Sasaeng Sister [In big roles: Sunghoon, Lee Know, skz, Ateez, Jungkook]

Chapter 19

I regretted choosing the red evening dress when I sneaked out on Saturday night. The color was used in warning signs for a reason. If Mike had happened to walk past a window just then, his eyes would have fixed on me galloping across the front yard in my stilettos.

Sunghoon's car waited for me on the side of the road. All its windows were tinted. There was no time to check where Sunghoon sat because the whole night would have been ruined if Mike had seen me leaving in a car like that. I quickly got in through the closest back door, hoping that the seat on that side was vacant.

"Wow! That was fast. And you even wear heels," Sunghoon said from the other side of the back seat.

He always surprised me with the things he said. Usually, boys complimented their party date on their looks after the wow-comment. But I guess admiring my speed was more honest than that.

"I used to run," I said.

"Did you compete?"

"No."

"Maybe you should have," he joked.

We talked about our hobbies on the way to the party. He had figure skated up until last year.

"Do you miss it?" I asked.

"I don't have time to," he said. "Now I get to dance, a lot."

"I like dancing too. I know a couple of Blackpink's choreographies."

"They will probably be there."

"What?"

"At the party."

"Blackpink?"

Sunghoon laughed at my widening eyes but stopped smiling when I told him that I might act like a crazy fangirl after all.

"I have a lipstick. They can use it to write autographs on my arms."

"That's not even funny," he said, although the corner of his mouth curved up. He shook his head, chuckling at the thought. "I will send you away if you cause a scene."

"I won't. Seriously, I won't. I will ask them to do it in a bathroom where no one can see."

Sunghoon burst out laughing.

"Honestly, I'll be kind of disappointed now if you don't get any autographs."

We both knew I would never dare ask such a thing. I felt nervous already at the front door, where a security man checked our IDs, and a coatroom attendant took our phones for safekeeping. Even celebrities weren't allowed to take filming or recording devices with them.

My dress was glamorous and expensive, but it looked minimalistic next to all the sparkling miniskirts and dashing pearl gowns.

Most people there were K-pop stars, their faces powered pale and smooth. More or less, everyone around me fit the Korean beauty standard. At least, that's what it felt like when they were all dolled up.

Heeseung and Jay appeared in front of us. I only noticed them when they began talking because they merged into the pretty crowd.

"So, this is the friend?" Jay said, raising an eyebrow at Sunghoon.

Heeseung jabbed Jay with an elbow, pushing him aside. Then he introduced himself as if he was the only person there.

At first, Heeseung seemed nicer than Jay, but later, Jay complimented my dress, immediately winning all the points. I had just started to feel insecure wearing the sleek red thing, but his comment boosted my confidence.

Ultimately, both boys were nice, although I was too shy to speak much. I also couldn't concentrate on what they said because I needed to pee.

When I couldn't bear the expanding bladder any longer, I excused myself and left the boys talking about how they had caught Ni-Ki holding a shot. Ni-Ki had claimed that he had only kept it in his hand for Shinee's Taemin, who had asked him to hold it while he tied his shoes. Jay didn't believe him, but Heeseung thought it was very possible. They kept going in circles, discussing how to make their maknae stay in line or make Jay trust people, depending on who was talking.