“I apologize for not consulting with you and Father before deciding on my career. It wasn’t easy, but I finally am starting to become an established model in New York and I plan on keeping this career. I am sure you and Father will cheer for me. If you continue to disapprove, I will be sad, but I am an adult now, so…”
Silje didn’t want this conversation to go down this path, so she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to change the subject and get to the point.
“I know I did something terrible that can never be forgiven. I know you and my father will never forgive me, and I’m sure you are still very angry at me, but I don’t regret what I have done… I was so lonely and desperate back then. At that time, I thought I was all alone in the world… Then he came into my life… There is nothing I can do to reverse what already happened, and I don’t want to be trapped in the past and live an un
Unfortunately, Olga didn’t seem to like Nolita and Soho, the two areas Silje enjoyed the most for their vintage and free atmospheres.“Do you come here often, Silje?”“Yes. It’s close to home, so I come here sometimes to shop. For groceries, there is a big store near the apartment that I go to.”Olga still seemed unhappy as she listened. When she didn’t say anything, Silje became disappointed.She obviously made the wrong decision.The Italian restaurant Silje chose was a popular place, but Olga was a very picky eater. Silje’s adoptive mother was an excellent cook, so it was very hard to satisfy her.Olga may not have liked the place, but she must’ve appreciated Silje’s effort. Olga ate her tiramisu and asked, “Did you make a reservation in this restaurant for me?”“Yes. If we had more time, I could’ve taken you to a place in the Upper East Side&hellip
It had been so long since she heard that word. It made her smile.“Not Denmark. I’m from Norway.”“Oh, Norway.”Christian studied her slowly.“I see.”It was the strangest thing. Ever since she first arrived in New York, Silje rarely talked unless necessary, but with Christian, words came out easily for her. Was it because they were both from the same region?With his light brown eyes, he made her feel comfortable. When he asked her to go for a coffee with him, Silje felt glad to say yes.Soft light brown eyes.They looked friendly.Christian said, “There is a North European style café near here and I go there often. They also sell Ikea furniture. They don’t serve reindeer meat, but they still sell traditional Sweden drinks and brunch.”At Christian’s joke about the reindeer meat, Silje smiled faintly. Christian continued, “You can drin
Broadway and 99th street.It was the area often crowded with people leaving Times Square. It was a familiar place for Silje, but she realized that something was different.The place Christian took her was within New York, but Silje had never been here before. It seemed like a secret hidden place.Silje and Christian left the café and got into his limousine. Christian ordered casually, “Let’s go to Hemingway in lower Manhattan. I am taking this lady with me.”After fifteen minutes, they were there.‘It’s like Santa Claus’ reindeer sled,’ Silje thought as she watched the white limousine leave smoothly. Christian smiled at her.“Now, let’s go inside. Like I said, the night is just starting.”As he promised, Hemingway Bar was marvelous.Burgundy velvet curtains and black mahogany flooring greeted her. A 19th century grand piano and Spanish interior indeed made the p
Hans used work in a bank when he was given a job by Kail Bruntland. He had been doing a good job for the Bruntland family, but five years ago, Hans became afraid of Kail.Five years ago, Kail lost his smile and his face became a glass mask. People whispered that he changed into a completely different man, and Hans agreed. Every time he had to meet with Kail, he couldn’t relax.“Is there something you would like to tell me, sir?”Hans didn’t know what, but something wasn’t right. When he hesitantly asked Kail, a low voice replied, “No. Nothing.”So why was Kail not dismissing him?With a deep sigh, Kail poured himself a cup of tea. Hans didn’t know when it started, but Kail developed a habit of making himself tea. He was so elegant with his movement that Hans watched with fascination.Suddenly, Kail asked, “And is there anything else you would like to report?”More to report?
