Chapter 17
Andy blindly rushed down the path, navigating mostly by vibes since he was totally lost. He hadn’t been paying any attention to their route as they walked, relying on Min Jae to lead the way.
Foolishly, it turned out. Because he was stupid to rely on Min Jae for anything.
Totally stupid. Completely idiotic. Once again, Min Jae had convinced Andy to lower his defenses, showering him with all this supposed kindness and openness, only to rip off the mask at the last moment to reveal himself as the cold, heartless robot that he really was.
Plying Andy with delicious foods, a kind, sweet grandmother, and his mostly naked body until he was powerless to resist. Hell, Min Jae’s grandmother was probably in on the whole fucking thing.
No, that couldn’t be true. She was just as fished-in as Andy had been, caught up in Min Jae’s dazzling web of lies and deceptions.
She probably had no idea how much of an asshole her grandson really was.
Unfortunately, no matter how justified Andy was to storm off and leave Min Jae behind, he was still lost. He passed enough signage that he should’ve found his way back, except he didn’t actually know where he was headed back to.
No address, because he’d trusted Min Jae.
Just Suyu. And every sign pointed him to different parts of Suyu-dong, but none of the paths looked familiar.
If only that shiny rainbow beetle would come back to show him the right way.
Andy eventually gave up with an exasperated huff and took the next path pointed toward Suyu-dong.
He’d never been a nature boy. He was a city guy who maybe knew the way to Min Jae’s house from the subway station.
Find that, and he could retrace his steps, collect his belongings and get the fuck out of the ice king’s castle.
The production team would still have a skeleton crew at Sky Village, so he could just head back there.
Sanctuary was only a quick ninety-minute train ride away.
Andy’s tree-lined path emerged from the park onto a bustling street he’d never seen before.
Shit. At least he was out of the woods–literally, if not metaphorically.
He crossed the busy road and set out vaguely east, keeping the mountain at his back, knowing that he’d eventually run into the Metro line.
If nothing else, he could head back to Sky Village with the clothes on his back.
Min Jae could bring the rest of Andy’s stuff with him whenever he finally returned.
Or not. That asshole could dump all of Andy’s shit in the trash, for all he cared.
At least it would save him from having to see Min Jae again for a little longer.
Except he didn’t even have his ear buds with him, just his phone.
Blasting some music would’ve really helped to calm him down.
Andy eventually walked past a cute little coffee shop.
He paused out front, enjoying the smell of fresh roasted beans and baked goods, wondering if it was even worth going inside to ask directions, when the thumping beat of an all-too-familiar bassline floated by.
Kingmaker. Snorting, Andy briefly cursed the universe for being an asshole, too, as he tracked the music to its source around the corner.
A trio of street dancers were performing for an enthusiastic crowd in a small, sun-drenched plaza.
Two guys and a girl, none of them older than eighteen, dressed in a mismatched collection of California skatewear, Japanese streetwear, and London punkwear, tied together by pure Seoul vibes.
The original DAZ3 version of Kingmaker blasted from a nearby portable speaker.
Intrigued enough to momentarily forget about his fury, Andy leaned against a nearby wall to watch.
The group had given the choreo a street-inspired ballroom spin, transforming the sharp, controlled isolations of the official choreography into explosive pops and locks, the smooth transitions into gravity-defying floor work.
They were well-practiced amateurs at best, one landing a spin a fraction of a second after the others, another being occasionally sloppy.
But their charisma was undeniable, and the small crowd was captivated.
Their star was the shortest of the trio, a coiled spring of pure energy, who launched into a blistering solo of freezes and power moves.
The others jumped into the crowd as his hype crew, pumping everyone into a joyous, streetside frenzy.
Their excitement, and the fact that they were obviously having fun, more than made up for any mistakes.
When Andy turned to leave, one of the group, a girl with cotton candy-pink hair, caught his eye. “Hey, Dandy Andy Dances,” she called out.
Shocked, Andy froze. He thought maybe someone, somewhere might recognize him from Dream Boy Project. But, never in a million years did he expect a random Seoul street dancer to clock his social media handle. “You know me?”
The pink-haired girl laughed. “Hell yeah, I do. We’ve been following you online for a while.” She jabbed her elbow into the side of her taller dance partner. “See, I told you it was him.”
