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I type out,You’re arriving tomorrow, and you’re not packed yet? And please don’t tell me you’re only bringing one suitcase.
Her response is immediate:Not everyone travels with their entire wardrobe, Sori.
I can hear the teasing lilt of her voice. I can’t wait to hear it in person.I won’t be able to see her tomorrow, because of the awards show, but we have plans to meet up Sunday.
There’s still so much I have to do for the show... Luckily, I’ve taken care of most of the finer details already. I have my glam squad assembled for tomorrow, with Soobin and RALA, and my dress is a black Saint Laurent with a plunging neckline and thigh-high split. I’ll have to wear an invisible Band-Aid to cover my scrape from Monday, but it’ll be worth it.
ASAP will be performing; Hyemi won’t be with them, but hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, that could change by next week.
I leave my mother’s office, pressing the button for the ground floor.
My phone chirps once more. This time the message is from Donghyun, which I swipe away without opening.
Yesterday, at dinner, he’d asked me officially if I’d be his girlfriend. I’d asked for more time. But I can’t keep putting him off. I have to make a decision soon. I just know that once I’ve made it, there’s no turning back.
The elevator opens on the ground floor, and I walk out.
Late afternoon sunlight spills through the glass windows of the lobby, catching in my eyes. I should be excited about tomorrow: I’m hosting one of the biggest awards shows on television; I’m going to wear a beautiful dress and have my makeup done and hair styled—two of myfavoritethings; I’m going to see ASAP perform live; and I’m celebrating this industry that I love so much, with the people I respect and admire. So why do I feel like I’m walking throughwater? It’s sunny outside, yet I feel cold. I’m not sick, at least I don’t think I am.
I catch sight of Youngmin, headed toward the doors that lead to the parking garage. He’s wearing headphones and I have to call out to him twice before he turns around.
He lowers his headphones. “Nuna?”
“Youngmin-ah,” I say, walking toward him. “How was your break?”
“Good. I had school, mostly.”
He smiles at me, waiting patiently. Out of all the XOXO members, he and I are the least close, though I’ve always felt comfortable around him.
“I’m back at the dorm,” he says, referring to the apartment he shares with the other members. “Since Wednesday.”
Wednesday.The day of Nathaniel’s launch. He’d been there, at the event hall. If he knows thatIwas there as well, he doesn’t show it, his expression more curious than anything.
I don’t know why I stopped him or why I’m lingering here. He was clearly on his way somewhere. I was just feeling a bit... melancholy, and I wanted to see a friendly face. “Well—”
“I was just on my way there, actually,” Youngmin says. “Even though no one’s around. Sun’s out on a date, Jaewoo’s with his mom and sister, and Nathaniel went to see the Ferris wheel.”
I feel my heart sink. “Did he... Did he go with anyone?”
“He said he was taking Woo Hyemi.”
I look toward the windows once more. It’ll be sunset in an hour. Had they gone to watch the sunset over the Han River?
When I return my gaze to Youngmin, I find him watching me,his expression carefully blank. “I haven’t been to see the Ferris wheel yet,” he says. “It looks like a lot of fun.”
Is he saying what I think he’s saying?
“What do you think, Nuna?” Youngmin grins. “Want to go on a date with me?”
Ji Seok, who’d been waiting for Youngmin in the parking garage, drops us off near the park.
“Please don’t do anythingI’llregret,” he begs.
“Ha, you’re funny, Hyeong!”
The park is crowded, with hundreds of people having come out to watch the sunset. The most crowded area is around the Ferris wheel, with couples and groups of friends lining up to take their turn around the massive wheel.
“We need disguises.” Youngmin drags me to a cart where an elderly woman is selling useful items for a day spent beside the Han River. He selects a pair of plastic sunglasses from a display and hands them to me before grabbing a pair for himself. “Ooh, and this.” He picks up a sun umbrella beneath a pile of them, cranking it open. It’s the gaudiest umbrella with lace and flowers. Luckily, it’s a sunny day, so a lot of people also carry umbrellas.
