Page 78 of Wish Upon a K-Star

“That’s what you get for starting a fight,” I say, unrepentant.

He shakes his head, laughing along with me.

A lot has changed about Minseok since he debuted. Polished and shined to create the perfect image of a celebrity. But this close, looking at his laughing face, I see the old Minseok, who joked around with me. Who learned my favorite drink and picked it out of the cooler before I could. Who always invited me along even when my own brother didn’t.

He really is so handsome. It makes my heart do little pirouettes. This is dangerous, letting myself feel close to him again. Letting myselflikehim again. I need to do something to fix this, but it’s like a speeding train that’s picked up too much momentum at this point. I have to just hold on or I’ll fall.

He finally notices I’m no longer laughing. “You okay?” he asks, a smile still lingering.

“So, we agree.” My voice is too shaky but I can’t do anything to calm it. “This is all just pretend, right?”

He looks confused. “You mean the show?”

“I mean, everything between us.”

“Everything?”

I feel like my heart is going to burst free and flop across the floor. I grip his shirt desperately. “Just tell me it’s pretend.”

“Yeah, sure, Hyeri.” He nods reassuringly. “It’s just pretend.”

I let out a relieved sigh, letting my grip relax just a fraction. “Good. Then this doesn’t count.”

I lean forward and kiss him.

How do I explain the feeling?

It’s like dreaming of having something that’s just out of your reach. But also scared of it at the same time. Still, you can’t stop yourself from imagining how it might feel. Creating hundreds, thousands, of different scenarios that might let you experience it. But when you finally do, it’s nothing like you ever imagined. It’s infinitely better.

That’s what finally kissing Minseok is like.

His lips are slack with surprise at first.

A brief moment of anxiety slices through me, worrying that I misread the signs. That he’ll pull away.

And then his mouth moves against mine. His hands cup the back of my neck. He doesn’t pull me down so much as he nudges against me, suggesting I come closer.

And I comply. I can’t help but do it.

He turns his head just a few degrees. Somehow the move parts our lips and his tongue dips past.

The shock of it has my eyes flying open. He’s watching me with half-lidded gaze. And then I close mine again, an invitation for him to keep going.

Minseok rolls us to press me into the floor. We bump the coffee table, and I reach out to shove it aside. One of his hands pillows my head. The other grips right above my hip, shifting me into place so our bodies align perfectly.

It’s like I’ve been waiting to be here for years. From the moment I laid eyes on him.

My heart is still thudding. But now I can feel the response of his own as his body presses into mine.

I feel like I’m vibrating.

Wait, no, that’s not me. I push to sit up, moving Minseok back. My head spins, dizzy from him.

I pull my phone out and see that it’s a call from Robbie.

“Yeah?” I answer. Is my voice too breathless? Will he know what we were just doing? Minseok leans against the couch. I scoot up as well, but we don’t move apart. Our legs still pressed against each other’s. “Uh-huh, yeah, Minseok is with me. No, he’s fine. Yeah, we’re coming back.”

“Is Robbie about to send out search parties?”

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