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“Yes, sir.”
“Could you keep this between us for now? I don’t want to worry Tae Hyun with it if there’s nothing to it.”
“Of course, Mr. Park. Give us a little time to look into things. I’ll call you if I learn anything in the meantime.”
“Thanks, Min Ji. Talk to you later.”
Jason hung up and stuffed his phone into his pocket. Then he turned to head back to the pool deck and nearly ran into Seong Hyeon. “Damn it.”
“Sorry, sir.” Seong Hyeon’s expression didn’t look the least bit sorry. “I followed you after you didn’t return.”
“Did you hear all that?” Seong Hyeon nodded. “Good. That saves me from telling you about it. Don’t do anything about it for now. Let’s see what Vital comes up with first.”
Seong Hyeon nodded once. “Yes, sir. Also, you know Miss Kwon will certainly report on this to Mr. Cho.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jason was Vital’s client. But Seong Woo was Kwon Min Ji’s boss. “I know. But there’s nothing I can do about that.” He gave Seong Hyeon a friendly clap on the arm. “But I gotta get back. I’m sure my lunch is getting cold.” He moved to step around Seong Hyeon, who shifted to block his path.
“A moment, sir.”
Jason’s eyebrows peaked. It was out of character for his security chief to simply assert himself that way. Or, more precisely, it used to be out of character but had recently emerged as part of a new and improved Seong Hyeon. “What’s up?”
“Don’t forget where Cho Seong Woo comes from, sir.”
Jason frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Mr. Cho’s mannerisms and personality may seem very American to you. But he’s not American. He’s Korean. And, as such, his drive and motivations might not be what they seem.”
Jason quietly scoffed. For a man who never usually shared his opinions about people, he sure seemed to have a lot of them lately. “So, you’re saying I can’t trust Seong Woo?”
Seong Hyeon shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. I don’t believe Mr. Cho is being dishonest with you. But he’s beholden to his culture and, more importantly, his family in a way that I suspect you’re probably familiar with.”
Jason slowly leaned back as his body reacted to the broader perspective Seong Hyeon had just given him. His security chief was right. Jason hadn’t really considered that, underneath all of Seong Woo’s breezy swagger and flawless California accent, still beat the heart of the favored son of a not-quite chaebol family. Jason wasn’t sure how that might change things between them. But he knew then that it definitely would somehow. He nodded. “Alright. Thanks for the insight.”
“Of course, sir.”
Jason’s head spun as he ducked around Seong Hyeon, who discretely followed him toward the pool deck exit. He’d just experienced too many bad omens and insights for it to be a coincidence. If he were at all superstitious, he might be worried. But he wasn’t. Because what Seong Hyeon probably didn’t know was that Jason generally always expected the worst from people. His parents had taught him that by never once rising to meet his expectations. So, he considered Seong Woo to be a friend only as much as he was willing to allow the man to let him down. When push came to shove, he knew Seong Woo would always look out for himself and his own before anything else. It’s what Jason would do, too. And he’d always known Danny Crash to be full of shit. So he gave it even odds that Danny’s supposedly friendly gesture was meant only to stir the waters and see what came up. But he couldn’t count on that. That day was the first time in Jason’s life Danny Crash had brought news to him instead of the other way around. And it was all enough to set him on edge.
Hopefully, Jason had another Kingston waiting at the table.
05
Tae Hyun could hardly believe he was back. It had been almost four years to the day since he’d last set foot inside the Cooper Todd Memorial Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles for the Music Video Awards broadcast.XTChad won four trophies that night, including Best Pop Song and Album. And they’d performedBlossomlive on the award show stage. That year was easily the peak of his music career. Not that he had any idea at the time. But, back then, he was happy, in love, and riding the cresting wave of worldwide acclaim. A year later, he was serving army stew to bored, unhappy troops in a freezing mess hall within pissing distance of the northern border.
Tae Hyun had been full of nervous energy that night, too–but for a totally different reason. Where before he’d been buzzing with excitement after delivering the performance of his life–while not everyone agreed, most people thoughtXTC’sBlossomstage at the Music Video Awards had been one of their best–he was instead brimming with uneasy apprehension. Everything in his life was different than before. He was no longer the leader ofXTCand hadn’t been nominated for any awards. Instead, he and Jason had been asked to present the Best New Pop Album award during the broadcast. But he was still a bundle of anxiety, even if it was only the dress rehearsal. After all, it was his first major public appearance since he’d come out, and everything changed.
“Hey.” Jason gave Tae Hyun’s hand a gentle squeeze. “How are you holding up?”
Tae Hyun forced a smile and returned the squeeze. “I’ll be okay. It’s just that this place brings back memories.”
“I’ll bet it does.” Jason smiled. “And we’re about to make some new ones.”
Tae Hyun wasn’t just anxious. Truthfully, his feelings were all over the map. He was excited to be among so many of his peers again after his self-enforced Los Angeles exile. He’d almost had a chance to attend the Korean Music Awards the month before. He’d been invited, of course. But the show had ultimately rescinded his invitation. It didn’t take much thought to figure out why. KBR was one of the Big Four and held a great deal of sway on its own turf. It was good that Los Angeles was well outside their domain, or he and Jason may have been forced to watch the Awards broadcast on TV. So Tae Hyun’s emotions swung between the exhilarating anticipation of finally being part of the legitimate music scene again and the restless tension of not knowing exactly where he stood in that scene anymore.
And not-so-quietly hiding among those feelings was a shadow of worry about seeing Xiang again. Tae Hyun hadn’t spoken with him since that fateful video release party beyond trading a few secret messages that he assumed Xiang had deleted afterward. But Xiang’s video had been deservedly nominated for a Music Video Award after winning several at the Korean Music Awards. And Xiang would be there to perform the single live. Tae Hyun knew they probably wouldn’t get to speak. But he hoped to at least get a few private words with him somehow.
Jason seemed to be having the time of his life. He was more animated on the ride to the theater than Tae Hyun had seen in a long time. And he wasn’t shy when Tae Hyun had asked about it.
“I know,” Jason replied with a grin. “Right? I haven’t been in front of a camera since before I even met you.” He briefly frowned. “Not counting that fucking CheezyFish commercial.” Then his grin returned. “So, of course, I’m excited. Not that it’s anything big. But it’s a camera and a stage, so I’ll take it.”
