Page 11 of ASAP

I’m so preoccupied with the scandal and the deal with my mother, I’d completely forgotten that I’d agreed to a meeting with the son of someone important to my father’s political campaign. A taxi drops me off early evening the following day at the Sowon Hotel, the same hotel—and restaurant, for that matter—where I met my parents only a couple of weeks before.

It’s as lovely as I remember it being, with beautiful white oak floors and an abundance of pink and white flowers in decorative pots. The hostess leads me to a table in a different part of the restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows and low tables surrounded by cushioned seats meant for more casual dining and conversation. A boy a few years older than me sits at one of these tables, holding a wineglass in one hand and his phone with the other. He doesn’t look up when I arrive. Inwardly, I sigh—it’s going to be a long evening.

I take the seat opposite him, arranging my skirt around my knees. The chairs are large and cushioned, and I sink into the downy seat.

He’s ordered me a glass of wine, but I ask a hovering waiter for water instead.

“You’re Assemblyman Min’s daughter,” the boy says, glancing up from his phone, “the idol trainee.” He says the word like its dirt on his Ferragamo loafers.

“Yes, and you are the restaurateur’s son.” I purposefully don’t call him by his name since he hadn’t bothered to learn mine. Usually, I’m a little more patient with the dates my father sets me up with, but I’m distracted by reactions online to the statement Joah released earlier today, identifying the mysterious girl in the photograph as Nadine.

The reactions have been mostly positive, as Nathaniel is known to have four older sisters. But I’m sure employees at Joah have been deleting the more vitriolic comments, claiming it’s a cover-up for the truth, that Nathaniel is secretly dating another idol, and he’s hurting the other members with his actions and should leave—

“Baek Haneul, second son of Kim Jinyi. My mother owns this restaurant.”

“It’s lovely,” I say, relieved to have a topic that might interest us both. “Where does she import the flowers? The flooring is exquisite—did your mother work closely with a designer?”

He scowls. “How am I supposed to know? When I inherit my share of the restaurant, I’ll have a manager to take care of all those things.”

The waiter returns with my glass of water, and I carefully sip from the top. I wonder if Nadine is having trouble at her university, if reporters are dogging her steps; I hate that I’ve dragged her into this.

“I thought that was you,” a low voice cuts into my thoughts.

I look up to find Sun approaching our table. He’s dressed all in white, his icy-blonde hair swept back from his face.

Haneul stands, showing more excitement for Sun’s arrival than my own. “You’re Oh Sun of TK Group, right?” While Haneul’s mother might own this restaurant, Sun’s grandfather, as the president of TK Group, owns this hotel. “Our fathers play golf together.” Haneul holds his right hand out to Sun, his left hand holding his right wrist in respect.

“Ah.” Sun shakes his hand. “And you are...?”

“Baek Haneul, second son of Kim Jinyi. My mother is—”

“Baek-ssi,” Sun interrupts, throwing his arm around Haneul’s neck. I narrow my eyes. His whole demeanor has changed, which immediately alerts me that he’s up to something. “You’re exactly the person I need right now,” Sun says, conspiratorially. “See that woman over there?” Both Haneul and I follow Sun’s gaze across the room to where a young woman sits beside the tall windows.

“I’m supposed to meet her for a blind date. My grandfather—you know, the president of TK Group—set us up. What he doesn’t know is that she and I have already met, and well...” he trails off. “I’m not looking for anything long-term.”

“I see,” Haneul says eagerly, catching on quick. “I’ll go in your place.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” Sun pauses, then adds, “Hyeong.”

Haneul looks like he’s died and gone to heaven, pun intended.

“Bye.” I wave as Haneul leaves without a backward glance.

Sun collapses into his vacated seat, long limbs sprawling. “This chair has excellent upholstery,” he comments.

“Was any of that true?” I ask.

“You know me better than to ask that.” He sits up straight only to reach over the table for my untouched wineglass, bringing it to his lips. He watches me over the rim. “It was all true.”

I roll my eyes. “You shouldn’t pawn off your dates on other people; more importantly, you should be clear and communicative in your intentions toward women.”

“This is why I like you, Sori. No one nags me quite like you do.”

“Just wait until you fall in love, then you’ll regret all the hurt you’ve caused others.”

He scowls. “Don’t say that or I’ll feel like you’ve put a curse on me.”

“Would you like to order anything?” We look up at the smiling waiter who appears unfazed at our bickering, and that I’ve apparently switched dates.

“Yes,” Sun says, picking up the menu and ordering a few appetizers. “Put it on his bill,” he adds, pointing at Baek Haneul.

