Page 24 of Idol Lives
Seong Woo shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I heard it was for health reasons.”
“Think you could find out?”
“I could ask around. But why don’t you just ask David Jr?”
Why indeed? Jason hadn’t exactly been looking for a reason not to trust David Soh Jr., but he’d certainly found one. “I don’t think I trust him.”
Seong Woo frowned. “Has he given you any trouble?”
“No, not a bit.” Jason quietly huffed. “If anything, he’s been extra helpful. He even reviewed and approved my contract with Naomi.”
“But you don’t trust him.” It wasn’t a question.
Jason shrugged. “I hardly know him. But my father must have. What about you? I know you don’t know him, but–”
“I’ve never heard anything concrete, but there were rumors. Typical law school stuff–ambitious, cutthroat, would sell his own mother to the devil to get ahead.”
Jason chuckled. “It would be more surprising to hear he wasn’t like that.”
“Yeah.” Seong Woo nodded. “And it’s not like we don’t have any skeletons in our closets, either.”
Jason loudly snorted. “Speak for yourself. My skeletons have been keeping gossip bloggers in business for years.”
Seong Woo knowingly laughed. He’d also seen his name in the gossip blogs more than once. “Touché. Even so, I wouldn’t say you can trust him. It’s always worth watching your back.”
“Yeah.” Jason quietly sighed as the weight of everything settled on his shoulders. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
When their dinner arrived, Jason forced himself to focus on the meal, shifting the conversation to lighter topics. He didn’t want Seong Woo to think business was the only reason he’d asked him to dinner. But his thoughts were buzzing. He’d already learned more than enough to keep him up that night. After paying for their dinner and drinks, Jason thanked Seong Woo, adding a parting reminder to check on David Soh Sr.’s retirement.
Jason struggled with a tangled mess of emotions on the ride home. His real home. He hadn’t slept in the mansion yet and wasn’t sure he ever would. Too many ghosts of his pastlingered there for it to be comfortable. Alone in his empty house, he reached for a beer but grabbed the bourbon bottle instead. But there were ghosts at home, too. Sprawling on the couch, TV flickering in the darkness, Tae Hyun’s absence haunted him. Jason missed his warmth. His touch. He ached to hear Tae Hyun’s voice.
The late hour meant nothing. Despite the time in LA–or whatever time it was in Tokyo–Jason grabbed his phone. He nervously waited for the connection, stewing in a cocktail of worry and longing.
Tae Hyun’s voice finally broke the silence. “Hyung?”
“Hi.” Jason exhaled with relief. “Sorry if I woke you.”
Tae Hyun chuckled, the warm sound soothing Jason’s ragged nerves. “It’s afternoon here, hyung.”
“Oh.” Jason snorted. “Sorry. I was never very good with time zones.”
“It’s fine. I was actually about to call you, too. I miss you.”
Jason sank deeper into the couch cushions, Tae Hyun’s voice soothing his aching heart. “I miss you, too. How are you? How’s everything going?”
“Except for a little power hiccup at the arena, everything’s great so far. The sound check went well otherwise, and it felt so good to be dancing again. And Harajuku is close by, so Ren showed me around a bit. It was so much fun! I think you’d really like him.”
“Ren?”
“Yoshida Ren,Sweet Beast’s leader.”
“Oh, yeah. So, you two are getting along?”
“More than that,” Tae Hyun excitedly assured him. “He’s charming and funny and has great energy. And we’ve both experienced a lot of the same drama, so he gets it. He gets me.I think we’re friends now.”
Jason quietly huffed, suddenly overcome with jealousy. Not that he worried about Tae Hyun cheating on him. But someone besides him was getting Tae Hyun’s time, smiles, and laughter anyway. “I’m happy for you. And maybe a little jealous.”
“Hyung, it’s not–”
