Night Kiss
Page 22
It wasn’t uncommon for people to attempt to take advantage of a situation they stumbled upon. Some paparazzi used their photos to make a little extra money or as leverage for exclusive shots, and some companies went along with them. BL Entertainment wasn’t one of those companies. Their entertainers were their family. In this case his children, and Soon-joon did not respond well to threats against his children. He glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows to the right of his desk, where the evening sun colored the sky with pinks, blues, purples, and violets. It reminded him of all the things he should be thankful for. His sons were the most precious gift he could ever have, and he’d be damned if he was going to let someone hurt them.
Soon-joon turned back to his desk and reached for the phone, dialing as he read the note.
Ki-tae’s reputation may not survive the backlash. You know how vicious the fans can be. And what would happen to his little friend? Take a good look. I’ll contact you with the appropriate arrangements. After all, we wouldn’t want Ki-tae to get hurt, now, would we?
“Yes, sir?” Hyun-jo answered.
“Contact Sara hubae and her team. Have them clear their schedule for this evening and secure the small conference room on the fifth floor. Have the social media teams closely monitor any references to Ki-tae dongsaeng until I say otherwise. Later in the week, set up a meeting with the head of security at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. Not his assistant. The head of security,” Soon-joon said, surprised his voice sounded so calm. He felt anything but calm. “Contact ChenBao-nim’s assistant and see if she can arrange for a meeting as soon as possible with myself and Sara hubae’s team.”
“Is everything all right, Sajangnim?” Hyun-jo had been with him for a very long time and had earned the level of trust Soon-joon afforded him.
“No,” Soon-joon said. “But it soon will be.”
Jin-woo
THURSDAY MORNING, Jin-woo stepped off the train and headed toward campus, rubbing his hand through his hair. He had a meeting with his mentor, and then he had to head straight over to BLE headquarters. It seemed as if he hadn’t been on campus for more than an hour in so long. He waved as people called his name. It was weird being noticed by others, and he wasn’t sure he liked the idea.
“Oppa!” an almost perky voice called. Jin-woo turned to see who it was and spotted Mei sort of trying to run toward him but trying not look like she was running. Sometimes women really confused him. If he wanted to run, he ran.
As much as he was on a timetable, Jin-woo didn’t want to be rude, so he waited for Mei to reach him. She was out of breath and doubled over, panting, when she finally stopped. Jin-woo chuckled softly. Mei was such a skinny thing. Shorter than Min-su, she was practically tiny, almost childlike. Wearing her hair in pigtails so often didn’t help either. He wondered if that was why she did it, to look younger.
“I didn’t think you would be on campus today,” she said once she finally caught her breath. “I’ve looked every day.”
“You looked for me? Why?” Jin-woo asked.
She looked down at her feet and said, “You haven’t been around since you, Min-su unnie, and Jong-in oppa won the first part of that scholarship. It’s been very hard getting along without you here.”
“I’m sure everyone is doing just fine while we’re away. Besides, this is a great opportunity for us,” Jin-woo said with a smile.
“But you want to stay here, right? On campus?”
“I don’t mind being on campus, but BL Entertainment headquarters is amazing,” he said as he began walking once more. “And working there, they’re like family.”
“Don’t you have to put up with those idols?” Mei’s voice sounded colder. Jin-woo looked at her sideways. “I wasn’t impressed with them. Do they bug you often for stupid things?”
“What are you talking about, Li Mei dongsaeng?” Jin-woo laughed. “The guys from Bam Kiseu are just as cool as the rest of BLE’s staff. They really know what they’re doing.”
“I think you’re just biased,” she huffed. Her attitude was starting to irritate him. “I’m sure you could do much better than they could.”
“Not hardly,” Jin-woo said. “Look, I have to go meet with my mentor. You have a good day.”
“Why don’t we go out to dinner on Saturday?” she said, smiling at him and grabbing hold of his arm suddenly. She’d never done that before. She often crowded him and had little respect for personal boundaries, but she’d never touched him uninvited before. Only Min-su could do that. Well, Min-su and Ki-tae. Jin-woo glanced down at her fingers wrapped around his wrist. Was there a polite way to say “get your hands off me”?
