A picture of Eden pops onto the screen, and I perk.
“Sophie, what are they talking about?”
She shrugs. “Nothing important.”
The screen flashes to a video of Sophie, me, and the boys in Incheon, that night we went to the underground mall. There I am on Korean TV, my eyes a little panicked but my outfit looking pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.
“Are they trying to figure out what school Jason’s at?” I ask.
“Yeah, but the press has been speculating since August. Seeing him in Incheon might help them narrow it down, though.” She chews on a fingernail. “It’s pretty incredible no one at school has leaked the information.”
“Well, I think the school basically threatened their lives if they told. Nobody wants to get expelled if it’s found out they told somebody.”
“I guess,” she says.
The screen flashes to Eden at one of their concerts, and Sophie scoffs.
“What?” I ask. “What are they saying?”
She rolls her eyes. “They’re talking about how Yoon Jae went to China for the holidays, to stay with his dad in Beijing. They’re trying to make a big deal about it, like the band is having trouble or something. Yoon Jae just wanted to be with his family.”
Despite Sophie brushing off the issue, I have to wonder if the network has a point. I get the feeling there’s some kind of tension among them. Or, at least, between Jason and Yoon Jae.
The front door opens, and Jason enters, bringing a brisk wind with him. I huddle below the pillows on the couch, drawing my knees up to my chest to protect myself from the cold.
He drops down onto the sofa beside me with a sigh and frowns when he notices the TV. “Why are you two watching this trash?” he says.
“Why do you care?” Sophie asks.
“Because all those shows do is lie and make money doing it.” His face twists into a scowl. “You shouldn’t waste your time.”
“Well, if you don’t like it, you can go somewhere else.” Then she adds, “They were talking about you earlier, by the way. Said Eden is having some trouble. Apparently, you guys will be broken up by January.”
She laughs, but the dark expression that passes over Jason’s face keeps me from joining in her amusement. I catch his gaze, and he reassembles a blank look that reveals nothing. But it’s too late because I’ve already seen his anxiety.
“What are your plans for tonight?” he asks, changing the subject. “It’s Saturday night. Shouldn’t you take Grace somewhere fun?”
“Don’t you worry, flower boy,” Sophie says.
I raise my eyebrows. “‘Flower boy’?”
Jason sighs again, leaning his head back against the couch like he’s exhausted, but Sophie shoots me a grin. “It’s a pretty boy,” she says. “Don’t you think our little Jason is just the prettiest lead singer there is?”
He launches a pillow at Sophie’s head, maintaining an expressionless face. She catches it before it slams into her nose, but she just laughs.
“Come on, Grace.” She gets to her feet and stretches. “He’s right. This time. Let’s go get dressed.”
After throwing on as many layers as I can and covering my hair with a pair of crocheted earmuffs Sophie has in her closet, I join her in the living room. Jason still sits on the couch, and he watches me enter. My eyes drop to my feet, a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure twisting inside my chest at his attention. We’ve had zero arguments since we arrived—Seoul sits well with him, apparently.
“Where are you going?” he says.
Sophie fluffs her hair in the mirror. “Gwangjang—I want her to try some good authentic food. We’ll walk to the subway station.”
“Are you going with us?” I ask Jason.
But Sophie answers for him. “He can’t be seen in such a public place. Photographers would be following him around all night, and trust me when I tell you that’s not fun.”
My spirits sink, but I tell myself it’s not a big deal. Why do I want to hang out with him, anyway? We’d just have to dodge paparazzi and insane fans—again—and he’d probably complain about how his fans hinder his life the whole time.
I brace myself for the cold as we step outside, but I still shiver at the snap on my fingers, which I stuff into a pair of mittens. Sophie only laughs at my inability to adapt to cold weather.
“You’ll love this place,” she says. “It’s not the trendy hangout place, but it has the best street food in Seoul. And it’s a lot more traditional than some of the newer markets, so you’ll get more of a Korean feel, you know?”
I nod, though I can’t listen. I can’t help wondering what Jason will do while we’re gone and whether or not he wishes he could hang out with us.
When a door slams behind us and feet pound on the wooden stairs, my heart soars in hope. I turn and see Jason trotting down the path toward us, half his face hidden behind a thick scarf, which wraps around his neck multiple times, and hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket.
“It will be dark when you guys come home,” he says. “You shouldn’t walk back from the subway station at night. You need someone to drive you to Gwangjang. I’m coming with you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sophie doesn’t protest Jason’s announcement, though she shoots him a bemused look, then shifts her gaze to me and back to him. My heart skitters, but I keep a straight face instead of squealing like I want to. Which totally freaks me out. Since when do I get excited about hanging out with Jason?
I mean, he can be fun sometimes, and he’s insanely hot—
Okay.
Maybe I have a tiny crush on him.
But it’s not like I’m in love with the guy or anything.