“Wow,” Natasha finally said. “So Xiumin pretty much asked you out, you accepted then rejected him, he galloped off to China, and Suho’s convinced that Kyungsoo’s into you.” She stifled a giggle. “Living in Korea is seriously like living in a Korean drama of your own.”

 

A small laugh escaped from my mouth. “You forgot the part where Suho told me that there was no point in pursuing any sort of relationship over here.” I pulled myself into a cross-legged position, still perched on my bed. Minseok’s gift lay on my lap. I couldn’t keep my hands off of it since I had returned from the hospital.

 

Natasha’s eyes fell to the gift. “What did he give you?” she quipped excitedly.

 

I opened the lid for what felt like the hundredth time today. A sparkling golden hairpiece winked at me from the box, and I gave it a small smile. “He told me to wear it with my dress.”

 

“Wow,” Natasha gasped. “It’s gorgeous. Shaped like a peacock’s feathers, too.” She removed the hairpin from the box, placing it against my hair. “Xiumin must have spent a lot for this. He’s too sweet.”

 

“Natasha, don’t,” I moaned, placing the pin back into its box. “I don’t know what to do now. About Kyungsoo, I think Suho might be right.” I shook my head. “If this was ten days ago, I would be going crazy. But now...I’m really not as interested in him.”

 

“You shouldn’t need to worry about D.O. If anything, face the problem when the time comes--and by that, I mean when he asks you out. I doubt he can actually gather enough courage to do that anyway, so it probably won’t happen. Ever.”

 

She had a point. “Then what about Minseok? How can I possibly face him now, especially after my stupidly dramatic exit yesterday?” I buried my head in my arms. “I don’t even know if I’m ready to be in a relationship. I’m not even twenty yet.”

 

“Xiumin’s the oldest out of all the EXO members,” Natasha replied. “He’s twenty-seven, isn’t he? Alongside Kyungsoo, he’s pretty mature from what I’ve seen. He’s at an age where he would be serious about a relationship.” Natasha nudged me. “Besides, seeing that you’re acting pretty serious yourself, a relationship between the two of you would have potential,” she added encouragingly.

 

I was surprised by the obvious truth in her words. “Wow, you really made it sound simple.”

 

Natasha laughed. “It’s what I’ve always done, isn’t it?”

 

I raised my head to look at her. “No matter how much I think about it, I can’t make a decision like this within a short amount of time. I still have no idea as of what I’m going to do, but for now, I’ll give Minseok some space until I can gather my thoughts. How does that sound?” I was surprised by the maturity in my response, feeling much more enlightened than before.

 

Natasha beamed at me. “That sounds perfect! I think I’ll do that for Ahmad too. I really should talk to Chanyeol, though.” She leapt to her feet in a burst of renewed energy. “Wow, I really needed this talk.”

 

I grinned. “I know, me too.”

 

An hour later, both Natasha and I had changed into comfy pyjamas. We were enjoying some time to ourselves, remaining isolated in our room as we scrolled through the hundreds of pictures taken during our vacation.

 

“Oh my god, Tao’s face though,” Natasha gasped. I was clutching my sides, laughing so hard I felt as if I was going to burst.

 

“He’d kill us if we uploaded this picture,” I managed. “I’m never going to delete this.”

 

We were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. I hopped to my feet, stumbling towards the door as I tried to stifle my giggles.

 

As I opened the door, Chen met my eyes. He held a phone in his hand.

 

“I said he’d call, didn’t I,” Chen said. He handed me the phone. “It’s on mute.” Chen shot me a meaningful look before turning away.

 

I felt as though a cold atmosphere had seeped into my joyful little bubble, the grin sliding off my face as reality set in once again. Natasha noticed my change in expression. “It’s him, isn’t it?” she asked in a hushed voice.

 

I nodded numbly. “Oh my god. I should’ve prepared for this.” Panic began to set in. “Oh god, Natasha, what do I do?”

 

“Okay, okay, calm down. I’m here for you.” She guided me to her bed, and I gingerly sat down. “Just listen to him first, then say whatever’s on your mind. Be spontaneous. We don’t need any sort of game plan.”

 

I took a deep breath, nodding. Before I could stop myself, my finger hit the mute button.

 

I brought the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

 

“Jessica?” I hadn’t realized how much I had missed his voice.

 

“Minseok,” I answered shakily. “I’m...I’m sorry about how I had acted yesterday. I was being stupid.”

 

A long period of silence ensued. “I really wanted to talk to you,” Minseok finally said. “I wanted to apologize in case I had been a little overbearing myself.”

 

“It’s not you,” I blurted out. “It’s me.”

 

I heard him laugh. “Isn’t that a breakup line? Don’t break up with me so soon. We haven’t even dated, really.”

 

I bit my lip. “That’s not what I meant--”

 

“Don’t worry, I understand,” Minseok said gently. “You just need a little space.” I heard a little sigh. “I just want you to know that this is real. All of it.” He paused. “Not only that, but I’ll be waiting. December 17th is when I return, and I’ll be at the dance. If you’re ready, find me there.”

 

I heard a sad tone in his voice. My heart sunk a little.

 

“I know you, though. I know that you’ll come. You’ll be there,” he finished. “I’ll find you.”

 

I didn’t know what to say. “Okay.”

 

Okay? What kind of an idiotic response was that? I squeezed my eyes shut, embarrassed.

 

“Okay,” Minseok echoed. He paused again. “It’s 9p.m. over there, isn’t it? Switch on the TV.”

 

I shot a glance at Natasha. She was watching me intently “He says he’s on TV,” I mouthed. Natasha shot off the bed, running to switch it on.

 

“The interview is airing,” Minseok added. He was quiet for a minute, and I held my breath.

 

“I miss you,” he finally confessed.

