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Seong Min quickly shook his head. “No, sir. I’m talking about our older brother, Seong Hun.” He chuckled. “Although, I did catch Seong Hyeon humming one of your songs the other day.”
“What?” That was almost as unexpected as thinking Seong Hyeon was aDreamer. Or that there was a third, previously unknown Song brother. Tae Hyun’s ears warmed as it dawned on him how little he knew about a man he spent so much time with. Only Jason saw Tae Hyun more. “I’m sorry. There’s so much I don’t know about you or your brother. Brothers, I mean.”
Seong Min nodded. “It’s alright, sir. I know you’ve got a lot going on. And you’re the first person I’ve worked for who even calls me by name.” He snorted. “Honestly, you’re the first employer I’ve had who I think of as a person and not just a job.”
Tae Hyun smiled, recalling how often KBR had made him feel more like a commodity than a human being. “I know the feeling. But, still. I promise to learn more about you. If you’re willing to talk about it.”
Seong Min chuckled. “I suppose you can’t just look up my fan-wiki page, can you?”
Traffic was relatively light, so they made quick time driving to Alex’s dance studio in Studio City. Tae Hyun had been unsure about it the first time he saw the unmarked building tucked between a small shipping company warehouse and a telemarketing office. But that uncertainty came from adjusting to how things were in Los Angeles. And he assumed there were plenty of similar places in Seoul. He’d been lucky enough to become a trainee with KBR at a young age and was used to their top-of-the-line facilities.
Tae Hyun waited for Seong Min to park and get out of the SUV before grabbing his bag. His bodyguard preferred a chance to survey their surroundings before letting him out. That was fine. The last thing he wanted to become was one of the clients that Seong Min had undoubtedly been referring to earlier.
Tae Hyun opened the door and stepped out when he got the all-clear. He hoisted his gym bag over his shoulder as Seong Min fell into place beside him. Then he spotted Alex and the twins lurking outside the building entrance. Their troubled, awkward stances immediately set him on edge. He waved to get their attention, but Daniel frowned when he looked over. Was something wrong? He was about to call out when Seong Min stopped him with an outstretched arm.
“Hold on a moment, sir.”
Tae Hyun huffed. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel tapped Alex’s shoulder before pointing toward Tae Hyun. Looking at him, her expression was closer to anger than Daniel’s concern. And her posture was stiff and controlled as she approached him. When she stopped in front of him, she practically loomed. It was the first time that she’d genuinely made him uncomfortable.
But Tae Hyun was also growing impatient. “Would someone please tell me what’s happening?”
“We got tagged,” Alex said.
Tae Hyun shook his head. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Someone spray painted graffiti on the building,” Alex explained.
“Graffiti?” Tae Hyun peered around Alex’s shoulders to glimpse what it could be. The graffiti was written in Hangul, which was both strange and telling. It couldn’t have been random. It had to be meant for him. Then, as he read it, a cold spike of fear stabbed his heart. “Shit.”
Alex huffed. “I don’t know what it says, but it upset the twins a lot.”
“It saysRemember Jong Soo,” Seong Min translated.
“Yeah,” Alex agreed. “Okay, I already know what it says. I meant I don’t know what it means. Who’s Jong Soo?”
Tae Hyun took several deep breaths as he tried to calm his pounding heart while Seong Min snapped a photo.
Kwon Jong Soo used to be a member ofCosine, an earlier-generation KBR group that had debuted a few years beforeXTC. Tae Hyun remembered him as a sunbae who was never shy about offering praise or help–even just being a friendly face and listening ear when the going invariably got tough for the upcoming trainees. While they’d never been that close–Tae Hyun was too young to consider him a true friend–Jong Soo was a trusted and supportive hyung.
Jong Soo had also been famously rebellious, frequently acting out despite the regular apologies CEO Pak required of him afterward. And he was an outspoken critic of the tightly controlled, closed-off nature of conservative Korean society. But his rebel streak was cut short by his sudden, unexpected suicide. That had sent shockwaves through the industry–especially through KBR’s hallowed halls. While rare, Jong Soo’s death was hardly the only idol suicide. But it was KBR’s first. Tae Hyun remembered well how tense things were in the KBR building for the first few weeks afterward. Ji Hoon, especially, had taken Jong Soo’s death hard.
The official explanation for Jong Soo’s suicide was untreated mental health problems, which conflicted with Tae Hyun’s memories of a smiling, energetic hyung. But he knew well that appearances could be deceiving. Even ignoring the specifics of Tae Hyun’s unique situation as a formerly closeted gay idol, being an idol at all could be mentally and physically grueling. For instance, KBR had given Tae Hyun a rigid diet when he first started as a trainee, leaving him hungry most of the time. While most people had already considered him skinny, it wasn’t good enough for KBR. Idols were supposed to be perfect. But he ended up with the opposite problem after debuting, often struggling to take in enough calories to meet the demands of touring and performing. So he understood how something like that could damage someone’s mental health.
After his death, a torrent of Jong Soo rumors swirled through the fan sites, message boards, and social media feeds. Netizens claimed he’d been caught using drugs. Or that he’d gotten someone pregnant. Or that he was gay. But a darker rumor had spread through the idol community, whispered backstage at performances or behind the curtains at media events. They said that Jong Soo had been driven to suicide by KBR, who’d given up on curtailing his outspoken ways in favor of permanently silencing him. As ruthless as CEO Pak could be, Tae Hyun had never honestly imagined something like that to be true. Of course, the outpouring of fan support for the remaining members ofCosinehad directly translated into album sales and streaming numbers. KBR had even posthumously released Jong Soo’s solo album–with the supposed support of his surviving family. And it had gotten a perfect all-kill on the charts that week.
Looking at the graffiti, Tae Hyun suddenly wondered if those dark rumors about KBR silencing Jong Soo were true after all. Of course, it was more likely the work of an angry fan who had somehow discovered where he’d been rehearsing. But just the fact that his rehearsal space was no longer secret was troubling enough.
“It’s a warning,” Tae Hyun finally admitted before briefly explaining Jong Soo’s story.
“What the absolute fuck?” Alex growled. “Why would anyone do this? How would someone even know to find you here?”
Tae Hyun shook his head. “I don’t know. But I’d love to know the answer to that, too.”
08
