Unexpected

Part 13

That night, after I return to Yokosuka, I'm surprised to see Sangil's name on my phone screen when it rings. "Moshi moshi," I answer in the usual Japanese phone greeting.

"Hi, it's Sangil."

"Yeah, hi."

"You've sent me a few texts before about stuff that happened during filming, and this time I have something to say."

"Go ahead."

"I talked to my parents about meeting you. They would like to, but they don't want to be on television. So they declined."

"No problem. I understand."

"My brother and sister, on the other hand, are game."

"Great. I can meet your parents off camera, if they want. The day before or after shooting for WGM. Let me know."

"I think they would be happy to."

"And I have something to say as well. About those Snuper tweets. I was only going to mention seeing you guys perform, that first tweet I sent. But then it went viral, and many of the later replies were very annoying. Did you read any?"

He hesitates before answering. "Yes, some."

"The ones that said to stan this or that group hit a sore spot. I felt like they were disrespectful towards Snuper, so I kept tweeting about you guys and your songs. It wasn't about me crushing on any specific member."

"Ah, okay."

"Do you get jealous easily?" I ask.

"I don't think so."

"Because once F1 starts I'm going to be hanging out with guys a lot. Esteban, my teammate. Mechanics, other drivers, interviewers, fans — while there are females in F1, we're outnumbered by the males."

"I think I'll be okay with that," he reassures me.

"And I will be friendly and teasing with them. I'm friends with several of the drivers: George, Alex, Antonio. And I'll most likely make more friends."

"That's fine."

"I just want to let you know that even though this is a TV show, I won't cheat," I continue. "It's not who I am, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. If I start to develop feelings for someone, I'll say that my schedule is too busy and quit WGM."

It's quiet on his end. Then he softly replies, "Thanks for telling me this, Sochi. I hope we continue to be honest with each other for the duration of our relationship."

"I hope so, too, Sangil. Also, if I knew you better, I would have gotten you a personal gift for the holiday." He assures me that it was fine. I believe this is when my heart starts to warm towards him, and I remember Taiga's warning about falling for an idol. But emotions are hard to control, and I'm not sure I even want to. Why shouldn't I fall in love? 

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