Page 51 of Idol Lives
Jason stepped off the treadmill, his restless energy needing a new outlet. He started to pace before the giant window overlooking the Taipei skyline. “It’s a feeling, I guess. But that’s not even the problem. When I started questioning Ren about who leaked the photos, Tae Hyun took his side.” He bitterly laughed. “He told me to back off.”
“Ah. So it is jealousy.”
“No!” Jason protested. “That’s not what I–”
“Jealousy is a cunning foe, Jason.” Naomi’s voice softened, becoming almost motherly. “It’ll come at you from directions you never expect. In your case? It’s because you expected Tae Hyun to take your side, but he didn’t.”
“But he should’ve taken my side!” Jason knew he was getting loud but didn’t care. “That’s what we do.”
“It’s whatyou’vedone, yeah. But Tae Hyun isn’t you. He’s his own person.” Naomi sighed. “Listen, honey. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear. But you wouldn’t have called me if you didn’t think you needed to hear it.”
A heavy silence descended, broken only by Jason’s heartbeat pounding against his temples. He slowed his pace, the anger simmering down to a dull ache. “So what do I do?” he finally asked.
“First,” Naomi said, “take a breath. This isn’t the end of the world. And second–” She paused as if carefully choosing herwords. “Try seeing it from Tae Hyun’s perspective. He’s been through a lot lately. Maybe he’s just trying to protect a new friend.”
“But what if Ren’s involved somehow?” The words burst out of Jason, raw and unfiltered. “What if there’s something more going on?”
“Then you talk to Tae Hyun about it,” Naomi replied, unwavering. “Honestly, openly. No accusations, no ultimatums. Just listen to him, hear him out. And trust him. You said it yourself. You trust him implicitly. So act like it.”
Jason paused, staring at the nearby skyscrapers and the bright blue sky beyond. “Okay.” The word was heavy, weighted down with his reluctant acceptance. “Okay, I can do that. Hey, since I got you, how’s everything going there?”
“Well, it’s funny you should ask. After your little pep talk yesterday, I realized there really was something I could do about the contract issue. So, I’m doing it.”
Jason snorted. “That’s nice and vague.”
“Sorry. I’m acting on a hunch, so I’m just sparing you the details for now. I’ll tell you more once I have a better idea of what’s happening.”
Jason grabbed a pristine white towel from the stack next to the equipment and wiped the sweat from his brow again. “Okay. I trust you. But I should go. Talk to you later, Ms. Bell.”
The hot shower did little to soothe Jason’s troubled mind. He quickly dressed and went downstairs, Naomi’s words echoing in his head. Trust, understanding, and seeing things from Tae Hyun’s perspective. Easier said than done, especially when his gut still screamed betrayal. But he had an idea about that, too.
Morning light bathed the penthouse in a golden glow, the city sprawling below with the bright promise of a new day. Tae Hyun sat at the dining table, already dressed and sipping a cup of coffee while he ignored a half-eaten bowl of yogurt and granola. Someone had set out a spread of fruit and pastries. Probably more of Mina’s meticulous planning.
Seeing Tae Hyun, his expression carefully guarded, almost made Jason give up. The walls were back up, fortified by a night of silence and unspoken resentment. But the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers restlessly tapped against the table, betrayed his inner turmoil. Jason hated feeling like he was walking on eggshells. But he knew it was partly his fault.
“Morning,” Jason cautiously said. He took the seat opposite Tae Hyun, eyeing the steaming coffee pot. “The coffee any good?”
It was a weak attempt at small talk–a desperate bid to break through the icy barrier that had risen between them. But Jason needed a starting point, a crack in Tae Hyun’s walls, to return to the trust they had shared so fiercely.
Tae Hyun nodded, his gaze fixated on the dark liquid in his cup. “It’s okay.” He took another sip before carefully placing the cup in its saucer as a punctuation mark to his answer. “How was your run?”
No offer to pour for Jason. And no mention of the fact that they’d slept in separate beds. The distance between them was hard to ignore. But it was a start. “The gym was a little stuffy,” Jason replied, reaching for the coffee pot and pouring himself a cup. “What’s our schedule for today?”
Tae Hyun’s eyes briefly narrowed. Jason probably would’ve missed it if he hadn’t been paying extra attention. “My schedule,” he replied, emphasizing themy, “is a sound checkat noon while they set up the stage. We’ll do warm-ups after that, then the show.”
It had been a long time since Tae Hyun had so thoroughly shut him out like that. Jason almost laughed. But he also saw the tension in Tae Hyun’s jaw. He was holding back a lot of emotions behind that stony-faced facade. “Great. Then we’ve got some time to talk.”
Tae Hyun’s head snapped up, a shadow of anger or hurt briefly crossing his face. “I’m not sure what else–”
“I’m sorry,” Jason interrupted, surprising himself with the swiftness of his apology. “I let my feelings get in the way of reason. It doesn’t matter if I’m right or not. I shouldn’t have gone in so hard on Ren like that.”
Tae Hyun’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He seemed momentarily speechless, his guarded expression softening as his shoulders relaxed a fraction.
“And,” Jason said, using the silence to continue, “I’m also sorry I forgot to give you this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box he’d dug from his luggage after getting dressed. He slid it across the table.
Frowning, Tae Hyun stared at the box with a mix of curiosity and confusion. His curiosity won out as he reached for it. Then his face lit up as he opened it. “Hyung!” He carefully pulled out a silver chain bracelet with a delicate blue charm. “You found it!”
Jason nodded, a smile touching his lips. He’d searched the house for hours, only to discover it under the nightstand on Tae Hyun’s side of the bed. “I meant to give it to you when I arrived, but–” He frowned. “Well, you know.”
