Jung Ewon

A month had passed since my last little tantrum over Taecyeon having dinner with Yeeun. A lot had changed - well, I had changed - since then. Hearing the slight edge of frustration in his voice when he had to defend his time with Yeeun for the umpteenth time, followed by the disappointment when I cut our conversation early, triggered something inside of me. I was sick and tired of hurting all the time and feeling like a third wheel in my own relationship with the man I loved, a man who I knew damn well loved me in return.

That night after our argument, I sat in the quiet of my home and thought about my relationship with Taecyeon. I couldn't help but compare it to the failed relationship I'd had with Geoff. I had promised myself that I'd never let myself fall for a man who would deny me in front of his friends and family, yet there I was with Taecyeon. Then I realized that it really wasn't entirely the same thing.

In my relationship with Geoff, no one knew that we were anything other than friends. To be honest, I don't think Geoff had admitted to himself that he was gay. He always said he didn't want to put a label on our relationship. I didn't know if he was ashamed of himself, thought it was a phase that would pass, or was too confused to know what the he wanted. All I knew was that he made me feel cheap and dirty. Those were things that Taecyeon never made me feel.

While it was true that Taecyeon wasn't out publicly, the people closest to him, except his brother, knew about our relationship. Beside Minjun, Jinyoung and Junho were the closest thing to family that Taecyeon had. He rarely spoke to his father and I didn't think he cared too much what the man thought about him. Minjun, however, was another story. He idolized his brother and I knew he worried about losing him. Yet, Taecyeon didn't seem eager to take Yeeun home to meet the family either. It seemed it was a line he refused to cross, and though I suspected the reason, I needed to hear it from him. 

"What does Minjun think about your relationship with Yeeun?" I asked the next night on the phone. I was certain that the two brothers must've talked about his new relationship. There was no way Minjun hadn't seen their pictures blasted all over the internet and social media.

"Ewon." Taecyeon said on a sigh "I really don't want to talk about this with you. I don't want to fight with you."

"That's not what this is about." I assured him "I just..." I struggled to find the right words to say without leading him into the answer I wanted to hear. I needed it to come from his heart.

"Minjun thinks she's pretty and that she conducts herself well publicly. He likes that she comes across as an intelligent woman with a lot of passion and knowledge of the sport, rather than some groupie." Taecyeon chuckled then and I felt the deep timbre of his voice roll through my body. I was almost distracted by it.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Minjun doesn't think she's the one for me."

"What? Why?" my heart sped up and I sat a little straighter in my chair.

"He said that I don't look at her the way he looks at Hyejeong and I never bring her up in a conversation." I didn't think Taecyeon could say anything else that would make my heart happier than it was, but I was wrong "He also said that if I was as crazy about her as the media reported, I wouldn't make excuses for why I couldn't bring her to meet my family."

A few days prior, I would've been stuck on the fact that Minjun wanted to meet Yeeun and wouldn't have heard the rest "Why do you make excuses?" my voice was barely above a whisper and raw with emotions only Taecyeon could make me feel.

"I love you, Ewon. If I can't take you home to meet Minjun, Hyejeong, and the kids, then I'm not taking anyone. I don't like this charade I play with Yeeun, it feels wrong to me, and I'm not going to complicate it even more by dragging it home to Minjun. Besides, I would never deliberately hurt you like that. I know how hard this is for you and I know how bad that douche hurt you. I'm not him, I'm not that guy." God, his words were like a warm hug through the phone connection and were the spark I needed to get my head out of my .

I wouldn't lie and say that I never had doubts after that, but I stomped them beneath the heels of my expensive loafers Taecyeon hated so much. The first thing I did was turn off the Google alert that told me anytime a new story about Taecyeon popped up. Then I deleted the fake accounts I set up so I could follow Yeeun's social media accounts. It was next to impossible to believe that what I had with Taecyeon was real with those pictures in my face all the time. Yeeun loved social media and it appeared she liked the attention she got from posting pictures of them together. I knew I was the one Taecyeon loved and it was past time that I acted like it. I wasted no more of our precious time whining about Yeeun. 

I knew that my access to Taecyeon would be limited the week leading up to his big fight with Jaxon Hardy. I understood that he needed to focus all his energy on his training because it would be his greatest challenge. Jaxon was a former champion himself and he wanted that title back more than his next breath. The cocky bastard thought he could easily take down my man to get it.

