Page 28 of Wish Upon a K-Star

T hat night, the doorbell rings and I’m surprised to see Hanbin on the other side.

“Did Hongjoo-eonni send you?”

“I’m just acting as a delivery boy.” He holds out a gift bag.

“What is it?” I ask even as I take it.

“Minseok is going through a few things. Don’t be too hard on him, okay?”

I’m surprised to hear the gift is from Minseok, but I just nod.

“Great, see you at the next shoot.”

When Hanbin leaves, I bring the gift into my room, settling cross-legged on my bed before carefully pulling out the tissue paper. I tell myself that he can’t just buy me something and I’ll pretend that he wasn’t a complete ass.

But when I uncover the gift, I let out an involuntary laugh. It’s a jumbo bag of Honey Butter Chips. I hate that he knows me this well.

A text from Minseok dings on my phone.

It’s a picture of the little stuffed bear from our first date. And he’s holding a handwritten sign: I’m a dumbass. Forgive your faux-fiancé?

I hate that I’m charmed by it. It’s so silly and unserious. But it’s also kind of sweet.

Will forgiving him make me a pushover?

Or is it better to let this go? It would make my life easier on set if we weren’t at each other’s throats.

So, I type back: I’m only forgiving you because I ran out of Honey Butter Chips.

Minseok: Thank you. 1004.

It’s a stupid code kids used a lot when we were younger. 1004. Pronounced cheonsa in Korean, which is also the word for “angel.” And I roll my eyes, but my heart reacts with a quick flutter.

“Stop it,” I say aloud. I don’t have time to revisit old crushes right now.