【Episode 046 – The People Met at the Skarden Year-End Party (1)】
“DMBG? Where’s DMBG? Dumb Motherfucking Bitch Girl?”
At Michael’s risqué joke, Sein shook his head.
“Davis, Miller, VanHill, and Galland.”
“Never heard of it. Where is that? Big firm?”
“The law firm where President Obama worked.”
Unable to stand it any longer, Sein answered on Jeheon’s behalf.
“Ah, that place. Never heard of it. Where is it?”
“In D.C.”
“Jeheon.”
“What?”
“Are you going into politics?”
“What? Haha. Hey, I’m Korean.”
“So what? Arnold Schwarzenegger got elected governor, too. I guarantee you, ‘The Rock’ is going to be President of the United States in 2028.”
“Is that your hope?”
“Yeah. I really hope so. The Rock in a tight suit shaking hands with other presidents at something like the G20. A hulking giant, 196 centimeters and 120 kilograms, standing in the photo line… Wow, just imagining it makes me feel like I’ll piss my pants. Anyway, if you’re not interested in politics, why a law firm where Obama worked? Just from the sound of it, it seems like the kind of place that handles civic activism and environmental cases. Were you interested in that kind of stuff, Heon?”
“Is that not allowed?”
Jeheon asked back. It wasn’t serious at all. It was more of a ‘well, what’s wrong with that?’ tone.
“Well, I guess it wouldn’t be bad if one of us went into politics.”
“It’s not like I applied because I want to go into politics. It’s just a summer internship.”
“You little shit, you know law school girls go crazy for guys into politics. Just throw around words like ‘activist’ and they swarm you at parties, hovering around trying to strike up a conversation. That’s what you’re aiming for, right?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m aiming for.”
Jeheon gave up. No matter what he said, Michael wasn’t going to stop joking.
“That’s why you’re my friend.”
“Then do you want to apply with me?”
“Hard pass. ‘Michael Kim’ just doesn’t go with ‘human rights lawyer.’ It’s got the ring of a partner at a ruthless Wall Street firm. That’s my kind of name.”
“In your dreams.”
This time, Sein snorted.
“What kind of name suits a human rights lawyer?”
“There is one. Barack Obama, George Clooney…”
“Since when was George Clooney a lawyer?”
“Anyway, it’s gotta be a special name. A common name like mine is too ordinary for something that great. Ah, right—a name like ‘Jeheon.’”
“What on earth are you talking about? What does a name have to do with anything?”
“Hussein. No, O-sein.”
“Hey!”
“See, it matters. If someone with a name like yours said they were doing Arab human rights activism, it wouldn’t feel right. People would think you’re in cahoots. That’s why names are important. Mine’s got the ring of a Wall Street law firm partner.”
“So even if you do bad things, people misremember?”
“As expected, Heon’s a bit sharper.”
Sein and Jeheon both shook their heads at Michael’s nonsense, but listening to him did have the effect of easing tension.
Of course, if they listened too long, it became exhausting instead.
And at the end of his jokes, he tended to share some fairly useful information.
“Ah, right. I heard this year’s third-years heading to Skarden got invited to the firm’s year-end party. I guess Skarden did pretty well this year. Apparently quite a few graduates are going there next year.”
The economy had finally shown signs of recovery from the recession brought on by the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis.
In 2008 and 2009, many law firms had refrained from hiring new associates, but the atmosphere began to shift starting in 2012.
They held year-end parties lavishly again, as in the old days, and invited new associates to advertise that they were thriving.
“What are you doing for the year-end? Want to go there?”
“To the Skarden year-end party?”
“Yeah. Kirkland’s doing one, and Baker, and I think Gibson is too, but theirs seem a bit more private. Skarden seems to do theirs on a bigger, more open scale. They let law students come too, as long as they have an invitation.”
“Do you have an invite?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
“You go to enough parties, you make connections, and connections get you invites. You’re going, right?”
Jeheon and Sein wanted to go. A law firm year-end party. The party itself wasn’t exactly an exciting event, but it was only natural to be curious about the culture of the world they were entering.
Like a real-world wine and cheese event, so to speak.
“We have invites too?”
“I begged and got four. You’re going, right? It’s at the Waldorf.”
“Yeah, I’ll go.”
“Me too.”
“Okay. So that takes care of December 31st… Do you think Dongwook hyung will go too?”
“Wouldn’t my brother go? It’s a good opportunity.”
“You never know. It’s the year-end; he might say he has to spend it with his girlfriend.”
“True.”
While Jeheon, Sein, and Michael were chatting, Eleanor walked into the Golden Lounge.
“Oh, it’s Eleanor. She wasn’t here last week, but she’s here today. If hyung says he’s not going, I guess I’ll have to give this ticket to Eleanor.”
