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Chapter 30
EARLY NEXT MORNING, THERE’S A KNOCK AT OURapartment door. When I open it, I see Minjee and Bryan standing at my front step. Both have sunglasses on and their jacket hoods up for the sake of anonymity, and so do I. We all look like we’re embarking on some secret mission. And I guess in a way we are. If we weren’t in such a rush, I’d snap a quick selfie of us to commemorate how badass we look.
“So,” Bryan says, “you ready for this thing?”
In the end, the three of us combined our statements so we could make one big general announcement to the public during the press conference that our managers set up for us.
I pull Bryan and Minjee in for a hug before we head downstairs.
“Yup,” I say. “Let’s go.”
Sophia is waiting for us at the parking lot in the company car.
“All right, here we go,” she says when we get in.
On the way to the studio, Minjee grabs my hand and squeezes it in a reassuring way. No one speaks during the entire car ride, and I take the moment to rehearse in my head what I want to say. I got my part of the statement approved by Mom, Sophia, and Minjee before I memorized it. I practiced it countless times after that, but I still feel like I can’t go over it enough.
As is true for most public statements, I know we’ll only have this one chance to give everyone the most accurate picture of what happened. With how fast social media spreads things, one wrong word or gesture and I might just become the next pop culture meme. The pressure only gets worse as we approach the station. Soon enough, it gets hard to breathe.
I reach out toward Minjee. She immediately leans her head against my shoulder.
“Sorry to ruin your little K-drama moment, but you haven’t forgotten that I’m here in the car with you guys, right?” Bryan asks, sounding more amused than annoyed.
“Bryan,” Minjee says, sitting up straight to face him. “We should get you a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or a nonbinary partner. Anyone! Aren’t you sick of being the third wheel?”
“Obviously. But hey, who said I’m not dating anyone?”
Minjee and I look at each other with our eyebrows raised.
“Wait, what?” I ask.
Bryan scoffs. “Oh, come on. I have a life outside of the show, too, you know. It’s fairly new, though. I learned alotfrom Hana’s and my fake relationship, so... yeah. Trying my best to keep it a secret from everyone for now.”
“Isn’t it wild how much power the industry has over our personal lives?” I ask, suddenly exhausted. “I mean, the fact that we’re having to make this statement at all...”
“Yeah,” Minjee replies. “But we’ve got this. I know you guys are scared. Believe me, I am, too. But we’ll get through this, okay? And think about the countless people out there who need to hear what we have to say.”
I nod and force myself to relax, thinking about the conversation I had with Minjee last night. In the end, I switch to the acting part of my brain, because it’s easier topretendI’m someone else who’s unafraid than to calm myself down.
Just because I’m scared, doesn’t mean the world has to know it, I remind myself.
When we get to the TV station, the producer greets us with a firm nod. “This way. They’re ready for you.”
Both Ms. Ahn and Mr. Baek join us then, and the six of us enter the conference room. Cameras start flashing almost instantly. Reporters excitedly chatter among themselves or yell questions directly at us.
“Don’t answer any of them,” Sophia hisses. “Ignore them for now and just go up to the stage. We’ll do a Q and A later, so don’t let any of them interrupt your statement.”
She takes the lead, with us following her and the other two managers protecting our backs as we step onto the stage. Three chairs wait for us in that wide-open space, with bottles of water placed thoughtfully on the seats.
Sophia waits for us to sit down before looking out at the seaof reporters. Ever the face of bravery, she fiercely meets their gazes and says, “Everyone, hello, my name is Sophia Min. I’m Hana’s manager. I would like to ask all of you to please not misconstrue anything that is said today. If you spread false information, I and the other managers present today will press charges. Also, please remember that the statement is a reflection of the teens’ own personal beliefs and interests and not their companies’ nor the studio’s. Thank you.”
When she’s done addressing the reporters, Sophia comes over to give us each a mic.
“Best of luck,” she tells us before leaving the stage to join the other managers sitting at the front of the audience.
We agreed that Bryan and I should have most of the limelight, since our fake-dating scheme is what started this whole mess in the first place. It also seems like the best way to protect Minjee, since she’s already dealing with a lot from her family.
So I’m the first to bring the mic up to speak.
