Jung Ewon

It was the biggest interview of my career and I was a hot ing mess. I might've looked calm, cool, and collected on the outside, but on the inside, I shook like a Chihuahua. Ok Taecyeon was known for hating the media and gave one-on-one interviews to no one, in fact, I believed I was his first. My heartrate accelerated to a ridiculous level at the thought of being his first anything.

The man was sheer perfection in my mind with his tall, muscular body, black-as-night hair, and dark brown eyes. The intimidating scowl that was practically a permanent fixture on his face didn't take away from his looks, it enhanced them. He reminded me of a gladiator when he took to the ring - ruthless, bloodthirsty, and y as . Watching him move around the ring with sweat and blood glistening on his skin was much better than watching gay . And that growl...I didn't know how many times I had heard that growl in my mind while .

Crushing on straight men wasn't my thing and I usually made it a rule to not file them away in my spank bank memory because it was pointless. It took me many years to get to the point where I walked tall and proud as a gay man, instead of hiding who I was. I refused to waste time on guys who would never return my feelings. Taecyeon was the one exception to my rule.

The smell of sweat and hot male bodies hit me hard the minute I stepped into the gym. Nirvana. I refused to close my eyes and breathe it in because I wanted to be taken seriously. After my "coming out" article went live the prior month, I anticipated being excluded from a lot of interviews, especially in the testosterone-laden world of MMA fighting. Sure, I had received some rejections to my interview requests, but not as many as I had expected. I almost didn't send the email to Taecyeon's publicist, but I decided no risk meant no reward.

I knew I had been well and truly rewarded when Taecyeon's dark eyes locked on mine and I realized I would get to spend thirty minutes with his attention focused solely on me. , he was the iest man alive. 

He was the kind of guy who, with one look, made you want to drop down to your knees and worship his . Yeah, I decided not to try that with him unless I wanted to lose all my teeth. I saved that fantasy for later when I was alone. Don't pop wood in the gym. Don't pop wood in the gym. They were  sage words to live by.

"Ah, Mr. Jung." the publicist, Junho, said "It's nice to meet you in person." the man extended his hand to me and offered a warm smile that didn't quite mask his nervousness. Why was he nervous? Did he think I'd say or do something to offend Taecyeon or was he concerned that Taecyeon would grunt out his typical one or two word replies? I had plenty of experience working with athletes that I had dubbed the Three R's - reticent, reluctant, and resentful. I was confident I could get Taecyeon to open up to me.

"It's good to meet you too, Junho, and please just call me Ewon." I turned and looked into the darkest brown eyes I'd ever seen. I thought they were beautiful in pictures and on television, but I hadn't been prepared for their intensity in person "Thank you for honoring me with this interview, Mr. Ok." his response was a slight nod and a grunt.

"We'll be using Jinyoung's office for the interview." Junho told Taecyeon. The stern look Junho gave Taecyeon almost made me laugh. It couldn't be more obvious that Taecyeon was being forced to do the interview, which didn't bode well for me.

I followed behind the two men, telling myself not to stare at Taecyeon's tight or imagine the way his muscular thighs would feel between mine. I reminded myself I was there to interview the king of the Three R's. Focus, , and not on his physical attributes.

"Here we are." Junho said "It's a little messy, but it will afford us the privacy we need." A little messy? It looked like a bomb had gone off inside the ten by fifteen room.

"Uh, yeah, this is great." beggars couldn't be choosers and I took what I could get.

Taecyeon took a seat in one of the chairs facing the desk while Junho stood in the corner. My options were the chair next to Taecyeon or Mr. Jinyoung's chair behind the desk. I chose Mr. Jinyoung's chair out of self-preservation.

I began unpacking my messenger bag and set the contents on top of Mr. Jinyoung's disaster for a desk. It was a good damn thing I wasn't a germophobe or the interview would've been over before it started.

"What's that?" Taecyeon asked. The deep, gravelly timbre of his voice sent my pulse racing and my dirty mind spinning. Damn, what must his voice sound like when he was aroused? Taecyeon picked up my small recorder from the desk and held it up in his hand "What are you planning to do with this?"

