Chapter 286 – Happy New Year
“Wow, look at all the people…!”
“I wondered why they said we didn’t need to take the car, but I didn’t expect it to be this crowded from a few blocks before Times Square….”
“Look at all the police around here. It’s crazy. If we’re unlucky, we might get lost in America.”
The buzz of the crowd was overwhelming.
Around 6 PM, New York was bursting with people.
To be honest, I had never seen such a massive crowd in my life. The last time I saw a crowd this large was when I went to hear the bell ring on New Year’s Eve, but this was on a completely different level.
Even from a few blocks before reaching the huge collection of electronic billboards that come to mind when you think of New Year’s Eve at Times Square, the crowd was like this. I heard that people camp out from the day before to secure the best spots for the Ball Drop event on December 31st, and it’s not unusual for them to carry several diapers to wait in one spot.
When Henry mentioned this, I thought he was half-joking, but seeing this chaotic scene in front of me, I could only think we needed to be careful. Fortunately, we could track each other’s locations through our cell phones, so we wouldn’t completely lose our group.
“Wow, Yoo Jin, look at that. There are so many people cosplaying. Marvel characters and all… I want to go take a picture with them.”
“You can, if you’re okay with giving them a $10 tip.”
“Yikes….”
The more people there are, the more scammers there are.
Anyway, we were almost at our destination. The multipurpose building located between West 43rd and 44th Street and 7th Avenue. It was just a few dozen meters from the iconic building covered with billboards that symbolize Times Square. The top floor of that building was where today’s party was being held.
I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or grateful for the connections and wealth it took to rent such a place, but Henry had casually replied that it was just a 20% reward for lending him the ICARUS Gear. He also mentioned that if there were any issues with our attire, he could lend us some outfits.
At least I was relieved that I could reassure them.
The current time was 6:58 PM.
We had just finished the awards ceremony that started at 6 PM and left immediately. The party was scheduled to start at 7:30 PM, so I thought we had plenty of time to arrive, but I was wrong. Traffic police were all over the place, controlling the crowd and checking belongings.
Of course, they approached us too to check our bags. Since we weren’t carrying much, it didn’t take long.
As they finished checking our bags, one of the officers smiled and added,
“Everyone thinks fireworks and confetti only go off at midnight, but we actually have a practice run every hour on the hour. If you wait just a minute, you’ll see a pretty nice show.”
“Really? I’m looking forward to it.”
At the same time, grand music began to play.
Amidst the scattered cheers of tens of thousands of people, the iconic building’s billboard started a countdown.
After what felt like the longest 60 seconds in the world, the fireworks went off.
───Boom!
“…Wow. That was pretty underwhelming.”
“There are still five hours left.”
Indeed, it was quite underwhelming.
The billboard, which read “ONLY 5 HOURS TO GO!” indicated the time remaining until midnight. I figured it would be much more spectacular in five hours. Since we were close to our destination, we tried to leave, but the traffic police asked if we were really leaving. They said that once we leave, we’d have to find a new spot again.
After assuring them we were fine, we made our way through the crowded streets. It took five minutes just to move 150 meters. This level of congestion was somewhat expected even inside the building, but once we got further in, we saw gates separating the elevators and the lobby.
The scanner activated, scanning us up and down, and the gate opened with a green light. Most of the people waiting inside the building, trying to escape the cold, widened their eyes and stared at us.
Of course, there was no time to return their gazes, as the elevator arrived at the first floor right when the scanner allowed us in.
-The doors are opening.
As soon as everyone boarded, the doors closed, and the elevator shot up as if heading to the sky.
When the elevator stopped, a rather dimly lit interior hallway appeared. It wasn’t dark due to a lack of lighting but seemed to be intentionally designed to create a mysterious and atmospheric mood. As we moved further in, staff members who appeared to be employees of this floor approached us.
“We’ll take your luggage. For those who need it, we have a dressing room where you can select appropriate attire.”
“…I didn’t catch that, Yoo Jin.”
