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As the CEO of EBC, I’m reaching out to invite Min Sori to cohost our annual EBC Awards, scheduled for next weekend.In the past few weeks, Min Sori, with her charm and beauty, has struck a resonant chord with our audience. Her on-screen chemistry with Nathaniel Lee, of the popular idol group XOXO, inspired us to reach out to invite him as her cohost for this year’s awards. I look forward to Min Sori’s positive response to this invitation.

Yours with admiration,

Kim Seo-Yeon, CEO of EBC

Thirty

The next morning, I type out a message to Nathaniel and press Send, hopping into the shower before I can second-guess myself. I kept the message brief.Are you going to say yes?When I get out of the shower, I have a missed call. My heartbeat picks up, only to deflate when I see that it’s from Secretary Park.

She would have texted if it was urgent, so I finish up getting ready for the day, blow-drying and styling my hair, as well as going through my skincare routine—toner, essence, ampoule, serum, sheet mask, eye cream, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

I call Secretary Park while sitting down for breakfast. She picks up after the first ring.

“Perfect timing. I was just about to call you again. The producer ofThe Woori and Woogi Showinvited you back for a follow-up episode, scheduled for later today. Lee Byeol and Tsukumori Rina have already agreed to return as guests.”

“I can’t,” I say, and immediately feel guilty because there’s a possibility that if I don’t participate, they’ll cancel the episode, as they won’t have all three original guests. “I wanted to go and support Hyemi,” I explain. ASAP’s schedule was canceled yesterday, but they have a performance at a different music show tonight.

Secretary Park takes such a long time to reply that I check my phone to see if the call dropped. “Hyemi and the other members agreed that she wouldn’t promote with the group for now.”

“What?” I say, loud enough that Ajumma looks up from where she’s snapping the tails off bean sprouts across the table. She’s leaving tonight to go on a spa retreat with her friends down south. She’ll be gone for the whole week.

Secretary Park clears her throat. “Hyemi felt like she was burdening the girls, and also that she wasn’t in the right mindset to perform. The other members supported her and said they would wait until she was ready to resume promotions, but Hyemi insisted. She said it would make her feel worse to know the others couldn’t perform because of her.”

Oh, Hyemi.“Where is she now?” I push back my chair. I should go to her, make sure she’s all right, that she’s not crying and making herself sick with heartbreak.

I pause.

Except that I’ve already made plans to see my father this morning, and Ineedto speak with him as soon as possible.

“She’s with her father. I think you should do the radio show,” Secretary Park says. “If they ask about Hyemi, or the episode from last night, you can say something in support of her.”

I nod. “That’s a good idea.”

I hang up with Secretary Park and call Hyemi, but after a few rings it switches to an automated voice message.

I text her instead.Are you busy tonight? A new café opened near Seoul Forest. Want to check it out?

It takes me two hours to travel by bus to my grandmother’s house in Suwon to the south of Seoul, which gives me time to mull over how neither Nathaniel nor Hyemi have responded to my texts.

Hyemi’s lack of response worries me. She’s never taken this longto reply back to one of my messages before. She’s with her father, so she should be all right. Is she telling him that she wants to quit the group?

Opening my message history with Nathaniel is more painful. Before my text this morning, there are a dozen messages from him Saturday night, asking where I am, worrying about if I’m okay. And then before that...

I can’t wait to see you tonight.

Healsohas never taken this long to respond to a text, at least when he has his phone with him. He hasn’t read my message, but he might have seen it pop up as a notification and swiped it away, so that it onlyappearsas if he hasn’t read it.

I’m motion sick by the time I get off the bus and have to walk another twenty minutes uphill in my strappy heels to reach the front gate of my grandmother’s house.

I press the intercom and smile sweatily at my grandmother’s housekeeper who buzzes me through.

The house is a single story but spread out over two thousand square meters of space, with floor-to-ceiling windows that face Gwanggyosan, the mountain north of Suwon. Its lofty peaks appear misty against the skyline. As I head up the manicured walkway, I spot movement through the clear glass windows—Mrs. Shin, the housekeeper, on her way to inform my father and grandmother of my arrival.

She’s left the front door open. I unstrap my heels in the foyer, wincing at the red lines indented into my ankles, and toe on the house slippers Mrs. Shin has left out for me.

My father and grandmother are waiting in the dining room,which is the largest room of the mansion, with the highest ceilings. The whole room echoes with the soft sliding sounds of my slippers.

I bow upon entering. When I raise my head, I’m surprised to see they have another guest.