Min-ho

Overwhelming.

I can't find a better word to describe what just happened.

That girl is an ocean wave that hits you and leaves you breathless.

I slowly lower my arms, realizing I've been stuck in this position ever since I pressed her against my chest.

And I have to admit, it feels incredible.

I touch my heart and feel it beating incredibly fast.

Boom, boom-boom; boom-boom.

If I don't breathe, it might jump out of my chest.

I slowly let go of the air and follow the last flutter of her hair as she turns the corner of the long corridor and disappears.

"Aish!" I mutter like an old man and shake my head.

What the hell is happening to me?

As if it wasn't commonplace to find beautiful girls trying to touch me, take selfies, and dream of a future with me?

Daebak!

Maybe it's the tiredness of this long day, but I feel confused.

She's a kid, Min, calm down!

She's seventeen, damn it! If anyone found out I had a crush on someone so young, they'd call me a pervert.

It's true that, despite being Korean, she's lived in the United States and her attitude is decidedly Western, and the few years separating us aren't a problem, but I can't give in to this attitude, especially since I'm her recruiter.

I sigh and take a sip of lemonade; the taste is bitter.

Meeting Jade has turned my day upside down, and not just musically speaking.

"Are you okay, Hyung?"

Yoshy's voice behind me makes me jump, and I compose myself, nodding.

"It's been a long day," I sigh. "And it will be like this for another four days, as we have to screen at least a thousand aspiring artists. The other committees are also overwhelmed, but the data collected says that the selection process was very tough, as only three hundred will advance to this first stage."

"Considering that it's been only eight years since my debut, I find today's competitors much more liberated and extroverted than us. Don't you agree?"

"How can I disagree with you? I could barely say a word, I blushed every time they spoke to me, and I don't know how I managed not to stammer. That boy who called me hyung as soon as I walked in, asking for my autograph, made me realize I've aged."

I burst out laughing, even though my attention was focused solely on that sweet storm that had just passed.

"What do you think of the American?" I ask myself seriously.

"She's good," I admit, taking a sip. "She's damn good. Why do you think she came all the way here? In Los Angeles, she would have had opportunities they'd never give her here."

"I don't know, but I think something brought her 'home,' even if I think it's something painful."

Yoshy nods and heads for the water cooler.

"The second panel will tell us if she's good enough for our standards, but I'm rooting for her."

I'm surprised by his words, but I also realize that Jade hasn't left him indifferent.

And I've had a thousand worries.

I huff, annoyed, and I don't even know why.

But then I remember him hugging me.

I smile.

"What are you thinking?" Yoshy asks me.

I shake my head.

You'll never know.