I didn't appreciate his confrontational tone of voice or the way he narrowed his eyes in suspicion "I record my interviews and play them back when I write my articles. I assure you that it's a normal practice, Taec." 

"Mr. Ok." he corrected "You haven't earned the right or respect to use my first name, let alone my nickname." I saw Junho rub a hand over his face as he released a frustrated sigh.

Okay, so the interview got off to a horrible start "My apologies." I used a contrite tone, one I didn't feel, to get the interview back on track "Mr. Ok, sir." I ignored the scowl Mr. Ok send me and pulled up my phone to look at the questions I had saved in my notes.

"No pictures."

I looked up from my phone, then turned it around so he could see I was looking at my notes and not getting ready to snap his picture. Damn, but the dude was paranoid "Junho has already provided an approved image to use with the article." I replied patiently "Are you ready?" I nodded at the recording device in his hand "You can be in charge of the recorder if it makes you more comfortable. If I ask or say something you don't like, then you can shut it off and we can discuss it before we turn it back on and resume the interview."

"Fair enough." Taecyeon replied reluctantly. He pushed the record button and set it on the desk in front of him.

I planned on starting with easier questions to make him comfortable "How'd you come by the nickname 'The Hitman'?"

"They line them up, I take them out." he said flatly. 

I looked at him to see if he was going to expand on his answer and continued when it was obvious he had no intention of doing so "At what age did you start fighting competitively?"

Taecyeon leaned forward and shut off the recorder. Already? "Why  is that relevant? All that matters is that I'm the best fighter in the world. That's all people need to know."

"Taec, we talked about this." Junho's tone of voice sounded fatherly and affectionate "Ewon isn't your enemy. He voluntarily submitted his list of interview questions to me so that we'd know he wasn't looking to do some sleazy exposé on you. If he asks a single question that wasn't on the list, then I'll shut this interview down myself."

"You did that?" he asked me "Why?"

"I've interviewed many high-profile athletes since joining Ringside Magazine. Many of them were extremely private individuals and were reluctant to sit down with me. Submitting the questions beforehand made them feel more comfortable." I was surprised to learn that Junho hadn't shared the list with Taecyeon prior to the interview. My warm, friendly smile was met with skepticism "Look, the world would like to know more about you, but that doesn't mean you need to slit your wrists and bleed for them. Just give them a brief glimpse into your life, a glimpse that you control. That's the opportunity I'm giving you."

"They'll just want to know more." Taecyeon countered. 

"If you're lucky." Junho said from the corner "Can you just give the guy a chance, dude?"

Taecyeon's answer was to push play on my recorder "I started fighting on the MMA circuit when I turned eighteen."

"But you were fighting prior to that?" I asked.

"I started fighting when I was a skinny elementary school kid who was tired of getting picked on. An older boy in my neighborhood taught me a few moves so I could defend myself. I got really good at fighting and I liked the way I felt when I won. I wouldn't say that I started trouble just to get into a fight, but I never backed away from it. Coach witnessed one of my fights and saw the potential in me. He gave me a business card and told me to stop by his gym to see him." Taecyeon shrugged "I guess you could say the rest is history."

I felt a sudden burst of adrenaline rushing through my system and mentally punched a fist into the air. It was a huge ing deal that he told me something he'd never told another reporter. I decided to reward him with an easy question "What would Ok Taecyeon eat on a diet cheat day, if he could have one?" I detected a slight titling at the corner of his mouth and vowed to see a full-fledged smile by the end of the interview.

"Depends on my mood." he replied "Today, it would be a medium-rare steak, king crab legs with tons of melted butter, baked potato with butter and sour cream, an endless supply of good bread, and cheesecake for dessert."

"Damn, that sounds good." I heard myself say. I wasn't talking about food, I was imagining melted butter running down Taecyeon's hand and him it clean. Taecyeon cleared his throat and I snapped out of my daydream. I jerked my eyes up to meet his and wondered about the change I saw in his gaze. The intensity was still there, but something else was present that I couldn't quite name.

"Next question." Taecyeon said, getting back to business "I have hours of training left today."

"How long do you train each day?" I asked.