Instead of moping around my house from missing Taecyeon that week, I went out with Jokwon or friends from work. Not every night, but more than usual. We went to bars to watch a few games or grabbed a bite to eat. My clubbing days were long behind me, so I easily turned it down when it was brought up.

"You still aren't going to tell me who he is?" 

Jokwon asked over dinner.

"There's no one to tell you about." it wasn't lost on me that I was the one denying Taecyeon's existence. It felt horribly wrong and I hated it, but I had no choice. I loved Jokwon and knew I could trust him, but I would never betray Taecyeon that way.

"If you say so." Jokwon said in a sing-song voice.

"I do." I sang right back to him.

I went about my week without a hitch until the night before I was supposed to head to Vegas. Jokwon had left the bar to use the restroom, so I checked my messages. The smile on my face when I saw I had one from Taecyeon grew even larger when I opened it up. There was a picture of him and Caesar lying in bed with a caption that read: We miss you :(

I stared at the photo longer than I should have. I started to respond to the message when I realized that Jokwon had returned to his stool. I quickly locked the screen and set my phone on the bar before I turned to smile at Jokwon. My heart froze when I looked into Troy Danver's devious brown eyes instead of Jokwon's guileless brown ones. Troy looked down at my phone and then back up at me. ! How much had he seen? No scratch that. The was he doing in New York? That's the answer I wanna know.

I couldn't stand bottom-feeding photographers like him. He wasn't an artist, he was a damn paparazzo. People like him didn't care whose life they destroyed as long as they got their cash. I'd be damned if he got to Taecyeon through me. The only expression on my face was one of disgust "What the do you want, Danvers?"

My hostility didn't seem to faze him one bit. His sneer for a smile made me want to kick him right in the gonads "I hear you're interviewing Ok Taecyeon again before his big fight."

"And?"

"That's two exclusive interviews with the extremely private fighter." he answered.

"And?" 

"I want to know why you, of all people, seem to be his favorite. You'd think a guy like him would steer clear of the controversial gay reporter." Danvers replied "It appears that the two of you have...bonded."

I refused to be baited by him. I was controversial to some, but not many. I couldn't get a feel if he had seen the photo of Taecyeon on my phone or if he was just fishing "And you want to know what the macho fighter and the limp-wristed reporter could possibly have in common." I let my voice soften from the arctic tone I'd used earlier. I wanted him to think I was softening too.

"You're damn straight." Troy replied.

"But I'm not." I reminded him playfully.

"Spill it, Jung." Troy used my last name as if we were best buds "What's your secret to getting access to the champ?"

I crooked my finger at him and he leaned closer. I crooked it again and he came even closer still. I leaned in the rest of the way until my mouth nearly touched his ear "It's our deep admiration for Superman and our immense dislike for s like you." I sat back in my chair and looked into his stunned eyes. I wasn't a guy who was easily pushed around and it was time he learned it "Get. Lost."

Troy started to speak, but Jokwon returned from the bathroom then. 

"I believe you heard the man." Jokwon said when it looked like Troy had no intention of moving.

Troy looked him up and down, as if calculating to see how big of a threat Jokwon was to him "Who are you?"

"None of your damn concern." I told Troy.

Troy acted as if he hadn't heard me "Are you his boyfriend?" he asked Jokwon.

"Yep."

It was all I could do not to groan out loud. I knew if I did, it would only encourage him more "Don't tell him anything, Jokwon. He's a ing photographer for Dirty Laundry. He's looking for an exposé on my life." It was partially true.

Jokwon's eyes darkened with anger "Do as the man suggested and get lost or I'll help you along the way."

Jokwon was several inches taller than Troy and had a much fitter body. He could appear quite menacing when he wanted to be, and that night was one of those times. It worked because Danvers got up without another word. I saw the question in Jokwon's eyes, but he didn't say anything. Instead, we went about our night as if Troy's intrusion had never happened. 

It was too late to reply to Taecyeon's message when I got home. I was a little bummed because I knew he would be on lockdown, as I referred to it, for the twenty-four hours leading up to the fight. I chose to focus on the bright side, which was that I would be in his arms in just two more days.

I was both excited and nervous when I was shown into Taecyeon's dressing room. I had seen him at pre-fight conferences, but never so close to the actual event. Only Mr. Jinyoung, Junho, and Yeeun were permitted to be around him minutes before a match. As happy as I was to be in the same room as him, I was bummed that I couldn't give him a good luck kiss or even a ing fist bump. We couldn't take any chances with the commission officials in the room.

