Page 12 of Fallen Starboy

JUN

I hatedeverything about this arrangement.

Hated that I was stuck with Arista as my assistant. Hated that I didn’t know where anything was in this town. Hated that the guys had already been called back to Korea for an impromptu meeting with the label. Hated that I had to share a house with my mortal enemy. Hated that she’d be so close to Yejin?—

Fuck. I had to explain the situation to Yejin.

She’d never seen the idol side of my life in person. All she knew was her daddy was a star, and sometimes she saw me on the tv, dancing and singing on a stage in front of thousands of people. She’d never been subjected to the lifestyle of a celebrity, since she’d grown up in secrecy.

Now, though, she’d be facing it head-on, with no warning. I needed to explain the changes to her before they overwhelmed her.

The company car Arista spoke of felt cramped, with just the two of us occupying the interior. I tried desperately to ignore her presence, but it was quickly proving impossible.

Her scent filled the air, forced its way into my nostrils, teasing my brain with the slight familiarity. She still wore theperfume brand I’d bought her as a birthday gift all those years ago. Her hair, once pin-straight in an effort to fit in, was tied back in a severe ponytail, wisps of her bangs hanging in the front to accentuate the shape of her face. I still noticed the way she chewed her bottom lip when traffic got heavy on the freeway. She still gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white when she was fighting the urge to yell at idiots who cut her off or swerved too close.

I hated it all.

Hated the way it reminded me of better times. Hated how it made me want to turn back the hands of time and make her stay. Or go with her. Hated how weak I felt, especially as the urge to touch her rose inside me.

I hated her for making me forget I was supposed to hate her still.

The silence was deafening. I had to say something, anything, or I was going to go crazy. Even if it was just arguing with her, it would be better than the stony lack of sound echoing in my ears.

“You stop listening to music in the car or something? Sheesh, adulthood really sucked the fun out of you.”

Her hand darted out and switched the radio on, her eyes glued to the road as she fiddled with the controls by memory until she found what she was looking for.

“The high today is a stifling ninety-five, folks, so make sure you’re staying hydrated and staying cool out there. Next up on our rotation is a local band from here in Nocturna Beach, Daytime Darkness. Their new hit single, Follower, is climbing the charts fast, and critics are raving. But I’ll let you decide for yourself.”

The band was good, their song even better. I found myself tapping my toes to the beat, in time to the way Arista’s fingers tapped the wheel as well. When the last chords echoed in the cabof the car, she smiled wistfully and turned the volume down a hair.

“What do you think?” she asked slowly, absently, her eyes still forward.

“It’s music.” My eyes trailed to the window on my right, everything passing us in a blur as we merged onto an exit ramp. “They’ve got potential if they keep putting out bangers like that.”

“They’re a new talent with kNight Records. Signed last year. One of the members writes all their songs. She used to submit lyrics and songs to our label as an anonymous lyricist. We hired her on and found out she had a talent for singing, too.”

“Good for you,” I snapped, not wanting to hear about all her success stories. “Did you seal the deal with them too?”

She shrugged, not picking up on my emotions. “I recruited the bassist from Spain, and the drummer from Sweden. Both very nice fellows, too. Still don’t speak a lick of English, though, so they have a permanent translator on their team.”

“You didn’t volunteer to translate for them, too?” The worn leather of the armrest had a hairline crack down the center, and I picked at the fissure absently, needing to do something with my fingers. “Shocker.”

“I don’t volunteer to translate for just anyone.”

The urge to roll my eyes was strong. “Right. Just ex-boyfriends.”

There it was.

Her grip tightened so much on the wheel that I could hear the leather cracking under her fingers. “I was given the job, I didn’t volunteer for it. And had I known who I’d be working with, I likely would have run in the other direction.”

Wow.

Turned out she hadn’t changed a bit. She was still running away from me, even now.

Not that I wanted her to stay.

I didn’t want her. She only brought pain. And pain and disappointment were the last things I needed right now in my life. I opened my mouth to say so, but what came out instead was?—

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