He looks over his shoulder and grins. “I’d like to think of it as a duet.”
“I was afraid of that,” I mutter.
“Get some rest.” He nods. “Oh, and when we pull this off, make sure to be nice to Jisoo. She sneezes when she’s nervous.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugs. “She’s nice.”
“And I’m not?”
He doesn’t say anything, just keeps walking, making me wonder until the early hours of the morning what Ryan thinks of me and why I actually care.
Chapter Five
Ryan
Everything feels different as I wait for Ah-Ri in the studio. I find myself looking for her for no reason other than to make sure I can see the sour expression on her face every time I make her do something she doesn’t want to do.
I know she works hard.
I also know she hates me after what I said about her. She just doesn’t know why I felt compelled to say it. I was petrified that rumors would spread about me liking her, and I’d get into trouble or lose things I’d worked for. And worse? I did actually like her, and I didn’t want her getting into trouble either. Dating isn’t just frowned upon; you either sneak around and put everything on the line, hoping you don’t get caught…
Or you get caught and get into trouble.
I get why anything teamwork related makes her even angrier.
But after yesterday, she has to know how important this is.
I know she’s never been my fan.
Hell, anyone who speaks to her knows that Haneul and I are basically her worst nightmares. We both insulted her and made her feel small. I did it because I was crushing on her and because of my own stupid fear, and he did it because he was jealous that she got higher marks on her dance routine one time, which just turned into this weird competitive thing when he went to an audition with her.
After a shit ton of soju, he finally confessed that he was nervous about the kissing scene and was afraid he’d do it wrong for his first acting audition. So, he just reacted.
That was a couple of years ago, and after she insulted him in front of everyone, well…it just made him even more resolute. I knew telling my best friend that I had a crush on his mortal enemy wouldn’t go over well, so I just went along with it, to protect her and, yes, myself.
The fact is, no one else was as talented and willing to go against everything in the industry.
No one.
Believe me, I checked.
I glance at my phone again.
She’s not late.
Yet.
My dad still hasn’t texted me back since hearing about this challenge of forming a group. And if I see another breaking news story about my dad’s company and how well they’re doing, I might actually puke before I can record. The articles almost always show a picture of my perfectly happy-yet-tortured face as I stand next to my dad, knowing that I’m only there for a photo op—that being an idol is the exact opposite of what he wanted for my life.
I drink more hot tea and lean back in my chair.
If this day goes anything like yesterday, it will be long.
Haneul was all smiles when he got back to the apartment. He said that Jisoo was a dream to work with and listened to everything he said.
I almost laughed.
If his day was perfect, my experience was painful.
Why does Ah-Ri have to ask so many questions?
Why does she need explanations for everything?
Sure, if we fail, she’s screwed, but I’m still offering her something huge. And she hasn’t even said thank you.
If her voice isn’t that good, I swear I’ll headbutt the sound room until nothing’s left but the echoes of my screams.
It’s been a while, and back then, she was still taking voice lessons. All I remember is going, hmm that’s nice.
She has a raspy voice.
Different than others.
Lower.
Not as trendy.
But I like it.
Or I liked it back then.
Who knows what she can do now?
The door to the studio opens.
She runs in wearing a pair of low-slung baggy jeans and a white cropped sweatshirt, showing off her toned body.
I frown.
Suddenly, I’m more concerned about breakfast than her singing.
Did she eat?
For being so tall, she’s thin. Too thin.
I frown harder.
She’s pale, too.
“Did you eat?” I ask, my voice cracking.
She stops in her tracks and chews her bottom lip as if she wants to eat but can’t. She touches her stomach as it growls. “I can eat later.”
“No,” I snap. “You have to eat. You shouldn’t starve yourself. You’re tall, you should have curves with that body. Keep them, let everyone be jealous of them for all I care. But you need nutrition. Energy. You need food.” I shove the chair away from me. “Damn it, you need to eat!” I start pacing. “What’s wrong with you?”