“They’re saying if you have any unnecessary luggage, you can leave it here, and if you don’t have the right attire, they’ll lend you something suitable.”
She mumbled softly about where to use the auto-translate function, but anyway.
I had come wearing the semi-formal suit I was gifted – of course, I had it cleaned every time I wore it – and since there were many public or somewhat solemn gatherings in New York, this outfit proved to be very useful. Except for the thick white padding I had over it, I didn’t really have anything to leave behind.
Still, a couple of people wanted to wear something nicer and headed to the dressing room. Meanwhile, I scanned the QR code provided and secretly tipped five people.
After waiting for about five minutes, everyone returned to the lobby in more appropriate attire.
The staff contacted someone, and then-
“You’re here earlier than I expected. How was New York on December 31st?”
“It was packed with people.”
“That’s the Big Apple, my hometown, the land of opportunity, New York. Come in, have a seat. It’s an honor for you to set foot in the restaurant that will open next year.”
Henry appeared.
Seeing him after just a week, everyone looked at me with puzzled expressions, trying to remember who he was. They seemed curious or vaguely familiar.
After leaving instructions to visit the bridge after dinner, Henry joked that his presence would dampen the mood and disappeared.
Leaving behind the suddenly strange atmosphere, Dice spoke up.
“Yoo Jin, that man….”
“He’ll be the president of this country around December next year.”
At that moment, question marks popped out of everyone’s mouths except mine.
The world was indeed a strange place.
“Ugh, I’m so full….”
“We ate too much.”
“But usually, teppanyaki courses don’t give you this much food….”
Harmony and Dice sat in their chairs, patting their full bellies and breathing heavily.
It was true. Even the two chefs who hosted us today had never cooked several days’ worth of ingredients in just one day, and they maintained a challenging expression throughout.
As they said, the large-scale cooking attempted today might be a first for a teppanyaki course restaurant. We all received the same portion of salad and sashimi as an appetizer, but things went awry starting with the grilled vegetables and shrimp – the chefs cooked 20 black tiger prawns on the spot.
Half of those were mine, of course.
The same went for the grilled salmon, scallops, and other fish dishes. Typically, a teppanyaki restaurant is known for its flashy knife skills and fire shows, but not today. The chefs’ abilities were tested to the limit just by checking the doneness of the food and cooking it properly.
Trying to spin sauce bottles, oil, knives, and spatulas was a surefire way to ruin the food – at least, that’s what the two chefs must have concluded. Although they did show some of those tricks briefly, it was much shorter than one might expect.
Regardless, the five others, including Harmony, were envious of the amount of food I was getting, so I asked the chefs to increase the portions a bit, which greatly contributed to their full bellies. While it felt like we had strayed from the typical course meal, no one seemed to mind too much.
Steak and fried rice needed no explanation. It might have been the first time for those who came with me to eat so much meat in their lives. If we had paid for it ourselves, considering the tip, tax, and exchange rate, it would have cost us millions of won for a single meal, but as always, we passed it without any trouble.
So, we come back to the beginning.
“They say there’s always room for dessert, right?”
“But the meal we just had is pressing on my dessert stomach.”
“Pigs.”
“Even if you say that….”
Of course, even if they said that, I didn’t gain weight no matter how much I ate.
While they were contemplating how to eat various types of desserts, including cake, without feeling too full, I absentmindedly accepted everything and sat by the wide glass window, eating one by one.
The indoor air started circulating with the heating, and the cold wind blew outside. The glass window I touched with my fingers felt cold. Thousands of people were waiting for the New Year on the ground 90 meters below. Due to the prolonged dinner, it was around 10 PM. Just a few minutes ago, there were much bigger fireworks from the One Times Square building compared to 7 PM.
While everyone was chatting, Henry, who was alone on the adjacent balcony, came and sat in front of me.
I was the first to speak.
“Is everything quiet outside?”
“Who do you think you have to thank for that?”
I silently lifted my left wrist to show him my watch, and he chuckled, giving me a knowing look.
“It seems like you’ve finished your work.”
“Not at all. You have no idea how much my advisors are on my back.”
