I consider this. “How did he even manage to get around the city before being recognized today?”
“Masks, hats, and being Asian in a pretty white area of town. No one expected him to be here, and I assume he had a huge chunk of luck.”
“Then it ran out,” I say.
We turn up Avenue Road. “Mr. Choi was spotted at a grocery store by a fan who took a photo and followed him back to the apartment. Normally the fan etiquette is to wait for a while to post a sighting to give an idol privacy, but Mr. Choi’s alleged disappearance threw that out the window.”
“That’s how they know where I live.”
“Where he was staying, since you haven’t been mentioned yet,” he corrects. “Luckily, she couldn’t get in. Even luckier, you and he never left the building together after he was identified.”
“Then there’s no connection between us.”
“Not at the moment, but fans and media will check your neighborhood to find out where Mr. Choi has been. Plus your roommate has his last name.”
“At least they’re related so I would only be the cousin’s roommate.”
He gives me a look.
“What?” I demand.
“Ari, I can’t believe I’m saying this—and please take it in the most professional way possible—but people will never think you were only the roommate.”
I frown. “Why not?”
He fidgets with his phone. “Jesus, look in a mirror. You are not…unattractive.”
I feel the heat light up my face. “Alex!”
“It would explain his mysterious disappearance, especially if someone’s seen you together. There’s no way fans will believe it’s coincidence that a pretty woman happens to live with his cousin and there was nothing between you. It won’t happen. You know what people are like. An idol like Mr. Choi can’t even be seen talking to a woman without dating rumors.” He shakes his head. “Heteronormative as well as intrusive.”
I cover my face. “This is not happening.”
“Oh no, it very much is. I’m sorry to have to lay it out like that, but you know my job. I look at the perception. Optics can be more powerful than reality, and I’m doing what’s best for all of you.” He looks sad. “It’s a mess, Ari. A real mess.”
“Where’s Hana? Those other two, Kit and Daehyun?”
“All secure and with Mr. Choi.”
His phone rings as I watch a man pass us on his bike. Jihoon wasn’t avoiding an ex but escaping his life as an international celebrity. Why? Being waited on hand and foot was too much? He was tired of getting fawned over for breathing? I put my head in my hands as a memory hits me. The work problems. I thought he’d been talking about everyday office drama, but he was talking about StarLune. He might have even written the song we heard in the car, and I had no idea.
My mind is a lazy Susan rotating throughJihoon is a liar,Hana is a liar, and that perennial favorite,what the actual fuck. I go back to my Google search and come across an image of Jihoon strutting down a stage runway, tiny against the tiers of fans in the background.
It’s too much. I throw my phone on the car floor. Alex does me the favor of pretending not to notice when I bend to pick it up a minute later.
Then I start scrolling again.
Twenty
“You.” I point at Hana. “We’re going to have words later.”
She grimaces and sinks into her chair.
Kit and Daehyun—sorry, Kay and DeeDee—sit on the couch looking between me and Jihoon and their phones in an eerily synchronized movement, like cats tracking a laser toy. I ignore them.
Jihoon opens his mouth. “You,” I say. “Your turn is now.” I glare around the room. “In private.”
Alex wordlessly points to a closed door. His expression is easy to decipher:You poor bastard. Jihoon reads it as well as I do, and his face squinches up in a way I would have found charming an hour ago but am now too angry to acknowledge. I blow through the door without waiting. Jihoon follows and shuts the door carefully behind him, blocking it as if worried I’ll try to escape. No fear of that because no one’s leaving until I get the full story.