[Lindblum]

New Year’s Eve

Kyung


Was it drool accumulating on the left side of his face, Phillip couldn’t tell. What he did know was that all familiar cold press of wet slimy saliva on the fabric of his pillowcase against his cheek, and it was anything but comfortable. He had pulled another all-nighter for the past few nights working on his computer, frequently sleeping at 5 in the morning because in the days preceding Christmas he was busy with everything relating to December 25th.

First, pre-Christmas shopping needed to be done that included everything from groceries to presents, then everyone had to meet Aunt Choi and family over at New Jersey for a Christmas reunion on Christmas Eve, followed by an actual celebration on Christmas day itself at his place in Queens, New York. For the longest time, Christmas was the one season he looked forward to since he was a kid because it represented more than just warmth and family; it was magical. Daylight was nothing more than the gradual symphonic built up of the Christmas spirit, in anticipation of the grandeur of the finale when the day gave way to dusk. Because when night fell, the town would glow with an inspirational mix of green Christmas trees decked in brilliant displays of ribbons, red, silver, and gold, coupled with bright Christmas lights, against the backdrop of the majestic vastness of the night sky sprinkled with silver stars. Whenever a cold breeze swept across town and Phillip was walking down the streets huddled in his coat on a night like this, it felt like with a little bit more of Christmas cheer, his coat would fluff out at the bottom, and with a slight leap, he could take off and fly into the night.

He got up looking dazed with blood shot eyes staring into oblivion. The percolating light through the wooden blinds hinted at the time of the day; it was close to noon, and still he felt like he hadn’t gotten enough sleep. It was like college all over again, frequently working until dawn and crashing on the bed till his first class at noon.

Phillip was still very much a child and a even though he was already 25. He slept with his baby pillow his grandmother from Seoul had sewn him since he was born. There was a poster of a Night Elf on the wall, and World of Warcraft action figures of almost all classes lined up along the windowsill. That wasn’t even the end of it. He had a dedicated shelf just to keep his Japanese comic books, and video games. His favorite comic book series: One Piece. It was a story about a boy with big dreams of becoming a Pirate King, rather befitting of Phillip’s life so far. To think about how he was able to get any studying done in a room like this has always been one of the greatest mysteries of the Kyung family. He was a great dreamer, frequently self-absorbed in his own world, and had great aspirations of embarking on an adventure filled with thrill and excitement like in the movies. The irony was, he wasn’t able to step out of his comfort zone. New Jersey was probably the furthest he had ever ventured out to on his own.

There was still an hour before meeting a Robert Arrigo on Manhattan for lunch, but he had to leave early. He couldn’t drive; the roads were a testament of the snowstorm the night before that blanketed the entire East Coast in at least 4-inches of snow. Phillip pulled the blinds up and saw his car buried in an uneven heap of freshly plowed snow swept by the snowplows. His mother downstairs could distinctly hear him shouting, “fuck!” after he had pulled the blinds up. With hardly any time to lose, he washed up, packed his laptop into his bag, grabbed his coat, and made his way down to the train station. Thankfully the trains were operational.

Phillip walked into the café wrapped from top to toe like a burrito, huddled in two layers of clothing and an outer black coat that had obvious white lint speckled all over it; a testament to its age. He had used since his freshman year at college and somehow, Phillip never got down to changing it. Coby on the other hand changed his coat every year out of pure vanity. Coby pursued style and fashion, while Phillip simply prioritized functionality. “If it keeps you warm, it does its job,” was his favorite retort to Coby.

“He’s late…” Shaking his head in disapproval as he grabbed a seat, removed his gloves, and unpeeled his coat at the same time. He chose a seat close to the window; somehow the natural sunlight and a view of the streets gave him a better appetite. Phillip just couldn’t fathom how anyone, in good conscience, could make someone else wait and it was already 15 minutes past the arranged time

The door opened, and through it stepped a figure calmly brushing the frost off his black leather shoes against the doormat, betraying no emotion, indicating no sign of remorse for being late. It had to be him; that smug of confidence on his face, and the perpetually unapologetic straight posture that gave anyone the impression that someone of his stature was worth waiting for. It was an unmistakable mark of the stereotypical Wall Street types. He was clad in a black overcoat, complete with an inner suit and white shirt, its collars fastened with a striped tie of baby blue and black. Furthermore, Phillip had seen his picture on Linked-In when he searched him up.

Phillip was nervous; he had rehearsed his lines multiple times in his head before this meeting, from basic introductions to the main topic. What Phillip wasn’t sure, was how to keep this Robert Arrigo from walking out on him after he had said his piece. He wasn’t used to meeting strangers, much less engage them on a personal level, but it was urgent, and he had to make this arrangement on his own without Coby and L. knowing. Whatever butterflies he had before had to be put aside now. Besides, Phillip convinced himself he was meeting a banker from a reputable bank, how dangerous could it possibly be.