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“Yeah, yeah, okay. Lemme know how it goes. And give Tae Hyun and Seong Woo my best.”
“I’ll message you after, Ms. Bell. See ya!” Jason hung up before Naomi could say anything else. He’d already heard enough. And Seong Woo wasn’t even with them, anyway. But he wondered why Naomi didn’t know that. Not that it mattered. Jason was capable of handling any negotiations himself. And he wasn’t ready to let Seong Woo entirely off the hook for the wedding bullshit just yet. He’d mentioned that delivering the message from the venue was an olive branch, which would’ve meant more to Jason if it didn’t benefit Seong Woo just as much. At least the man sounded genuinely sorry, which Jason appreciated. But he wouldn’t forget how quickly and easily he’d cut off his support when the going got tough.
Jason smiled as he turned to Tae Hyun, who was already on edge. He was convinced Jason was hiding something from him. It didn’t help matters that Jason actually was. “Naomi says hello.”
Tae Hyun nodded. “Anything else?”
“Just the usual. The contract looks good, but nothing’s final until it’s final. You know? That sort of thing.”
Tae Hyun offered a noncommittal nod. “So it’s got nothing to do with your secret thing?”
Jason groaned. “There’s no secret thing. I don’t understand why you think there even is.”
Tae Hyun’s narrowed eyes and pursed lips said he wasn’t convinced. “Okay, fine. But if I find out you’re lying–”
“You can punish me,” Jason interrupted with a grin. “Thoroughly.”
Tae Hyun scoffed. “You’re impossible sometimes, hyung.”
Jason batted his eyelashes. “I know. It’s part of my charm.”
“Mr. Park,” Seong Hyeon helpfully interrupted. He probably felt guilty about Jason forcing him to lie to Tae Hyun. “We’re leaving the expressway now.”
“Thanks, Seong Hyeon.”
Jason had asked for the reminder just so he could see what Incheon looked like. But it was fortunate timing, too, saving him from continuing to lie to his boyfriend. Not that it was a bad lie. It was a good surprise. But the way Tae Hyun had immediately sniffed it out meant he probably wouldn’t try surprising him very often. Especially if the payoff wasn’t worth the hassle.
Of course, Incheon looked like every other part of Korea Jason had already been to, with wide, multi-lane streets and boulevards walled in by low and mid-rise office buildings, shopping malls, and apartments. It wasn’t as dense as Seoul, but mostly just as tall. “Do you know your way around here, Tae Hyun?”
Tae Hyun reluctantly nodded and started playing tour guide, pointing out the buildings and landmarks he knew. The sun broke through the high, early morning clouds as they neared the Songdo district, splashing bright light on the Incheon Songdo Entertainment Center and Concert Hall as they approached from the southeast. The weather was supposed to be warm, maybe hitting the upper sixties, which would make any outside exploring pleasant enough. But Jason’s attention was fixed on the Bubble, a semi-transparent geodesic dome that anchored the venue complex. Designed by a renowned Hong Kong architecture firm, according to the venue’s website, the dome allowed for protected daylight shows in inclement weather and light shows visible from inside and outside the building via LEDs integrated into the dome’s semi-transparent panels. It was an impressive facility compared to BigCloud Arena’s covered concrete box and would undoubtedly make for a great show.
The Bubble sat across from the south edge of Songdo Central Park, a large, open garden space anchored by a seawater canal and lake. It was inspired, in name, at least, by New York’s Central Park, even if it wasn’t nearly as large. But it looked brand new, like everything else in the district, from the trees to the streets and buildings, including the recently opened Songdo Grand Hotel tower next to the Bubble.
After parking, Seong Hyeon and Seong Min led Jason and Tae Hyun to the marked staff entrance, where they found a uniformed escort waiting. The escort led the group past a security checkpoint to an elevator that brought them to a bright, open atrium with a park view. Jason was already impressed. Then the escort delivered them to an older gentleman with silver hair, a well-trimmed mustache, and thin, silver-rimmed glasses wearing a gray and taupe windowpane plaid suit. Jason immediately felt underdressed in his simple pullover and jeans. At least Tae Hyun, ever fashion-conscious, had dressed to impress in a long, oversized cream and charcoal button-up and wide, rust-colored chinos.
The older gentleman offered handshakes to Jason and Tae Hyun. “Mr. Park, sir. Mr. Woo, sir. I’m Director Kim Jeong Woo. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Since Jeong Woo was older, Jason was momentarily confused about his formal language and honorifics. But Jason and Tae Hyun were the clients. And they were famous, so it sort of made sense in the complicated Korean rules of respect. Still, he wasn’t Korean and didn’t have to follow those rules. “Just Jason is fine, Director Kim.”
“And I’d love if you called me Tae Hyun.”
Director Kim smiled. “Very well, Jason. Tae Hyun. Please call me Jeong Woo. I’m excited to have you both here. Has your office had an opportunity to review the documents we sent, Jason?”
Jason nodded. “Yeah.” He looked at Tae Hyun, who’d already adopted the smile he used for public appearances. “And we’re excited to tour your facility. It looks impressive even from the outside.”
“Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear that.” Jeong Woo gestured for them to follow. “Shall we get started?”
Jeong Woo took them to some behind-the-scenes areas, including dressing rooms that were sure to satisfy even the most demanding and temperamental artists, state-of-the-art production facilities, and an enormous below-ground staging area. Everything was brand new, well laid out, and clean enough to sparkle. And Director Kim was friendly and knowledgeable with a surprisingly easygoing manner. But it was all stuff Jason had seen on every other tour. Then Jeong Woo took them to a platform in the middle of the primary staging area.
“I have to admit,” Jeong Woo said as he nodded to a staffer standing behind a console on the side of the room, “that this still gives me such a thrill.” He grinned. “Mind your balance.”
The platform lurched the tiniest bit–no more than an elevator would–before it slowly rose toward the ceiling. Jason looked up to an opening that appeared as the ceiling slid to one side. Daylight poured in, blinding him until he looked away and caught Tae Hyun doing the same. Then Tae Hyun grinned at Jason, apparently too excited to remember that he’d been nagging Jason about his supposed secret. Good. Jason grinned back.
The platform emerged in the middle of a giant stage. It wasn’t as big as a football field, but you could probably still field a football game on it. The stage was surrounded by three seating levels, rising to meet the massive dome overhead. It was clear enough that, from the stage, they could’ve been standing outside. Jason stood, entranced by the fluffy white clouds floating overhead in the bright blue sky.
“Holy shit,” Tae Hyun murmured in English.
The Director chuckled. “I thought you might be impressed. But this isn’t even the best part.” He pulled out a small radio, held it to his mouth, and hesitated. “I must apologize for this next part, but we don’t have any of your unreleased music.”
