【005 – A New Connection】
“What? You’re moving into an apartment where two women live?”
The next morning.
Before class, we gathered at a coffee shop near Washington Square as planned.
As always, the topic of my housing situation came up, and when I said I was moving into Mia’s apartment, everyone was surprised.
“I’m more amazed that you already got a research assistant position with Professor Madison. How did you know? Was it posted on Handshake?”
“Will you be okay with that, Heon? You won’t have to work even when you get home? That friend is basically your supervisor. Having to live with your supervisor sounds terrible. It’s not too late even now—want to just move into my place? My wife says it’s fine for about a semester.”
Everyone’s reasons for being surprised varied slightly.
“The place is fine. It’s clean and spacious.”
“How did you get it?”
A research assistant position was a pretty good part-time job. It didn’t pay much, but since it was on campus, it was efficient in terms of time, and the work was related to the academic curriculum, so it killed two birds with one stone.
Also, since it naturally let you get to know professors, it was a fairly competitive position.
Michael, who had heard things from his lawyer brother, seemed most curious about how I’d gotten such a good position.
“It just happened.”
“Wow, I’m jealous. I’ve been looking for one too.”
“You don’t need to work.”
“My brother said it’s good to have on my resume. He said I should focus more on classes in the first year and that doing it in my second or third year wouldn’t be too late, but…”
Once Michael’s curiosity was satisfied, Sein cautiously asked this time,
“But are you okay?”
“With what?”
“Living with women?”
I had been slightly worried about it, but after actually meeting them, it was fine. It wasn’t my first time living with women, and if we just kept to each other’s boundaries, it might even be better.
“Yeah, they seem like decent people.”
“You’re surprisingly liberal.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. I think I’d be uncomfortable living with male roommates. The bathroom, and various other things. Do you have two bathrooms?”
“No. One.”
“Won’t it be inconvenient?”
“Turns out there are a lot of rules. There are separate designated times for using the bathroom. And you have to clean up when you come out.”
She tilted her head with an expression that said she still couldn’t understand.
“I’ve been married, so I know—whether women or men, they’re all the same when you live with them. Sometimes women are even messier. What I’m worried about is that this student is the one giving orders. Right?”
“Yes.”
“What I’m worried about is having work piled on you at home.”
“The rent is free. I should be able to endure that much.”
“Well, that’s true. Anyway, I’m glad your housing problem is solved. You’re moving in this evening? Is there anything we can help with?”
“There’s nothing. I only have two duffel bags anyway.”
And so our meal and Q&A time ended.
The moment I got up to clean up and head back to Vanderbilt Hall, Michael threw out one last question.
“But are your roommates pretty?”
“Hey!”
I didn’t need to answer. Sein answered for me.
***
In the morning, there was Contract Law.
Though the over 400 new students were divided into groups to take Lawyering, that didn’t mean we had to take every subject with the same classmates from our group.
I was taking Professor Richard Cox’s Contract Law alone.
Until just a moment ago…
“Hi, honey.”
Eleanor approached and sat in the seat next to me.
“Hi, Eleanor.”
“You weren’t saving this seat for someone, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
She was pretty. To a burdensome degree.
“How’s law school been so far?”
“Good.”
“What? You really look like you mean it.”
“What’s there to dislike? I’m in the place I wanted to come back to.”
“Did you just say a place you wanted to come *back* to?”
Contract Law had been the most interesting class. One of the reasons I’d entered law school in the first place was because I wanted to become an international trade law specialist.
Being in that seat again made me feel emotional.
I guess I’d unconsciously attached the word “back.”
“Did I say that? I meant to say a place I wanted to get into.”
She stared at me as if my answer had been somewhat strange.
“Why?”
“You… seem to have something special about you.”
“Special?”
“Yeah. Last time when we met in front of Vanderbilt Hall, and now too.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know exactly yet. But you’re special. I have good intuition for this kind of thing. The way you’re looking at me right now is like that too. Have we really never met before?”
‘Interesting. Is something showing?’
“Hey, Eleanor.”
I wanted to talk with her a bit more, but her group approached and sat down in a row next to us, so I stopped. As expected, she’s a popular girl. There were already guys following her around.
And just then, Professor Richard Cox entered the classroom too.
“Hello, future lawyers. Though you already know since I introduced myself during orientation, let me briefly introduce myself: my name is Richard Cox, and I teach first-year Contracts here at NYU. My office is Room 14 on the fourth floor of this building, but I’d prefer you don’t come find me unless it’s necessary. If you have questions, just ask during class. That saves time for both me and you. Now that introductions are done, shall we find out what contract law is about? Then, who can tell me what a ‘contract’ is? Anybody?”
A firm, crisp voice instantly captured the students’ attention.
