She felt the sense of something starting she might not be able to finish. Swallowing, she looked at In-ho driving and back out the window. He just seemed like a normal guy, driving his car. But then, it was a Ferrari. Nothing looks just normal for him. There was so much to him. She wanted to find out who the real In-ho was. Maybe she could help him out with whatever was bothering him. She could tell something was. He seemed tense, his fingers gripping the wheel tightly. How isolated was he? The boss's son. Were people real with him, ever? Or did they always put on an act for him?

Looking at the passing cliff sides, maybe she needed something like this. Just to chill out with him. After Brian, a little bit of a wild boy adventure might suit her. As long as she didn't dig too deep. She sighed, relaxing, letting the movement of the car lull her. She had friends even though they were more in the SF Bay Area right now. Her college friends were all supportive of her new career. Her parents loved the fact she was going after her dream. What did his father think? Did he have a choice? Suddenly, maybe that was it. Maybe he didn't have a choice. Maybe that made him lonely. It would make anyone lonely. The scenery passed by as she let her thoughts drift more into how she could try to at least be his friend. He seemed to need one.

What if she could get to know him more? But what to ask about first. The music playing was filling the awkward silence, but she wanted to try to break the ice. What could she talk about? Suddenly, she had it. "You know, I did some theater when I was younger. So filming the video was interesting." Suddenly, it made her think of their kiss together and she was back in the moment. Being held by him.

But he ran with the idea. "You were? That's fantastic. What plays were you in?"

It broke the spell of the kiss. He didn't seem to be phased by the video shoot at all. Maybe that's what it was to him, just another shoot. His question settled her back to sorting through her memories. "You know, the typical theater kid shows like anything by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Oklahoma, Carousel, and The King and I. But there were some kind of outlandish ones too, like Being Free, Being Me. It was based on a book from the Seventies. And then there was a strange musical called The Invisible People about the invisible friends that kids make up. I had a better part in that one. I had a bit of a solo."

He perked up, sitting up slightly. "Really? Do you remember how it goes?"

She laughed. "Um, I'm not sure. I don't remember the words really, but I remember the tune." She hummed it, mouthing the tone in a la, la, la lyrical rendition of what she could remember.

His eyes grew bigger. "Hey, that was pretty good. You have good pitch."

"I was thinking of doing choir later, and got in the regular choir. But my voice wasn't good enough to get into the performance group." She stopped for a moment, remembering the shame of failing the audition. "There's a lot of rejection in performing."

"I know what you mean." There was a silence for a moment between them. But this time, it didn't feel as awkward to her. "But then, I helped out with one show doing the publicity for it. I went around and got sponsors for the program and had fun doing it. Then later, I got into the radio station's publicity department in college. I got hooked into the behind the scenes of it all. There's less disappointment."

"I like your singing." He responded quietly.

"Really?" She felt so surprised. "You're an expert. So, I take it as a compliment. Thank you. I have to say though, I like your voice too."

"What did your parents think about your performances? Were they disappointed when you did publicity instead?" His lips were tight as he said the last sentence. Like there was more behind his words. But she didn't want to pry.

Trish answered, "My parents always came to the performances. My Dad sometimes had trouble going to every performance, but he always made sure he came to every play and knew how I did with the part. They were really supportive. I don't know. Maybe I'm kind of a daddy's girl, really. I loved it when he was out there watching, and he'd always made sure to give me a bouquet at the end of the performance even if I only had a walk on part."

"It was very nice of your father to see your plays. I wish my father did more of that."

"Doesn't he support you as a Kpop star? He owns the company, right?"

"He'd rather I just did what I was told and stay out of his way. I'm just an embarrassment to him sometimes." The tension went up in the car ten times as his words faded. 

Trish sensed she'd hit a button that maybe she shouldn't press again. But didn't want to leave him feeling upset when things were going so well. "I'm sorry about that. Some dads are different than others. Maybe he means well, by keeping his distance."

"He needed to do something with me since I'm his son. In the industry. So, I'm a Kpop star." She could feel the hurt in his voice, and knew she'd definitely gone into hurtful territory. He turned his head, and asked, "Can we change the subject, please. What else did you do growing up?"

She managed to squeak out a few more memories. Like when their dog would become a horse, and they'd hitch her to the wagon and run her down the middle of the street. Or climbing the fence to her house and exploring the creek nearby before most of the other suburban homes were built around her own. California had changed a lot. Or at least where she had grown up. It had been full of orchards, but now was full of tech companies. "It's amazing how much our old house costs now." She laughed it off, and he nodded as his eyes hid behind his glasses. She didn't know if he'd ever open up again. Or maybe he just needed a break.

Kind to think of it, she was starting to get tired. All the binging of the Kpop videos and Kdramas might have taken their toll. Now that she was in a car heading north, she felt a wave of fatigue. "Hey, do you mind if I rest a bit. I was up late last night getting ready for the trip." 

His answer was a nod. The classical music played in the background, lulling her. She was feeling her eyes starting to close on their own. Before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep leaning back in the comfortable leather seat.