After all the discussions ended,
Middleton returned to the principal's office.
It had been a long day, yet he didn't show any signs of fatigue.
"Let's see…"
There were certain words from the debate that lingered in his mind.
Olivia, Vint, Snyder, and Park Ji-hoon.
As he grabbed a fountain pen to briefly jot down their arguments—
Knock knock.
A knock sounded from afar, and Middleton slightly raised his head.
"Yes."
Creak.
In response to Middleton's answer, a tall man entered.
It was the head of the academic affairs team.
He cautiously approached Middleton and handed him a file for approval.
"There was someone absent from today's debate."
At the head's words, Middleton reviewed the document.
The name: Jack Grylls.
The reason for his absence was noted as attendance at a Navy Day event?
Was it Middleton's puzzled expression?
The head quickly added an explanation.
"Apparently, Jack's grandfather was a naval aviation pilot."
He fought in World War I, discharged due to severe injuries, but volunteered for re-enlistment despite not being required, when Germany's U-boat fleet threatened the British Navy in World War II, and participated in numerous operations.
"Unfortunately, he was killed in action during the Battle of the Atlantic in 1943, but posthumously awarded the Most Honourable Order of the Bath."
If he was awarded the Order of the Bath, it makes sense that his family would be invited to the Navy Day event.
The head finished his explanation and carefully asked,
"According to the school rules, students with legitimate reasons for absence must undergo a test for class placement. Should we proceed with…?"
"Place him in the advanced class at the principal's discretion."
"Pardon?"
"If he's the son of a reputable noble, isn't he usually prioritized for advanced placement?"
"Yes, but Jack's grandfather…"
Though he may have received a medal, he wasn't granted a title of nobility.
So, he wouldn't be entitled to noble privileges—that's what he meant.
But Middleton's stance was firm.
"Don't nobles receive privileges because they fulfill their social duties?"
"…"
"Jack's grandfather bore more responsibility than most nobles. Why should his descendant receive anything less?"
"Even so, according to the rules…"
"That's why I said, it's at the principal's discretion."
In other words, if this becomes a problem, Middleton will take full responsibility.
At that point, the head of the academic team had no reason to oppose further.
"Then, as you've instructed, I will assign Jack Grylls to the advanced class."
At the head's words, Middleton quietly nodded.
***
That night.
After making a simple salad and eating it, I sat on the sofa, reading a book.
The plot was more tedious than expected.
Nodding off and waking up repeatedly—
Ding-dong!
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Half asleep, I rubbed my eyes and headed toward the door.
The fridge was running low, maybe?
It was probably Baker, having brought over a bunch of groceries again.
"I told him he didn't have to…"
I opened the door, thinking that—
What?
It was someone I hadn't expected at all waiting for me.
"Olivia?"
"Sorry for showing up unannounced."
She always wore a leather jacket—
"…"
But tonight, she was in a light coat.
Premium cashmere.
Probably the highest-end line from Ralph Warren.
In a soft voice, she asked,
"Can we talk for a bit?"
"Here?"
"If it's uncomfortable, I can come inside."
"Hm."
It would be more uncomfortable to go inside…
But it's too late to find a café at this hour.
"There's no one here but me. Is that okay with you?"
"If you're okay with it."
Quite a cool response.
Well, I guess if we're just friends, there's no reason why not.
"Come in."
Thud, thud.
Click, click.
"This house looks like it belongs to a noble."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it has a refined vibe. Feels like it's built up a heritage over a long time."
"Like the clothes you're wearing?"
At my comment, she gave a mysterious smile instead of an answer.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Do you have coffee?"
"It's late. Are you sure that's okay?"
"I took a long nap earlier. No way I'm sleeping tonight."
Heh.
With coffee on our minds, we naturally moved to the kitchen.
You know those movies where the dining table is over three meters long?
The kind that looks like it was carved out of a giant tree.
That's exactly how my dining table looked.
It always felt a bit lonely eating by myself, but with someone sitting across from me, the feeling was completely different.
I took out some cups from the cabinet and poured coffee for us.
Normally, I'd be lazy and use a mug, but since I had a guest, I brought out cups with saucers for the occasion.
"Wedgwood."
"Huh?"
"It's a vintage line."
"…?"
Did she read my expression?
"This, I mean."
She looked down at the coffee cup as she spoke.
"It looks like it's at least 50 years old."
Did I just serve a guest with a 50-year-old cup?
"At this age, it's probably priceless."
"Really?"
"You didn't know?"
Scratch, scratch.
Even though I'm living a second life, I can't possibly know everything—especially not about teacups, unlike cars or bikes!
