—Alec— Life is not by justification.... A few days ago, I invited my best friend all the way from South Korea to Washington D.C. to help me win over Mabel Parker. Guess who ended up falling hard— leaving his student behind? Yes, Kyu-hun. Yesterday, they'd gone on their first date, and he spent the night at her place. Then he was back this morning whistling like someone who just won a lottery, after texting earlier, imploring that I reach out to some of my elite friends. He was planning to throw an auction party for her. And I was proud of him. I wasn't jealous. Except Kyu-hun wouldn't stop talking about how amazing she was. “Good for you,” I muttered, looking across the estate. We were at the poolside, enjoying the scenery of the sunset over a bottle of wine. Kyu-hun practiced