"Until I'm finished." was his surly reply. Junho let out a deep sigh from the corner and the stubborn fighter turned to face him. It appeared that the two men carried on a silent conversation between them in a matter of seconds. Taecyeon turned back to face me and said "On non-fight weeks, I can train up to six hours a day. I mix it up between cardio, weights, and sparring. During fight weeks, I focus on technique so I can save my legs for the ring."

I jotted down a few things in my notebook and felt his penetrating stare on me the whole time. I expected him to snatch it out of my hands to see what was written, but he didn't "What kind of music does 'The Hitman' listen to prior to a fight or while training to get him pumped up?" 

"Metal music. No light and fluffy bull."

"Not a Belieber, huh?" I wasn't sure where that remark came from and wished I could take it back the moment it slipped out.

Taecyeon shut off the recorder forcefully "Believer of what?" he asked in confusion.

"Belieber." I repeated, putting an emphasis on the second b. "It means a Justin Bieber fan."

Taecyeon looked at Junho for help and only received a shrug, then he turned back to face me "Who the is that?"

I was shocked he didn't know who Justin Bieber was. He must live at the damn gym. "He's a hip hop singer. The exact opposite of a metal band." I explained "It was a joke, a very poor one."

He turned the recorder back on "Next question." his voice had gone from irritated to downright disgusted in a flash.

"What are your plans after you retire from fighting?" I asked.

"Ask me that when I announce I'm retiring." he looked at Junho once more and asked "You approved these questions?"

"There's nothing wrong with them." Junho replied. 

"I'm twenty-ing-four years old. Retirement isn't even a blip on my radar yet." Taecyeon turned back to me "Next."

"What are your hobbies?"

"I don't have hobbies. Fighting is my life." he said tersely.

"And when you're not fighting?" I prodded.

"Training."

"Okay." I could see that line of questioning wasn't going anywhere at all "Are you in a relationship with anyone?" that question wasn't on the approved list and I expected Junho to call me out, but he didn't. It was met with a death glare from Taecyeon, however, so I wisely decided to move on and steer clear of that topic "Batman or Superman?" a smile spread slowly across his face and I nearly jumped up out of the chair to do a victory dance.

"Superman." he said incredulously "Batman doesn't have any super powers beyond a super large balance in his checkbook." he looked at me suspiciously and asked "Are you one of those bat freaks?"

"I'm a journalist." I said, as if that explained everything "Team Superman all the way."

Our eyes held, and for once, I caught a glimpse of the real man behind the façade, but it was gone so fast, I thought I had imagined it. I was about to ask another question, but Mr.Jinyoung appeared in the doorway with an expression that meant business.

"Playtime is over, kid."

"This has been more like torture than playtime." Taecyeon told his coach.

I tried not to take his comment personally as I shut off the recorder and began putting my stuff back in my messenger bag. I knew coming in that he hated interviews, so what the hell had I expected? It felt like I was pulling teeth when I tried to get answers out of him, so it probably had felt like a bad trip to the dentist to him.

Junho came over and slapped me on my back as I rose to my feet "Don't take Taecyeon personally, Ewon."

I felt Taecyeon's eyes on me and looked down at him "No offense taken."

"I've been a fan of your work for a long time." Junho said, pulling my attention back to him "I thought your coming out article was brave and well-written."

"Thank you, Junho." I didn't know the man, but for some reason, his kind words meant a lot to me.

Taecyeon stood up from his chair "You're gay?" 

I couldn't tell if his tone was one of disgust or surprise, nor could I decipher his thoughts when our eyes met again. I found myself standing taller in his presence, even though I had no reason to cower. I loved who I was and the journey I took to get to the point where I could say that about myself "I am." I held his gaze, daring him to say something homophobic or cruel. Ok Taecyeon could totally kick my , but I'd be damned if I backed down to anyone ever again.

As if he had just realized that all eyes were on him, he extended his right hand across the desk to me "It was nice meeting you, Ewon."

I accepted his offer and hoped like hell he didn't see the tremor that rippled through my body when his skin touched mine "It's Mr. Jung." I corrected "You haven't earned the right or respect to use my first name."

The shocked look on his face put a little extra sway in my hips as I walked my happy out of there. I had been told on many occasions that I loved to have the last word, and it was mostly true. I hoped like hell they weren't the last words I ever spoke to Taecyeon.