I sit upright. “What? Let me check my phone.” I pull it out of my tote and my heart leaps into my throat when I see I don’t have reception either.

We can’t call for a tow. We can’t even text Mr. Han.

I feel like I’m going to be sick.

Jason revs the engine again, but it’s no use. He taps his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. “Okay,” he says finally, turning off the car. “Stay calm and hang tight. I’ll go get help.”

“What do you mean you’re going to get help? We’re in the middle of nowhere!” Mina cries.

“I saw a gas station a few miles back. I’m sure someone there can help us.”

“Jason,” I say, trying to maintain my cool. “There’s no time to go get help. We need to be on the road, like, now.”

“So I better get going,” he says, giving me a wink. “Don’t worry, ladies, your knight in shining armor will be back soon!”

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who got us into this mess in the first place!” Mina shouts after Jason as he walks back toward the main road.

Mina and I sit in the stifling heat of the car. “I knew this was a bad idea,” she says, gritting her teeth. “This is a fucking disaster.” She gets out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her. I sit still for a moment, debating whether I should continue to suffocate in the car or join her outside. In the end, Mina wins over suffocation. Though not by much.

We both stand outside, watching the road for Jason and saying nothing.

My stomach grumbles. We never did end up getting breakfast. I reach into my tote, searching for the hotel chocolates. They’re a little melty but still good. I knew these would come in handy.

As I unwrap one, I see Mina watching me intently. I stare back at her.

“Do you want one?” I ask.

“No,” she says. “It’s just rude of you not to offer me one when we’re both standing here hungry.”

“I literally just offered you one,” I say, exasperated. “Here.” I throw the other chocolate at her, and she catches it by reflex.

“It’s melted,” she says, making a face.

“Fine, give it back, then.”

She hesitates, her fingers tightening a little around the chocolate. “Are you going to give it to Jason instead? Because if you are, I’d rather just eat it.” She scowls and mutters, “This is all his fault, but they’ll never blame him. He doesn’t deserve chocolate.”

I laugh, her scowling reminding me of the way Leah’s face looks whenever they kill off a character she likes on one of her K-dramas.

“What?” she says stiffly.

“Nothing,” I say, straightening my mouth. “It’s just, you know, you’re right. He won’t get in trouble. If anything, people will probably applaud him for being gracious enough to drive us himself.”

“Ha.” Mina snorts. “Tell me about it. If people found out about this, they’d probably call us reckless and give him a free car and make him the new face of Canadian tourism.” She pauses, like she can’t believe she just said that many words to me in a row without also insulting me.

“Yeah, the way they treat us compared to him, it’s like night and day.” I roll my eyes. “Like those interviewers. Can you believe one of them asked us how long it takes us to get ready?”

Words tumble out before she can stop herself. “I thought I was the only one who noticed that!” Mina says, her eyes wide. “Why can’t they ask us a question that’s half as interesting as the ones they ask Jason?”

“Right? And what about sending us to New York? I mean, not that I mind going to New York obviously, but they could have at least told us. What’s next? Surprise, we’re sending you to Antarctica!”

“In stilettos!”

“And you better have a smile on your face the whole time!”

We laugh and then she sighs, leaning against the trunk and folding her arms across her chest. “Honestly, I should be used to it by now.”

I pause, flashing back to Mr. Choo’s livid face after our dress rehearsal. “With your family, you mean?”

“Yeah.” She shrugs, not looking directly at me. “ ‘No need to make your own choices; just smile and do as you’re told’ is basically my family’s motto. I don’t know why it still surprises me. It’s been that way forever.” Mina’s cheeks have turned bright pink, and she lets out a big exhale. “Sometimes I don’t even know why I’m still doing all of this.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I say, thinking of the past few weeks, letting the frustration and sadness build up inside me. Losing Jason. Missing my dad’s graduation. Not speaking to Akari. Leah not going to Everland. “It’s like, how much more are they going to ask us to sacrifice before letting us debut? My whole family just up and left our life behind in New York for me and it’s been six years and nothing. And now my mom is breathing down my neck about college, and it’s like no matter how hard I work, nothing I do will ever be good enough for her.” I trail off, staring at the ground to avoid eye contact with Mina.

Mina clears her throat. “Sounds a lot like my dad.”

I choke out a small laugh as I realize how much Mina and I actually have in common. “Yeah. She’s not the kind of person you ever want to disappoint. Even my dad is too scared to tell her he’s been going to law school for the past two years. He just graduated and he’s sworn me to secrecy until he gets a job.”

Mina lets out a low whistle. “Wow. I’m sure he’ll get a job soon, though. I mean, if he has the same work ethic as Princess Rachel, he’s gotta be the best lawyer in Seoul.” She darts a mischievous smile my way.

I let out an unexpected laugh. I never thought I’d hear Mina use that nickname in any other way but to torture me.

“So, do you think Jason’s dead or just tied up somewhere?” Mina asks, half laughing, half sighing. She raises her wrist to glance at her watch, the rubies embedded in the face glinting in the sun. “If he doesn’t get back soon, we’ll never make it.”

Just then, a horn honks from down the path, and we look up to see Jason sitting in the passenger seat of a rusty white tow truck. “Hey!” he shouts, sticking his head out the window. “Help is here!”

“Finally!” Mina shouts back at him. “I was starting to think we’d die out here.”

As the three of us watch the car get hooked up to the tow truck, my stomach starts to rumble. I guess one square of chocolate wasn’t enough to relieve my hunger. “Once we’re back on the road, can we stop for some food?” I ask.

Jason perks up. “No need!” He walks over to the tow truck, signaling the driver to stop, and then reaches in and pulls two boxes from the front seat. “I brought provisions!”

“Oh goody,” Mina says. “I’m dying for a pain au chocolat and an espresso.” As she reaches for one of the red-and-yellow boxes, her smiles fades into a look of horror. “This is not what I had in mind,” she says, brandishing the contents of the box at me. “Are these… doughnut holes?”

“Of course not,” Jason replies with an easy smile. “They’re Timbits.”