Page 50 of Idol Prize
Min Jae finally sat back, resting his ass on top of Andy’s still-hard cock, panting, beads of cold sweat running down his forehead and back. Andy caught his gaze, his grin softened to a lazy,blissful smile. They stared at each other for several breaths as Min Jae’s heart pounded in his ears.
“If that’s what happens after we argue,” Andy said, “then we gotta start fighting more.”
Min Jae chuckled. “We’ve already fought plenty of times.” He leaned forward, staring into Andy’s deep brown eyes, tempted for a moment to believe that he’d found the perfect golden retriever–happy, dumb, and down to fuck. But he’d be wrong. Andy was no goofball, despite how he might come off to the Dream Makers. He was sharp, talented, and every bit as determined as Min Jae. Like Min Jae, Andy had a way of getting what he wanted, too. Which was what Min Jae liked the most about him. He’d never have fallen for someone who wasn’t his equal.
Oh shit. He’d already fallen for Andy.
19
Andy couldn’t stop grinning.Every time he caught sight of his reflection in the window across from him, he forced himself to quit. But it was right back there, plastered across his face when he saw himself again, looking like a total goofball idiot.
At least Min Jae was awake this time, unlike their last subway ride. “You may as well just let it happen,” he said, somehow reading Andy’s thoughts. “Better to get it out of your system now.” Maybe that’s also why he was holding Andy’s hand, even if their hands were shoved down between them out of view. To get it out of his system. “Remember, we’ve got to be careful when we get back.”
Andy nodded. They’d spoken about it that morning, lying in bed beside one another after the best night’s sleep Andy could remember having in ages. The #MinDy ship was back on, so they’d have to keep playing up the bromance bestowed on them by the Dream Makers. Hanging out and staying close to each other. Being touchy feely without being all lovey dovey. Talking about each other when they weren’t together. Friends. Good friends, even. But, definitely not lovers who’d spent their whole Chuseok weekend fighting and fucking.
Min Jae’s grandmother seemed to be none the wiser aboutwhat Andy and Min Jae had done the night before, aside from loudly declaring how well she’d slept when she saw them in the morning. She’d gotten up early to make sure they had coffee and a bit of breakfast before they left to head back to the competition, wishing them both the best and reminding them that she’d vote for both of them.
“I know,” Andy finally replied, his lip curling into a smirk. “I’ll definitely be extra careful when I sneak into your room and bend you over in the shower.”
Min Jae’s cheeks reddened as he frowned, but he didn’t snort or scowl. Andy hadn’t quite worked out how much teasing Min Jae was willing to put up with from him. For Min Jae’s sake, he hoped it was a lot. Andy thought playful teasing might be one of his love languages, but he wasn’t sure. The closest he’d had to a relationship was a guy in Merced he’d hooked up with a handful of times for about six months. But that had been more than a year ago. And he’d never been in love before. Not that he was in love with Min Jae. Hell, he’d only known the guy for a little over a month, and he’d fought with him for at least half that time. But he liked Min Jae, that much he was sure of. Mostly. And he was definitely into Min Jae. The guy was absolutely voracious, waking Andy for a quick round three of making out and mutual head that morning. His balls hadn’t ached that much since one of his students had accidentally nailed him there during a failed spin.
“You should get that kind of thing out of your system, too,” Min Jae reminded Andy, gently squeezing his hand. “Just stick to the plan and we’ll be fine.”
The plan. Andy saw the irony of that, after storming off when he learned of Min Jae’s plan, he was now officially participating in it. But he’d gotten what he wanted, too. Honesty from Min Jae. Better to establish that between them now, while they were still competitors, then to wait until they debuted. Things would onlyget crazier from there, and Andy didn’t want to risk their future any more than Min Jae did.
“Fine,” Andy agreed, still smirking. “I’d better get this outta my system, too,” he added, tilting his head to rest it on Min Jae’s shoulders.
Min Jae let him stay there, uncomplaining, until they spotted the first of the contestants getting on the subway with them. Andy dutifully sat up, but Min Jae offered his hand a final squeeze before letting go. Another half-dozen joined them before they pulled into the Gwacheon stop near Sky Village. Andy spent the last half-hour of their ride getting his mind right again, riding the cresting wave of anxiety-induced adrenaline.
“You’ve got this,” Min Jae murmured as he stood, offering Andy a kind smile.
Andy grinned, the tides of his anxiety immediately dissipating. Min Jae needed to be careful, too, smiling at him like that. That was the kind of smile that made people fall in love.
Andy and Min Jae joined about a dozen others walking from the Metro station to Sky Village’s main gates. Clouds had covered the sky since they’d first gone underground, giving even the looming, forested grounds of the Sky Village complex an almost dangerous, forbidden forest feel. But the overcast gloom did nothing to dampen the animated movement and excited chatter of the Dream Boys returning from their too short but much needed break.
The insistent buzzing of his phone in his pocket was Andy’s first sign that something was wrong. He tugged it free to check the screen. Three-BUZZ–no, four new messages from Noah. He halted in place.
“Something up?” Min Jae asked.
Andy frowned as he opened the message thread. “Don’t know. Something from my brother.” He glanced ahead toward the Sky Village gates, where a pack of PAs were stationed, collecting phones, keys, and other competition contraband fromthe returning contestants. He’d expected them to do that in the main lobby. That was weird. “I’m gonna deal with this now before they take my phone away.”
Min Jae nodded, a hint of a frown ghosting his face. “Want me to wait?”
Andy shook his head. “It’s probably nothing.”
“Okay.” Min Jae shrugged. “I’ll see you inside.”
Andy nodded, looking down at his phone, tapping on the first new message.
“Something big’s happening,” Noah wrote. “A Dream Boy dropping out, maybe? Here’s what I’ve seen so far.”
Andy’s blood chilled as he scrolled to the next few messages, screenshots from various social media feeds hinting at a Dream Boy Project scandal. He saw nothing conclusive, just typical viral post language–Scandal! Breaking!!!–but couldn’t ignore the suspicious timing. Had someone spotted him and Min Jae together over the weekend? No, that wouldn’t have mattered, and would’ve hardly counted as a scandal, even by the notoriously lax K-netz and Koreaboo standards. Still... He opened his browser and started typing Dre–
“I can take that from you now.”
Andy nearly jumped at the unexpected voice. He looked up to see a PA standing with her hand extended. “What? Why? I’m still out here. And I gotta look something up real quick.”
The PA frowned in the same profoundly disappointed way his mother and grandmothers always had when Andy had fucked up. “Sorry, but it’s now or never.”
