I look down at my lap. He’s not wrong. I do know how things work in this industry. My mind flashes to Alex. If the paparazzi are already sniffing around for details about a possible secret boyfriend, with only the flimsy evidence of my one-night solo hotel stay, what am I going to do when I’m in the same city as him again? The media is going to be all over us in Hong Kong. I couldn’t bear to have what happened to Jiyoon and Jin happen to me and Alex. Even an innocent, platonic-looking picture of the two of us together could spell the end of our relationship. And getting caught wouldn’t just be a disaster for me personally, it’d look bad on our entire group, not to mention DB. I think about our fan-poll ranking. It’s clear that Girls Forever is truly the most beloved girl group on the K-pop scene right now. Our fans hold us to a high standard, and we’ve always met it. I can’t let any of them—my groupmates, the company, or the fans—down. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Noh,” I say, looking up at his face, my cheeks burning in shame. “I won’t let it happen again.”

He nods once with finality. “We expect more from you, Rachel. We’re letting you off with a warning today, but this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Understood?”

“Yes, Mr. Noh.”

“You’re free to go now.”

I rise to leave and then pause, remembering something else from last night. “By the way, I should tell you. Lane Crawford in Hong Kong is interested in carrying my fashion line, so I’ll need to travel there for a meeting in a few weeks. Do you think we could have that worked into my schedule?”

Mr. Noh raises his eyebrows and I can tell he’s impressed. I feel the slightest hint of relief that I’m living up to my promise to make sure my fashion brand reflects well on DB.

“I don’t see that being a problem,” he says. “I’m glad to see you taking this fashion enterprise seriously.”

I grin with pride. “Thank you, Mr. Noh,” I say, bowing.

“Oh and Rachel, don’t forget,” Mr. Noh says just as I’m about to exit his office. I pause and turn back to him. “Everyone is counting on you. Don’t let us down.”

FOURTEEN

Don’t let us down.

The words repeat themselves over and over in my mind throughout the next few weeks, even as April in Korea—full of crisp breezes and jacket weather—morphs into early May, when the many trees throughout the city begin to blossom. May is one of the prettiest months in Seoul, and I’m finding the spring is filling me with design inspiration—florals! Pastels! Seersucker!