The morning air at the tail end of summer was refreshing.
Elian took out his bicycle from inside the separate common entrance that led to the upper floors.
“You seemed to come in later than usual yesterday.”
Vincent spoke while lightly kicking the front wheel of the bicycle with his toe. He used the room right next to Elian’s on the second floor.
“Did I wake you?”
“I woke up briefly but fell right back asleep. You know me.”
“I know. You’ve been able to fall asleep instantly anywhere since we were kids, just by laying your head down.”
“It’s a kind of talent, you could say.”
Vincent smiled as if showing off some great ability, then continued to ask.
“Did you work overtime at the bar?”
“Something like that.”
“Working at the center during the day and working at the bar at night. Is your body okay?”
Toward his friend who wore a worried expression, Elian nodded to indicate there was no problem.
“It’s manageable. So far, at least.”
“You’ve got iron stamina, I’m telling you.”
“In terms of just working hours, it’s not that long.”
“Is that the issue? In the end, you leave in the morning and come back late at night. That makes anyone tired.”
Elian, who had been gazing at the East River reflecting the morning sunlight, opened his mouth in a calm voice.
“Actually, yesterday there was a harvest.”
“Harvest?”
Vincent’s eyes, asking back, instantly lit up with anticipation. Elian nodded while firmly gripping the handlebars.
“Last night, a Lockhart appeared at the bar.”
Vincent pressed him.
“A Lockhart, you mean…”
“California Sunshine.”
“What?”
Vincent instantly grabbed his friend’s arm tightly. He hurriedly looked around and then took another step closer to Elian.
“What happened? That bastard approached you first, right? Right?”
“How are you so sure?”
“It’s obvious. Think about all his scandal partners up until now. Hollywood actors, successful models, beauty influencers… The guy is crazy about faces, I’m telling you. There’s no way he’d just pass you by.”
“Is that why you told me to work at that bar?”
“Of course. This is all part of this hyung’s calculated operation.”
Elian worked during the day as a counselor at a child psychology center, and afterward worked part-time at a bar in Tribeca.
The members-only bar was almost the only link through which Elian could approach the Lockhart people.
After obtaining information that Damon Lockhart’s second son occasionally appeared there when visiting New York, Elian had difficulty securing an interview to get a job there.
Though the interview appointment was difficult to secure, the hiring decision was made immediately on the spot. It was almost the first time he felt he’d benefited from his appearance.
And last night, after a long wait, he finally met a Lockhart person.
“So? What happened?”
Vincent couldn’t contain his curiosity and pressed him. Constantly scraping his lower lip with his upper teeth, he seemed quite curious about the story.
Elian recalled the name ‘Joshua Lockhart’ engraved on the business card in his wallet.
“I got his phone number.”
“See? I knew it.”
Vincent sneered in a displeased tone.
“‘California Sunshine’ my ass… No matter how much his fans go on about him being some fresh prince, he’s just a womanizer and troublemaker rich kid.”
Without much response, Elian just chuckled and got on his bicycle.
Vincent, who had stopped criticizing Joshua Lockhart, this time approached with a grinning face and placed his large hand firmly on the bicycle handlebars.
“Those three months working at that bar weren’t wasted effort. Amazing, Elian Ward.”
“There wasn’t really any other way for an ordinary person to approach the Lockhart family. And.”
Elian paused briefly and corrected Vincent’s mistake.
“Not Elian Ward, Elian Bellotti.”
Vincent nodded and laughed shortly.
As he watched Elian put on his helmet, the smile gradually disappeared from Vincent’s face. He soon spoke with a serious, grave expression.
“So, is this really the beginning now?”
“More like, it’s barely the beginning.”
“Tell me the details after you get off work.”
“I will.”
However, even after exchanging goodbyes, Elian couldn’t quite depart and struggled with the helmet strap.
“What’s wrong?”
“The buckle… won’t fasten properly.”
“You had that problem yesterday too. Don’t you need to buy a new one?”
“I think I probably should.”
“Want to go out together this weekend?”
“To buy a helmet?”
“You could buy it online, but let’s use it as an excuse to go out. And it’s better to try helmets on in person before buying them.”
“That’s true.”
“Let’s buy a helmet, then ride through Sunset Park to Coney Island Beach and back.”
“Sounds good. As long as you don’t suggest we race.”
Even while listening to Vincent’s story, Elian struggled to forcibly fit the uncooperative buckle into its slot.
Click—finally the buckle fastened properly.
“Ah, got it. I’m leaving.”
“Hey wait, your medicine? You took your medicine, right?”
Toward Vincent who grabbed him urgently and asked, Elian smiled briefly.
“I took it. No matter what, I always take my medicine.”
Vincent’s complexion, now relieved, brightened again.
“Right. You’re thorough about that.”
“I always keep some at my desk at the center and in my bag too, so don’t worry.”
Vincent, who responded with a short laugh instead of words, tapped the rear of the bicycle. Elian raised his hand toward him and pedaled vigorously.
From Brooklyn Heights to the child counseling center in Midtown East.
And at night, from the bar in Tribeca back to Brooklyn Heights again.
Every day, about 9 miles by bicycle.
In this place with serious traffic congestion, commuting by bicycle was common. As long as the weather permitted, Elian preferred using his bicycle.
When riding his bicycle across the Brooklyn Bridge, he could also taste a sense of liberation as if not bound by anything.
Even if nothing was actually resolved, he couldn’t spend each given day just being pessimistic in despair. He realized that such an attitude wouldn’t help in winning even a small victory in this long battle.
Elian had moved from Chicago to New York last spring.
It was to accomplish his purpose.
While collecting information about the Lockhart family without omission, he also began working as a trainee counselor at a center in Manhattan.
Working part-time at the bar alone wasn’t enough for his livelihood, but that wasn’t the only reason. Being a child counselor was Elian’s long-time dream and goal, practically his identity itself, so he couldn’t let go of it.
Even if he didn’t do other work and invested all his time, there wasn’t any clear method to approach the Lockhart family anyway.
He had tried various methods in the meantime.
He had looked into agencies that Manhattan’s wealthy used when hiring employees, and even tried to get jobs at florists or grocery stores used by the Lockharts. But all were futile efforts.
Damon Lockhart’s eldest son residing in New York was a recluse who rarely showed himself outside of official events—you couldn’t tell if he even went out or engaged in social activities. Information about his private life was impossible to obtain.
On the other hand, information about the second son overflowed.
Though the Lockhart family and group were based in the eastern United States, especially New York, the second son had lived on the West Coast since his teenage years.
Unlike his reclusive older brother, he was spotted everywhere. While enjoying glamorous parties, during the day he was often seen spending time with friends at outdoor café seats or enjoying surfing or basketball. His appearance, not much different from any healthy and ordinary person in their twenties, made his fans even more enthusiastic.
When he visited New York about once a month, the paparazzi who followed Joshua Lockhart around in California moved right along with him.
The restaurants he visited, cafés, boutiques he shopped at, and even who he hung out with. Without even needing to go through information brokers, it could be easily confirmed through tabloid homepages or his social media fan accounts. His fan accounts were sometimes more persistent and quicker than tabloid media. Even that bar where he currently worked was information discovered from a secret fan account that Vincent had found.
It had been several months of waiting for any of the Lockharts to appear while working at the bar.
Even during that time, there had been no gains. It was a continuous tedious wait.
To think this is all I can do. There were many days when he felt deflated by his powerlessness.
But this was the only method left. That was reality. He had to face reality and encourage himself not to get worn out.
And last night, finally, the waiting bore fruit.
