Page 47 of XOXO

Damn, Nathaniel! I give him a wide-eyed look.Stop!

He gives me a shrug.What?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jaewoo watching us.

“I just mean,” Nathaniel acquiesces, flicking his gaze at Sori, “they’re so protective of you. As they should be. You’re their precious daughter.”

“What about you two?” I say, trying to take the heat off Sori. “You live together, right?”

Nathaniel switches his gaze from Sori to me. “Yeah, we live in a dorm down the street from Joah. But we’re moving soon to a bigger place. When we’re all settled, you should come over.”

I wave him off. “I’m sure you’d have to ask your other roommates.”

“Oh, Youngmin won’t mind. And Sun is hardly there. I don’t know about Jaewoo though.” He turns to his bandmate, all innocence. “How about it, Jaewoo? You want Jenny to come over?”

Something is definitely going on here. Nathaniel must knowsomethingabout Jaewoo and me. But how? I doubt Jaewoo told him, not when he kept it from Youngmin.

“We’re not allowed to have girls at the dorm,” Jaewoo says coolly, though his eyes narrow a margin.

“Bae Jaewoo...” Nathaniel laughs without humor. “Always a rule-follower.”

Jaewoo grits his teeth. “I follow rules so that others don’t get hurt.”

“Even when it’s the rules that hurt the people you care about the most?”

Beside me, Sori’s stopped even pretending to eat; her hand that holds her chopsticks is trembling.

“Sori,” I say, “what you said before was a good idea. We should go.”

She ignores me. “Jaewoo’s right, Nathaniel. Rules are made for a reason, not just to protect our company, but also to protect our dreams, what we’ve been striving for our whole lives! You wouldn’t understand. You’re not like us.”

“Why? Because I entered the game late? Because I wasn’t brainwashed at a young age to believe that I had to give up everything for my family? Or is it because I’m Korean American? I just don’t get it because I’m different, because I have—I don’t know—a mind of my own?”

The cafeteria has gone silent. Everyone is watching, listening.

“Sori...” I tug at her sleeve. “Seriously, we should go.”

“Andyou,” she turns to me, and the venom in her voice actually makes me wince. “You think you’re so great, waltzing in here, making friends, showing them off to me. When you were the one who intruded intomylife, nosing intomybusiness, readingmy mail. Are you even here for music? You can’t dance. I doubt you can sing. You don’t belong here. You’re nothing.”

My heart feels as if it’s dropped into my stomach. This iswhat she’s thought of me this whole time. I can hardly hear what’s going on around me, a ringing in my ears.

“You’re wrong, Sori-yah.”

Everything within me goes still. Sori, wide-eyed, lifts her head. I turn slowly.

“You shouldn’t say those things about Jenny,” Jaewoo continues. “She’s an incredible musician. She’s also a devoted daughter and granddaughter. And a loyal friend. You would know all of this about her, if you gave her a chance.”

I feel a wave of emotions sweep through me: shock, adrenaline, gratitude, and confusion. Why is he saying thisnow, after abandoning me the other day, after ignoring me all week?

How am I even supposed to react to this... defense of my character? We’re not even supposed toknoweach other.

Sori stands up abruptly, the chair clanging to the floor behind her. Tears are streaming down her face. Without another word, she rushes from the cafeteria.

I hurry to follow, leaving behind a stunned crowd.

Twenty

“Sori!”

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