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Yun Seo snorted. “Are you asking because you don’t know?”
Tae Hyun frowned. “I’m asking because I want to know what you think.”
“I think there’s no way this won’t be weird and awkward.” Yun Seo sighed. “The last time I spoke with our mother, she practically pretended you don’t even exist.”
Tae Hyun huffed. “I wished they’d done that when the reporters came calling. That was one more headache I didn’t need.”
Yun Seo put her hand on Tae Hyun’s knee as the high-speed train smoothly pulled away from the station. “Things will be fine, oppa. They’ll eventually come around.”
That was a fine sentiment, even if it was totally outside the realm of possibility. But Tae Hyun knew better. His parents had always been conservative to the point of being uptight. They kept to old-school Korean values and customs, with his father being the lifelong breadwinner and his mother in charge of the home. His father almost hadn’t let Yun Seo go to college, but she’d convinced him that having a degree would make her a more attractive prospect as a modern wife.
Tae Hyun, of course, had essentially been allowed to do whatever he liked as long as it brought honor and prestige to the family. That was why his parents had let him train in the arts. His desire to sing and dance fell far beyond what his father had initially expected of him. But he worked hard, and his talents were undeniable. And being signed as a trainee when he was barely a teenager made his idol debut that much more certain and his parents that much happier.
Things changed for Tae Hyun when he finally understood that he was gay. That came with the realization that he’d never be able to tell his parents. Not that they’d been especially homophobic when he was growing up. But that was only because they didn’t know any gay people. And any instances of gay representation in the media were almost nonexistent. But sometimes, the news of a local gay activist or media personality would reach them, and they made their feelings on the matter clear. Being gay was wrong. It was unnatural. And Tae Hyun doubted there was much he could do to change their minds about that.
As they rode along, Yun Seo reviewed Tae Hyun’s schedule for the next few days since he’d be so busy with Yoo Mi and Seong Woo’s wedding. After that came his final review of the album master with Gordo and several meetings with potential stage and costume designers for the upcoming tour. But his most immediate appointment was the final fitting with the designer for his and Jason’s tuxedos.
“I’m honestly surprised that Yoo Mi put you both in her wedding party,” Yun Seo suddenly shared.
Tae Hyun frowned. “You don’t approve?”
“Of course, I approve! How else would I score an invite to the year’s hottest wedding? But I’m surprised she’s even having a wedding party since it could distract from the attention on her.”
Tae Hyun snorted. “If there’s one thing to remember about Yoo Mi, it’s that she’s always managing her image. And she’s never not three steps ahead of everyone else.”
Yun Seo shrugged. “I suppose. I mean, her wedding is all the entertainment blogs are talking about.” She leaned in close enough to whisper. “I even heard that one of the Big Four labels rescheduled an album release planned for the same day.”
“You’re kidding.”
Yun Seo shrugged again. “It’s what I heard.”
Tae Hyun figured it was probably true. A lot of complex calculus was involved in determining release dates for the Big Four labels. As competitors, they didn’t officially cooperate with one another. But Tae Hyun knew that, behind the scenes, things weren’t so cut and dried. While he’d never heard an official reason for it,XTC’s debut had been pushed back twice to not coincide with releases from other labels. Of course, that unofficial courtesy didn’t extend to any indie or even international labels.
It was sunny in Daejeon when they arrived, but still chilly. Back in his mask and sunglasses while walking through Daejeon Station, Tae Hyun was struck with the memory of when he and his parents had first boarded the train to Seoul for his KBR audition. He’d been so young then. And the station had seemed so much larger.
Since Daejeon only had a single subway line, and Tae Hyun didn’t want to waste a precious hour of their short visit on the bus to Yuseong-gu, he’d had Yun Seo arrange a rental car for the afternoon. An attendant was waiting to hand over the keys outside the station. And they pretended not to notice as Yun Seo gave the keys to Seong Min.
Surprisingly, Seong Min already knew his way around Daejeon. “I have family here,” he explained after asking for their destination’s address.
Tae Hyun’s parent’s house in Yuseong-gu was on the northeast side of the city, a twenty-minute drive from the train station. Tae Hyun wondered as they drove if they should stop for a quick bite since he and Jason hadn’t eaten much that day. He was about to suggest it when Jason spoke up instead.
“So, what should we expect?”
Tae Hyun frowned. “Honestly? I have no idea.” Then he quietly sighed. “Normally, this would be a very standard visit. Our parents would welcome you as my friend, ask you a million questions, and feed us until we exploded. But today?” He shrugged.
Yun Seo leaned around from the front passenger seat. “I spoke with our mother this morning to let her know we were coming, and she seemed excited. But I could hear our father grumbling in the background.”
Jason chuckled. “Sounds just like my parents.”
Tae Hyun grabbed hold of Jason’s hand. “It’s important that you let me take the lead in there. At least until I have a sense of how things will go.” He frowned. “I hope they’ll be civil, but they may not be.”
Jason nodded and squeezed Tae Hyun’s hand. “Got it. I’ll just smile and nod.”
“I’m serious. My parents aren’t going to like what I plan to say. My father might be very angry.”
Jason frowned. “Define very angry.”
“It’s hard to say.” Tae Hyun sighed again. “He’ll rant and yell. He’ll probably say some unkind things about me and you.”