“I can’t. I have plans,” Jin-woo said.
“Plans?” she demanded. “Who do you have plans with?”
“I don’t think that’s really any of your concern, Mei dongsaeng,” Jin-woo said, getting tired of her behavior. They weren’t close friends. She had no right to ask him such questions and touch him so familiarly.
“Cancel them.” She smiled brightly, tightening her grip on his arm. “It will be much more fun with me.”
“Look, I already made plans, and I’m not going to break them. I have to go, Mei dongsaeng. Have a good day,” Jin-woo said.
He tried pulling his wrist free, but she wouldn’t let go. Jin-woo ended up having to pry her hands off him. He turned and walked away when he was finally free. He could feel her gaze boring into his back. When he checked, she was staring at him, and her face was anything but perky and happy. A shiver raced up Jin-woo’s spine. He’d never seen her like this before.
His phone alarm sounded, reminding him of his appointment with Teacher Kim, and Jin-woo picked up his pace. He had about ten minutes to get across campus to his mentor’s office. If he didn’t hurry, he was going to be late, and Teacher Kim didn’t like tardiness. Fortunately Jin-woo managed to make it on time.
“Dongsaeng, it is good to see you,” he said as he rose. Jin-woo bowed and then moved to take his seat by the desk, setting his backpack on the floor.
“It is good to see you as well, Seonsaengnim,” he said with a smile.
“How are things going at BLE?” Teacher Kim asked, resuming his seat.
“They are going well,” Jin-woo said. “We finished filming last week and started postproduction. After they had Min-su-ya and me go through the footage, Hyung-jun seonbae and Cheong-bo seonbae have decided to do two music videos: a regular version and a performance version. I’m to work on the regular, and Min-su-ya is working on the performance. It’s amazing. I didn’t think we’d shot enough to do that.”
“It sounds as if you two are making quite the impression. What about Jong-in dongsaeng?” Teacher Kim asked. “I haven’t been able to arrange a conference with him. He always seems so busy.”
“He’s doing well.” Jin-woo smiled. “He’s working with the sound engineers, and the other day, he helped HanYin hyung with a melody he was having trouble with. Everyone loves him. They even asked him to help with the initial recording of a band debuting soon.”
“It seems to have worked out quite well for all of you,” Teacher Kim said with a bright smile. “I am so glad. Now we need to discuss your academics. Some of your credits can come from your work at BLE, but there are other courses where you’ll need to work on additional projects.”
“I have several projects ready to submit for my fine arts classes. I sent in two engineering projects just this morning before I left home,” Jin-woo said. “I talked to my other professors about the papers that are due next week, and they’ve agreed to allow me to email the papers and do a video conference presentation instead of coming to campus, to limit the disruption to my time at BLE. It seems they all recognize how important and beneficial this program is. I’m very lucky.”
“You are not just lucky, dongsaeng. You are talented and have willingness to work. You are very personable and pleasant to be around. These are good traits to have in the entertainment industry. You also have the strength of will to hold fast in a sea
of sharks.” Teacher Kim chuckled. “Also a good trait to have when working in the entertainment industry.”
“I hope to work with many great artists, engineers, and managers,” Jin-woo said. “I’ve wanted to be involved in the music industry since I was old enough to understand what it was to make music.”
“You are well on your way to making that dream come true,” Teacher Kim said. “I am very proud of you. You have worked very hard to get where you are, and you deserve it. You, Min-su dongsaeng, and Jong-in dongsaeng are establishing a very strong network now, and that will work to your advantage after you graduate.”
“Everyone there is so nice.” Jin-woo laughed. “I met the president the other day. She asked me to have lunch with her. She wasn’t at all what I was expecting.”
“Oh? And what were you expecting?”
