizer, Lee Jun-hyuk shared stories about his family in Pyongyang. Most of them were embellishments, if not outright inventions.
“Sometimes, I wish I had a real family too.”
Catherine said quietly.
Her expression seemed a little lonely.
“My family can become your new family, Catherine.”
At his words, Catherine looked at him in surprise.
“That…”
“I mean it.”
He took her hand across the table.
Right in front of everyone else.
A rather bold gesture for 1920, but it didn’t matter anymore.
“Jun-hyuk.”
Catherine’s eyes grew moist.
Over crème brûlée for dessert, they discussed the details of tomorrow’s meeting.
“Please come to my aunt’s house by six tomorrow evening. The address is…”
Catherine wrote the address in her notebook and handed it to him.
North Fifth Avenue, in a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park.
“Please wear a proper suit. My aunt is very particular about formality. And if you bring a small bouquet, she’ll like you even more. She especially loves white roses.”
“I’ll remember that.”
After dinner, they left the restaurant.
Even though it was past nine, the streets were still crowded.
They took a taxi to her home in the Upper East Side. In the taxi, Catherine held his hand tightly.
The two of them gazed out the window at the passing night scenery of New York, saying nothing.
They arrived in front of her home.
It was a modest but dignified three-story townhouse.
“Today was the happiest day of my life.”
Catherine said as she got out of the taxi.
“Me too.”
“Don’t be too nervous tomorrow. Everything will be fine.”
She smiled and waved before going inside.
He stayed there, watching her figure until the front door closed.
On the taxi ride back to the hotel, Lee Jun-hyuk thought to himself.
“Tomorrow, I have to get Aunt Chloe’s approval. Then comes the trip to Cuba in July. In August, the second Letter to Judge Mendoza will arrive from Pyongyang. And finally, in December… to Pyongyang.”
It was all uncertain, but the future before his eyes was filled with hope.
Even lying in bed, he couldn’t sleep.
When he closed his eyes, Catherine’s face came to mind.
Someone he wanted to spend not just tomorrow or the day after, but the rest of his life with.
“Love…”
It was a strange feeling, one he had never experienced in his past life, and it filled his heart completely.