Page 71 of Wish Upon a K-Star

I should back away. I should say something. I should at least let go of his hands. But I don’t do any of those things.

Because there’s still a small bit of the fifteen-year-old Hyeri who has always wondered what it would be like to be kissed by Moon Minseok.

He leans in. I let my eyes close. It’s an invitation.I’m not watching, so do whatever you’d like.

I can almost feel the warmth of his lips on mine. I stay as still as I can. Waiting for him. If he doesn’t lean in, should I? Do I have the guts to do it?

Just as I’m about to take the risk, the door to the pool slams open, the sound a loud echo. “Moon Minseok! Where have you been?” Hanbin stands at the top of the stairs.

We break apart as Hanbin storms down to the deck. Then his eyes widen as he finally takes us in. “What happened? Hyeri? You’re all wet!”

“She fell into the pool,” Minseok explains as he helps me stand.

Hanbin grips my shoulder, looking me over. “Come on, I’ll take you back to your room. Hongjoo has been going crazy looking for you.”

I wince with embarrassment. When Hanbin glances at his own charge, Minseok says, “I’m fine, Hyeong. Take Hyeri. I can get back to my room myself.”

“Come on.” Hanbin’s voice and arms are gentle as he steers me toward the exit.

I’m left with no choice but to let Hanbin lead me away from Minseok.

Back in Seoul, I’m determined not to focus on what happened during the trip.

I heard the hotel ended up comping our rooms, an apology for not having better safety precautions. I feel bad; I saw the sign and went into the pool area anyway.

But it’s not the accident that weighs on me as much as those moments with Minseok by the pool afterward. When I felt like maybe, finally, he was going to kiss me.

I tell myself I was probably just delirious from oxygen deprivation, adrenaline, and my residual confusion after the overly romantic dinner shoot.

From now on, it’s probably best to treat everything involving Minseok with detached professionalism. This is a job. It’s no different from being asked to do romance scenes in a drama. He is just really good at acting like he likes someone. Except, who would he have been acting for at the pool?

Every time I think about what happened, questions like that trip me up. So, instead, I’m in full avoidance mode. The last two days since returning home, I’ve holed up and focused solely on organizing my new apartment.

It’s a three-bedroom that’s clearly meant for a group instead of someone living alone. But Hongjoo did say it was temporary. Which is good. I don’t think I can handle living across the hall from Minseok for long.

Sighing, I fall onto my couch even though I have a handful of towels in my arms that need to be folded. Why can’t I stop thinking about him?

“Because we almost kissed,” I reply to myself. “And I have to know if he’s thinking about it as much as I am.”

I stand up with purpose, letting the towels drop back into the laundry basket. “I’ll just ask him. I’m not a kid anymore. I can just have a mature conversation.”

Then I fall back on the couch, the nerves making my whole being squirm as I cover my face in a towel and let out a muffled scream.

“No, I can do this.” I stand up again, and before I can overthink it again, I march across the hallway.

After I ring the bell, I have immediate regrets. This is a bad idea. What if the other members are home? I should wait for later.

But before I can dash back into my apartment, the door opens, letting out a blast of music.

I retreat a step as Robbie grins at me. “Noona, you actually came.”

“Huh?”

“Come in.” Robbie grabs my arm and pulls me inside before I can protest. I barely have time to toe off my shoes before I’m yanked into their living room. The lights are low, with what looks like a strobe light going in the corner. The TV is playing lyrics to a song. An old rock anthem from before Robbie was even born. And Jaehyung is singing on a Bluetooth karaoke microphone. Despite being younger than me, Jaehyung has always had such an old soul. I’m a little shocked to see Jisung, the maknae of Hyejun’s group, belting it out alongside him.

He looms over Jaehyung as the tallest person in the room. But he’s also the youngest. He’s like a golden retriever, always so happy-go-lucky.

“What is this?” I ask Robbie, lifting my voice above the booming music.

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