Then he continued very quietly.
“Thanks to you providing ICARUS International as a super PAC, Camp Henry will spread its wings even further. Is there anything you want? Depending on the content, I can positively consider a few suggestions regarding US-Korea relations.”
“What are you talking about?”
On the last day of December, having such a grand conversation with just the two of us seemed inappropriate, so I quickly stopped him. I wasn’t interested in matters like US-Korea relations. I only wished for my family, friends, and I to do well.
So, I replied:
“Just finish your term well without any lame duck issues.”
“Ha, you’re just like that polar bear lady. Don’t worry. There’s nothing they can catch me on. My nickname is Prester John of the Democratic Party.”
“Then I must be the Serpent of Eden. This meeting itself is the forbidden fruit.”
“Quite the dark joke.”
Then he continued,
“In a few minutes, Dagger Team’s dinner should be over. If there’s nothing special, this old man will retreat to the back room again. Enjoy yourselves. Do you need transportation to the hotel?”
“It’s less than a 20-minute walk, so don’t worry. We all ate so much that we need to walk to digest….”
“If that’s the case.”
With that, he disappeared.
A few minutes later,
“Yoo, Yoo, Yoo Jin! Laurentina! Is Laurentina real!?”
“Ah.”
Min Ah had been caught by a shark.
Come to think of it, Harmony only knew Logan, so this must be her first meeting with Laurentina. Laurentina, with a rare satisfied expression, was pinching Min Ah’s cheek, and fortunately, Moni didn’t seem to mind either. Seeing such good-looking people together was a delight.
Of course, it didn’t end there. When more familiar faces joined, there were fourteen people on the balcony, and conversations blossomed everywhere. Of course, Michael, Gambit, and Ink, who were interrogated about whether they had plans to move to America, could only remain silent.
The patissiers were suddenly very busy. With more people picking up snacks, the situation was completely different from when there were just five or six of us. They had to knead this much pastry and crack dozens of eggs in no time. Of course, since they were being paid fairly, there was no need to worry about them.
So, with conversations blossoming, time passed beyond 11 PM and raced toward midnight.
Not just me and Dagger Team, but also the Korean representatives, the chefs who had cleaned up the course meal earlier, and the four patissiers were all sitting at the table by the window, watching outside. It might be the most luxurious New Year’s Eve of my life.
With snow gently falling, many singers performed and left the stage. However, even that ended, and now only a few minutes remained until the New Year.
As I watched quietly, overwhelmed with indescribable emotions, Laurentina placed her hand on my shoulder and said,
“This place could come to be because of you.”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course. Be proud. If you’re a member of Dagger Team, you should be.”
I laughed lightly.
Then, I looked around.
With only a minute left until the New Year, everyone smiled and approached me. Not knowing what they were about to do, I looked confused for a moment, but when they all spread their arms, I immediately understood.
As everyone started hugging one by one, they spoke.
“Great job, junior.”
“Live without any major problems next year too. If anything tough comes up, contact us.”
“Wishing you only good things ahead.”
Various well-wishes to end the year.
With only 10 seconds left, Harmony and Dice, both smiling broadly, spread their arms wide.
“You worked hard, Yoo Jin. Please take care of us next year too….”
“Thank you always. Happy New Year.”
I replied with a smile,
“Thank you both, for coming along this far.”
And then, we hugged.
And-
───Boom! Boom boom!
With beautiful background music, paper confetti and fireworks filled the New Year’s night sky.
It was the best January 1st of my life.
“…By the way, Yoo Jin, didn’t you say you were going to stream?”
“Oh no.”
At that moment, I quickly started the stream.
Fortunately, the fireworks were just going off, so all the viewers who hurriedly joined could enjoy America’s January 1st. Of course, they were busy teasing me for not paying attention, but the fireworks were beautiful, and everyone enjoyed a second New Year.
-You’re really sloppy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-You’re such a mess ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-You’re a total goof ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Another nickname added ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-You messed up!
And so, my list of nicknames grew to include “goof.”
Oh well.