Undercover Fan

by Jennie Bennett

  I look at Abby wondering if she set something up, but she just shrugs. I laugh when Paramore starts blasting out over the crowd. This was the first song I sang with Minji in the car. Still into You. Fitting for how I feel about him.

  I’m dancing at the back of the room, being crazy with Abby when the whispers start. “With Corrine?” I hear someone say really loud. The crowd parts, music scratching to a stop.

  Standing at the entrance to the gym is Minji, full tux, and a bouquet of roses. I want him to walk toward me, but he just stands there.

  “How about slow song for the couple?”

  Abby and I turn to the DJ booth at the same time realizing the voice has changed. Hyungkook is behind the DJ stand and he waves to us both.

  “Corrine and Minji, everyone!” he says, and Abby pushes me in Minji’s direction as everyone claps.

  Music has started but I can’t hear. Is that really Minji standing there? His gaze is downcast, feet shuffling the lacquered floor.

  I step within usual talking distance, but no further.

  He slowly lifts his head, and when his eyes meet mine, they’re full of tears. “Can you forgive me?”

  What a ridiculous question, I never held anything against him. I breathe a laugh. “You don’t need forgiveness.”

  He takes a step closer and a hint of his leather smell wafts towards me. Dang, I’ve missed that.

  “Yes I do,” he says. “I jumped to conclusions. I knew the moment I left I had made a mistake. You opened your heart to me and I didn’t try to understand you, and then I thought you’d never forgive me.”

  Really? But if that’s the case, why didn’t he come to the fan gathering?

  “Corrine, all I want to do is protect you. When I saw you at the fan gathering I couldn’t speak because I was afraid you’d get mobbed.”

  I search his eyes, looking for truth. It’s all there in his gaze. He missed me as much as I missed him.

  “And that video,” he continues. “You didn’t have to do that. If anything, I should be thanking you for making me a better man. One who could see past the fangirl, to the real girl inside.”

  I can’t handle the distance between us any longer. I run to him, throwing my arms around his neck. He stumbles back, but his hands end up on my spine, rubbing up and down.

  He takes my shoulders and holds me away so I have to look at him. “Just wanted to let you know,” he says, “I’m going to kiss you now.”

  I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.

  Epilogue

  “How did you two meet?” Minji’s father asks, his gaze shifting between both of us.

  Minji’s focus is on me, not noticing the way his father is trying to grill me. It’s my first time coming to Korea, and I couldn’t wait to meet Minji’s family so I could thank them for bringing him into the world.

  “It was a fan gathering in Texas,” Minji says, those black eyes still looking right through me. “I went because I was curious about the fans in America. And well...she stole my phone.”

  I laugh and shift uncomfortably on my pillow on the floor. Minji’s parents live in a traditional house, something I never would’ve guess from my modern idol.

  “It wasn’t exactly like that,” I say, “But pretty close.”

  Minji’s mother swats his father on the back of the head. “You knock it off, they’re happy.”

  I glance at Minji who’s still watching me like I might disappear at any moment.

  He grins, finally noticing his parents. “I love her.”

  It’s something he’s said to me before, but announcing it to his parents is a totally different matter. I only wish I could control the heat in my cheeks.

  Minji doesn’t need to mention how many times he’s flown to America to visit in the past year. He doesn’t have to say how we’ve facetimed every day and spent each waking moment thinking about how we can make each other happy. That’s part of loving and being loved. We’d go to any lengths for each other.

  Minji’s father still looks grouchy. “Did you get this idea from Yangbin?”

  I cover my mouth to hold back a giggle. Yangbin is one of Minji’s sunbae’s—someone who’s been an idol longer than him. He’s also dating a foreign girl that I’ve gotten to know pretty well, Vee. Even though Vee lives here in Korea, we chat on social media often. I’ll just say we have a lot in common.

  Most days I still can’t believe it’s been a year since we started dating. The craziest and most amazing year of my life, and not just my life either.

