Page 64 of Idol Moves

While it wasn’t Seoul, it was close enough. And a concert venue in the middle of Incheon was still accessible from anywhere in the Seoul Capital Area. That was better than flying his Korean fans to Japan. But it also seemed too good to be true. “And they’re not worried about KBR?”

Jason shrugged. “Apparently not. They gave us first hold on the dates we requested. But we can ask them about it when we meet with them tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Tae Hyun nodded. “Okay.” He smiled. “It’ll be my first arena tour.”

“Should I let Seong Woo know?” Yoo Mi asked.

Jason raised a single eyebrow. “Does that mean you two worked out whatever the hell’s happening between you?”

Tae Hyun nodded. “Everything’s fine.” He looked at Yoo Mi. “I think.”

“I tried throwing him out of here,” Yoo Mi admitted, “but he wouldn’t budge. So we have to be friends again.”

Jason chuckled. “That’s good. And, no. Seong Woo’s the one who told me about it.”

Tae Hyun was surprised to hear that. But it made sense, considering he and Yoo Mi had made up again. “Does that mean you two worked things out, too?”

Jason nodded. “For sure. I told him he was an asshole with no manners or loyalty, and he called me a rude American who assumes the whole world should bow at my feet.”

Yoo Mi laughed. “At least he talks to you.” Her smile vanished as she turned back toward Tae Hyun. “But I’ve seriously got to get ready for my interview, so you need to get out of here. Go do whatever you were doing at home.” Then her smile returned as sweet as ever. “Please.”

18

Jason always knew there was more than just an airport in Incheon. But there was knowing, and there was seeing. What he didn’t expect was the traffic, which they hit as soon as they got on the Gyeongin Expressway, an eight-lane highway that would’ve been right at home in SoCal. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised by the number of other drivers since Seoul was something like the fourth-largest metro area in the world. But he was. At least the traffic was familiar. It almost made him feel at home.

They were on the road early since Seong Hyeon correctly assumed the traffic would slow their drive. But Jason used the early hour to do a much-needed check-in with Naomi. Between the madness of the past couple of weeks and the insane time difference, they’d mostly communicated via text.

“Jason.” Naomi was all business, even at the early hour. Of course, it was only early for him. It was the end of the workday for her. “You’re on your way to Incheon?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jason quickly stifled a sudden yawn.

“I read over the contract they sent, and it looks good. I’ll have the lawyers give it a second look, of course, but–”

“But unless it’s a smoking hole in the ground, we’ll take it?”

Naomi chuckled. “I mean, if it’s a nice hole–”

“That’s what he said.”

Naomi groaned. “Just keep your expectations realistic. Vital tells me to expect pushback from the city government.”

“Of course.” Jason sighed, earning him a concerned glance from Tae Hyun. He shook his head. “What do you suppose that means?”

“I don’t know. There’s only so much they can do since the venue is an independent entity. But it might mean they change their mind before we sign the contracts. Or the city could sue us. Who knows?”

Jason frowned, wishing he hadn’t decided to check in with Naomi before the meeting. He already had so many problems weighing on him. He didn’t need any more. “Alright. Anything else? I’m not entirely hopeless yet.”

“Seriously?” Naomi sighed. “I keep forgetting how sensitive you get about this stuff. Just forget I said anything and go get this deal. As far as we know, they think they’re trying to sell us. Right? So let them try.”

“As far as we know?”

Naomi chuckled. “Yeah. And you can smell bullshit faster than me or anyone I know. So you smell any–”

“We burn the place down.”

“I was gonna say walk away. Please, don’t start any fires.”

“No promises.”

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