Page 40 of Idol Lives
“You and I are not friends,” Jason growled.
“Damn, Jason. I said friendly, not friends. But I’ll bet all the cash in your pocket they didn’t call to get a statement from anyone, so maybe tip off your PR team and hope they can get ahead of it.”
Jason blew out a long breath, desperately trying and failing to find some calm. “Okay. Thanks, Danny. If there’s anything–” He swallowed hard. He wasn’t really about to promise this asshole anything.
“Just remember me,” Danny smugly interrupted, “when those wedding invites roll out.”
“Maybe.” Jason forced a bitter chuckle. “But don’t hold your breath.”
Jason disconnected before Danny could say anything else. A ball of fury twisted in his gut. His mind refused to accept what he’d just heard. The story had to be bullshit. There was no way Tae Hyun would cheat on him. But who had leaked it? And why? It couldn’t have been KBR, not after he’d effectively neutered them. But what about Ren? Did he have enemies? He’d certainly lived through his own coming-out shitstorm. The possibilities swirled in his head. He wanted to punch something, to vent the rage boiling beneath the surface.
“Everything alright, Jason?”
Jason whirled around to find David standing in the open conference room doorway, his expression carefully blank. A chill shot through him. How much had David heard?
“You seem distracted,” David continued, dripping with false concern. A smug, satisfied glimmer danced in David’s eyes before he quickly masked it. But Jason was too keyed up to miss it. David had heard everything.
Jason clenched his jaw, muscles twitching under his skin. He hardly needed that eavesdropping asshole to know what washappening. He wanted to call out David’s thinly veiled power play. He wanted to hit him. But he had to play it cool. He couldn’t risk a confrontation, not with everything Naomi and Seong Woo had done hanging in the balance. With a supreme effort, he forced his expression into something resembling calm. “Nah, just an unexpected call,” he smoothly replied. “Nothing important.”
David raised a highly skeptical eyebrow. “Nothing bad, I hope,” he probed, his tone deceptively casual.
Jason forced his smile a little wider, refusing to take David’s obvious bait. “Nothing at all. Tell Naomi and Seong Woo to finish up without me.”
Jason turned without another word and started for the elevator. His mind raced as he walked away, David’s gaze burning into the back of his neck. Let the asshole think what he wanted. He was Naomi’s problem to deal with. Jason had his own shit to handle. He furiously slapped the elevator call button as he dialed Seong Hyeon. His Security Chief picked up on the second ring.
“Sir?”
“Get the car ready,” Jason announced as the elevator doors slid open. “It’s time to go.”
“Yes, sir.” If Seong Hyeon was concerned about Jason’s sudden change of plans, he hid it well enough.
“And get the plane ready,” Jason continued, a plan finally materializing in his head. “We’re headed to Tokyo.”
12
The clock beside Tae Hyun’s bed flashed the time, mocking him as he lay there, dead tired but wide awake. His exhaustion battled with the relentless anxiety that coiled in his gut. His stomach churned, his fingers trembling as he swiped at his phone, scrolling through the onslaught of headlines. Each one was a fresh stab of humiliation, twisting his name and Ren’s into a lurid tale of betrayal and broken promises. The photos made it worse–grainy phone camera images of their stroll through Harajuku, innocent laughter transformed into a knowing leer under the glare of the tabloids.
The worst part was the shame. How could he have been naive enough to think he was above the fray, immune to the chaotic whims of the media and his fans? He’d let the honeymoon period after announcing his relationship with Jason lull him into a false sense of security and lowered his defenses. Not that he was trying to take on all the blame–the responsibility for the fallout of the KBR mess rested squarely with Pak Jun Ho and his psychotic minion, Choo Ji Hoon. But he was definitely at fault for agreeing to sneak away with Ren, naively thinking he wouldn’t be recognized in Harajuku’s crowded streets. The photos on his phone screen were proof of his hubris. Even after everything he’d been through, aftersurviving the orchestrated attacks of his forced outing, did he still not understand the power of a malicious rumor? How easily a single image could be twisted to destroy reputations and break hearts? He’d assured Ren the night before that everything would be alright, but his lingering doubt left a bitter taste in his mouth.
A soft chime cut through the silence, announcing a text from Jason. Just three words.I’m almost there.
Tae Hyun’s heart hammered against his ribs as he checked the time. How had an hour slipped by so quickly? He scrambled from the rumpled sheets, racing for the shower to use his precious few minutes to ready himself for Jason’s arrival. He’d been surprised to get Jason’s call the night before and stunned by his declaration.
“I’m coming,” a harried Jason shared, more exhausted than determined. “I’m coming to Tokyo. I saw the story. We’ve gotta stop whatever this is before it turns into another KBR situation.”
“Hyung, I–” The words caught in Tae Hyun’s throat.
“I know. It’s all bullshit. But it’s the bullshit we’ve got to deal with.” Jason huffed. “Look, I gotta go. We’ll talk when I get there, yeah?”
“I love you, hyung.”
“I love you, too,” Jason replied, surprisingly tender, before hanging up.
Tae Hyun had barely gotten a word in, but he didn’t mind. Having Jason there would make things so much better.
A sharp knock startled Tae Hyun from his thoughts. He rushed to the door, barely taking the time to wrap a towel around his waist. There Jason stood, travel-worn and weary. But the relief in his eyes was a beacon cutting through theprevious day’s gloom. Without a word, Jason swept him into a fierce embrace. He buried his head into Jason’s neck, inhaling the familiar scent of cologne and a hint of cigarettes and whiskey, seeking a momentary refuge.
“I missed you,” Jason breathed. He tightened his grip as if trying to physically absorb Tae Hyun into himself, to protect him from the storm raging around them. “Are you okay?”