“I don’t know, a matronly lady. You know, someone reserved and calm, traditional, maybe a little cold and distant,” Jin-woo said, really thinking about his answer. “She was very approachable and laughed a lot. She teased Ki-tae-ya and Soon-joon hyung as if they were old friends. Yet she was graceful, elegant, and incredibly intelligent. I didn’t expect her to know a lot about the ins and outs of the music production process, but she did. Talking with her was amazing, and I think I learned just as much from that conversation as I have anywhere else.”
“Huijang-nim is an amazing woman,” Teacher Kim said with a nod. “She can be very no-nonsense when the situation calls for it. She can also be very playful and friendly, teasing people as close friends.”
“You’ve met her?”
“Yes. Soon-joon-nim and I have kept in touch over the years. One day we ran into each other by coincidence in a restaurant near BLE headquarters. I can’t remember the name of it now, but he was there with Huijang-nim. I found her incredibly lovely both inside and out,” Teacher Kim said.
“This is such an amazing experience. I’m glad other students will be able to go through it as well. I’m very happy that I am one of the first.” Jin-woo grinned.
Teacher Kim and Jin-woo talked a little more, going over his grades and his reviews, adjusting his schedule to work around his time at BLE. When they finally got things arranged to where they worked for all involved, Jin-woo bid his mentor farewell and left.
As he left campus and walked toward Hongik Station, Jin-woo felt a strange sensation come over him. There was a niggling feeling right between his shoulder blades, as if he were being watched, and the person doing so was focused on that one spot. He stopped and looked around but didn’t see anyone. It made him nervous, and Jin-woo quickened his pace. He felt a little better when he reached the station and boarded the train. Jin-woo found an empty seat, sat down, and pulled out his phone. He plugged in his headphones and put the buds in his ears, letting the sound of Bam Kiseu soothe his nerves.
When he got home that night, he was going to have to work on his song. He still hadn’t figured out exactly what it was going to be about, but he had several ideas floating around on scraps of paper in his apartment. Jin-woo had to admit, to himself, at least, he hadn’t been thinking about much of anything beyond sleep when he went home at night. The dreams of Ki-tae had not been as frequent, probably because of the many times Ki-tae cornered him somewhere to steal kisses or dragged him off to an empty room for something more. Not that he was complaining. Jin-woo would never complain about being with Ki-tae.
The day had been a long one. He’d been going since he woke up that morning, and Jin-woo hadn’t stopped since. It took him three tries to get his key in the lock, he was that tired. After opening the door, he entered his tiny foyer-type space and kicked off his shoes. That felt so good. Jin-woo didn’t really like shoes and preferred to be barefoot. He rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks.
His apartment was… trashed.
His TV was shattered, facedown on the floor. His chairs and sofa were slashed, the stuffing yanked out and thrown all over the room. His coffee table had been smashed, and shreds of paper were mixed with the stuffing. Jin-woo took several steps into the room. He knelt and picked up pieces of paper. One held the beginnings of a song, his project for part two of the scholarship. The others…. Jin-woo hiccupped, and tears slid down his cheeks. The others were pieces of a drawing he’d been doing of Ki-tae. Jin-woo snapped his head up, and he bolted up the small set of stairs to his bedroom, and another shock.
It was… pristine.
It was clean and tidy, too much so. Jin-woo wasn’t a slob, but he wasn’t a neat freak either. Someone had cleaned his room. Had more than one person invaded his home today? Could the same person have done both? It didn’t make sense. He rushed over to his desk, searching frantically. His laptop had been with him, but his sketchbooks, save one, weren’t. Jin-woo pulled open the cabinets. He stumbled backward when it hit him.
Every last sketchbook was gone.
Someone had gotten into his apartment, trashed his place, but cleaned his room, and then stolen all his sketchbooks. It didn’t make any sense. Without realizing it, Jin-woo pulled out his phone and dialed the police. He didn’t even remember the conversation. When he called Min-su, he was a little more coherent. Her calm voice helped him not to lose it. After he hung up, Jin-woo sat down where he was. Right in the middle of the chaos. He couldn’t stay in his room, but being in the living room wasn’t much better. Who could have done this?
