I whisper back. “I know. And I don’t care. You and me against the world, right?”

He pulls away, staring at my face for a second… and then lets out a startled laugh, which in turn makes me start giggling.

“Let’s give them a show,” I say. “May as well.” And right there, in the midst of all these flashes and hollers from the crowd, I reach up and kiss him. “Oh, and by the way,” I whisper, pulling my lips from his, “I love you, Alex Jeon.”

Alex freezes for a beat, his eyes growing wide, and then he does the dorkiest fist pump I’ve ever seen.

And then, because how can I not, I kiss him again.

The crowd that has now gathered to watch goes wild. In the back of my mind, I know there are some folks out there who will be livid as soon as the pictures are out, which will be within the hour. There are some brands that would have sponsored me and now they’ll refuse to. There are even some fans who will disown me.

There are risks—and I’m embracing them all now.

Because for every person who doesn’t like the real me, there will be a new one who gets it. For every door in my old life that closes, I’m going to find another one to open.

Besides, it’s like Akari said. Once you’ve had to face your worst fears, you can finally be free of them. And it’s true: How can I be afraid of more bad press when I’m already swamped in it? I’ve seen the worst they can do. And my brand is thriving anyway. DB is the one hemorrhaging stocks, not RACHEL K.

Let them say whatever they will say. I refuse to live in fear anymore.

What got me here won’t get me there.

I take Alex’s hand, and he swings his duffel over his shoulder with the other hand. “Come on,” I tell him. “Let’s go home.” And together, we part the crowd, smiling and waving like we’re a freaking royal couple.

I may not know what the future holds, but with all these cameras flashing around us, their light filling my peripheral vision like fireworks, I know it is going to be bright.

The next morning, the first thing I do is pick up the phone.

“Hi, Carly? It’s Rachel.” I take a deep breath. Leap of faith, here we go. “You know the event you were talking about? Let’s do it.”

Who am I without Girls Forever?

Can I succeed on my own after being kicked out?

Will my fans still show up for me?

These questions have been circulating in my mind for the past four months. And honestly? I have no answers. Not yet. But I’m here to try to get one step closer to finding out.