I wipe the tears away with the back of my hand. Jihoon will be on the highway by now, and there’s no way I’m going to win a high-speed chase down the 401.
There’s a knock at my window, and I lurch back in my seat, ready to fight.
Then I see Jihoon’s smile, and my heart does a dance as complicated as any StarLune choreography to know that he came back for me.
Twenty-Seven
“You said you left.” I sound faintly accusing when I open the door because I’m having a crisis and having him here in front of me isn’t helping.
“I asked the driver to come back when I got your message.” He reaches in to undo my seat belt before kissing the corner of my mouth in a peaceful way that makes me think it’s his favorite place. “Kit hyeong and Daehyun can wait a few minutes until I get there. Come with me?”
I don’t even think but grab my purse and phone before locking the door and following him to a black SUV. Besides the driver, it’s only us. Jihoon’s dressed in black cargo pants and a tight black shirt, with a mask pulled under his chin. It’s the same look he has in other airport news footage, and it strikes me hard that he’s about to rejoin a world completely unfamiliar to me.
“Were you crying?” he asks, running his thumb along my cheekbone.
“Of course not.” A blatant lie, as I’m not a pretty crier and the evidence is clear on my face.
“Ari. Don’t be sad.” He puts his hand on my knee and moves us so we’re facing each other. “We’ll see each other soon.”
I lean over and kiss him because I’m not sure what to say. Mymind is a chaotic tumble, and I lurch between wishing he would stay to thinking this is all a bad idea to hoping we can make it work. I don’t have a plan for this, and I hate it. My phone vibrates and reminds me of the notifications that flowed in over the day. All those people thinking about Jihoon and tracking every moment of his screwy life.
As if aware of my internal turmoil, Jihoon undoes his seat belt, moves over to the center seat, and buckles back in—safety first—before taking my face in his hands. “I’m glad I found you,” he says before kissing me so completely, he leaves me panting.
When we come up for air, we’re on the highway. Jihoon puts his thumb on my lip, gaze serious. “Now tell me what you’re thinking.”
Even in the dimness of the car, his features are more dramatic than usual. I think he’s…
“Are you wearing makeup?” I ask. I’m a modern progressive woman, but I’ve never seen a man wearing natural makeup in real life.
“Yes. Do you like it?”
I assess him. “Very much. Is this your usual Min look?” Maybe his makeup is the equivalent of my business skirt suit of armor, the physical indicator that he’s about to become more Min than Jihoon. Or I’m overthinking it and he likes wearing eyeliner.
“Our company prefers us to look polished in public.” He stretches beside me. “Alex says our fans have been waiting at the airport since morning.”
This does not help my anxiety levels. “Did they check the flight times to Seoul or something?”
“We don’t usually fly commercial. It’s not secure. We have a private plane.”
He has a private plane. Jihoon must read the thoughts on my face. “It’s Newlight’s plane,” he hastens to assure me. “I don’t own it personally.”
“Is that how you got to Toronto without getting tracked? Private plane?”
He shakes his head. “I flew economy class and arrived without my security.” He laughs. “I think the person who checked me in isn’t a fan. He didn’t recognize me.”
“How do people know you’re leaving today, though?”
He leans over so his forehead touches mine. “Once I was found out, Starrys knew I would have to go back.”
My Mafia theory doesn’t look so far-fetched after all. “That sounds like you’re being kidnapped and also have a monster dose of Stockholm syndrome.”
The silence is so long, I wonder if he heard me. “You left me today to work,” he says finally. “Did you want to go?”
I falter. I want to say no because it would be rude to tell him yes, but the yes isn’t totally accurate either. He understands. “It’s the same. I have preferences, but my obligations to the others are more important. Running away because I had a few setbacks was not the best way to deal with my problems.” He turns to look at me and makes a face. “Kit hyeong scolded me for being too impulsive, as usual.”
“It was dramatic.”
“Yes.” He seems unbothered that his escape was covered by global media. “Now, tell me about your day.”