When Silje arrived in Milan, it was snowing hard. This was her second time participating in the Milan fashion week.She had been more involved in the New York fashion shows during her career, and as a model, walking on the runway in Milan was a special thing. The three biggest fashion stages in the world were New York, Paris, and Milan.When she first started out, it seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. She never imagined she would come this far. Silje started from the bottom of New York, and finally, she was making it. Silje felt like she was the heroine of a tragic story who climbed one bloody step at a time to get to the top.And now, she was finally here.Looking at the beautiful but harsh snow, Silje felt like she was the Snow Queen. Her life had been like one giant winter storm, but a new phase was beginning and she was going to bloom as the model.Silje couldn’t stop looking at the white dust. She was only focused o
At first, Silje thought she was dreaming.There were rare times when she dreamt of those rich green eyes, the eyes that resembled the beautiful and mystic Greenland.Whenever she had those dreams, she would wake up and shiver in fear.“…Silje!”It was a gorgeous voice, but to her, it sounded like that of a grim reaper from hell.It was Kail, and he was back.As this fact finally registered in her shocked mind, Silje tried to get away to escape Kail once more.“Let me go! Let me go right now!”She screamed and when she tried to push him away, Kail’s expression turned cold. His face had been in dark so far, but now his face was visible in the streetlight and she could finally see him clearly.“…!”Silje flinched in shock.He was thin. He clearly had lost a lot of weight.Kail looked… ravaged. It looked like he barely survived a deadly storm
Kail walked with Silje in his arms, and her closed eyes trembled lightly.Click.Kail opened the car door and quietly sat her down in the back seat. Without a word, he watched her.Knife-sharp black suit, a deep green tie that matched his eyes, and sparkling cuff links.In his business suit, Kail looked powerful, like he could destroy anyone. He looked so different than before that Silje wondered if this was really Kail.After regaining her full consciousness, she asked, “Are you waiting for my reply?”“…”“So you came to kill me? To take me to hell with you?”“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you right now.”Kail continued coldly, “I need to avenge my heart first.”“So you are really going to go through with your revenge?”“Of course. Did you forget what you did to me?”He looked at her before saying, &ld
She couldn’t remember how she got back to her dorm.Silje went into her bedroom and stared at the white wall.Kail was back.She knew this day would come, but when it really did happen, the shock of it was too much. The worst thing was the painful memories. She buried them deep inside her, but now they were back. Silje felt like she could hear the Solveig’s song faintly.…Her brain was not working. She couldn’t think clearly.“This is a special patient. She has agreed to this procedure, so we need to hurry up and do it right now.”She remembered that day five years ago in the hospital.The feel of the cold medical instruments on her skin.She could never forget. She would never forget. Lying on the hospital bed, Silje was treated like a piece of meat. No one there saw her as a human being. Her body was assaulted, and her helpless baby was murdered.And it was all plotted by Kail&rsquo
Beep, beep.The street was busy with familiar yellow cabs and other cars. It was rush hour, and everyone was trying to get home while the restaurants and bars started to light up their neon signs.Beep, beep.The drivers honked in frustration, but Silje, who was on foot, was walking with a light heart. It was rush hour, but it didn’t mean anything to her.In an ivory trench coat, high heels, and a pink scarf, Silje looked like spring. Wearing a pair of sunglasses, she smiled happily as she hurriedly walked to her destination.It wasn’t that she was late, and she actually didn’t know where she would be going tonight. She was going to call him very soon to find out what he wanted to do.Waiting for the green light, she took a deep breath. The wind was still chilly, but it felt gentle, reminding her that the spring was finally coming to New York.“Could it really be almost spring already? It has been so cold this
Two years later at a TV studio for the show “One” Norway.“Hello, everyone. We are here today to interview the world-famous model Silje Kim. Oh, there she is, walking out. Do you see her? She has arrived right on time for her interview. The audience is turning around to get a glimpse of her. Yes, that’s right. Beautiful long black hair, calm black eyes, exotic features, and a gorgeous body. She was one of the top Asian models in New York until recently when she retired after getting married. She wrote an autobiography titled ‘The Swan’ which is receiving enormous attention from the public. In her book, Silje Kim talks about the terrible racism she experienced in her youth, going through an abortion as a teenager, and moving to New York to become a successful model. Her candidness has captured her audience’s attention and ‘The Swan’ is currently the number one bestseller in Norway. Her writing is considered to be excellent
Kail was in a coma for well over a week.After ten days of not waking up, the doctors didn’t seem to have much hope for him. Instead of becoming hysterical, Silje began to feel calmer as the uncertain time passed.She felt like she was ready to let him go now.With that thought, Silje visited the hospital again. Smelling the unpleasant disinfectant and walking into the VIP room, she stopped suddenly.“…”For some reason, there were more doctors and nurses inside the room than usual. Silje raised her eyebrows in confusion. Something felt different. These people weren’t here just for a routine round.One of the nurses noticed Silje and informed her, “The patient woke up a little while ago. You can visit him if you want, but only briefly.”Kail was awake.Just when she finally came to terms with his death, God sent her an unexpected gift. Walking slowly to his bed, Silje looked at him cal
