Sophie’s attention wavers and she retreats to her cell, but I can’t tear my eyes off the couple in front of the camera. Na Na laughs and simpers, pouts and smiles, on the photographer’s command. She’s a natural, obviously. Beside her, Jason struggles to appear casual, but she has enough charisma for both of them.
“If you’re not going to get your autograph, why don’t we leave now?” I ask Sophie, forcing a lightness into my tone that I don’t feel. “I’m sort of hungry. Let’s go grab lunch.”
“We rode with Jason,” Sophie says. “We have to wait until he’s done.”
I swallow a groan. I rifle through my purse, searching for any won that I could use to pay for a cab or bus. If I have to sit here one second longer, I’m going to scream. Each snap of the camera shoots another jolt of irritation through me.
At the bottom of my bag, I find a few coins.
“We could take the bus.” I hold up the won. “Why don’t we go shopping or something?”
Sophie hesitates. “But I want to get my autograph…”
“We’ll have tons of opportunities later,” I say, pulling out my used-car-salesman voice. “We’ve been to practically every day of shooting thus far.”
She shakes her head. “They’re going to Busan tomorrow, about six or seven hours south, so we can’t watch anymore.”
Jason’s going to Busan? I glance at him, but he’s got his arms wrapped around Na Na from behind and rests his chin on her shoulder. He grins at the camera, and my stomach turns.
I confronted him a few days ago about being a jerk, but he denied everything. Like he can’t see that he’s using me and Sophie—wants us close by in case he needs something, in case we could be useful, but far enough away that we don’t cramp his style. But every time I ask Sophie if we can do something on our own, she doesn’t get it. She doesn’t see the way he’s ignoring us, like she’s immune to his annoyingness. I guess if you share genes with someone, you get used to their idiosyncrasies.
It takes every ounce of self-restraint I have to swallow the sharp words threatening to explode from my mouth. Sophie hasn’t done anything wrong, and I can’t vent my frustration on her just because she’s the closest to my blast radius. She’s not the one who’s hanging all over Na Na in front of an entire photography team. Or the one who’s been basically ignoring me since the drama started filming.
So I rein in my inner diva and say as evenly as possible, “Well, I’ll just go alone, then.” I throw my purse over my shoulder. “I know you want to get that autograph. You just hang out here until you get it, then you can meet me somewhere.”
Her eyes get wide. “But you don’t know where you’re going.”
I wave off her concern. “I’ll ask.”
“You don’t speak Korean.”
I shrug. “Most everyone here speaks English. At least enough to give me directions.”
She jumps to her feet and grabs my hand. “What if you get lost?”
Now I laugh. “Then I’ll call you.”
“Grace!”
The protective tone in her voice should make me feel good, but it just rubs my already sore nerves.
I force a smile, though with every snap of the camera’s shutter, I can feel another shred of my control slipping. “Sophie, seriously, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Just write down your home address in Korean, and I’ll head there after I go see a movie or whatever.”
Yes. Movie. The characters on the screen can’t snub me in front of their industry friends or not tell me they’re going to a different city with Korea’s current favorite starlet.
Sophie chews on her bottom lip but eventually nods. “Okay, but call me if you get lost. Or bored. Or you run into any sketchy boys or mafia people.” Her eyes get wide. “Grace, what if you get mugged? Or raped or—”
“Sophie,” I interrupt, keeping my voice grave even though the panicked look on her face might be the most priceless thing I’ve ever seen. “I’ll be fine. Everything will be fine. Okay?”
“Okay.” She pulls me into a back-cracking hug. “Don’t die. Promise?”
I chuckle, some of my frustration ebbing. “I promise.”
I try to make my escape quietly, but a voice calls from behind me, “Grace!”
My heart constricting, I force myself not to cringe as I turn to face Jason. “What’s up?”
He jogs over to me, the crew and Na Na all watching us. Heat blooms in my cheeks, and I force myself not to stare back at them and shout, What are you looking at? All the warm and fuzzy feelings I just had for Sophie have dissipated, leaving only irritation and hurt behind.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“I don’t know. Maybe to a movie?”
His eyebrows disappear beneath his hair. “By yourself?”
“Why not? I get around Ganghwa Island by myself just fine.”
Concern seeps into his gaze, which only fuels my frustration. He doesn’t have the right to worry about me. We’re barely friends, and he didn’t even tell me he was leaving Seoul tomorrow. He has hardly spoken to me in weeks. Does he expect me to check in with him all the time, but he doesn’t have to?
Oh, heck no.
“Grace, I’m not comfortable with—”
“You’re not comfortable?” I hiss. “What does it matter to you, anyway?”
His expression turns confused. “Grace, I—”
“No!” I bark. “Look, it’s nice of you to worry and all, I guess, but I’m not an idiot. No reason for you to be concerned.”
He rolls his eyes, now his turn to get angry. “Of course I have a reason. We’re friends.”
“Oh, we are? Because I thought friends told friends when they were going to Busan. Friends also tell friends when they’re going to be practically making out with a girl for hours in front of thirty people.” My voice takes on a harder edge. “And friends don’t ignore friends when they want to impress other people.”
His eyes open wide in astonishment. “What are you talking about?”