As we wait for the food, I study Sun. Even though he’s only older by a year, he always seemed older, as the heir to a major conglomerate, and then as the leader of XOXO. He also never roughhoused with Jaewoo, Nathaniel, and Youngmin, keeping himself apart.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” His eyes narrow. “You look like you’re pitying me right now. It’s disturbing.”

“I thought your grandfather stopped setting you up on blind dates after you made that deal with him.”

His grandfather agreed to leave Sun alone as long as Sun married the woman of his grandfather’s choice, at a time after he’d conducted his military service. Since the compulsory military service in Korea can be postponed until age thirty, Sun thought it was a good deal.

“He’s back to his old ways. He’s stubborn, my harabeoji.” Sun speaks of his grandfather with affection. “He’s under the false impression that I have more time now that XOXO is on hiatus.”

Hiatus.

My stomach drops. “Is it because of the photograph?”

“No, of course not. We were always going to take a break after the tour. It was worked into our schedule for the year. We need to, otherwise we’d collapse from exhaustion, let alone the mental stress of constantly working. Rest and relaxation are good for creativity.”

“It was me in the photograph,” I blurt out.

He rolls his eyes. “Anyone who knows you would know that.”

“My mother didn’t know.”

He refrains from commenting, and I don’t blame him.

The servers bring out the food that Sun ordered and we enjoy a nice meal. Snarky as he is, Sun is a marked improvement from Baek Haneul.

“I never congratulated you on your drama,” I say, collecting fresh pieces of lettuce with my fork. Sun ordered me my favorite salad with strawberry vinaigrette. It’s a big deal for him to be the lead in his first role. Many critics have said he only got the role because of his popularity as an idol, but I know acting has been a passion of his for a long time now. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” he acknowledges, picking up the second glass of wine the server brought. “I heard about the girl group they’re putting together. ASAP, isn’t it? They announced the news internally. I was surprised your name wasn’t on the list of members.”

“Actually...”

He glances up, brow raised.

“I was offered a position as leader in the group, but I turned it down. After much thought, I realized I don’t, in fact, wish to be an idol.”

Sun frowns slightly, lowering his glass. “But don’t you have a contract with Joah? Your mother might be the CEO, but she answers to a board of shareholders. They’ve invested in the company. And in you, as a trainee.”

I raise a brow, amused. Unlike the other members, who’d hand-wave and accept things as they are, Sun is much more pragmatic.

“I honestly don’t think she would have let me back out,” I say, “if she didn’t need my help.”

I tell him about the deal with my mother. I have an inkling of unease as I explain how Hyemi’s debut is tied to her father’s financial support, which is undeniably transactional in nature, but Sun doesn’t bat an eyelash. Since our childhood, we’ve witnessed our parents make questionable deals in the name of business, and I feel a rush of gratitude for him, that I can confide in him about this, without fear that he might judge my mother. Or me, for going along with her.

“I’m excited,” I say. “More so than when I thought I was going to debut. I think it’ll be a fun challenge, and I like Woo Hyemi. I want to help her.”

Yesterday after leaving my mother’s office, I’d gone back to the meeting room, interrupting Youngmin who’d been in the middle of doing a handstand. I got to know a little more about Hyemi—she has an older sister who lives in Canada with her partner, her favorite movie is Kiki’s Delivery Service, and she’s wanted to be an idol for as long as she can remember. We’d planned to meet after her first rehearsal to go over the choreography.

“So...,” Sun says, “in exchange for helping Hyemi, your mother will tear up your contract and let you walk free?”

“Maybe not as dramatically, but that’s the gist of it.”

“Didn’t you have a dating clause in your contract?” he asks absently.

“No, I didn’t. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to go out on this date with Haneul.”

“Ah, of course.”

I never had a dating clause in my contract, even the new one I signed shortly after my scandal with Nathaniel two years ago. The promise I made to my mother was never written in words.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Sun says, with a smile. “I look forward to seeing what you can do with Woo Hyemi in two weeks.”

After we’ve finished our food, I peek over the divider toward the windows. “Haneul-ssi is still with your date. I think they’re really hitting it off. You might have inadvertently set up a love match.”

“Do you think they’ll send me an invitation to the wedding?” Sun quips.

As we’re walking out of the restaurant, my phone buzzes with an unknown number.

“It’s international,” Sun says from over my shoulder.

My stomach sinks as I realize who it is. “It must be Nadine. Why do you think she’s calling?”

“Probably to scold you for dragging her into this mess.”

“Really?”

“Pick it up. The call’s going to drop.” He’s ruthless.

I open the phone and bring it hesitantly to my ear. “Nadine-eonni?”

“Sori?” I remember the way she greeted me in the pizza shop, friendly and warm. All warmth is stripped from her voice when she says, “We need to talk.”