"Whaaat?! How was the Gala? Did you have fun?"
The second I opened the door, Vani practically launched herself at me, wrapping both arms around me in a huge hug. Behind her, the rest of the Bonnie girls were clapping and cheering like I'd just won something big.
I blinked, surprised, then smiled, "It was fun! Super grand, and I got to meet a bunch of celebrities! But honestly, it would've been even better if you all had come with me."
And just like that, they all piled on to hug me tight. Like, really tight. I couldn't breathe properly, but I didn't even care—it was that kind of happy. The kind that fills you up from the inside because you can feel how much they support you.
"Alright, alright, my little fairies," Hina stepped in like a sweet, smiling mom. "Let's give Mimi some space to rest. She's done so well tonight!"
"We knooow!! Our girl was seriously brave," Birina beamed, patting my head proudly.
"Totally worthy of global S-rank star status!" Sun added.
Then Liv and Vani both gave me huge thumbs up.
Hina gently interrupted, "Okay, okay, sweethearts. It's getting late. Take good care of our Mimi for me!"
Everyone nodded like little bobbleheads and waved as she turned to leave.
I quickly grabbed her hand before she could go. "Hina, thank you… for tonight. For everything."
She smiled and gave a little shake of her head.
"Oh, and Liv," Hina said, suddenly sounding like a mom again, "don't eat too much pudding, alright? You're gonna break out again. Tsk tsk."
Liv gave a cheeky salute. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Alright then, I'm off. Sleep well, girls!" Hina called, waving one last time.
---
Okay, shower's done. Now it's time for my nighttime skincare. Oh right! It's Friday, which means... face mask day. I don't do masks every day since my skin's kinda thin and sensitive. I usually stick to three times a week: Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
But tonight, after that event, I'm totally wiped. No way I'm dealing with clay masks and all that mess. Instead, I pick out one of those sheet masks from that 12-pack of rice masks I got in Korea during our world tour.
I sink into the soft, familiar sofa in the other room and relax, letting the sweet rice scent soothe my skin... when I hear stomping footsteps.
"Hey hey hey... are you asleep already, bae?" That candy-sweet voice? Definitely Vani, our main vocalist.
Eyes still closed, I mumble back, "Nope, just doing my face mask. I massaged the serum around my eyes too so it's not dry yet... opening them stings! What's going on?"
"Insta, Webook, everywhere! They're all posting about you and that prince guy!!" Vani squealed, practically shaking me.
"Wait, what?!" I sat straight up, blinking through the sting, rubbing my eyes like crazy.
Suddenly, three screens were shoved in my face. They were talking over each other in pure chaos.
"Look at this!"
"This one's super HD!"
"What even happened between you two?!"
Then Sun gave the universal shh signal. "Guys, quiet! You'll wake B!" (*B*, short for Binina, was already asleep.)
In front of me were three major magazine articles. All with the same headline vibe: Brightest Couple of the Gala. My jaw dropped. I took the phone from Vani to get a closer look. Oh my gosh... They really caught that moment? I barely even remember it clearly...
Those eyes. That ocean-blue gaze. His arms, warm around me... In that second, I had fallen. Like, really fallen. My breath had hitched, my heart had fluttered—it was just like now, thumping like crazy. Without realizing, I placed a hand over my chest, trying to calm the wild storm inside me.
"Things moved that fast between you two already? The show hasn't even started yet," Liv teased, scratching her chin with a smirk.
Snapped right back to reality, I blurted out, "No no no, it's not like that! I just... almost tripped, and he caught me. That's all."
"But this picture right here," Sun said, zooming in on the screen, "screams two people deeply in love, just saying. And look! Matching outfits! Both in white. Both in denim. Coincidence? I think not."
Vani chimed in, "Scroll down, Mimi! The photos get even better. Like a couple straight out of a fairytale. I'm not kidding!"
Liv was scrolling furiously on her phone, practically bouncing. "This is insane! Our fandom already made a group chat just to ship you two. They're calling you guys the 'Bonnie Saint and the Neighboring Prince!' And they're obsessed with your prom-style denim-white fashion, and everyone's dying to see A-List Escape now! Haha, Bone really is the best!" (*Bone* is our fandom name.)
My jaw dropped. I scrolled through more photos, one hand holding the phone, the other just kind of hanging mid-air. "This... happened so fast. Oh no. I just hope the fans don't overthink it and get disappointed."
"Then you've got to give it your all, Mimi," Liv said, patting my back. "Let's make sure Bone stays proud."
"Exactly! Go for it, girl!" Vani echoed, giving me another little cheer pat. "But seriously, didn't they say the celeb lineup for A-List Escape would be announced? I haven't seen any updates."
"I thought so too," I replied. "But they decided to keep it a surprise for the viewers and the cast. I only just found out one more person who'll be on it: Burke, the Australian singer."
All three of them blinked and exchanged a look like: Who on earth is that?
"Alright, night night!" Sun concluded, slinging an arm around Vani and Liv's necks to pull them off to bed.
"Sweet dreams, you guys!" I called after them.
Leaning back into the couch, I felt this weird mix of excitement and nerves bubbling inside me. My suitcase for the one-month A-List Escape shoot was still a mess, and we were leaving next Wednesday. I let out a long sigh.
Right now, there's only one thing my heart keeps circling back to: That prince. And the hope that I'll get to see him again.