Page 51 of Wish Upon a K-Star

I don’t answer any of the calls I get. Not from my mom. Not from Minseok.

I know what my mom will say. That I have to take this role. That it’s going to be a breakout opportunity.

And I know that if I talk to Minseok, I’ll have to tell him about the show in LA. But I’m scared. What if he asks me not to go? Will I be strong enough to say no? Do I even want to say no?

The next day, I’m in the kitchen when I hear the soft knock on the door. I know it’s Minseok. He has the code to my door, but he waits for me to answer.

“Are you hungry?” He lifts a pastry bag from a bakery that makes my favorite cream-filled buns.

“Yeah,” I say, for once not thinking about my diet.

He sits on the couch and holds the pastry bag out to me. I take it with a wobbly smile, sitting next to him.

“What happened with Hongjoo-noona?” he finally asks.

“What?” I squeak out. Does he know about Musical Dreams ?

And then I realize he’s asking about her catching us together. I sigh, putting the pastry bag on the coffee table. My stomach is tied in too many knots to keep anything down. “She says it’s too risky to sneak around like this.”

“She’s right.”

My heart drops at how quickly he gives up.

“But we knew from the beginning it was risky,” he says, eyes sharp and challenging. “Nothing has changed for me. Has it changed for you?”

I’m not sure how to answer. It feels like I care about him more than I thought possible, but I’m not a naive thirteen-year-old anymore. I know the price of this now. “I don’t know. There are things I have to take into consideration.”

“Like what?” Minseok frowns. “Did something else happen?”

This is the moment. I need to tell him about LA and the TV show. If he wants to walk away after hearing, there’s nothing I can do about it. I should just rip the Band-Aid off.

“It’s just that…” I can’t force out the rest of the words.

Minseok nods and takes my hand in his. “I know.”

Wait, does he know about the offer? Did someone at the company tell him?

“Hongjoo probably told you that you have to think about the fans. That we’re still building trust with them again. And she’s not wrong, but she’s not completely right. We don’t owe everything we are to the fans. We’re allowed to keep some of it for ourselves.” He lifts my knuckles to his lips. “And we don’t have to figure everything out now.”

“You really think so?” I ask.

He nods. “Why don’t we sit down with Hongjoo and Hanbin after the Awards show and figure out a plan that works for us? That is, if you still want this.”

Sparks race up and down my limbs. Minseok always seems to say the perfect thing to make me ignore my doubts.

“I want this,” I say. I don’t have to give this up yet, I still have time.

Minseok’s smile blooms, slow but wide, and it chases away the worst of my anxieties.

“Oh thank god.” He pulls my arm so suddenly that I’m not ready for it and I tumble into his lap. “For a second there, I was worried you didn’t feel the same way.”

“Don’t forget I’m the one who liked you first.”

“Eh, debatable,” Minseok says with a grin. “This thing between us isn’t for some show or for other people.”

“I know.”

He cups my cheeks, leaning in to rest his forehead against mine. “This isn’t pretend anymore, Hyeri.”

I nod in agreement a moment before he kisses me. Hard and possessive. But it’s fine, because I feel just as needy at the moment. I’ll tell him about LA and the show after the Hallyu Wave Awards. Not just yet. If we only have a few weeks left, then let it be just for us.