Silje took the shiny scissors to Kail’s wrist.“…”She cut his pale skin, making the shockingly red blood drip from it.Next, it was her turn. Silje did the same on her delicate wrist.She dripped her own blood into Kail’s wound, as if this act could make them one.“I can’t let you go yet, so this is what I am going to do. You are not allowed to leave me. I’m sure there will be plenty of people in the world who would be pleased to have you die, but I am not ready for you to leave yet.”Kail still wouldn’t move, and Silje looked down at him coldly.“You are not allowed to die without my permission, Kail. You made me the way I am now, so don’t even think about leaving me without my permission. I will never forgive you if you die on me like this. You always do whatever you want, causing me so much pain, but this time, I will not let you get what you want. You can&rs
Pale face covered in wounds.Tubes going into his mouth to hook him to a ventilator.Kail was barely breathing, but despite the desperate situation, he still looked like a beautiful deity underneath the blue moon.Silje stared at him. She looked calm on the outside, but she felt her heart breaking on the inside.The noises from the medical devices were disturbing, making her frown.“Are you happy now? You made me into this weak woman. You made me feel such strong emotions… Fine, I will admit it. Looking at you like this is killing me. You once told me that I drove you to madness. You are doing the same to me… You flew halfway across the world to chase me and you have caused me so much pain. Are you happy now? Answer me! Kail!”Silence.It felt like she was standing in a cold graveyard. Watching him looking helpless, Silje put her hand on her chest and said to him slowly, “You won. You have ruined me, so
This was the first time Christian told her his true feelings. Silje didn’t know what to say at first. She thought for a second before asking him slowly, “If you get to come with me to the hospital now, do you think it will make you feel better? Would it be enough to make you feel like you no longer owe me anything?”“Probably.”Christian nodded and continued, “This will be the last time. I will take you to the hospital. You look like you are in shock so I don’t think you will be able to get there on your own anyway in your current state.”He was right. Silje was pretending to be calm, but her legs were shaking. She looked up at him and replied quietly, “Alright. Then could you drive me to the hospital, Christian? I need to see him.”“Of course.”She had to see him.On the phone, Silje was told that Kail was in a terrible accident and he was dying.The man she hate
The phone rang in the middle of the night.The woman swore in annoyance as she took a sip of her whiskey. Putting down her cigarette, she picked up the phone with her perfectly manicured hand.“Hello?”Messy blond hair, clad in black slip wet with sweat.A naked man watched her as she answered the phone. Ingrid was with a young man in a hotel room when the phone rang. Breathlessly, she answered, “What? Seriously! You finally got rid of him! Perfect. Good job. I knew you could do it. It was worth the money. Good. So now, you need to cross the border to go to Mexico and then take the boat to the Caribbean island like we planned. I will take care of the costs, so don’t worry. Make sure to destroy your cellphone as well. Rolf can never find out about this. Gosh!!! Finally! Finally, the day has come!”Ingrid laughed hysterically at the news. She took another sip of her whiskey as if to celebrate.The blond young man
When she came out wrapped in a white towel, Tasha was talking to her boyfriend on the phone. Anna was away in Saint Petersburg doing a photoshoot for Russian Vogue, so the dorm was quieter than usual.A siren was heard from outside but Silje was used to it by now. Drying her hair with the towel, Silje looked out the window with a bitter expression.She was used to this life now. When she first came to New York, she felt lost in this giant city.However, she no longer felt lonely. She used to be completely alone, but now, she had friends, including Jung Yun. After work, Silje often chatted with her friends.Jung Yun, especially, became a close friend. Jung Yun, a fellow model and the daughter of Silje’s favorite Korean restaurant owner, often gave Silje helpful advice regarding modeling.And of course, Silje sometimes talked to Niels and Tran in Oslo. She also contacted Irina from time to time. These were people who were happy for Silje’
After returning home from dinner with Christian, Silje changed into more comfortable clothes. She still lived in the agency dorm with the other models. Since she didn’t live alone, it wasn’t perfectly private, but Silje still felt like she belonged here.“Hello, Silje.”Tasha greeted her. She was a model from Eastern Europe with a long ponytail. She was wearing a yoga shirt and black hot pants. They lived with another model named Anna who was from Russia. The three got along well and they often went for meals together. Their favorite place was in Chinatown.Silje also had a wide network of acquaintances. She was often invited to parties where she was able to enjoy good jazz music and wine. Silje liked these parties sometimes, but she still couldn’t get used to them like many other New York models.What mattered the most to her was her work, but still, Silje recently opened up her heart and worked on her social life as well. I