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“Didn’t you get my text?” he asks.

I shake my head, not wanting to hurt my throat from shouting more.

“It’s my birthday party,” Robbie explains. “I invited you.”

Oh yeah, I did see a text from him about this, but I’d been so caught up with everything that I’d only skimmed it and forgot to reply. Which was going to be a polite brush-off, but now I guess it’s too late.

“Come on, sit down,” Robbie says. “The party just started.”

I do a cursory sweep of the room and don’t see Minseok. Disappointment and relief war inside me.

Jun offers me a bottle of water. I take it with a grateful smile. At least now I have something to do with my hands.

“You’re lucky.” He has to lean down to whisper-shout in my ear over the music. “We actually cleaned for this.”

I laugh, looking at the bags of chips and snacks strewn across the coffee table. Bottles of water litter both the table and the floor. What suspiciously looks like laundry is piled in the far corner. And three laptops are set up on the kitchen table, making it clear that space is used more for gaming than eating. I wonder how messy it normally is if this is clean.

There’s a girl who looks vaguely familiar sitting on the couch, nursing a can of Chilsung Cider. Robbie has made a beeline for her, nestling in next to her and throwing his arm over her shoulder.

She settles comfortably into his side, like they’ve done this a hundred times. It’s a shocking sight, but no one else seem surprised by it.

“Too bad we couldn’t go to a real noraebang,” she says.

“I like this more. I can do this here.” Robbie nuzzles his nose into her neck like a puppy dog and she giggles as she tries to push him away.

“Don’t be gross.” She laughs.

“Too late,” says a boy perched on the adjacent couch. He’s tall and cute but a stranger to me. I wonder what agency he’s with.

The girl sticks her tongue out at the boy, and I finally place her. Robbie’s childhood friend that the gossip sites keep saying he’s in a relationship with. And it seems that this time they’re right.

Robbie smiles as he lets his head settle on top of hers lightly. They look so content. Like they’re not in the middle of a noisy party but in their own private space. I feel a twinge of envy at the sight. It’s not something I ever thought was possible for people like us.

The girl looks up and catches my eyes. Hers widen. “It’s you!”

She jumps to her feet and I instinctively step back, ready for the attack or accusation. But she lets out a joyful giggle before covering her mouth. “I’m sorry, I just—I’m a huge fan.”

Robbie laughs. “That’s a huge compliment, Noona. It’s hard to get Lani to admit she’s a fan of someone.”

“That is not true.” The girl smacks Robbie on the shoulder. Then turns back to me with a grin. “He’s just bitter because I refused to admit I was a fan of his when we first reconnected.”

“Oh, I see,” I say. “Well, nice to meet you…Lani?”

“Elena,” she says with a belated bow of greeting. “Sorry, I’m so rude. I just really loved you inYouthful Exchange. I watched the whole drama with my como.”

“Oh my god, yes! You were the mean girl!” The cute boy stands up and walks over, looking me up and down.

“Uh, yes.” I take a step back.

“Can you throw water in someone’s face?” he asks with a grin that makes me wonder if he’s actually joking.

“Stop being embarrassing, Ethan.” Elena pulls on the boy’s arm and smacks him upside the back of the head. “I apologize for my twin; he never learned how to be a real human being.”

I see the family resemblance now, even though Ethan is a good six or seven inches taller than Elena.

“He didn’t mean anything by it, right, Ethan?” Robbie steps forward and slings an arm over the other boy’s shoulder.

“Exactly, I was just trying to break the ice and be friendly.” Ethan returns the gesture until the boys are half hugging each other.