“Give it up, Michael. She’s a model; she probably gets one or two party invites every year-end.”
“You never know. She’s a law student too. Ah, but who could be dating a girl like that?”
“Definitely not you.”
“She’s definitely dating someone unusual. A guy with a name like Clooney, or Obama… Oh, I think she’s coming this way.”
Having entered the lounge and looked around, Eleanor approached the table where they were sitting.
“What’s up, Eleanor.”
“Hi, Mike. Hi, Sein.”
“Hi, Eleanor.”
After greeting Michael and Sein, she turned to Jeheon.
“Hi, honey.”
She kissed him on the lips.
***
At the same time,
in another corner of the Golden Lounge.
Thomas McCliff, Jeff Maine, and Kevin Brown were sitting together.
“I’m telling you, it’s true. Eleanor told Lorraine that she’s decided to date that guy.”
Deep furrows formed between Thomas McCliff’s brows as he looked over at the table where Jeheon and the Korean students were sitting.
A month ago, when he saw the photo Jeff had taken at the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden—a photo of Eleanor and Jeheon watching the game together—he had felt like his stomach was turning inside out. The thought that she had been cold to him because she was going to date that Asian bastard filled him with humiliation.
He had been deluding himself all this time that Eleanor was playing hard to get.
“Stop talking fucking nonsense. What does she see in that kind of—”
“Oh, Eleanor.”
Right then,
as if on cue, Eleanor Young entered the lounge.
Looking around as if searching for someone,
she spotted Jeheon and walked toward the table where he was sitting.
After greeting the others seated with him first,
she brushed the back of his head as if petting a cute puppy,
and kissed him on the lips.
“See, Thomas! I told you, they’re dating!”
“Shut up, Jeff.”
This was an insult. Something that could not—and must not—happen to Thomas McCliff, valedictorian of Kincaid High School and Prom King.
Invisible flames sparked in Thomas McCliff’s eyes.
Unfortunately, Kevin Brown, who failed to notice that, chose that exact moment to ask the question he had been hesitating over.
“Thomas, didn’t you say your father knows someone at Skarden? I really want to get in there. Could you maybe introduce me to an internship spot this summer? Oh, right, I heard law students can go to the year-end party if they have an invitation. Do you think you could get one of those?”
“I told you to be quiet, Jeff.”
“That wasn’t me just now. Kevin was—”
“I said shut your mouth!”
The People Met at the Skarden Year-End Party (2)
Click.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Jen.”
Late at night, when Jennifer returned home, Mia came out to greet her and gave her butt a pat.
“Oh, good work, my baby.”
“What? Did something good happen?”
“Yeah! I showed the professor the draft of my paper, and he praised me and said the direction seems good.”
“Ooh, congratulations.”
“I still have a lot of revisions to do from here, but honestly, I gave it to him prepared to scrap the whole thing and start over. But I don’t have to. I’m so happy.”
Having finished one assignment, Mia was already excited at the thought of being able to hang out for the year-end.
“What should we do for the year-end?”
“Weren’t you going to spend it with Mark?”
“Mark is going home for the year-end. Philadelphia.”
“Really?”
“I asked him to go with me, but it’s still too much pressure… Anyway, what should we do? A party? Or a drama binge at home for the first time in a while? I heard The Newsroom is really good. Or we could ask Heon to recommend a K-drama. I heard K-dramas are sneakily addictive; once you start, you can’t stop.”
At Mia’s words, Jennifer looked toward Heon’s room. The light wasn’t on. He didn’t seem to be home.
“Sorry. I think I have plans for the year-end.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I got an invite to the Skarden year-end party, so I think I should go.”
“Ugh, you mean you’re going to greet the new year at that boring place?”
“Unlike some people, I’m not trying to become a professor. But I probably won’t stay until New Year’s. I’ll just be there for an hour and then come back. Let’s binge a K-drama when I get back.”
“Yay! Then I’ll prepare Jell-O shots.”
“Make it moderate. It’s just the two of us drinking again like last time, so don’t use a whole bottle.”
“We can drink the rest the next day.”
“By the way, Heon has been coming home late a lot lately. Is he busy?”
“Oh, Heon? He said he wouldn’t come home today.”
“Today too?”
“I think maybe he got a girlfriend.”
At the mention of him getting a girlfriend, Jennifer looked once more at his closed door.
“Why do you look disappointed?”
“What are you trying to say now?”
“That’s why I told you to go with him to the Empire State Building that time.”
Jennifer shook her head, looking at Mia with a pathetic expression. If she had wanted to date, she wouldn’t have chosen the JD/MBA joint program in the first place.
Even so, she was a bit curious about Heon’s girlfriend.
Could it be the person he went to the Empire State Building with that time?