Page 42 of Wish Upon a K-Star

I see Han-PD smile and nod. He seems to like it when we talk about our friendship moments. And I want to please the production.

“If Jaehyung hadn’t been there, we’d have been screwed,” I muse. “What are the guys up to right now?”

“Who knows,” Minseok says, pushing out of his seat. “Come on, I have another surprise for you.”

I’m confused. Does Minseok not want to talk about his members?

He’s already calling goodbye to Miss Ha, and I have to hurry to catch up with him.

He turns a sharp right down a narrow side street beside the restaurant. I remember cutting through this alley to get to the bus station.

In my hurry to keep up I almost stumble over an empty crate. I didn’t notice Minseok turn back, but he’s suddenly there, grabbing my hand to steady me. He doesn’t let go, even when I right myself. Instead, he pulls me along after him.

I can feel my palm getting clammy in his. I’m worried Minseok will feel it too, but I also don’t want to pull away either.

I’m so focused on overanalyzing the hand situation, that I don’t look up until we’re halfway down the next street. And then I see it.

“It’s the old arcade!” I exclaim, excitement and nostalgia hitting me all at once. “The trainees went there almost every day, remember?”

Minseok grins. “I remember you got banned for a month because you practically wiped them out of dolls in the crane games one weekend.”

I nod, pride lifting my shoulders. If claw games are ever added to esports, I’d change professions in a second. I’d sweep every competition.

When we were trainees, every time I got a bad review or a critique at the agency, I’d come here and work out my frustration in the arcade. I suppose I got a lot of criticism at the beginning, because now I’m unstoppable.

We hurry inside and I make a beeline for the first flashing crane game.

“Which one do you want?” Minseok asks.

“I can get my own.” I’m already surveying the stuffed animals inside and choosing my optimal target. I feel like a seasoned athlete returning to the ring after years away. “You know how good I am at them.”

“I want to get you one, though. We’re on a date.”

The statement still catches me off guard enough that I fumble with my response.

Get it together, Hyeri. You can’t forget that you’re on the clock right now.

“Why don’t I get one for both of us?” I offer, trying to find a compromise.

“I’ll just win you one,” Minseok insists, his face set in stubborn lines. It reminds me of when we were younger and he was determined to learn a new dance in a day. Minseok often changed his mind about his performance review songs, switching within days of assessment. It always gave me proximity anxiety, but he always pulled it off.

“I’m not so sure if you can. You weren’t really that good at crane games when we were kids.” It’s one of the only things the great Moon Minseok could never master. Proof that he really was human.

“Hyeri-ya, Ihavegotten better at things since I was sixteen.” He rolls his eyes, but I can see his jaw clenching. He’s annoyed. “Just let me win you one.”

I purse my lips, somehow drawing perverse pleasure in knowing I can tease him over this and he has to let me. “I’m just saying I’m not sure if you’ve had time to hone your claw game skills; it takes a lot of practice and you’ve been too busy touring the world.”

“Fine, if I get it within three tries, then you have to do something for me.”

I shake my head, sure it won’t come to that. “Okay, what is it?”

“If I get the doll, then you have to start calling me Oppa again.” He grins as the smile finally falls off my face.

I promised myself a long time ago that I would never call him that again. I almost refuse the challenge. But I know that will give it more importance than I want to admit. Already he’s watching me with a smug look. He knows that this bothers me. That’s why he’s doing it. So, I lift my chin.

“Fine, but you won’t win.”

“Just tell me which one you want.”

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