Ki-tae
KI-TAE DROVE faster than the law allowed, and he didn’t give a fuck. He wove through traffic and barely made it through a stoplight. He didn’t care. Shifting almost faster than the car was capable of, Ki-tae stepped harder on the gas. Finally reaching his destination, he screeched to a halt and bolted out of the car, barely remembering to lock it, not that he cared if the damn thing was stolen right off the street. The flashing lights bothered his eyes, blowing his night vision to hell and back for a few moments. Then he was past them and inside the building. He didn’t need to know what apartment Jin-woo was in. Ki-tae could sense his distress, and that was enough to drop Ki-tae’s fangs. The elevator would be too slow. Ki-tae slipped into the emergency stairwell and looked up. Then he leaped, jumping from railing to railing and propelling himself up to the tenth floor. He pulled back just in time to not rip the metal fire door off its hinges.
“He’s already told you he doesn’t know who could have done this.” Min-su’s voice was angry. “How many times are you going to ask him?”
Ki-tae paused outside the door. If he went into that room in full rage, he wasn’t going to do Jin-woo any good. In fact, he would probably make matters worse, because someone would be dumb enough to shoot him, and that would just piss him off even more. When he felt his fangs slide back up, he opened the door. Knocking was for when Jin-woo wasn’t in distress. The minute he rounded the corner, Jin-woo cried out and was in his arms. His feisty man was really upset. He laid his hand on Jin-woo’s hair, stroking it gently.
“It’s all right,” he whispered. “I’m here now.”
“They… they stole all of my sketchbooks,” Jin-woo cried against his chest. “They trashed my home and tore up all my work down here. They… they….”
“Shhh,” Ki-tae said. “It will be all right, I promise.”
He looked over at Min-su and mouthed “thank you.” If she hadn’t called him on her way here, he didn’t think Jin-woo would have. It was clear Jin-woo was too upset to think of calling anyone but his best friend. While it hurt a little bit, Ki-tae could understand it. He would have called Soon-joon first.
“Who are you?” the officer asked, his hand poised over a notebook. He appeared to be the older of the two and seemed more laid-back, patient even. Ki-tae glanced at his tag, taking note of his name: Officer Lee.
“Jung Ki-tae. Janggyo-nim,” he said, not letting go until Jin-woo pulled back slightly. He reached up and wiped the tears from Jin-woo’s face. “Better?”
“A little,” Jin-woo said. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”
“It’s all right,�
� Ki-tae said, giving him a little smile. “Min-su-ya did. I got here as fast as I could.”
“What’s your relationship with Cheong Jin-woo dongsaeng?” the other, Officer Kim, asked, clearly not pleased with having such a short answer to his partner’s question.
“Very close friend,” Ki-tae said, looking hard at the man. He didn’t like the tone of that question. “We also work together.”
“I thought you said you were a college student?” Officer Kim said, glaring at Jin-woo.
“I am a college student. I’m also doing work at BL Entertainment as part of an internship program,” Jin-woo said. “After I left the campus, I headed over to BLE headquarters, and that’s where I was all day.”
“Jin-woo-ya and I are both part of that program, along with our friend Jong-in-a,” Min-su said. Ki-tae could hear the slight growl in her voice, and he couldn’t blame her. The tone of some of their questions was irritating him too. He just wanted to take Jin-woo out of there, at least for a little bit. He needed to not be surrounded by the remains of his home. It was a terrible thing to have your haven from the world invaded. It had happened to Ki-tae on a few occasions, and it always left him feeling unbalanced and vulnerable.
“You said you felt as if someone was watching you earlier today,” Officer Lee said, flipping back in his notebook. “Was that the first time?”
“I mean, when the program was first publicized, I got recognized when I was out shopping a couple of times, but nothing like this,” Jin-woo said. “It was almost a physical sensation, if that makes any sense.”
“Believe me, it does,” Ki-tae said with a wry chuckle.
“And you would know this because?” Officer Kim almost sneered. Ki-tae was getting sick of his attitude.
“On any given day, I can be followed by as many as thirty people who want to know my every move, every breath, what I ate, where I shop, what I do when I’m home alone, and whether I dress right or left,” Ki-tae said.