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“So you really were, like, an employee?”
Tae Hyun shook his head. “No. KBR treated their employees much better than us.” He took a long drink from his bottle, downing half of it. “Not that being an idol didn’t come with many perks. But we were definitely the product.”
“Ah, yeah. I suppose that’s true. But you’re not someone else’s product now.” Alex snorted. “Hell, imagine if you showed the Tae Hyun from those days what you’re doing today.”
Tae Hyun chuckled. “I’d probably die of shock.”
“Good. That’s what you want, right? What’s the line from your song?Rising from the ashes, my body reclaimed.It’s powerful stuff. I honestly can’t wait to see it on stage.” Alex’s smile was a little wicked. “It’ll have a lotta folks talking.”
Tae Hyun’s ears warmed as he grinned.Boy With No Shamewas the first song he’d written after his public coming out. It was an anthem to all the years he’d spent living a lie, both as an artist and a person, hiding his true self for safety or convenience’s sake. “I think so, too. That’s the whole point.”
Alex chuckled. “Well, I guess we all got our battles to fight. Right? Speaking of which, do you know how to box?”
Tae Hyun shook his head. “Only what I learned in the army. Why? Are you offering to teach me?”
Alex’s smile fell away, replaced by an expression that could’ve been caring. Or concern. “Maybe. I know what you’re trying to do here. And I know what you’re about to go up against.”
Tae Hyun snorted. “You think I’ll be able to box my way to the top of the charts?”
Alex rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, of course not. You probably already know how to defend yourself, anyhow. But I bet there’ll come a day when you really want to hit something.” She grinned. “And when that day comes? Call me.”
02
Jason stifled his bored yawn as Camilla, BigCloud Arena’s sales manager and their tour guide, led them into the open dressing room. It was a sterile space, with softer lighting than the corridor and a collection of bland office-style furniture that looked stiff rather than comfortable. It was smaller than his last dressing room, the trailer in a Sherman Oaks warehouse parking lot with an A/C unit that barely kept up with the sweltering valley heat. But it was still far and away better than the cold, dusty prefab shed hastily erected on the grounds of an ancient, crumbling castle outside of Budapest. Not to mention the one before that, where–No. Jason shook his head to derail the aimless and unhelpful train of thought before he got caught up in his feelings and refocused on the tour. Even as a Best Actor award winner, he still struggled to act interested.
“And, as you can see,” Camilla gushed, her smile just on the cheerful side of unhinged, “our facilities are sure to satisfy even the most demanding and temperamental artists.”
Jason quietly snorted, figuring that remark might’ve been directed at him, considering his prior dealings with BigCloud. Then again, they didn’t own the arena. They’d only bought the naming rights. He caught a bit of side-eye from Lily, his former personal assistant who’d graduated to become Big Hammer’s office manager. She knew him well enough to divine exactly what he was thinking. He rolled his eyes at her, only to catch a subtle glare from Naomi, who’d already lectured him on the importance of behaving before they had a signed contract.
Naomi returned her attention to Camilla. “It’s very nice.” She was Camilla’s focus since she’d led the negotiations between Big Hammer Entertainment and the arena. As much as being a media mogul stressed Jason out, it had the opposite effect on Naomi. His former business manager turned business partner had absolutely come alive when presented with the challenge of coordinating Tae Hyun’s international concert tour. She’d even traded up from her previous, sixties-inspired boho chic wardrobe, choosing a royal blue power suit with a more modern cut for their tour. But she still made it her own, pairing it with a multi-color silk polka dot blouse and pushing her poofy afro back with a lime green silk scarf. The bright colors looked great against her mahogany complexion and black hair. “Could we see the production offices next?”
Camilla’s smile widened as she nodded. “Of course.” She gestured toward the door. “This way, please.”
Naomi shot Jason a second warning glance before following the sales manager to the corridor. Jason ignored it, trailing behind Naomi, Lily, and Seong Woo as they continued their tour. He was behaving fine, especially considering how much of an asshole he used to be when dealing with corporate lackeys like Camilla. He’d been excited to return to the venue where he’d first met Tae Hyun all those years ago. It felt like a full-circle moment. But that had worn off fast, and his limited interest in wandering the concrete bowels of the gargantuan DTLA arena was rapidly waning. And the harsh overhead lighting and dry, slightly too-cold air had conspired to give him a growing headache. It was his third meeting of the day, and they’d been at it for over an hour. Jason was definitely nearing his limit.
Seong Woo stopped when his jacket suddenly chirped. Unlike Jason, who’d gone strictly casual with a thin, eggplant sweater and khaki pants, Seong Woo looked magazine-cover sharp in a navy blue, Italian-cut pinstripe suit and maroon tie. He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “It’s my office,” he explained. “I have to take it.”
Seong Woo answered in Korean, which meant it was his Seoul office, not the newly christened Los Angeles branch of the Vital Agency, his marketing, management, and PR firm. His mouth slowly drooped into a frown as he listened. Not good news, then.
“Are you sure?” Seong Woo sighed. “Alright. Forward the details to my email. I’ll follow up when I’m done here.” He hung up without saying goodbye and stuffed his phone in his jacket pocket. “Camilla?” He switched back to English for their host’s benefit. “Could you give us a few minutes?”
“Of course!” Camilla smiled and gestured toward the dressing room door. “Feel free to talk in there. I’ll wait for you out here.”
Jason was sure Seong Woo had just received bad news about the tour but waited until they were behind the closed dressing room door before asking about it.
“So, what did they say?”
“What do you think?” Seong Woo huffed. “Officially? They said they don’t have any open slots during the dates we requested, but they’d put us on the waitlist.”
“The fucking waitlist? Shit.” Jason shook his head as he plopped down on a small, peach-colored sofa that would’ve been at home in any plastic surgeon’s waiting room. He doubted it would satisfy even the most demanding and temperamental artists, but it wasn’t bad. “And unofficially?”
“They said KBR would pull all their concerts if they booked us.”
“Fuck.” Jason groaned as he pressed himself into the couch. “So, that’s it? That’s all of them?”
Jason’s heart sank as Seong Woo nodded. They’d unsuccessfully tried booking every medium to large-sized venue in the Seoul Capital Area–a not inconsiderable number. Of course, many of them were genuinely booked. But enough of them had given Seong Woo the same answer that the situation was clear. KBR wouldn’t allow Tae Hyun to perform in Seoul. Just thinking about it stoked the fires of Jason’s fury, which would’ve led the old Jason into an angry rant or, worse, a fight. But he wasn’t that person anymore. Or, at least, he was trying not to be. It was inappropriate in most cases. Or, at least, unproductive. But, mostly, he didn’t want to disappoint Tae Hyun.
“There’s still the other thing,” Lily suggested.
