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Yet, Tae Hyun still struggled to reconcile who he’d believed Ji Hoon to be with who he actually was. This man had molded and guided him along his chosen path. It would be a lie to say Tae Hyun didn’t owe much of his success to Ji Hoon and KBR. But Ji Hoon had sunk to staggering depths to silence him when his only crime had been publicly admitting his love for another man.
So the others could talk. Tae Hyun already knew what he wanted to do. He planned to break the man.
“It’s not too late to stop all this,” Ji Hoon suddenly announced. His tone was firm, but he’d kept his volume low. It was a statement meant solely for Tae Hyun.
“Not too late?” Tae Hyun tilted his head in confusion. “So, what? We just let you go, and everyone conveniently forgets about the whole thing?”
Ji Hoon shook his head. “Of course not. You’d still have to make your choice.”
“My choice?” Tae Hyun frowned as he leaned closer. “No one’s actually given me a choice yet.”
“Yes, yes.” Ji Hoon’s face pointed at Tae Hyun, but his eyes darted to the men talking in the corner. Good. His easy demeanor was just an act. “We were interrupted by your men in black all playing at being soldiers. How long will they protect you from us, Woo Tae Hyun? How long do you think they can keep you safe?”
Tae Hyun deepened his frown. “You’re still threatening me? Even now? Here?” He shook his head. “And you still haven’t told me what this choice is.”
“I think you know.”
Tae Hyun sat back in his chair. It was always games with Ji Hoon. Just like it had been with Oh Min Su. Just like it always was with KBR. “Still, it might be better if you just spelled it out.”
Ji Hoon sighed, showcasing a frown that Tae Hyun knew well. He was disappointed. Tae Hyun had let him down yet again. “You still play at ignorance. But we both know you’re smarter than this.”
Still a game. Tae Hyun was a little impressed. Ji Hoon had absolutely no power, and yet he still played things like he did. For all he knew, they planned to put a bag over his head and dump him in the Han, just like Tae Hyun had imagined would be done to him. But appearances mattered to Ji Hoon even more than they had to Tae Hyun. Ji Hoon taught him that lesson with a sharp hand to his face backstage before his first appearance onChart Masters. So Ji Hoon kept up the appearance of power, if only for his own benefit.
Tae Hyun sighed. “You won’t actually say it, will you?” He shook his head. “I used to respect you, you know?” He shook his head again. “Or, maybe not respect. Fear.” He nodded, leaning forward. “I used to fear you. But that was before I knew you were a small, impotent, self-important shell of a man.” He shook his head again. “Is that how you got Min Su to help you kidnap me? Fear?”
Ji Hoon wickedly chuckled. “Oh Min Su was more than happy to help us deal with you.”
Tae Hyun nodded. Unlike Ji Hoon and his masterful composure, Min Su had folded like a paper lantern the moment he’d been stuffed into the back of one of the tanks, blabbing everything he knew to anyone who would listen. Ji Hoon had apparently discovered that Min Su was in a relationship with Jeon I Jun. It made sense that KBR would look for that sort of thing after everything with Tae Hyun. But, instead of simply firing him, Ji Hoon had used Min Su’s secret to blackmail him. He ensured Min Su’s participation in Tae Hyun’s kidnapping with the threat of firing him and publicly revealing why. I Jun still hadn’t recovered from his falling out with KBR. It would undoubtedly have been the end of Min Su’s career. Under different circumstances, Tae Hyun might’ve felt sorry for him. But things were how they were.
“Of course he was, considering what you threatened him with. But that’s the only way you know how to operate, right?” Ji Hoon frowned at Tae Hyun’s sudden grin. “You still think it’s not too late to stop all this?”
The barest shadow of concern flickered across Ji Hoon’s otherwise stoic face before he nodded. “It’s not.”
Tae Hyun quietly chuckled. “Wrong. It was too late the moment you had the graffiti painted outside my dance studio.” He shook his head. “No. It was too late the moment you decided to do whatever you did to Kwon Jong Soo.”
Ji Hoon briefly pursed his lips. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then why don’t you fucking enlighten me?”
Ji Hoon quietly chuckled. It wasn’t clear if he was impressed with Tae Hyun’s display of bravado or thought it was amusing. “Such a willful response. But that’s to be expected from a boy ruled by his emotions.”
Tae Hyun knew Ji Hoon was baiting him, but he wanted to keep the man talking. “You would know, wouldn’t you? After all, you raised me.”
Ji Hoon nodded. “You were my greatest success. And now you’re my greatest failure.”
“Even greater than Jong Soo?”
Ji Hoon’s flinch would’ve been easy to miss if Tae Hyun hadn’t been fixated on him. “Kwon Jong Soo is but a memory. You, however?” He frowned. “You remain a problem.”
Tae Hyun snorted. “A problem you’ve made for yourself. You could’ve just let me go like you did with Chang Min.”
“Chang Min?” Ji Hoon chuckled again. “He’ll never amount to anything more than a moderately talented mess. I’d be surprised if we ever see another song from him. He’s irrelevant to me.” His face turned serious. “But you. You had potential. You had purpose.”
“Purpose?” Tae Hyun could bait people, too.
Ji Hoon nodded. “Your charm? Your talent? Your impressive ability to stay relevant?” He huffed. “That was all meant for us. We gave that to you. And we would’ve made you the biggest name in KBR’s history. Surely, even you can see that?”
It was Tae Hyun’s turn to chuckle. “And I gave all that up, did I?”
