"Not if I can prevent it."
"Good. Rune says it was only a technical failure, but I think it was wrong."
"It was wrong."
"That's what I thought." He glanced back toward the dressing room. "He's still in there. Alone. He always takes longer to come down after shows."
Taemin caught Minjae's arm. "Come on. Let's give Griffin space to be thorough."
They walked away together, while Taemin said something in Korean that made Minjae laugh.
I walked toward the dressing room. The door was ajar. I knocked. "Rune?"
"Come in."
I pushed the door open. The room was small. A couch against one wall. Makeup counter and mirror. Wardrobe rack.
Rune sat on the couch, head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed. He'd changed out of the performance clothes into joggers and a t-shirt. Sweat still gleamed on his temples despite having taken a shower.
He appeared devastated. Wrung out. Beautiful.
"You're still here," he said without opening his eyes.
"Confirming security before transport."
I closed the door behind me. Rune opened his eyes and looked at me.
"That song," I said. "The solo, mid-set."
"What about it?"
"Nineteen thousand people, and you made every single one of them think you were singing to them alone."
"That's the job."
"No. The job is to convince them. You were confessing."
Rune's breathing changed, faster and shallower.
"Who were you singing to?" It was a personal question I probably should have kept to myself.
He stared at me. "You know who."
I swallowed hard. "Rune—"
He corrected me. "Yoon-jae. When it's only us, call me Yoon-jae."
I'd suddenly crossed a threshold I didn't know existed. "Yoon-jae," I said.
"Say it again."
"Yoon-jae."
He moved one step closer. "I can't stop thinking about last night and falling asleep against you. About how safe I felt and the wanting when I woke up."
"Wanting what?"
"To turn around and kiss you. To see if you'd let me."