“No shit?” The tall dancer beamed, tapping the shorter dancer, who was busy using his brief brush with fame to flirt with one of the girls from the crowd. “Hey, look, dumbass. It’s Andy Kim.”
“What?” The short dancer whirled around in shock. “Holy shit! It really is.” He rushed toward Andy, stopping to bow a full 90 degrees. “It’s an honor to meet you, sunbaenim. Your team’s Kingmaker performance was our inspiration to try it! What did you think?”
“Yeah,” the pink-haired girl added. “Be honest.”
Andy chuckled. “Honest?” She nodded. “Okay. You’ve all got moves. Individually, you looked great. You just need to work a little more on your coordination as a team. But you were so fun to watch.”
The pink-haired girl, looking half-pleased, nodded again. “Okay, that’s fair. Can you stick around for one more? We’ve got more we can show you.”
Andy would’ve gladly stuck around, and maybe even joined in, if only to escape from his life for a little longer.
But his life needed dealing with, one way or another.
Putting it off would only make it worse.
“I wish I could, but I’m actually a little lost. In fact, could you maybe help me figure out where I’m trying to go? ”
It took several minutes of Andy accounting for his trip from the Metro station to Min Jae’s house as best he could when they finally stumbled on a landmark they all recognized.
“That little corner market with the big, red awning over the door?” confirmed the taller dancer.
Andy nodded. “Yeah, I know where that is.” He turned to point toward the nearby main road.
“Just head over to Samyang-ro and take a left. It’s about a twenty minute walk.
Turn left again when you get to the bulgogi place with the blue roof. ”
Armed with fresh directions, Andy set off with a lighter step and a clearer purpose.
Discovering that little dance crew hadn’t been the universe fucking with him at all.
He’d desperately needed them, in fact, to remind him of what it was he loved the most about dancing, and why he wanted to debut in the first place.
And get directions, too. All it cost him was a bit of his time and a selfie.
The sun passed overhead by the time Andy found Min Jae’s house again–warm enough that he’d tied his hoodie around his waist to keep from overheating.
He was amazed that he’d managed to find it at all, wandering around as a stranger in a foreign country with only the vaguest idea where he was.
Storming off had been a stupid idea. Almost as stupid as trusting Min Jae in the first place.
But the time had done him some good, and his righteous fury had mellowed to a more manageable simmer.
Alerted by the squeaky front gate, Min Jae was waiting at the door when Andy walked up. His frown could’ve meant concern or anger. His deeply furrowed brows, the same. Either would’ve been fine, because neither mattered at that point. “You’re back.”
Andy snorted, not sure whether he should smirk or frown, settling for something in the middle. “Still got a grasp of the obvious, I see.”
Min Jae’s frown dipped lower. “You’re still angry with me.”
Yep. Still got it. “No, not really. Look, if you don’t want me to come back in, just give me my stuff and I’ll leave you alone.”
Min Jae’s eyebrows shot up. “Why would I not–” He crashed to a halt, wrestling with his sudden understanding. He finally stepped back, clearing the way for Andy. “Of course, you can come inside. You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.”
Okay, maybe Min Jae had finally seen the error of his ways. Or, maybe he was just being fake and polite. Still, neither mattered. “Alright, good.” He slipped past Min Jae and walked inside, stopping to remove his shoes. “Because we need to talk.”
Min Jae nodded. “Okay. Do you want something to drink? You look hot.” He paused, frowning, as he closed the door. “Heated. Sweaty.” He huffed, shaking his head. “You know what I mean. I’ve got bottled water. Or there’s a pitcher of iced green tea my grandmother made.”
Andy chuckled, enjoying Min Jae’s flustered display a little too much. “I’d take some tea. Is she here?”
“No.” Min Jae stepped around Andy and walked toward the kitchen. “She likes to play cards with some of her friends at the senior center.” He poured a pitcher of cold tea into a glass with some ice and handed it to Andy. “She’ll be gone all afternoon.”
Andy drank the tea almost in one go. Once he finished it, he handed the glass back to Min Jae. “I’ll take another, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t.” Min Jae refilled the glass for Andy. “Look, about earlier. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”