  Since Minji didn’t want to come to America alone, Hyungkook has been tagging along. Things may not have worked out between Abby and Dylan, but Hyungkook seems totally okay with that.

  “We’ve kept you long enough,” Minji’s mom says. “I’m glad I finally got to meet you Corrine. Don’t be a stranger while you’re visiting. Now I want you two to go have some real fun.”

  Minji’s father still doesn’t look happy, but he doesn’t protest either. He doesn’t have to like me right now, but I do plan on sticking around for a long time.

  The parents go back into the kitchen and Minji helps me stand. The second I’m on my feet. He pulls me into his embrace, one arm low around my back.

  “Thank goodness they’re gone,” he says. “Now I can finally kiss you.”

  I laugh as he presses his lips to mine, just open enough to taste me. “Wait,” I say, but he kisses me harder, pulling me into him. “Hang on,” I protest when I catch a breath, but he keeps coming back for more. I’m not really making an effort to stop him, because his lips feel so good. I could get lost in this paradise forever, but there’s something I want to tell him.

  My hands go flat against his chest, and I shove him away. “Before you kiss me again, I want to show you something.”

  His bottom lip juts out, head lulling.

  “Just for a second,” I say, going to my bag and unzipping.

  I pull out a large white envelope with the Seoul University crest stamped on the top right corner. I hold it behind my back and walk over to Minji.

  “Inside this envelope lies the answer to our future.”

  Minji’s mouth drops open, his eyes widening. I hand it to him and he rips the paper, taking no thought for how it might be put back together and preserved.

  “Miss Miller-Hayden,” he reads aloud. “It’s our pleasure to accept you to Seoul University.” He takes in a shocked breath. “You’re moving here?”

  “In six months,” I say with a gigantic grin on my face.

  He tosses the envelope, picks me up and spins me around. “I can’t wait until I can see you every day.”

  “Someday,” I say, “We’ll be with each other forever.”

  He glides his hands from my hips to my spine. “Our forever’s already begun.”

  We kiss, his warm leather scent filling my nostrils and making my head dizzy. I don’t know how I got this lucky to land him, but I don’t plan on letting go.

  “Congratulations!” I hear Minji’s mom shout through the kitchen door.

  Both Minji and I laugh until our bellies hurt, but neither of us release the other.

  I search his face, imprinting this perfect happiness in my memory. Minji Park is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Inside and out.

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  Bonus: First Chapter of Kidnapped Idol

  Being Prepared

  Visit the Great Wall of China

  “Jenica, are you really crossing that off your list, right this second?” Blain says, scrunching her nose and causing her stud to glint in the sun.

  I put the cap back on my pen and shove it into my shoulder bag. “Yeah, why not?”

  Blain gives me her classic nasty-face, which always makes me giggle. “Because we just showed up. You haven’t really done it yet.”

  “Being here is doing it,” I argue. “Even if it’s just
the parking lot.”

  If it wasn’t so crowded I’d take a second to enjoy that I’m really here, at the Great Wall of China like I always dreamed. As it is, I’m being jostled between the masses, pushed so roughly I can’t even see ten feet in front of me. The smell of exhaust from all the buses and cars is overwhelming. Stupid tourist season.

  Blain shakes her head, her short bubble-gum pink hair staying in its gelled perfection. She’s not afraid to stand out. If her hair wasn’t enough, the purple lipstick and ripped leggings would give it away.

  I, on the other hand, am wearing my usual buttoned-to-the-chin white shirt and jeans. Okay, I’m wearing a cardigan too. It’s navy blue because Blain keeps begging me to try more colors.

  Before I put my notebook away, I look over my list one last time. It’s always good to double check.

  Visit the Great Wall of China

  Do something that makes me uncomfortable

  Eat a crazy food from a street vendor

  Skip class

  Fall in love

  Okay, so maybe I’ve made some hefty goals for myself. I didn’t intend to write the last one, but I decided I was going to be honest and put down the thing I really wanted to do. I was listening to my favorite song, Ed Sheeran’s Kiss Me as I wrote it and I got sentimental. I don’t expect to cross everything off while I’m in China, but it would be nice.