He said that, but it was a joke. If you ever went to find him, he received you kindly.
Just as class started and I was about to participate in the discussion,
Rustle—
A white slip of paper was passed over from the next seat.
｢374-513-5134
My number｣
I looked at the owner of the hand that passed me the note, but she was only looking straight ahead as if it wasn’t her.
---*---
The corner of 3rd Avenue and 100th Street.
The apartment of Mia Ishihara and Jennifer Lin.
“Jen, Heon’s moving in today.”
Mia called Jennifer “Jen” or “Jen-Jen.”
“But is it really okay?”
“With what?”
“You said you don’t really know him?”
“I told you. He’s the new research assistant.”
“That’s what I mean. You don’t know him well.”
“I know everything. Name, age, birthday, height, weight, origin, visa number, passport number…”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Why are you worried? Then why didn’t you object?”
“No, I trust you. But it’s a bit sudden.”
“That’s how it was when I first came to New York too. I didn’t know a single person, and I was at a loss about how to find a place. I even spent the night at Burger King with my bags.”
“I know.”
“I met Camilla by chance then, and that connection introduced me to Takashi, and that’s why I’m living here now. And you’re living here because of that too.”
“I know already.”
“Jen, what I’ve felt living in this dirty, desolate city is that you shouldn’t be afraid of new connections. Not in a city like New York.”
“Anyway, I can’t say anything to that. Okay.”
“And he’s cute.”
“Don’t tell me, you…?”
“What are you trying to say? I have a boyfriend. If you’re interested, why don’t you make a move?”
“No thanks.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? I saw him for the first time yesterday.”
“Love always sprouts that way.”
A New Connection (2)
After finishing Professor Richard Cox’s Contract Law lecture, I headed to the Goldin Lounge on the second floor of Vanderbilt Hall.
It was a lounge exclusively for law students, and during the semester they sold coffee, bagels, sandwiches, and such. This was another hangout space for “us.”
“I think I need to switch Professor Mitchell’s class.”
“Why?”
“I chose it because the professor has diverse practical experience, but whether it’s the pronunciation or his mumbling voice, I can’t understand the lecture content at all.”
“But they say Professor Cox gives a lot of quizzes and asks a lot of questions during class.”
“Exactly. Ah, that’s why I chose Professor Mitchell’s Contract Law class.”
When I arrived, Sein and Donguk-hyung were already sitting in a corner.
“You’re already here?”
“Oh, Heon. Is class over? No, we just got here too. Oh, right, Heon, you said you’re taking Professor Richard Cox’s Contract Law, right?”
“Yes. I just came from it.”
“How is it?”
“They say he gives a lot of quizzes and asks a lot of questions during class, is that true?”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“I don’t know yet, but I think I’ll be fine.”
“Ah, this must definitely be the difference between someone who received North American–style education and someone who received Korean-style education. Putting quizzes aside, I hate being randomly called on during class.”
“But why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“No, I mean, I chose Professor Mitchell’s class because of that, but I just came from the first lecture and couldn’t understand a single thing he was saying. Maybe I understood about a third.”
Professor Alastair Mitchell was another first-year Contract Law professor who had completed his bachelor’s degree in law at Oxford University and finished his master’s and doctoral programs at Harvard.
Holding a British barrister qualification and Hong Kong and New York lawyer qualifications, having worked as a lawyer in all three countries, he could be considered the professor with the most unique career among the NYU Law School faculty.
So I too had considered taking Professor Mitchell’s class this time.
But Professor Richard Cox’s class had been so interesting that I just made the same choice as last time. I also wanted to experience the joy of reliving old memories.
“Then switch.”
“Should I?”
Professor Mitchell had a Scottish accent. It wasn’t extremely thick, but his voice was also what people call a “cave voice,” so Donguk-hyung, who hadn’t been exposed to various accents, had trouble understanding.
“Yes, take it with me.”
“Really? Then will you help me out?”
“I think you’d do well on your own. I’ll help if there’s anything I can do. But you know today is the deadline to switch, right?”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I was debating. So I’m really switching?”
“I like the idea. It was a class I was taking alone anyway, so it won’t be boring if I take it with you, hyung.”
“What, Heon, you were this kind of sweet guy? You’re different from how you look. I’m getting fluttered. So, I’m switching?”
“Yes, do it.”
Donguk-hyung, who had stuck with Professor Mitchell’s class, had been stressed all semester and ended up with poor grades.
I didn’t know how compatible hyung would be with Professor Cox, but rather than taking the same class knowing he would obviously fail, I thought a different choice would be better for him too.
“Okay! Then, since we talked about it, I should switch. I’ll go to the Registrar. You guys will have to eat lunch without me. See you later.”