 

I felt a spark of warmth. “Don’t distract yourself over there,” I responded, smiling. “Do your best and have fun, okay? Stay healthy.”

 

“You too,” Minseok said. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”

 

“Okay. Good night.”

 

“Good night.”

 

I hung up, breathing a sigh of relief. I hadn’t realized how tightly my fingers had been clutching the phone.

 

“Jess!” Natasha yelled from the living room. “I found it!”

 

I dashed to the living room, throwing myself on the sofa. Natasha turned up the volume, eyes glued to the TV.

 

“Good evening everyone, and thank you for joining us today,” the host greeted. “Today, we have been fortunate enough to be interviewing two members of EXO-M, a component of the globally famed band named EXO. Please join me in welcoming Luhan and Xiumin!”

 

I clapped alongside the booming applause, feeling a smile stretch across my face. Minseok appeared alongside Luhan, smiling broadly as he joined the interviewer. “They look good,” Natasha sighed. I nodded mutely.

 

“As you know, many fans across the world have been anticipating this interview. Do you have any message that you would like to say to your adoring supporters?” The host gestured at Luhan.

 

“Hello everyone, thank you for supporting our EXO by buying our merchandise and continuously cheering us on. We couldn’t be gifted by better fans than you,” Luhan began humbly. “EXO has always wanted to get to know each and every one of you, to sincerely express our gratitude and awe that you have supported us for so long.”

 

As Luhan droned on, I turned to Natasha. “Why would Minseok tell me to watch this interview? If I wanted to see him I could have gone online and googled his face, or something along those lines.”

 

Natasha laughed. “Come on, Jess. He’s obviously going to say something about you.”

 

My jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

 

“Maybe. It’s possible, isn’t it? Why else?”

 

I turned back to the TV in time to hear the interviewer’s next question. “Now, Xiumin, we’ve all heard about the scandalous incident regarding the winner of your international draw.” She crossed her legs, a sly smile curling on her lips as she leaned towards Xiumin. “Do you have any words regarding the articles floating around?”

 

Minseok steadily met her gaze. “I do, actually.” He turned to look at the audience, stony-faced. “I want to say that I have been very disappointed with the reactions to this news. I understand that numerous fans have been hurt when hearing it, but there was no need to slam the image of the girl mentioned in the articles.”

 

My heart was pounding.

 

“I’m speaking not only for myself, but for celebrities everywhere,” Minseok continued boldly. “We might be celebrities, but we’re humans too.”

 

Gasps rolled through the audience. The host’s eyes were as wide as mine. “But--but no,” she stammered stupidly. “You can’t possibly mean…”

 

“I’m twenty-seven years old,” he interrupted. “I should be having a dating life at this age, if not a fiancée.” Minseok stopped, and his eyes found the camera. I felt him gaze into my eyes. “Whether she wants to be with me or not, that’s her choice,” he said softly. “I don’t want her to be afraid because I am famous. I want her to see me as a human.” He was silent for a moment. “I want her to see me as Minseok, not Xiumin. For now, however, I am not in a relationship with her.” He paused again. “I’m waiting.”

 

I was so still that I barely breathed. My heart thumped wildly. “How does he know?” Natasha whispered beside me. “How does he know exactly how you feel?”

 

“I...I don’t know,” I finally stammered, blinking out of my trance. “Maybe it’s happened before.”

 

I hoped that I was wrong.

 

“Maybe,” Natasha agreed, somewhat reluctantly. She had turned back to the TV when we both heard a ring from my pocket.

 

I knew that tone. “It’s my iPod. Someone’s Facetiming,” I said, whipping it out. Sure enough, it was my parents. “Hey!”

 

“Jessica? Can you see us?” My mom asked, peering at me. “You’re so skinny. Have you been eating well?”

 

I suppressed a sigh. “Yes, I have, Mom.”

 

“We finally figured out how to use this thing. How are you doing over there?” my dad inquired cheerfully.

 

I grinned. “Pretty well. Lots of things have happened.”

 

I shifted my eyes to the TV. Minseok was laughing alongside the audience.

 

My grin grew wider. After all, seeing his cheerful expression always brought a smile to my face.

 

“What are you watching?” my mom interrogated. “Is Natasha there?”

 

“Just an interview. Yes, she’s right here,” I answered, tilting the iPod so that Natasha could greet my parents. “I’m a bit busy though. Leaving for an outing in five minutes,” I lied.

 

“Where to? You don’t look dressed up,” my mom challenged me suspiciously.

 

I stifled a giggle, ignoring Natasha’s confused look beside me. “Exactly. I should probably go get ready.” My finger poised itself over the “END CALL” button.

 

“Wait!” my mom burst out. “We wanted to tell you something.”

 

“We were going to tell you once you came back to Canada, but it’s all been officially set,” my dad added excitedly.

 

I froze. “What’s been officially set?” I asked slowly, frowning warily.

 

“Mmm. Let’s just say he’s intelligent, handsome and friendly,” my mom said dreamily. “We know his family well.”

 

No. This couldn’t be.

 

My eyes moved back to the television sitting in front of me. Minseok was warmly chatting with the host, nodding as he spoke. “You’re kidding,” I said quietly. I felt as though a boulder had dropped into my stomach.

 

“How about we tell her the rest when she returns?” my mom turned to my dad.

 

“Let’s do that,” he agreed cheerfully. “Expect some interesting news, darling.”

 

On the screen, Minseok had stopped laughing. A bright smile was stuck on his face.

 

His eyes slid over the audience before resting on mine.

 

I stared back at him as my parents spoke to me. “You’ll like him, for sure. Trust me, okay?” my mom chirped gleefully.

 

Minseok broke his gaze, looking away from the camera. I lowered my eyes. “Okay,” I echoed faintly.