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Jihoon was sprawled out on the sofa. My eyes fell on him, and I couldn’t stop them from sliding over the lines of his body.

Of course, he caught me looking. He always did, as if he could feel it. My cheeks heated, but I didn’t look away. I watched as he pulled out his phone, and a moment later, my own vibrated. I pulled it out.

Joon

You need something, jagiya?

[Sent 11:12]

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth for the barest moment before I realised what I was doing and forced my face to relax. He had used that nickname deliberately. It was an effort of sheer iron will to not look up and study whatever expression would be on his face.

Me

Just wondering how long it’ll take Lee to decide what you’re all wearing.

Joon

What do you want to see me wearing?

[Sent 11:13]

I looked up sharply, just in time to see Jihoon waggling his eyebrows at me, and I had to turn a sharp laugh into a coughing fit. I chanced a look back at him. His shoulders shook, even though his face was carefully controlled.

I was saved from needing to find the words to reply with, as at that moment the stylist and one of the managers called for them all to get dressed. I watched as they filtered out, staying right where I was – obviously.

Jihoon winked at me as he turned to leave, and my fingers fluttered up to cup my cheeks, feeling the way they burned.

The shoot took much longer than I could have anticipated. There were so many outfit changes, so many poses, so many props.

I had to admit, though, it was fascinating to watch. It was so easy to forget how well media-trained they’d been as part of their idol training. It was easy to brush it off as being simply dance practice, vocal training, songwriting, that kind of thing, but countless hours had been spent on interview techniques, acting, and modelling.

Watching the members now, moving their bodies in subtle ways, switching poses and changing expressions reminded me of that.

As if I couldn’t help myself, my eyes were drawn to the subtle shift of Jihoon’s body. Each move was precise. He seemed to be able to go from aloof to sensual with little more than a tilt of his head. I watched the way he seemed to know exactly how to soften his mouth, or to sharpen his eyes. It was as I watched that his gaze locked with mine where I stood behind the photographer. My fingers froze where they’d been fiddling with my necklace. My pulse skittered, and I expected him to look away. But he didn’t. He stared at me, his expression shifting into something… hungry.

I swallowed hard.

But then the photographer moved, blocking my line of sight, and the moment was broken. I exhaled heavily, looking around to see if anyone else had seen, but no one was paying me the slightest bit of attention.

After the shoot, I was looking over the shoulder of the creative director as she and Lee looked at the stills on the monitor. I saw again the way they were able to manufacture an entire mood with just a change of expression. I felt mildly envious. My face wasn’t nearly so cooperative, usually broadcasting whatever I was feeling, whether I wanted it to or not.

It gave me an idea for an article, and I patted around in my pockets for my notepad. Not finding it, I bent down to rummage in my bag.

I heard an almighty clatter of things falling over, and I straightened up, looking over my shoulder to see Jihoon, red-faced and apologising for knocking over a light strut. I watched curiously as Woojin laughed, pointing at a thick black cable running along the floor that Jihoon must have tripped over. He kept darting looks at me while I watched, bemused.

“So distracted today, Joon-ah,” Woojin laughed, clapping him on the back as they passed by.

Later that evening, the social media blogger posted about the Vogue trip, along with some aesthetic shots of the members eating bagels in Manhattan. I wouldn’t have even seen the post had I not been tagged in it multiple times.

Given how active some fans were, it wasn’t too surprising that people had begun to find my professional accounts, but this was the first time I’d been called out quite like this. As if people had started to notice what I was up to, or care.

The comments were fairly innocuous at first, mostly just asking if that was me in the background of a couple of the photos I hadn’t even noticed were being taken. But the more people commented, the more the tone seemed to shift. Some were confirming my identity, while others were questioning why I was even there, as if I had no right to be.

I hadn’t tried to hide the fact that I was working on the tour. My name was credited as part of the official tour coverage, so my involvement was hardly a secret.

I was careful about what I posted on my own accounts, though. I was contractually banned from posting anything specific about my schedule or the group’s movements. Anything I posted was generic, touristy stuff.

But what was even more unnerving than having people know who I was, or be interested in my movements, was that people were accusing me of following GVibes, and of using them for clout. It was nonsense. I was employed specifically by ENT for the tour. It was my literal job to follow them. If these people had spent even five minutes looking me up, they’d have seen how deeply entrenched in K-Pop, and specifically GVibes, I was. I mean, hell, I was even a Viber, but now my proximity to the group was being used against me.