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“We actually have a request for you, Hyeri-ssi.”

“Oh?” My nerves flare. The other couples weren’t asked to do anything. Is this because we’re the youngest? Like some kind of hazing thing? I force myself to smile.

“We’re wondering if you could finally call Moonster Oppa?”

I can’t help stiffening, my hand flexing involuntarily on Minseok’s arm. His hand comes up again to cover mine and this time I don’t do anything to stop him. The camera’s red-light focus is too glaring to do anything that wouldn’t be caught live.

I hope my smile doesn’t waver and I reply. “Of course. Anything for the fans.”

I turn to Minseok, and he loosens his grip to let me face him.

His expression is carefully blank.

The host holds the mic by my face. That’s probably for the best. My palms feel sweaty and if I try to hold the mic, it might go flying out of my grip.

Just the thought of saying it reminds me of the last time I called him Oppa. How happy we were together. I close my eyes and force away the memory.

I take a deep breath, clear my throat. “Opp—”

My throat constricts on the word, making the end an awkward squeak.

“Oh, I don’t know if that should count,” the host teases. “What do you guys think?”

“Again, again, again!” chants the crowd in the balcony.

I nod and take another deep breath. I can’t quite look Minseok in the eyes as I do this, so I stare at the tip of his nose as I force a smile, and blurt out, “Oppa!”

The cheers from the balcony are wild, and the host has to speak louder to be heard over them. “I think they’re happy with that one!”

I don’t even hear the rest of his words as he introduces the short snippets from each of our shows.

But I can feel my whole body tingling. My breath comes in shallow gasps. I’m about to start hyperventilating, and I need to get out of here. What will I do if we win? Can I get through an entire speech like this?

Minseok’s arm comes around my shoulders. I want to shrug it off, but I know I can’t. He leans down, whispers in my ear. “Just take a deep breath, Hyeri, it’s almost over.”

I want to say something pithy. To tell him that I don’t need his help. But in this moment, I don’t have the ability to do that. Instead, I obey, pulling in a deep breath. It helps. The world stops spinning.

“You okay?” Minseok asks.

I can see the worry in his eyes. It makes me want to cry. It makes me want to just wrap my arms around him and beg him to erase the last week so we can go back to being happy together.

“And the winner is…”

We don’t win. But I’m relieved—it would have been agony to accept an award for Best Couple when my relationship with Minseok is in shambles. After the other couple’s names are announced, I pull away from Minseok so his arm drops from my shoulders. I use the excuse of congratulating the winners as a reason to separate from him.

And then I rush off the stage with the others.

All I can think is I need to get out of here. I feel like I’m completely losing my composure, and I can’t let it happen in front of all these people. I hurry off the stage, to the darkness in the wings.

I’m sure I’m about to burst into tears or start hyperventilating. Either option is not optimal right now.

Someone calls my name and I scurry away. I can’t talk to anyone in this state. I yank open the first door I find.

It turns out to be a storage closet, filled with lighting equipment.

But before the door fully swings shut, Minseok grabs it, stepping into the doorframe.

“Hyeri, are you okay?”