Page 42 of Wish Upon a K-Star

I have no idea what the vibe is going to be between Minseok and me the next time I see him.

The entire ride to the next shoot, I’m on edge. I barely drink the iced Americano that Hongjoo brought me, but I’m still wired.

I can’t stop my leg from shaking as I wonder how he will act. How should I act? Should I pretend nothing happened?

I don’t think that’s possible as I blush every time I even think about him. I’ll probably light up like red Christmas lights when I actually see his face. His gorgeous, perfect face.

Oh no, I’m screwed.

When Hongjoo parks, I don’t move to unbuckle myself. I’m somehow more nervous than the first day of filming.

Hongjoo opens the door with a bright smile and says, “Everyone, out, last stop.”

I frown at her chipper attitude. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing, I’m just happy that you’ve gotten so good at variety shows.”

“That’s a stretch,” I mutter as I climb out.

Hongjoo wraps her arm around my shoulder. “You’re doing really well, Hyeri. People love you in this show.”

“Really?” The look of pride I see on Hongjoo’s face triggers a need for approval that I never like to acknowledge. I’m a little horrified when unwanted tears spring to my eyes. “You really think it’s going well?”

“Oh, sweetie.” Hongjoo laughs as she pulls me into a full hug. She’s shorter, yet her hug feels like it completely envelops me. “You’re doing great, and I’m so proud of you.”

She pulls back and looks around with a conspiratorial smile. Then she leans in. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this. But there’s interest in casting you in a really popular show in the US.”

“What?” Those are not words I’d have ever thought I’d hear from my manager, definitely not while talking about me. “Wait, how? I mean when? I mean, what does that mean?”

Would that mean I’d have to go to the States?

“You’re not supposed to know because it’s just in beginning talks, but the higher-ups at the company are really pleased.” She grins at me, and I force a smile. She’s so happy for me, but all I can think is that the US is so far away from Seoul. And Seoul is where Minseok is.

Speaking of, Minseok’s car pulls up behind ours.

He jumps out the moment it parks and starts to wave. Then he stops, eyes widening at the sight of my face, still red from crying. He runs to my side, grabbing my hands. “Hyeri, what happened? Did someone try to do something? Was it another anti?”

He’s turning me from side to side as if checking for injuries.

“Calm down, we were just having a heart-to-heart,” Hongjoo says, though she’s watching him curiously now.

“Really?” He doesn’t look convinced, and he’s still holding on to me.

“Really,” I say, pulling away gently so he’ll let go. There’s crew around and we don’t want to start rumors. “I should get to makeup and fix my face.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he says, still watching me with concern.

As I walk to the prep area, I try to avoid Hongjoo’s laser stare.

“Is something happening I should know about?” she asks.

“No,” I huff out with a strained laugh. Great, some actress I am.

“Hyeri,” Hongjoo says, voice firm. “You have to tell me if there’s something I should be aware of.”

“I swear, Eonni. There’s nothing,” I say, then call out to Jeongho, who passes in front of us. I jog to catch up with him, ignoring the questioning look on my manager’s face.

Today, the date includes wandering the quaint streets of Hannam, an area with steep inclines and narrow alleys with hidden gems. Some buildings decorated with artistic graffiti. Others built in a sleek industrial style.

It’s an area I would enjoy exploring on any other day. But all I can focus on is Minseok. How he keeps standing dangerously close to me. How it makes me go internally haywire.

I actually giggle. Twice. It would be horrifying if I didn’t see the approving nod of Han-PD.

Minseok keeps finding reasons to touch me. Tucking my hair back when the wind blows it in my face. Fixing the collar of my dress. Claiming a leaf fell on my shoulder that he had to brush away.

Is he doing it on purpose? He seems so unnaturally calm, when my whole body is tighter than a coiled spring.

I’m grateful when we break for lunch. We only have a shooting permit for a couple more hours. So, I opt to eat quickly in my car so I can be ready to return to the shoot as soon as they’re set up again.

Just as I’m opening the sliding van door, Minseok calls my name, jogging between the cars.

“Minseok, what—” I’m cut off as he cages me in against the side of the van.

“I’ve been waiting all day to get you alone,” he murmurs, his eyes moving to my lips like an archer zeroing in on a target.

“Wait,” I blurt out, pressing a hand against his chest before he can close the distance.

“What?” He pouts but moves back. “What’s wrong?

I look around, making sure no one is watching before I pull him inside the van.

With the door closed behind us, I turn to him. “Do you think we should talk?”

He looks amused. “Is that really what you want to do with me right now? Talk?”

My pulse goes double-time at his words. Wow, he’s really good at this. But I won’t let him distract me. “I definitely want to do more than talk,” I admit.

“Good.” He grins as he starts to lean in again.

I press my palm against his mouth before he can make contact, and he rolls his eyes at me over my hand.

“But we should talk. Is doing this too risky?”

He peels my hand from his mouth, interlacing our fingers. “You’re worried that someone might see us together and start rumors?”

I nod, grateful that he understands. “What if we’re making a mistake?”

His smile falls. “Hyeri, do you not want to—”

“It’s not that,” I blurt out hurriedly. I’m suddenly desperate to take back my words. I’m scared of being caught, but I also don’t want to lose this thing that I’ve wanted for so long.

“Well, maybe we should just tell everyone we’re dati—”

“No,” I say, cutting him off. “That’s too serious. We can’t know how they’ll twist it to use against us.”

His jaw tenses before he nods. “Fine, we won’t tell anyone. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun together. Don’t you want to have fun with me, Hyeri?”

“Yeah,” I say slowly, wondering if I’m making a mistake here. “But we need to be careful. The whole point of this show was to fix our images.”

“Well,” he says, leaning in and pressing his lips lightly to my temple. I shiver involuntarily. “I suppose we could find a good meeting place.” He lets his cheek rest against mine, his lips brushing my ear. “Somewhere we can definitely be alone.” He starts to nibble at the lobe of my ear, and it sends electric shocks through my entire body.

I’ve kind of forgotten what I wanted to talk about. I turn my head toward his, ready to give in.

But he stops just before our lips touch. “What about your place?”

“Huh?” I murmur, my brain a fog.

“It’s private, close to mine. And we can do…” He gives me the lightest kiss on the lips. Nowhere close to being satisfying. “Whatever we want.”

Another shiver races down my spine. “Yes, my place. Perfect. Let’s go.”

He laughs as he leans away, and I feel a slight pang of disappointment. My arms itch to pull him back.

“I’ll come by tonight,” he says, then lifts our joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles before climbing out of the car.

As he saunters away, I lean against the headrest, letting out a shuddering breath.

I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the full powerful focus of Moon Minseok.