Page 37 of Idol Lives
Ren stared at Tae Hyun, his eyes wide with fear and shame. “This is a disaster,” he hopelessly muttered. “They’re gonna crucify me. My career is over. Again.”
The raw anguish in Ren’s expression was impossible to miss. Sympathy cut through Tae Hyun’s lingering anger at Ren’s reckless actions the night before and the public’s relentless scrutiny. Ren had made an impulsive mistake, yes, but it was clearly motivated by insecurity and loneliness. He didn’t deserve this public flogging.
Tae Hyun moved closer to Ren, placing a hand on his trembling shoulder. “Hey, it’s not over,” he quietly said. “You’ve already been through worse. But you’re too talented. Your fans will come back.” His own career seemed less secure at the moment, but that wasn’t Ren’s problem.
“Easy for you to say,” Ren spat. “You’re a global superstar with a rich boyfriend and a high-powered PR agency backing you up. I barely survived that last scandal.” He loudly scoffed. “And now the whole world is gonna think I’m trying to come between you and Jason.”
Tae Hyun sighed. Ren had a point. He could imagine the pressure Ren was under, the scrutiny, the homophobic vitriol that was likely flooding social media. But he couldn’t let Ren give up that easily.
“Listen.” Tae Hyun met Ren’s gaze with determination in his eyes. “We’re going to face this together. We’ll issue a statement–something that denies the affair and turns it back around on the nosey press, maybe. We’ll frame this as a misunderstanding.”
“No.” Ren’s shoulders slumped further as he sobbed. His tears fell freely, his expression twisted with anguish, as he buried his face in his hands. “This is it. I’m done. They’llnever let me back after this. And–” he looked up at Tae Hyun, his red-rimmed eyes dark and hopeless. “I know I fucked everything up. You probably hate me now. Especially after last night–” He trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.
Tae Hyun quietly huffed. He’d already assured Ren of his support at least twice. But it was hard for him to ignore the desperation in Ren’s face. In some ways, the mess was all too familiar, with everything KBR had done to keep Tae Hyun from successfully going solo. And Tae Hyun never would’ve made it through that without the support of his family, his friends, and, most importantly, Jason. He couldn’t be sure, but he doubted Ren had that same level of support.
Tae Hyun steadied himself on the dressing table as his exhaustion finally caught up with him. It was all becoming too much, success spiraling beyond his grasp as–no. He sighed, knowing what needed to be done, even if he wasn’t sure he had the strength for it. Gently pulling Ren into a hug, Tae Hyun felt him stiffen, then slowly relax.
“I don’t hate you,” Tae Hyun quietly shared. “Let’s just get through this. Okay?”
Ren choked back a sob, clinging to Tae Hyun with a surprising intensity. “Are you sure?”
Tae Hyun hesitated, still wary of Ren’s previous standoffishness. But their embrace felt different–more like the friendship he’d initially wanted. “Yes, I’m sure.” Pulling back, he grabbed the pack of makeup wipes from Ren’s dressing table. “Why don’t you get cleaned up? I’m gonna find my sister and see what she’s been able to do.”
Ren cautiously nodded, took the wipes, and began removing the smeared remnants of his makeup. Tae Hyun left him tohis waiting bandmates to track down Yun Seo. Despite the awful circumstances, he was happy he’d finally worked things out with Ren. But he also needed a break from the dressing room’s emotional claustrophobia.
Tae Hyun ran into his sister pacing in the hallway outside. “Any updates?”
Yun Seo nodded. “I talked to Min Ji at Vital. They apparently already had a team on it.”
“What did she say?”
Yun Seo frowned. “Typical bullshit fromK-star. They won’t pull or retract the story. But they said they’d add a statement from you.”
A statement. Meaning a denial, which would just as likely fuel the rumor’s flames as saying nothing. But Tae Hyun’s fans would expect a denial, if only for Jason’s sake. Jason. Tae Hyun sighed. He needed to tell Jason. It was morning in Los Angeles, and Jason might even be awake. But he wasn’t ready to break the news yet.
“Tell them to offer a denial. Something simple. Ren and I are just friends and peers. Anything beyond that is totally false.”
Yun Seo nodded. “I will.” She glanced towards Ren’s dressing room. “How’s he doing?”
Tae Hyun’s shoulders almost slumped, his exhaustion from the show and the struggles afterward threatening to shut him down. He forced himself to stand straighter. “He’s taking it all really hard. I guess I can understand after–” He cut himself off before admitting what had happened at the after party. You never knew who might’ve been listening. “–after already being forced out of the closet.”
Yun Seo nodded again, her brow creased from hersympathetic frown. “Sure, of course. But you talked some sense into him?”
“I think he’ll be okay,” Tae Hyun confirmed.
“What about you?” Yun Seo placed a hand on his shoulder, obvious concern in her eyes. “Will you be okay?”
Tae Hyun nodded, forcing a tight smile. “Of course. This rumor will die out soon enough, and everyone will move on.” At least, that’s what he desperately hoped. Otherwise, he was in for a world of trouble.
11
Jason sank into the plush office chair, sipping from his coffee before returning the cup to the conference table. The LA skyline shimmered outside the window, a reminder that he’d rather be anywhere but in that meeting. He understood his father’s typical power-play, taking all his meetings at his desk. The only view he wanted his underlings to enjoy was his face. But Naomi was too smart to rely on those games, even if her desk was big enough to accommodate a four-person meeting. The fact that Jason was one of those people kind of sucked. It was his third morning meeting at Brightstar in as many days, and he was already tired of it. He’d hired Naomi precisely for that reason–to deal with the corporate politics so he could be with Tae Hyun on his tour. And Naomi had her own game in mind, choosing her new conference table over her desk to make it seem less formal when she met with David again.
But another day waking up alone had made Jason cranky. That and the fact that he’d stayed up so late just to call Tae Hyun before his show. Between his sleepless nights and the early morning meetings, he was worried about getting dark circles under his eyes.
So Jason tried to approach the meeting like a role–show up, deliver his lines, and play the part of the clueless billionaire.Maybe it wasn’t so different from his next film project, a legal drama where he was supposed to play the aid to a prominent Senator who became embroiled in a government conspiracy. Maybe spending time in a boardroom would make him even better suited for the part.
Not that Jason seriously thought there would ever be another real role. He hadn’t yet fully admitted it to himself, but the more he pushed taking his next acting job down the line, the less likely it was that he’d ever take it. He’d fought hard to establish himself as a legitimate actor, not just some rich kid whose daddy bought his way into the movie business. Now, he had enough money to buy his way into any role. Who’d even take him seriously as an actor anymore?