  Blain tugs me out of the way before I can be trampled by more tourists disembarking. “Your list can wait until we get back to the dorm.”

  I brush away a stray black hair that’s blown in my face. “No,” I counter. “I can’t. It’s part of the rules—once an item has been accomplished it must be checked off.”

  Blain shakes her head, smirk on her lips. “You are such a nerd.”

  She’s one to talk. She was the only white girl back in Oklahoma to ace Mandarin. Since my heritage is Chinese, I was raised speaking it at home. Mandarin was supposed to be an easy A for me, and it was, but Blain still got a higher final score.

  If she wasn’t my best friend, I might be upset she took the valedictorian spot with that grade. But it’s okay, I still got salutatorian.

  “Suck it up,” I say to Blain, tapping her super-tiny waist with my notebook. “You know you wanted to come here, too. Even if it’s touristy.”

  “I guess,” Blain says, obviously trying to play it cool.

  She used to intimidate the crap out of me before I got to know her, but now I see her as nothing more than a bear stuffed with fluff.

  Blain shrugs. “The live music over there isn’t so bad.”

  I hadn’t noticed the stage until Blain pointed it out. She’s five-foot-eight and I’m four inches shorter than that. I assumed the pop music was coming from speakers somewhere.

  To be honest, the Great Wall of China isn’t what I was expecting. Sure, I knew it would be busy; China is the most populated country on the planet. What I didn’t expect was all the vendors. Everywhere I look, someone is trying to sell me something. Cotton candy, stuffed animals, even Great Wall of China balloons. Feels ninety percent amusement park and ten percent historical monument.

  I stuff my notebook back in my bag and pull out my handy guidebook China: A Walk Through Asia’s Heartland flipping to the tab of the Great Wall.

  “It says here,” I read to Blain, “if we hike far enough, the people will thin out. I bet there’s some incredible views.”

  Blain snatches the volume from me, slapping it closed as she goes. “Jenica. Let’s put the books away and enjoy ourselves.”

  I want to. Really. But I also feel the overwhelming urge to be prepared for anything. My stomach has been doing the butterfly dance since we first boarded the bus in Beijing. I have no idea why I’m so nervous, but I can’t seem to settle myself.

  “Fine,” I say, taking a deep breath. Because I know Blain is right. She usually is. “I’ll keep my bag closed for the rest of the day. Promise.”

  “Thank you,” Blain says with a hint of a smile. “Now come on, let’s get hiking.”

  Sure enough, it only takes us twenty minutes of walking to leave the crowds. The amusement park aura hasn’t left, however. Thankfully, we’re able to worm past the zoo section—for real, there were even Monkeys—but we’re still passing little stands with old men selling granola bars and water.

  After thirty minutes, I end up breaking my promise to Blain by opening my bag. It’s not to get a book, though. The views are so breathtaking I have to photograph my surroundings.

  My camera was the one thing I insisted on bringing with me. The study abroad counselor told us to pack sparingly, but I couldn’t leave my camera even if it’s the size of a small dog.

  I stop in the middle of a dip between two towers, getting caught up in the lush green hills. Clouds move in at a steady pace, making for incredible picture taking. Overcast skies create great lighting, too.

  I swing the lens around to Blain who immediately throws her hands over her face. She doesn’t seem to understand she’s one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever met. She could be on the cover of a magazine and no one would question it.

  “Come on, Blain, just a couple snaps?” I beg.

  Her hands don’t budge. “No, you’re always taking horrid pictures of me.”

  “Hardly,” I say. “Your pictures always come out flawless.”

  “Whatever,” Blain says into her palms.

  I point the camera down so she doesn’t feel threatened. “How about we make a deal?” I ask, batting my eyelashes. Blain hates it when I do that.

  She peeks between her fingers. “What kind of deal?”

