Chapter 66.1

Chapter 66.1

“Yeah, go on.”

Juran waved her off with a shooing motion but gave her a firm nod. Miran bit down on her lip and suddenly pulled Juran into a tight hug.

“Unni, I’ll be back soon.”

That was all it took. The tears Juran had been holding back spilled over with a choked sob. Standing beside her, Jieun quickly turned her head away, sniffling.

“Ah, come on. Don’t cry! Stop it!”

“Who’s crying? I’m not crying.”

Juran ducked her head, wiping at her eyes. Miran let go of her and turned to hug Jieun. Jieun’s eyes were already shimmering with tears, but she smiled through trembling lips.

“Take care, Miran C. I’m gonna miss you.”

“Me too.”

Miran swallowed down the lump rising in her throat and forced a smile as she waved goodbye. Then, without looking back, she walked forward.

If she turned around now, she knew she would start bawling.

It was only six months. So why did it feel like she was leaving for years?

“Phew…”

She let out a shaky breath as she stepped into the line leading to the automatic doors of the departure hall.

For some reason, Teacher Yeondam’s words kept echoing in her head.

“… study English diligently and prepare to immigrate. You won’t be buried in Korean soil, even if you die.”

No way… It’s not like I’ll never come back, right?

The moment Miran stepped through the automatic doors of the departure gate, she suddenly spun around.

In the distance, Juran was crying, her face contorted with emotion. When she saw Miran turn back, she quickly covered her mouth with one hand and waved her forward with the other, telling her to hurry inside. Beside her, Jieun had her arm wrapped around Juran’s shoulders, tears streaming down her own face as she waved too.

“Hhngh…”

Finally, Miran’s tears broke free.

And just like that, the automatic doors slid shut.

At twenty-five years old, Kang Miran left South Korea behind.

—

Welcome to Chaos—JFK Airport

Compared to New York’s JFK Airport, Gimpo was a walk in the park.

“Ugh… This is insane.”

She had never seen so many people in one place. The crowd was overwhelming. She stumbled around, completely lost, until she finally ran into a fellow Korean who pointed her in the right direction. Even after making it to immigration, the line stretched endlessly ahead of her, taking over an hour just to get through.

Surrounded by people of every nationality, all speaking in different languages at once, she felt like her soul was about to escape her body.

She hadn’t slept a wink on the plane, just eating whatever they gave her and watching movies the whole time. But maybe because she was so tense, she didn’t even feel the jet lag.

When it was finally her turn, Miran stepped up to the immigration officer, frozen stiff.

The man, clad in a police-style uniform, gave her a look so stern it felt like he was interrogating a criminal.

Even as Miran recited her answers like a memorized script from a past exam, sweat gathered in her palms.

What if they rejected her entry?

The study abroad agency had warned her that it happened sometimes, which only made her more anxious.

Fortunately, she made it through immigration without any issues. Letting out a shaky breath, she grabbed her luggage, loaded it onto a cart, and stepped out of the arrivals hall with her heart pounding. She had taken so long—what if the person from the study abroad agency had already left?

Just then, at the far end of the barricade, she spotted a man holding a sign with her name on it. Relief washed over her.

She followed him to a corner where three other students—two guys and one girl—were huddled together. Once all four of them had gathered, the staff member introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Kim Sungsoo, in charge of Global Study Abroad’s Manhattan office. I’m a student here too, so if you ever have questions or run into any trouble, feel free to contact me.”

He handed out business cards with his phone number on them.

Sungsoo’s large van pulled out of the airport and onto the highway. As they drove, the students in the back quickly got to know each other.

Hongseok and Taeyoung had served in the military together and were the same age as Miran, so they immediately started speaking casually. Hyunjung, four years younger, introduced herself as a freshman from the class of ’95. She had a cool but cheerful vibe.

Excitement buzzed in the air as they all chatted at once.

“Whoa, American trucks are huge!”

“Look at the graffiti on that wall—so cool.”

“I still can’t believe I’m actually in New York.”

“Hey, look over there!”

“Wow…”

All four of them gasped in unison.

Against the backdrop of a deep blue sky, the iconic New York City skyline came into view. Towering skyscrapers, jutting up like uneven waves, filled their vision. Their excited chatter died down as they pressed up against the windows, mesmerized by the sight outside.