Ch 29(ii) – Seriously, The Longest Night

It took a few minutes to get Jaehyuk up to speed, as he initially sneered at Jongin trying to give him orders. Kyungsoo intervened, explaining to the manager that he had finally talked openly with the younger. “Jongin feels the same way, hyung,” he tries to reassure him. Kyungsoo feels himself flushing, not yet confident to declare out loud that the boy loves him. With each passing moment, though, he more firmly believes this once fragile dream is coming true, as the bright edges of this new reality gradually come into sharper focus.

Jaehyuk, however, narrows his eyes suspiciously at Jongin.

“I love him,” the dancer declares unabashedly. “And I understand now why you were interfering. I… I appreciate you trying to take care of Kyungsoo,” Jongin says, somewhat reluctantly. “But I really need us to meet with the VP. Tonight.” The younger’s height has him naturally towering over the manager, casually projecting authority as he makes it clear he’s not asking, he’s telling.

Jaehyuk considers the younger with pursed lips. “What makes you think he’ll agree even if I request it? It’s already late on a Friday night.”

“I imagine he wanted to meet with me earlier today. Just make it sound like you’re dragging me before him like he wanted, like you’re not letting me avoid it until morning, doing it to punish me. That ought to sit well with him,” he suggests helpfully.

“That… that might work actually,” the manager agrees. Turning to Kyungsoo, he knits his brows together. “But what do you want to talk to him about? Are you planning to ask permissi—“

The singer clears his throat. “Um, this is Jongin’s meeting. So you should ask him.”

Jaehyuk’s eyes shift back and forth between the two before settling on Jongin. “You’re sure this is a good idea?”

“I’m sure it’s necessary, let’s just put it that way,” he replies.

Jaehyuk takes a slow inhale and then nods his head. The trio make their way to the van as the manager rings the VP.

.

.

.

Kyungsoo keeps his hold on Jongin’s hand the whole ride over to the SM building. The younger’s warm, firm grip is reassuring, and Kyungsoo uses his free hand to thumb lovingly over all the ridges of the boy’s knuckles. He ends up tracing the dancer’s prominent veins gently up his forearms, admiring the way the golden skin bends and flexes under his touch. When he looks up, he catches Jongin watching him with an adoring smile on his lips. The taller leans down and presses a light kiss to his forehead. Kyungsoo finds himself releasing a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, memorizing the feeling of those soft lips against his skin, just in case… ‘No, don’t think like that,’ he scolds himself. Jongin rests a steady palm on his knee, which the older didn’t realize he’d been bouncing nervously, either.

“Don’t worry, Soo. We’ll get through this together.”

And there’s something about the way the words roll of his tongue that makes the older really believe it. He feels Jongin’s peace of mind seep into his very being as they lurch to a stop at their destination. It’s only as they exit the car and the younger tosses a “Just follow my lead” over his shoulder at him that Kyungsoo recognizes it: the cheeky dancer is using the same words he’d spoken the last time they were heading in to meet with the VP in the middle of the night. It’s déjà vu, only this time, everything is its edge. Like all the players are inside a snowglobe that’s been shaken up, each person seems to fill a different role and carry a different countenance. Surely the outcome will be better? After all, Jaehyuk, the lines on his face uneasy rather than angry, is walking in with them this time, giving an impression of it almost being a 3 on 1 situation…

Nonetheless, the moment they’re inside the building, worry begins to creep back into Kyungsoo’s system as he starts thinking about Jongin putting himself in the VP’s crosshairs. ‘I’ve got to be ready to intervene and take the heat, if necessary. I’ll say it was my idea, whatever it is Jongin’s planning, if the VP doesn’t receive it well.’  No matter how self-composed he fixes his outer appearance to be, Kyungsoo feels the prickle of fear knowing he’s about to face a hostile, homophobic man with significant power over their futures. It was easier last time, knowing he still had his secrets to himself. Now, Kyungsoo’s identity is already fully exposed to the VP, both in terms of his uality and his love for the radiant boy walking in front of him down the hall. Their opponent knows his weaknesses all too well this time around – and has proven that he isn’t afraid to exploit them; as a result, Kyungsoo is having a harder time mustering up the same level of bravado he had months before.

His train of thought is cut off by Jaehyuk knocking on the ominous double doors to the VP’s office. The cherry wood is thick and engraved with sharp, concentric square patterns that span from the floor to the ceiling, as though designed to and box in any visitors. ‘Were they this imposing last time I was here?’ he wonders. Kyungsoo only remembers being laser-focused on concocting plausible explanations for whatever the VP might throw at them, to protect Jongin, so he has no recollection of the insignificant details of their surroundings that night.

“Come in,” booms the voice on the other side of the heavy doors. Kyungsoo ignores the slight shiver that goes down his spine and slides in the room behind Jongin, who stops behind the middle chair facing the executive, placing his hands on the tall back of the chair.

“Well if it isn’t our Casanova,” the VP greets, with derisive amusement in his tone. “Finally done running off with your girl?”

Jaehyuk shuts the doors behind them and walks over to the chair on the left. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, rolls his shoulders back, and buttons his blazer as he steps out from behind Jongin to stand beside the last remaining chair on the right. He keeps his gaze cold and sure as the executive drops a patronizing smirk and flinches in surprise before gritting out, “What the hell are you doing here?”

Jongin speaks immediately, drawing the man’s eyes back to him. “There’s no need for us to start off so impolitely, VP-nim. Let us at least greet you properly, first,” he says before giving only the slightest incline of his head in the boss’s direction rather than a deep bow. Kyungsoo has to choke back a chortle at the younger’s sass and forces himself to give a slightly more respectful quarter bow to cover it up. When he raises back up, he witnesses the VP’s eyes flare with anger as Jongin continues to lecture the boss on manners with a faux innocent tone: “Aren’t you going to invite us to sit down?”

