Episode 15
“The house belongs to you.”
“There’s more to ownership than legal papers,” Jun said. He looked to Damian.
Damian took over. “You’ve cared for this place, Mrs. Bak.
Sakyuk only made as much off some of his investments because of your labor.
You held the dinner parties, the events.
You’ve been his social facilitator for years.
Consider this the value added from your unpaid labor.
If he’d actually made the money and kept everything under his name, you’d be entitled to more in a divorce. ”
“I’m not going to make money off of unpaid labor,” Jun said. “I’ve gone unpaid enough. We’re not going to continue that. Any proceeds from this house go towards the girl’s education and care. It should be enough to at least get them started in college.”
Tears ran down Mrs. Bak’s face.
“I always wanted to study in Ireland,” she said. “But I don’t know if I can get a visa before the school year starts.”
“We’ll find the girls a school and start the process. They can leave first while you sort your paperwork.”
“Please call me Sia,” she said. “I’m changing my name. I’d like to change the girl’s last name to yours.”
“They’re welcome to it.” Jun extended his hand
“May I share it with them?”
Jun swallowed and blinked, hard. “It comes from my mother, a strong woman who raised a child on her own. I know she’d be honored to share it with a woman who nearly made the same choice she had to, once.”
Jun
Customs into South Korea was just up ahead. Jun grimaced, looking at Damian. This is where they had to separate. Even though he now had a U.S. passport, he had to use his Korean passport to enter South Korea. Damian had to go through the line for foreigners. “See you on the other side.”
“Yun is waiting for us, in case anything happens. Richard just checked in. Holden is waiting for you as well, if Thomas and Jamal aren’t through with me yet.”
“Holden has eyes on the exit, sir,” Thomas put in. “We’re completely connected. I’ll hang back and join the line only once Holden says he’s made contact.”
Jun nodded and brushed his knuckles against Damian’s arm one more time. It would be better if he could be more demonstrative, but he was back in South Korea. Old habits and concerns were circling.
“See you on the other side.” He gave Damian a nod and strode towards the line.
The lady at the desk gave him a quick, wide-eyed look, but professionally said nothing.
She passed him onward without fuss. Jun went through the door to the other side.
For a few brief moments, he was alone in a swirl of strangers, and then Holden fell in step beside him.
“We got you, sir. So far, no fans are set up to waylay us on our way out.”
“So just luggage.” Jun kept his eyes fixed ahead.
“Thomas says the three of them will be a few minutes behind you. We can meet at baggage claim. Our driver is on standby.”
Jun led the way to the baggage claim, familiar with the airport.
Holden stayed at his back, on alert. Jun opened and closed his hand, working the stress down his arm and out his fingers.
Just because he’d been kidnapped the last time he was in this country didn’t mean he couldn’t be safe here.
His eyes caught on any form of uniform, from airport security to pilots.
Somehow he’d finally managed to handle the few police that came around in Chicago, but he hadn’t worked through the panic that came with seeing them here.
The baggage arrived. It was only a few things, since he and Damian had sent most of it with Richard to avoid dealing with it on the stop in California.
He had it on a trolley waiting before Damian, Thomas, and Jamal were through.
A few passersby recognized him. One brave girl made her way over shyly and asked for a photo.
“I have tickets to the first concert,” she said, eyes shining.
“I hope we do well for you,” Jun told her. He gave her an air hug and smiled at her phone camera.
She squealed and danced in place, looking at the snapped photo. “Oh, I’m going to tell everyone. I’ve seen all your latest videos. They’re so real. Was that actual fire l in that one a month ago?”
Jun waggled his eyebrows, then relented. “We had to be very careful.”
“Oh, so dangerous.” She put a hand over her mouth. “And you were dancing!”
“It was pretty hot.” Jun mimed fanning himself.
Pink bloomed furiously on her cheeks. She thanked him and skipped back to her friends. Two more people, emboldened, came up after that. He straightened up from the third photo to see Damian, Jamal, and Thomas had appeared. Holden signaled that their car was ready.
“I have to go,” Jun waved at his fans. “5N is on air tonight, please watch us.” He rattled off the station, streaming service, and time. A chorus of promises followed him through the door to the street.
Damian squeezed his hand as soon as they were in the car with the door closed. Holden rode point, Jamal and Thomas in the back, putting Damian and Jun in the middle, as usual.