  “You let me snap one picture, and you can pick what we do tomorrow.”

  Her arms go slack. “Really? But I’m picking what we do tonight.”

  I take in a deep breath. “I’ll do both. I can let go sometimes, too.”

  Blain spreads her arms. “Snap away.”

  I take a few in fast succession as Blain poses.

  “All right,” Blain says, pointing at me. “That’s enough.”

  I snap a few more of her finger pointed towards my camera.

  “Jenica Marie Lee,” she says. “You better quit it.”

  “You’ll have to catch me first,” I tease, backing up. I keep snapping as she charges at me.

  She’s not really trying because she knows how much this camera means to me. Her angry faces will make awesome pictures.

  Since she knows she can’t win, she decides to take the flight approach. I’m capturing her running to the next tower—uphill, no less—when I’m startled by a drop of water on my head.

  I turn my face to the sky as two more drops hit my cheeks. There’s no way I’m letting my camera get wet if it’s raining. I stuff it in my bag to keep it dry before glancing at Blain. She’s already made it to the top of the hill, and she’s shaking her head at me like she knows I won’t be able to make it to her before it starts pouring.

  “Later!” I scream so she knows I’ll catch up when it dries out.

  There was no rain in the forecast. I know because I checked a million times this morning. Stupid weather-people.

  The rain, which started slow, picks up until it’s falling in freezing sheets. I sprint uphill in the opposite direction of Blain, but it’s not as steep on this side.

  I’m hunched over in an attempt to protect my camera as I lunge for the tower entrance. This ends up being a crap move as the stone is slick when wet.

  My arms fly forward as my sneakers lose their grip. I try to regain my balance, but in the process I end up twisting my left ankle. My right knee takes the impact first, with my left elbow hitting before I can catch myself.

  I stay flat on my stomach for a second to catch my breath. Using my non-existent army-crawl skills, I pull myself the rest of the way into the tower. I want to stand, but as soon as I put pressure on my left ankle, I yelp in pain.

  Grabbing the wall for support, I slide to a sitting position in the narrow walkway. Only one person can hike through at a time.
Even then, the walls seem to close in.

  Blain is like me when it comes to rain. My mom always told me I’d get sick if so much as a drop touched my head, and so as a child I was afraid of it. Now it’s not as terrible, but I still don’t like it.

  Blain has different reasons, but I’m sure she’s hunkering down all the same. Hopefully it’ll leave as quickly as it started. We have a half-hour walk back, and my ankle is throbbing.

  Lightning flashes, and I let out an involuntary scream. A shadow stands in the opening opposite me, backlit by the sudden burst of light.

  I scream again when the thunder booms, this time attempting to stand as the shadowy figure enters the space. This is not how I’m supposed to die. I only got to check the first item off my list. I have so much ahead of me.

  “It’s okay,” the probably-murderer says to me in Chinese. “I’m only getting out of the rain.”

  Lightning strikes again, and this time I see a hint of the guy’s face. He doesn’t look like a gangster, but I still don’t trust him.

  I put my weight on my good foot and hop backwards. “You just stay over there. If you so much as touch me, I’ll call the police.”

  My hand reaches in my bag for my phone to make my point. I hold it up to show him, and then get the idea to take a picture just in case the police need evidence.

  The flash goes off as I hit the button, and the dude stumbles at the bright light.

  “What the crap was that for?” he shouts.

  “Stay away or investigators will be able to track you down through my phone.”

  I’m expecting more anger, but instead, he laughs. “Okay,” he says, holding up his hands. “I promise to keep to my side.”

  I feel a little better, but I still hold my phone out like a weapon, just in case. The space isn’t that big. If he wanted to get at me it wouldn’t take much.

  “You know,” he says, “if you have a flashlight on that phone, we could make a lamp.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, not moving even though my good leg is starting to get sore.

  “I saw it on a show once,” he says. “If you put your flashlight under a water bottle, it can light up a whole room.”