"My dad collects Wedgwood vintage pieces. Not just cups, but also silverware. If something seems old, he'll pick it up like he's under a spell. Thanks to that, I've learned quite a bit myself."
It makes sense that a 50-year-old teacup wouldn't exactly suit a 17-year-old girl's taste.
Especially not a girl who rides a motorcycle.
After savoring the aroma for a moment, Olivia brought the cup to her lips.
Like a bird quenching its thirst, she sipped the coffee.
"Were you surprised I showed up out of the blue?"
I nodded.
"I was a bit hesitant, but I really wanted to come."
"Why?"
"The conversation we had at school."
I remember.
She had opened up about her relationship with her father.
She continued cautiously.
"There's actually more I didn't say, but waiting until the start of school felt suffocating. So I just decided to come."
"…"
"Do you have a bit of time?"
I looked into Olivia's eyes.
Like a fledgling bird still thirsty, she waited for my answer.
"As long as it's not too long."
"Yeah, 20 minutes—30 at most."
"Alright."
For about 10 minutes, she poured out everything she hadn't been able to express in words.
How much she loved her father.
But how misunderstandings arose during the process of following in his footsteps with design.
And how that led to the broken relationship they had now.
For her to open up this much, doesn't that mean we've built a significant amount of trust?
Honestly, today was practically the first real conversation we'd ever had.
Right, whatever the case may be.
I looked at Olivia again.
"What do you want?"
"Huh?"
Is it that she wants to mend her relationship with her father?
Or does she want to clear up the misunderstandings people have about her?
Or perhaps, was she just looking to vent, and feeling understood would be enough for her?
At my question, she fell into silent thought.
Even as time slowly passed, it seemed like she couldn't find a clear answer.
"You don't know what you want?"
"Well… honestly, I don't really know."
"Do you want to think about it more?"
"Can I? It feels like we've already gone over the time I promised."
"It's fine. Take your time to think it through."
How much time had passed like that?
She ran her hand through her hair, closed her eyes, and after showing various signs of thought, she let out a small sigh.
"I'm confused."
"Should I give you more time?"
"No, this is tough."
I adjusted my posture and asked,
"You were preparing for a design competition, right?"
"Yeah."
"To make your father happy?"
"That's right."
"If you hadn't won an award, would the time you spent preparing for the competition have been a waste of your life?"
"No, not at all."
She paused to think before continuing.
"At first, my goal was to win a prize. Because then my dad would be happy. But it turned out to be more fun than I thought."
"What did you create?"
"It was a pretty crazy idea. How to make a department store an exciting place. So I designed a space."
"How?"
"I cleared out an entire floor of the department store. Then I designed it as a brand experience space. Every month, a new brand would come in… and only for that period would they sell limited-edition products…"
Wait a minute.
This sounds familiar…
'A pop-up store?'
In Korea, pop-up stores didn't become trendy until the 2020s, centered around Seongsu-dong.
But she had come up with that concept in this era and even won a competition with it?
"It never actually got realized, though. It was way too unrealistic. Plus, clearing out an entire floor of a department store was too ambitious."
This confirmed it.
'Olivia is someone absolutely essential for Hyungang.'
If my grandfather ever clings to me in the end, I could always pull out Olivia's business card and use it as leverage.
'Grandfather, this friend would be more helpful than I am.'
For the sake of a bright future, it was important to finish this counseling session properly.
I calmly opened my mouth.
"How was space design for you?"
"What do you mean, how?"
"I mean, did you enjoy it?"
"Oh, yeah."
She nodded.
"Imagining things doesn't cost money, so that's all I could think about while I was awake. I didn't get tired of it and kept going."
"And now?"
"…"
She responded with silence.
After a moment, I met Olivia's gaze and asked,
"Do you like design?"
Her expression said, Why are you asking such a random question?
After a brief pause, I asked again.
"Do you like design?"
"…"
"Do you still like design?"
What came to my mind as I listened to Olivia's story was the manga Buzzer Beater.
The main character starts playing basketball because of a girl, but gradually grows to love it and eventually becomes a fully-fledged basketball player.
Olivia's situation was similar.
Although she started because of her father, she eventually achieved the accomplishment of winning a nationwide competition.
The difference was that the protagonist in the manga overcame an injury and continued playing basketball, while Olivia had given up on design because of the misunderstandings surrounding her.
Herein lies a clue.
If she could rediscover the meaning of design, just like the protagonist rediscovered basketball…
The girl who once only sought her father's approval could finally grow into an independent person, pursuing her own dreams.
The question that encompassed all of this.
I asked her once again.
"Do you really like design?"
And after a brief moment,
Her eyelids began to tremble slightly.
TL/n -
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