I made certain not to look into Taecyeon's eyes when he answered my questions. I feared I wouldn't be able to keep the longing out of my expression, so I chose to keep my eyes on the notes I was taking. Before I knew it, Taecyeon was taped and ready to go. He followed Mr. Jinyoung out of the room without a backwards glance at Yeeun, Junho, or me. I smiled inwardly because I might not have received any pre-fight affection, or even acknowledgment, but neither did Yeeun. 

I turned to face Yeeun, prepared to thank her for what she did, but my gratitude dissipated as soon as I saw the calculating smile on her face. She was a woman with an agenda. I had no idea what she was up to, but I was sure I'd be the first, or second, person to know.

"Busy week?" she asked me. The innocuous question didn't match the sarcastic tone of voice she used. I looked questioningly at Junho, but he shrugged as if to say he didn't know what was going on.

"Sure was." I replied. I had no choice but to play along.

"Me too. I've been fighting off reports that I'm pregnant." before, her words would've been a knife to my heart, but I was smarter and stronger.

"Wow, another immaculate conception." I replied with wide eyes. Junho snorted, earning a death glare from Yeeun.

She turned her smirking glance back at me "This is how you repay my kindness?"

"You're right, Yeeun. I should be more appreciative." I took a deep breath "I appreciate how you put yourself on the line by going out to fancy dinners and parties wearing expensive shoes and dresses that Taec feels obligated to buy for you." she blanched at my words, obviously unaware that Taecyeon had told me every single ing detail of their agreement. He felt strongly that Yeeun shouldn't have to pay for any expenses related to her part in the charade. 

She smiled acidly, then said "I meant for not showing him the photos of you in another country with your boyfriend." she 

crossed her arms over her chest and tried to go in for the kill "I understand why Taec has a beard, but fail to see why you need one too." I was about to ask what she was talking about, but she didn't need prompting "I'm talking about your dates with Jokwon this week."

"Jokwon is just my friend, Yeeun. Taec knows that."

"Well, according to the article on Dirty Laundry's website, you're much more than friends." That ing Troy Danvers! "There were a few pictures included that made it look like you and Jokwon couldn't wait to go home and rip each other's clothes off."

I rolled my eyes at that one "Because every photo posted in the media is the truth and should be trusted." I looked pointedly at her and smiled inwardly when I saw some of her confidence unravel "Like the pregnancy bull." I said, in case I wasn't clear enough.

"You're lucky he didn't see the article before his match. He needs to be focused on his opponent in the ring and not doubting your loyalties. If he lost a match because of you..."

"First of all, I resent that you think Taec is so ing weak that he can't block out the bull and focus on his fight. Unlike you, I trust him to be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction." the balls on that woman riled me up to levels I had never experienced before, but I wouldn't let her ruin my weekend with Taecyeon. She was about to see the side of me that first caught Taecyeon's eye "It's in your best interest to make sure that he's not bothered by that anyway."

"How do you figure?" she looked at me like I was dumber than a box of rocks.

"Who do you think the media will blame if Taec stumbles in the ring? Me, who they don't know about, or you, who they see on his arm multiple times a week?" I laughed derisively as what I said started to sink into her pretty head "You forget that I'm a sports reporter, honey. I've lost track of the number of times a wife or girlfriend got blamed for an athlete's poor performance. They go from media darlings to pariahs in a blink of an eye. They get booed in public, harassed on social media, and lambasted on the internet. Is that what you want?" the sour look on her face was the only answer I needed.

"Taec is in love with me. It's time you accept it." I looked at my watch and saw that the match was due to start in under ten minutes "You better get out there and look pretty, darling. We don't want the sharks starting to speculate that there's trouble in paradise."

"." Yeeun flipped her hair over her shoulder and headed for the door "Are you coming, Junho?"

I looked over at Taecyeon's publicist and found him watching me with his head tilted slightly to the side. He looked at me as if he were seeing me for the first time and didn't know what to make of me. He was so lost in his thoughts and hadn't heard Yeeun speak to him. 

"Junho!" she yelled shrilly.

He jumped and followed her without a word, which was okay with me. I needed a minute to gather myself. Regardless of what I said to Yeeun, I knew Taecyeon wasn't going to like Troy's article. He was going to like the possibility of Troy having seen the message he sent me even less, but it was something I would need to tell him.