In-ho sat on the sand next to her. She lay back, looking up at him. Slowly, he leaned down on his elbow. Trish felt feisty. She took off his sunglasses. "Let's leave all the outside world behind. This is a getaway, right?"

In-ho went to grab them back, but Trish played keep away, holding them close to her. "Hey, I need those to drive."

"You're not driving now." She held the glasses against her body.

He moved to grab them from her and knocked her back. She laughed as he leaned over her, a hand on either side. "You're right, you know. I'm not driving now."

She stopped laughing for a second and looked up into his eyes. All that gorgeous goodness leaned over her. She swallowed, trying to remember to breathe.

He broke the silence. "That kiss back on the set."

"Yeah?" She tried to remember to breath, still.

He licked his lips. "It meant something."

She swallowed. She could breath again. "I couldn't tell if it did. I mean, we had just met."

"Which is why I wanted to take you on a trip." He lowered himself towards her. "I wanted to get to know you." He leaned down more, his chest pressing against hers as their lips met. She reached up for him, pulling him closer, forgetting where she was.

All she knew is that he was finally on top of her, someplace she didn't realize she had wanted him before. Her legs adjusted between his, grazing close to his body. His warmth kept her safe from the ocean breeze blowing over them. Then, he lifted up for a moment, moving her hair to the side. "I feel an attraction to you. I want to explore it. I'm hoping you feel it too... "

There was a crack, like a branch breaking. In-ho looked over her head. Then, he suddenly pulled her back down. "Don't move. There's someone walking along the trail over there."

She didn't move. She could feel his breathing next to hers as he leaned over her. She could hear more leaves and some voices now. Some muffled talking and shuffling were distinctly down the trail coming towards them. "What's wrong, In-ho?"

He whispered back, "I don't want to be seen in public just yet." He put his finger over her lips. "Please don't talk." He looked back up to the main trail they had moved away from. She could see his eyes following something or someone. She tried to steady her breathing, but she couldn't steady the pounding of her heart. She heard some shouting and the distinct voice of a woman saying, "Stay on the trail, children. No running."

In-ho rolled back onto the sand, his back staying towards to the people coming down to the beach.

She turned slowly to see a small crowd of children taking another turn off the trail to the beach. Laughing and giggling followed. "Looks like a whole field trip arrived."

"I guess it's time to go." He stood up, and held out his hand. She took it, his weight helping her keep her balance on the uneven, soft surface as she stood. They started to walk back up the beach. It was hard moving, sinking in and trying to keep their footing. Sand was getting in everywhere. Her shoes were thick with it by the time they made it to the parking lot. Then they spotted the school bus. Standing near the car was a man looking at the Ferrari.

In-ho looked him up and down.

"Maybe he's the driver." Trish offered.

In-ho was holding her hand tight. He whispered, "Stay near me." They moved closer, and In-ho asked, "How's it going?" His accent sounded more American now.

"Not bad." The man adjusted his hands in his pockets. "Nice car." The guy continued looking the Ferrari up and down.

"Well, thanks. Glad to have someone who appreciates nice cars." Trish blurted it out before she could stop herself.

The bus driver laughed. He folded his arms over his uniform shirt that mentioned a school district on the patch. "Damn straight. You both up from LA?"

In-ho shrugged. "Yes."

"Nice car, my friend. I used to put up posters of cars like that in my room as a kid."

In-ho nodded, saying, "Thanks for the compliment. Well, we should get going now."

The driver nodded and moved back towards the bus, "You both have a nice day." He walked off towards the trail where the kids had gone.

"Time to get moving," In-ho said moving to open his door.

Trish opened her side of the car when she heard the key fob click. She slid into the passenger seat. She had a moment to turn and look through the window, and saw the bus driver taking the trail down to the beach.

In-ho started the engine, and had it driving out the entrance, veering back onto the exit road. Trish realized she was holding her breath until they were back on the highway. She let it out in one big breath.

"You okay, In-ho? You seemed nervous to be around them." Trish was a bit confused about the sudden exit when the children appeared on the trail.

"I just enjoy my privacy. Children might be more likely to recognize me."

"They were probably on some field trip and wouldn't expect a famous Kpop idol to be there." Then, Trish took a better look at his face. "Hey, you're glasses are gone." He swore in what she guessed must have been Korean. "Oh, it's okay. I like you better without them."

She was going to have to consider that going around with someone famous might be harder than she thought. Even though he was mostly famous in Korea, he still might be recognized in California. A lot of the teenagers were into Kpop here, and anybody could recognize someone that had a poster of him on their wall or tons of his pictures on their TikTok feed. She eased back in the leather seat. Maybe it was something he had to live with a lot in Korea and he was still in that mode here. She vowed to be more sensitive to his needs and to keep things private. Maybe they could stay in places less public. It might help him settle down and be less paranoid.

"If you wanted to stay with a local, I have a friend that might let us stay with her in Santa Cruz. It would give you more privacy than just staying in a hotel."

He seemed to consider this before answering. "I went there once to visit the boardwalk. You said there are vampires." He turned to look at her, lifting one eyebrow.

"Well, not really. Just the movie was filmed there. But I went to school at the UC in town. So, I got a friend there that we could crash at her apartment. Might be fun to meet some locals, right? It will get you out of the spotlight for awhile. Maybe you're burned out from that."

He looked to be in thought for a moment, then answered, "Yes. Maybe I am burned out. But it's difficult. Trying to keep everything private." He looked at her sideways. "But I'm up for it." A smile grew on his face. "Could be fun getting more of a local perspective, like you say."

"Okay. Great." As Trish started dialing her friend Marcy's phone number, she hoped this would make him feel more at ease. Maybe being a Kpop idol was harder than she thought. If anything, she was learning how to do her job. No matter what happened, she wanted to make sure it was a memorable trip for In-ho. If it meant keeping things more private for him, so be it.