They stopped at the hotel, a different one from the last time, only long enough to touch base with everyone else and dress for the TV appearance.
Yohei had even laid Jun’s clothes out for him.
All he had to do was shower off, put them on, do his hair, and rush through makeup.
The guys crowded in around the bathroom, catching up with him.
They had everything well handled and had even toured the venue for their first concert.
Rehearsal would be the next day with light and sound tests, and the day after was the tour kick-off performance.
Mi Hi sat in the car with them, going over questions she anticipated.
“That’s it. You boys are ready.” Mi Hi smiled at all of them. “I can’t believe we’re here.”
Su-jin offered her a hug. And then it was time.
The car stopped and they got out to a shower of camera flashes, then hurried into the studio.
Damian and their security joined them inside.
There was a quick meeting with the host, then last-minute makeup and sound checks.
Jaewoong showed Jun his microphone, a free handheld device.
“I think they gave me the same one as last time.”
“How so?”
Jaewoong flipped it over and showed Jun two crossed thumbnail prints in the rubber. “I did that last time when I was trying to keep my temper.”
Jun shook his head. “That’s not how we’re playing this time.”
“I know,” Jaewoong grinned and rolled his shoulders. “This is going to be fun.”
A few moments later it was lights, camera, and then they were live. The five of them were seated in a row with the host, a round man in a pink suit and a bowtie, perched on a stool to their left and a little in front. He sat sideways to the studio audience so he could dialogue with 5N.
The greetings and announcements started.
Jun went through the motions, waving, smiling, bowing, shaking hands.
It was easy. Easier than he’d imagined. This was something he’d done hundreds of times, and this time he wasn’t looking over his shoulder at Bak Gyeong.
The only ones he was thinking about off stage were Damian and Mi Hi, both watching from the wings.
Mi Hi was practically glowing with excitement, clutching her pad to her chest, looking every inch a successful K-pop idol group PR manager in her pink dress suit, silver silk blouse, and matching heels.
Damian stood behind her in his three-piece suit and dark blue dress shirt.
He looked so damn good. Jun trained his focus back to the interview.
Now was not the time for those kind of thoughts.
The host had started with Su-jin, going through catch up questions with each member, and now he was onto Jun.
“So, we’d like to ask; there’s been some photos, some questions, a recording from when you first were in Chicago. I’m sure there’s a lot of fans who want to know, are you gay?”
Jun raised an eyebrow and looked towards his bandmates.
Geun smirked. Yohei raised an eyebrow in return.
Jaewoong rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling and lifted his palms. Su-jin hid his mouth behind his hand.
Jun turned back to the interviewer. “Are you a dating service?” He looked around, as if looking for potential dates waiting in the wings, then waved, self-deprecating. “Apologies, I’m not looking.”
The host shook his head. “No, no! Just, we have that clip of you with the lawyer Damian Sathers in Chicago and it was…very suggestive.” He adjusted his glasses and looked to Jun expectantly.
Jun leaned back, putting his hands in his pockets. “Oh? We were trying to keep it safe for TV. Sathers is proper like that.”
“So you are gay?”
“Let me think…” Jun jumped up and walked off the stage. Damian and Mi Hi made eyes at him. Jun shook his head and grabbed Damian’s hand. Without asking permission, he dragged Damian out onto the stage. He pointed his microphone towards Damian. “Sathers, am I gay?”
Damian gave Jun the most exasperated look. “I thought we answered that question almost three years ago.”
“Oh, yeah, we did.” Jun smirked.
Damian gave Jun the most disapproving look.
Jun raised both eyebrows. “What can I say, Sathers? You’re pretty.”
Damian groaned and walked off the stage, shaking his head.
“So I think we can take that as a yes?” the host said, hesitantly. Jun raised two eyebrows at him.
The host twitched, nervously. “So, um…how has that worked with all of you?” He waved in the general direction of the other four members of 5N.
Geun spoke into his microphone. “Have you seen our comebacks? The new album? We’re making our best work.”
The host looked at the rest of 5N guys. Su-jin shrugged. “Why are you looking at me? I just haven’t been asked out by the right guy yet.”
“Ahya!” Jaewoong groaned. “Mi Hi’s going to kill us.”
Jun laughed. “Su-jin hasn’t gotten asked because we have standards.”
Yohei breathed into his microphone, deep and dark, “You bet we do.”