Page 3 of I'll Be the One

Just then, the outside doors burst open again. Screams erupt from outside, and I half expect some bizarre tornado to comerushing into the building. But instead, a massive, almost-seven-foot-tall bodyguard dressed in a full suit and shades steps in, holding the door for someone.

“Ugh,” groans Lana. “It’shim.”

The blue-haired girl, whose name I realize I still don’t know, also groans.

Whoever this “him” is, he’s apparently bad news.

I’m about to ask who he is when it turns out I don’t have to. Iknowwho he is. In fact, it’s really hard tonotknow who he is, because almost every Korean person in LA and most definitely in Korea knows the boy who walks through the doors.

In a way, it’s kind of ridiculous how famous Henry Cho is. Unlike other celebrities, he isn’t a member of a boy band and he hasn’t appeared in a single Korean drama.

I vaguely remember reading an article on a Korean news site about how Henry comes from a really powerful jaebol family, like the ones that appear in K-dramas. Jaebols are basically huge family-led companies that do business across multiple industries like tech, food, and hospitality. That, plus the fact that Henry’s mom is a famous actress, definitely explains why people know who he is in Korea.

But it’s weird how well known he is here, where most people don’t know who his parents are. In the States, the only notable things about Henry himself are that he’s rich and ridiculously good-looking. And somehow, this is enough for him to get hired as a model for luxury brands, and his Instagram has over five million followers from all over the world.

Heck, evenIfollow him on Instagram (in my defense, his white Siberian husky is really cute) and justknowabout him, like everyone in the United States justknowsabout the Kardashians.

Let’s be real. People probably only follow him because he’s hot.

Easily six feet tall, with broad shoulders and high cheekbones softened by doe-like eyes, Henry Cho is just as attractive as he looks in his photos. He was blond in the last selfie he posted, but he’s—in my opinion, anyway—impossibly more attractive now with his natural brownish-black hair. Everything from his casually swept-back hair to his pastel-pink button-down and white chino pants exudes “effortlessly cool,” while the navy-blue blazer slung over one shoulder makes him look like he just walked out of a shoot for a fashion magazine.

It’s close to a hundred degrees outside. Why does he have a freakin’ blazer?

The lady at the check-in counter squawks—yes,squawks—and nearly trips over her own feet as she rushes to greet Henry at the door.

“Welcome, Mr. Cho!” she exclaims in Korean, bowing deep and low so her head is at the level of her waist. “Thank you for coming to audition.”

“God,” says Lana, rolling her eyes. “He getsthankedfor justshowing upat an audition. Can Henry even sing? Or dance? I really hate how this industry worships guys like him for no reason. Double standards much?”

She has a good point. I can’t remember hearing anything about Henry’s musical talents, or lack thereof. And to make things even weirder, he didn’t even announce that he was going to audition in the first place. You’d think that someone as famous as Henry would make some flashy announcement about this sort of thing. But his last Instagram post, from around three days ago, was a photo of his dog lounging in the sun.

As soon as I think that, I want to slap myself on the forehead.How and why do I even know that?Social media really scares me sometimes.

A sudden crash sounds behind us, and a camera crew from SBC, the official broadcasting channel forYou’re My Shining Star, comes running into the lobby, along with Davey Kim, the show’s emcee.

Lana and her friend perk up and smile, getting ready for the incoming crew. But the cameras rush right past us, like we’re ghosts. From the way they barrel toward Henry, it’s a miracle that none of them crash into us.

Davey ambushes Henry with a barrage of questions in Korean. To his credit, Henry answers in a calm, collected manner that makes it hard to believe he’s seventeen, only a year older than me. As he speaks, he runs a hand through his hair, flashing the cameras an easy grin.

I can’t hear him over the excited yells and squeals of the crowd around him, but whatever he says makes everyone laugh and visibly warm up to him. This guy is a class act.

“Skye Shin?”

I whirl back around to the front of the room, where a lady with a Samsung tablet waits for me outside Door Three.

“Please stand by,” she adds, frowning at my puzzled expression.

Right. The audition.

I shudder. It’s downright disturbing how my brain completely emptied itself of all other thoughts the moment Henry walked into the room. How could I let myself be so distracted?

He may be a celebrity, but he’s just a boy, I tell myself.You have to focus.

I shake out my arms and legs, an old habit I kept from when I first started dancing. Everyone else is also busy warming up, so I didn’t think I’d be eye-catching until I notice thatHenry Chois staring at me from across the room with an amused look on his face.

Heat rushes into my cheeks, but I ignore it and quickly turn away as I continue to warm up. I can’t let some cute BTS wannabe distract me from the real reason why I’m here. I practiced countless months for this. I sang and danced every moment I could get in between homework and school.

Taking a deep breath, I follow the lady through the door.

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