Page 82 of XOXO

YES!

Meet me at Joah after school? I’ll give the security guard your name and information.

I’ll have to cancel one of my bookings in the practice room, which is slightly painful only because they’re so difficult to come by now that the showcase is a little over a month away, but I’ve barely seen Jaewoo since our date. Skipping a single practice won’t hurt.

I take a cab to the address Jaewoo texts me right after classes get out on Friday. I don’t know what I expected the main building of Joah Entertainment to look like, but it’s fairly inconspicuous, with a slate-gray industrial-looking facade. I pay the cab driver and step onto the street. As I approach, the youngpeople loitering outside, girls dressed in school uniforms like me, stare at me curiously.

The guard in the small gatehouse glances up at my approach, but then looks back down at a laptop, where he’s watching some sort of variety show.

I wave at him through the window. “Excuse me.”

With a heavy sigh, he stands up from his chair. “What do you want?” he says through the plated glass.

“I—” Do I just tell him I’m here to see Jaewoo? I’m sure all these other girls are also here to see him.

“Well? Speak up, girl.”

“My name is on the list? Jenny Go. J-E-N-N-Y-G-O,” I spell out.

I’m relieved to discover that a list actually exists when he picks up a clipboard wedged beneath the computer. Written vertically down a piece of paper are names in Korean; the very last name is mine, scribbled in English. He points to it, and I nod.

“Tell whoever you’re meeting to join you in the lobby.”

“Thank you.” I bow.

I hurriedly enter the building, hunching my shoulders to ward off the curse-filled eyes of the girls behind me.

The interior of the building is a lot nicer than the outside. The lobby is spacious, filled with natural light from upper floor windows. There’s even an employee café to the right of the lobby.

“Jenny!” Jaewoo jogs over from the elevator bank. He lookslike he just came from washing up, his hair slightly damp, wearing a loose T-shirt that shows his collarbones.

I press my hands behind me so that I don’t leap into his arms. As far as anyone can tell, I’m just one of Jaewoo’s classmates, along for a tour. Because of the relationship between SAA and Joah, tours are common enough that people wouldn’t think twice at my being here.

“Hey,” I greet him. “I think I made all your fangirls outside explode with jealousy.”

“There’s people outside?” Jaewoo looks in the direction of the doors. “I should ask reception to hand out some water bottles. It’s the hottest day this year, by far.”

I follow him to the receptionist desk so he can make the request before we head over to the elevators.

“I thought we’d go on a tour of the building, and then maybe order takeout,” he says, pressing the Up button. “Is there anything you’re craving?”

“Hmm...” I lean back against the wall of the elevator. “What’s around here that delivers to this address?”

“You name it, they deliver it.”

I tap a finger to my lips. “I want a double-fudge sundae, waffles, and jjajangmyeon.”

“Done.”

The elevator stops on the third floor and the doors open. A short foyer connects to a large dance studio with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Emblazoned on the back wall is the company logo and sign: Joah Entertainment.

“I’ve seen this room before,” I say. “In your dance practice videos.”

“You watch those?”

“You’re my boyfriend. Don’t think for a second I haven’t seen all your videos, even the fan-made ones that point out all the evidence that you and Nathaniel are a couple.”

“That’s embarrassing,” Jaewoo says. “And here I thought we were being careful.”

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