“This one is gorgeous,” Leah says, grabbing a handful of photo samples from a recent shoot with Lotte Department Store. They’re doing a big ad campaign for the launch here in Korea. I lean over Leah’s shoulder to see the picture she’s referring to—it’s a shot of me against a bright white background, with a huge smile on my face, trying to balance a triangular-shaped bag on my head. “That’s the New York one, right?” Leah asks. I nod. This was one of the hardest bags to design. I agonized over the specific charms for the zipper pulls, wanting them to be evocative of New York City without feeling too cheesy. “You have to put one on hold for me,” Leah says. “It’s got such a cool vibe.”

I grin. “Celeste called it ‘nostalgic yet fresh.’ ” Since Alex told me that Lane Crawford was going to carry the bags, I’ve been in close contact with Celeste and her team. Even though he’s technically an investor in the brand, I didn’t want Alex to have to be the go-between for me and Lane Crawford. Especially now…

Just then, my phone buzzes, and my heartbeat accelerates by several degrees. Each time Alex texts me, I feel like there’s a radar beam pulsing out from my phone: Hey, look over here! Rachel Kim is texting with a boy! She’s kissed him too! And he calls her his girlfriend! With all the increased media speculation since Eunji’s scandal and my move out of the villa, spending time with Alex in person is increasingly feeling like an impossibility. But every time I text or FaceTime with him, it just makes me want to see him more, so I’ve tried to rein in the frequency of our chats to spare myself the temptation. I know I should be honest with Alex about my hesitancy to make things officially official between us, but my own mind is so conflicted, I wouldn’t even know how to begin to explain to him what I’m feeling. So for now, it’s just easier to keep him at a distance.

My fingers are poised to type back Sorry, been slammed lately, but when I look at my screen, it’s not a message from Alex I see.

Yujin: Hey you—Coffee at DB HQ next Tues.?

It’s been a long time since I last caught up with my mentor from my trainee days, but Chung Yujin is the same as ever. Brisk and no-nonsense, but at once warm and inviting, her eyes bright with curiosity, her hair electric blue. We’re sitting at the DB headquarters rooftop café, sipping iced coffee under big white umbrellas propped up over gleaming glass tables.

“It sounds like you’re doing great,” Yujin says when I’ve finished catching her up on all the things I have going on.