“NO,” the exec barks out in retaliation. Kyungsoo notices out of the corner of his eye that Jaehyuk was already halfway to his seat and has to jerk back up unnaturally to stand before his hits the chair, the manager rubbing his hands nervously at how this is all unfolding. “What’s the meaning of this?” the VP demands.

“I should be asking you the same thing, with respect to the statement you released earlier today without my consent. I’m certain Jaehyuk-hyung relayed my reluctance for you to respond to the rumors.” The dancer and the manager meet eyes for a moment, and Jaehyuk gives a short nod to indicate this is true.

The VP laughs, venom dripping from his voice as he starts in on Jongin. “Like that was even your place to protest. You and Krystal should have been more careful than to flaunt your experimental romance. Sorry, Jongin, we’re not in the habit of denying photographic evidence of dates, especially when they’re admittedly real by the couple in question.” The boss’s eyes flicker over to the singer at the end of his sentence with a sadistic smile.

Kyungsoo gulps, suddenly wanting to disappear but striving not to let it show, trying not to give the VP the satisfaction of seeing his pain. His mind wanders into places and spaces it shouldn’t, though, no matter how much he tries to prevent it. ‘So they were dating. For how long? Did she touch him like—‘

“You didn’t know, did you? Aw, did your best friend not confide in you about the girl he was smitten with?” the VP mocks Kyungsoo, snapping him out of his trance.

“How dare you talk to him like that,” Jongin snarls, stepping in front of the singer as a physical buffer to break the viscious gaze the boss had fixed upon the smaller. “Are you even human? How can you enjoy torturing someone by using their love for another person against them?” he seethes.

Kyungsoo had already rearranged his expression to be stoic again and placed his hand on Jongin’s waist to gently push him back to his side, trying to reassure him that he was okay and keep the younger out of the crossfire. Then the meaning of the dancer’s words hits him, and Kyungsoo gazes over at him with concern. Does Jongin realize the information he just gave away?

The younger’s next words remove all doubt. Staring directly at the shocked VP, he states plainly, “Yeah, I know. I know now about your hidden conversations about me with Kyungsoo. I also know about his feelings for me and how you used them to manipulate him into staying away from me. But here’s something you don’t know: I love him, too.”

The executive recoils in surprise and, unmistakeably, repugnance. Kyungsoo wants to reach up and shield Jongin’s eyes from the view, knowing this has to be a painful way to experience only his second time coming out to someone. But the powerful aura emanating from the boy man next to him keeps his arms by his sides. Jongin is doing just fine on his own, he notes with awe at the younger’s steely composure. When the dancer speaks again, it’s with a ferocity Kyungsoo’s never witnessed from him before.

“If you want to threaten me, do it to my face. Don’t you dare try to pressure my boyfriend to get to me or vice versa: It won’t work anymore. We’re in this together now.” To prove his point, Jongin reaches down and interlaces fingers with Kyungsoo before looking deep into his eyes, with just a flash of vulnerability as if he’s making sure the older hasn’t changed his mind. Kyungsoo gives him a quick, firm nod and squeezes his hand tightly, even if he’s not positive exactly where this is going. All he knows is that Jongin asked for his trust, and he gives it to him with his whole heart. He turns his attention back to the executive in front of them, trying not to flush from the thrill of hearing Jongin call him his boyfriend out loud for the first time.

“This is all very touching, this sudden solidarity, but where the do you think you get off telling me what to do? And acting like you’re going to carry on this despicable, unnatural relationship?” The verbal assault makes Kyungsoo’s blood boil, as the man points a chubby finger at Jongin emphatically. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re dating Krystal now. The whole media circus is going to be tailing your constantly, and you’ll be crucified by them if you seem like you’re stepping out on her. Plus, I bet she’ll be none-to-pleased to be gilted by you now, for this sick infatuation of yours,” the VP snarls before giving them a smug look.

“Ah, but you’ve underestimated her and I – our friendship. Krystal already knows about Kyungsoo, and she’s on board to keep our secret. Or, if it better serves both our needs, to join with me in denying that her and I were ever a couple and attesting that this was orchestrated, against our will, by SM.”

Everyone in the room is gaping at Jongin who just calmly waits for a response from the VP, clearly satisfied that his trump card has had such a shocking effect.

“You’re bluffing. Krystal wouldn’t sabotage—“

“Wouldn’t she? Do you have such a short memory that you’ve forgotten how you screwed over her sister? You don’t get it, do you? You think what you’re doing is “just business?” Then maybe you shouldn’t make everything so personal. You exploit Kyungsoo’s devotion to me because you assumed it was one-sided. You underestimate the fondness Krystal and I have for each other, and you even are stupid enough to not recognize the strength of a younger sister’s love for her unnie. She’s had mixed feelings at best about SM management since you forced Jessica out of SNSD and then the company, and she doesn’t really need you anymore. She’s been over the idol life for awhile and would rather focus on acting and fashion, anyway. Any other entertainment company would be more than happy to sign her when her contract expires in just a few short months. Renegotiations with her and her family have already been tense, haven’t they?”

The VP’s eyes widen, obviously not having considered that Jongin would be privy to such details. The dancer leans in, brushing a bit of dust off the boss’s desk nonchalantly, knowing he has the man’s full attention now.

“The way I see it, you’ve lost all your leverage. You lost it the moment you decided to ‘confirm’ a relationship between me and Krystal. Because now, should it be made known that you knew it WASN’T a real relationship, your credibility with the fans and the media are shot. You’ll be known, publicly, as a complete liar. And such a shocking scandal mi