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Bright

Jessica Jung
Chapters (38)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. EPILOGUE
  34. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  35. A GUIDE TO THE KOREAN WORDS AND PHRASES IN BRIGHT
  36. More from this Series
  37. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  38. Also by Jessica Jung

Cover

Cover: Bright, by Jessica Jung

Bright

Never give up your light

A novel from international K-pop star and New York Times bestselling author of Shine

Jessica Jung

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Title Page

Bright, by Jessica Jung, S&S Books for Young Readers

Dedication

To my Golden Stars—let’s shine always and forever

ONE

Smile, they say. You’re living the dream countless girls would die for! Besides, you look so much prettier when you smile. Come on now. Softer. Sweeter. You don’t want to be an Ice Queen, do you?

“Rachel! Over here!”

“Give us a smile!”

Cameras flash in my direction before my champagne-colored stilettos have even touched the ground. I subtly smooth down my outfit—a glittering wrap dress with a strapless sweetheart neckline—as I step onto the red carpet. Mina is close at my heels, and seven girls emerge from the limo behind us, lifting their hands in queenlike waves. Fans scream when they see us, clamoring to get closer through the wall of paparazzi.

“How about a group shot?” a photographer yells.

Like we’ve done a thousand times before, the girls assemble for the photo—each of us instinctively knowing where to stand so that our best features are shown off. We balance each other out, the tall girls and the shorter girls finding their spots in the formation so no one looks out of place. As we pose, the cameras start clicking in a frenzy, catching us from all angles. There’s something about having all nine of us together that makes a certain kind of energy radiate. I once saw someone share a group photo of us on social media with the caption, This is what power looks like!! I think about that sometimes. Power. It’s such a far cry from how I felt around these girls for so long, but a lot has changed in the past five and a half years.

The girls and I take our time walking down the carpet, pausing to pose, lips glossed, hands on hips, literally sparkling like the sun in brilliant rose-gold outfits. As we reach the glass doors of the Peninsula Hotel Shanghai, I look over my shoulder and wink at a camera flashing in my direction, giving them one last dazzling grin.

I’ve come a long way from the trainee girl who used to freeze like a deer in headlights at the first sign of a flash bulb. The cameras don’t scare me anymore.

Now I own them.

Smile.