Page 56 of Wish Upon a K-Star

They don’t. “I’d like to talk in private, Hyeri.”

“Eomma,” Hyejun interjects. “Why don’t we all get a drink together?”

But Mom ignores his offer. “Hyeri, come.” She sweeps past the truck, expecting me to obey.

I sigh and pat Hyejun on the shoulder. At least he tried.

I follow her behind the building, close to where all the production vans are parked.

“Is everything okay?” I begin even though I know it’s not.

She crosses her arms, her lips turned down in disapproval. “Is this how you’ve been behaving here? Throwing yourself at Minseok?”

That is not what I was expecting her to say. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

“You were acting too familiar with him on camera. You’re not here to actually flirt with him, you’re here to fix your reputation. Bimbos don’t keep fans.”

I feel like I’ve been slapped. Her words sting just as bad as an open palm. Worse. I blink quickly to stave off threatening tears. Crying never softens my mom. If anything, she’ll yell at me for ruining my makeup.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t enough. How are you going to fix this?”

I’m racking my brain for an answer that she’ll find acceptable when I hear the shuffle of footsteps behind us.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Minseok calls out.

Mom’s eyes widen in surprise.

I close mine in utter embarrassment. Minseok is all smiles as he walks over, but I can see his jaw is tense. He clearly heard part of our conversation.

“It’s nothing,” I say.

My mom’s face has transformed back into her sweet congenial facade. “I’m just having a quick chat with my daughter. It’s nothing serious, just catching up. You should go back to set. Get yourself a coffee from the truck Hyeri’s father sent.”

“I’m sure I must have misheard, but I’m hoping you’re not being too critical of Hyeri when she’s been working so hard.” Minseok’s tone is pleasant, but his expression is cold.

Surprise at his quiet defense of me wars with my continuing embarrassment. Why isn’t he pretending he didn’t hear anything like a normal person? Why does he always insist on making things even more difficult for me?

“Excuse me?” Mom says pleasantly, though her smile has dropped a degree.

Please let this go, I silently beg him with my eyes.

Of course, Minseok doesn’t. “Your daughter is doing really well with these shoots considering the way the show was sprung on her.”

Now Mom’s smile is completely gone. “This show is the only thing saving her drowning career.” Little lines are forming next to my mother’s mouth, which is a sign that things are getting bad. Mom would rather die than let her frown lines show. “She needs to learn how to avoid bad publicity and endear audiences to her better. Once she has them on her side, the media will fall into line.”

“Hyeri is talented. She was one of the hardest-working idols I know,” Minseok says, and my mouth practically falls open in shock. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say that before.

“Well, she’s not an idol anymore, is she?” my mother says bitterly.

“Yes, but surely you can’t blame her for how that happened, right?” Minseok replies, and I feel a flush rising up my neck. Can’t he just leave this alone? I can see my mom’s lips pursing in a tight line. She’s angry, but she would never lose her temper completely at Minseok. Not when he’s such a huge star. She pinches my arm, adding an urgent twist, a signal that I need to step in and fix thisnow.

“Minseok-ssi, leave!” I grit out, trying not to let my voice squeak.

He gives me a startled look. Clearly, he thinks I should be groveling at his feet for the few kind words he’s bestowed on me. But I never asked him to help me.

“This is between me and my mother,” I tell him. My mom’s pinching fingers loosen a bit and I breathe out a little sigh. “Can you please go?”

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