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I snapped my eyes open in time to see him reach for me, brows pinched.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, “just – too much wine, not enough food. Rookie mistake.” I laughed unsteadily.

Part of me desperately wanted to go with Jihoon. To see if it still smelt like rosemary and mint. To see if the pockets of shadows still felt like places we could hide in from the rest of the world. Memories of him pressing me against the wall and begging–

“Jihoon-hyung!” Ace called, walking over to us.

I stepped back, noticing I’d drifted closer, and I cleared my throat, turning back to the bar, sighing to see it still unmanned.

Ace slung his arm around Jihoon’s neck, grinning at us like he’d caught us about to do what I’d been imagining.

“I was looking for you,” he said in Korean, but his voice had taken on a hazy quality that made it difficult for me to understand.

“I am surrounded by drunk people,” Jihoon lamented, shrugging off Ace’s arm.

“I am not drunk,” I replied in my very best Korean. “I am…” I turned to Jihoon. “Buzzed?” I asked in English.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes, but supplied the word in Korean.

“Yeah. That,” I said, clicking my fingers.

Ace came to lean against the bar with me, his arm rubbing against mine as he leaned in to speak to me as if he was sharing a secret.

“Jihoon-hyung is much nicer, these days,” he asserted, gesturing in his direction. “You should follow us more often. I like him more when you’re around.” He nodded at me and grinned, like this made perfect sense.

I frowned, not sure I’d understood every word. I leaned in to ask Ace to clarify, but Jihoon reached for him, pushing the younger man away from me.

“Aish!” Ace exclaimed with mock-outrage.

“You’re drunk,” Jihoon said flatly.

“You’re not drunk enough. Today is a day off. Relax!” Ace grinned, leaning back against the bar, and swaying a little. I chuckled and reached to prop him up, but Jihoon once again intervened, pulling Ace away and holding him upright. I watched the exchange curiously.

“Tomorrow is not a day off for us,” Jihoon pointed out. “Kaiya has the day off. We are going on TV.”

I mentally smacked myself in the head. I’d forgotten all about Good Morning America. I wasn’t going to be there, because I’d been given the choice between the Harlow Harris Show and GMA. But unlike me, the group didn’t get to pick and choose. They had to attend everything.

“Can I help you?” A voice startled me, and I spun around to see a tall, friendly-looking-guy behind the bar and I suddenly remembered why I was even here.

“Hi. Um, yes. Could I get a glass of water please? Actually–” I turned to look at the red-faced Ace. “Make that two. And can you please ask someone to take over some water jugs to the tables?”

The bartender nodded and pulled out a couple bottles of water from the mini fridge, sliding them over the bar to me. I handed one to Ace. Jihoon took it, nodding gratefully at me.

“Come on, fool. Let’s go sit back down,” Jihoon muttered to Ace, who laughed but followed gamely along. He paused, turning back to me.

I moved up beside him, speaking so quietly that he needed to lean down to hear. “You go on. I’ll wait a little while.”

Jihoon looked at me, his eyes running over my face, and I watched his expression morph into something soft.

“Kaiya, you don’t need to do that anymore. You’re with m–us. You’re with us. On the tour. You do not need to hide.”

Oh.

I swallowed and looked away, unsure of what my face would say. After a moment I nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

We walked back to the seating area to see people starting to mingle. I saw Becka moving towards me. She smiled at Jihoon.

“Hello, Idol,” she said in a teasing tone.