Winter Swan

The studio was bright with various lights.

One, two, three.

Every time the camera flashed, Silje moved skillfully. Her usual unemotional face was gone, and instead, a passionate model came out to pose.

The photographer continued to click his camera as he exclaimed, “Good. Amazing! You are so gorgeous!”

He seemed truly impressed.

Silje was wearing a black silk dress with a deep V-neck. The dark color of the outfit looked shocking against her pale skin and matched her now shoulder-length black hair.

Silje was also wearing transparent and white high heels and holding an elegant clutch that was studded with crystals. As she posed gracefully, she looked like a snow queen of New York.

Silje won the campaign job for Christian Louboutin, which was a very competitive gig. In front of the camera, she showed off the best of her.

To showcase the heels, Silje lifted her leg. The dress rode up, showing off her long sexy legs. She looked distantly and the dreamy expression on her face made Silje look mysterious.

Then suddenly, Silje laid down on the floor. She turned her face towards the camera and elongated her neck to show off her shoulders.

She was a true seductress.

The photographer seemed surprised and impressed at her boldness.

“Amazing! Remarkable!”

During recent photoshoots, Silje surprised the photographers with her genius poses and expressions. She was a true professional, and her reputation was higher than ever.

Every time the photographers praised her, Silje felt proud. She remembered her first photoshoot and how she had no idea what to do. But now she knew exactly what needed to be done.

“Excellent. Silje! Perfect! Let’s go one more time.”

The photoshoot ended successfully. This was the first photoshoot Silje did after taking a month off. A month wasn’t a long time, but still, Silje felt a bit strange standing in front of the camera at first.

The reason for her break was because of one man. Silje felt bitter for it, but she was okay now. It was all over.

She survived Kail again.

Silje promised herself that she would never allow Kail to interfere with her life again, especially with her work.

After the photoshoot, Silje visited her second home.

She found this place relatively recently, and Silje found it to feel like home.

“Welcome.”

When she opened the door, the owner greeted her in Korean. At first, she found it strange, but she visited this restaurant a few times now so it sounded familiar. The owner, a middle-aged Korean woman wearing a red apron, recognized Silje and switched to English.

“Oh, you’re here again. Hello.”

The Korean restaurant was named “Home”.

The owner was fluent in English as she spoke to Silje.

“Have a seat. Now, what would you like to order today? Do you know?”

It was past lunchtime, so the restaurant wasn’t very busy. The owner looked at Silje with a faint smile. Silje studied the menu carefully before making her decision.

“Today… I will try the soft tofu stew.”

The owner laughed and replied, “Are you sure? It’s gonna be very spicy. Remember when you tried the kimchi stew last time? You were sweating so hard! Why don’t you have the fried fish and rice like you usually do? Or maybe the curry stone-pot rice? You tried it before and you liked it, right?”

“No, I will have the soft tofu stew. I want to try it. I think it will be delicious.”

“Then do you want me to make it less spicy?”

“No, I want to try it as traditional as possible.”

The owner laughed as Silje replied in determination.

It was past 4 pm, and Silje was starving. While waiting for the food, she looked around and noticed that she was the only customer.

Korean restaurant “Home”.

Silje found this place by pure coincidence. A while back, she was walking down the Koreatown as usual when she suddenly felt hungry. She was standing in front of this restaurant and she found something strange.

Photos of models decorated the walls of the restaurant.

Silje walked in, and to her relief, the owner spoke fluent English. When she contemplated what to order, the owner was kind enough to make a good recommendation.

“If this is your first time trying Korean food, why don’t you try the curry stone-pot rice? It’s a fusion and if you have had curry before, it should suit your taste.”

Thanks to her, Silje was able to have a great meal and from then on, Silje visited regularly and tried various different dishes.

“Your soft tofu stew is here. Enjoy! I hope you like it.”

Silje expectantly tried a spoonful, and she loved it. It was a bit spicy, but when she broke the egg yolk and mixed it together, it tasted better. With the soft tofu and rice, Silje fell in love with the dish. She also enjoyed the side dishes that came with the order.

She always wanted to try Korean food ever since she was a little girl, and finally, she got to eat it in New York. Thankfully, she found them delicious. Whenever she ate a Korean meal, it felt like it not only filled her body, but her soul as well.

Was it because the Korean blood ran in her veins?

“It is great! It’s hot, but I still like it.”

Silje smiled at the owner and continued to eat. The owner laughed happily.

“By the way, you are too thin. It looks like you skip meals a lot, don’t you? I feel sad when I see young ladies like you looking so thin. You remind me of my daughter. Come every day and I will give you extra side dishes.”

“Of course. I will come as often as possible.”

Silje didn’t have big appetite to begin with, but whenever she came to this restaurant, she couldn’t stop eating. The hot meals warmed her heart and made her feel calmer.

It also helped that she found Korean food to have fewer calories. She could eat a full meal of Korean food and she still would consume fewer calories than if she had burgers or pizza.

Silje was still eating when the door opened, and a woman walked in announcing loudly, “Mom! I went to an audition today and guess what happened!”

The shrill-voiced woman was tall. In skin-tight jeans and high heels, she looked familiar.

“Mom…!”

The woman kept walking towards the kitchen when she saw Silje. She seemed shocked.

“What are you doing here?”

The girl, the restaurant owner’s daughter was model Jung Yun who taught Silje how to walk properly.