“Okay, well, I’m going to go pack.” I make a beeline for my room before they can ask any more questions about Alex.

I go into my room and empty the contents of my dresser drawers. My parents offered me a bunch of empty moving boxes, but I figured I’d see what I could squeeze into my various suitcases first. I’m rolling up T-shirts, socks, and pajamas to line the bottom of my Away suitcase when suddenly I sense a presence in the doorway. I look up, expecting to see Jiyoon, but it’s Eunji.

Her face is blank, impassive. She hovers there silently for a moment, then says, “So. You’re really moving out?”

“Yep,” I say, rolling up a pair of woolly socks.

“You’re shattering the snow globe,” Eunji pouts. But rather than sounding accusatory, she seems almost wistful. I look up and see a hint of emotion starting to show in her eyes.

“Eunji,” I say, and her bottom lip starts to tremble. I reach for her hand and bring her to come sit beside me on Jiyoon’s bed (mine is covered in clothes). “I’m so sorry for what happened. It was totally unfair. It could have easily been me and Alex, and honestly, it’s just really bad luck that you and Geonwu happened to go out first and get caught.” I feel a shiver down my spine again, realizing just how true this is. “Probably one of the waiters recognized Geonwu and tipped off Reveal. How could any of us have known?” I tentatively put my arm around her shoulder, and though she stiffens, she doesn’t pull away. “I’m so sorry it happened that way. So, so sorry. I can’t believe how messed up this whole thing is.”

“Yeah.” She looks away, her voice breaking. “It is.”

“But please don’t be angry with me. We need each other to get through this. The real people to be angry at is the media,” I say. “For forcing us to go public with relationships before we’re ready. And,” I say, instinctively lowering my voice as if Mr. Noh could somehow hear us here in the villa, “DB for going along with it. How hard is it for them just to say ‘no comment’?” I know DB has our best interests at heart and is just trying to protect us within the framework of the industry, but sometimes I wish they’d stand up for us and our right to privacy more than they do. “And—at least they aren’t forcing you to break up like with Jiyoon and Jin.”

“I guess so,” she sighs. Her shoulders deflate, the anger seeping out of her and turning into defeat. “Ugh. This is what I get for dating someone as famous as me. More famous, actually. I should have gone for a nobody like you did. It would have been so much easier to go under the radar.”