Taehyung

'Uh, honey? You want to tell me what's going on?'

The message from Jennie made my blood turn cold. I had just finished turning in my rental car and was waiting for the shuttle to departures. Her text had been the first thing to pop up on the screen.

Heart thumping, I wrote back 'About?'

The shuttle stopped, and I boarded. By the time I'd taken my seat, Jennie had replied. The message was nothing but a link, and the preview almost made me throw up. Though it was a tiny thumbnail, it only took a glance to make out my face. And Ewon's.

Oh. God. No.

Gut taut with horror, I tapped the link. It was nothing I hadn't ever read before. They'd said the same things—almost verbatim aside from the parts about the autograph and the talk show—about me and Casey Davis after we'd had the audacity to grab coffee last fall. Casey was used to that kind of thing too, and we'd had a damn good laugh about it. 

But Ewon....

I closed the article and was just about to send him a text when he beat me to it.

'Did you see the article?'

I winced. Oh yeah, I'd seen it. Still cringing, I wrote back 'Yeah. I'm sorry. :('

It was stupid, but I didn't know what else to say.

The next message came from Jennie: 'So, are you seeing this guy?'

With anyone else, I might've snapped back that it was none of her ing business, but part of her job was running interference with things like this. She and my publicist were way better than I was at responding to rumors, so she was well within her rights to demand answers out of me.

The shuttle stopped in front of my airline. I collected my things and got out, secretly grateful for something to occupy me for a minute or two while I figured out how to respond.

Inside the airport, I stood out of the flow of traffic with my back to a wall, propped my suitcase against my leg, and wrote back: 'publicly, no. b/w you & me, yes.' 

I glanced at the check-in line. It wasn't all that long, and I still had a solid three hours, so I hung back for a moment to wait for a response from Jennie. I really wasn't in the mood for someone to read over my shoulder right now.

She didn't text back. She called.

"Really?" she sounded curious, not confrontational "You guys are a thing?"

I looked around, making sure no one was within earshot "Yeah."

"Since when?"

"Since I came up to Seattle to see him this weekend."

"Wow. And here I thought I was imagining you ogling him on Los Angeles This Morning."

Any other time, I would've laughed, but I just felt sicker.

"So you really want to keep this quiet?" she sounded like she was wincing as she spoke.

"I need to." I whispered "He's not used to this kind of thing."

"I get that. I do." Jennie sighed heavily "But you know that's not how it works, right? Even if you two weren't on the radar already, things like this don't stay a secret."

I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose "I know. I...I know. But I need to talk to him, and...and..." exhaling, I dropped my hand and let my head fall back against the wall "I don't know. I don't want to deny it because I don't want him to think I'm embarrassed of him, but I don't want.... I don't know what to do."

Something clicked rhythmically in the background. She was probably tapping a pen like she always did when she was thinking "When are you going to talk to him again?"

"As soon as I can. I need to check in for my flight, but I was going to call him after we're done talking."

"Okay. Good. Listen, Rachael and I will drag our feet a bit on making a statement. That should buy you some time to touch base with him. Then let us know how much you want to make public, and we'll go from there."

I slowly pushed out a breath, thankful for the millionth time that I had her and Rachael. They were way savvier in dealing with the media, and they could be objective about things when I was too emotional "Okay. He's at work right now, so I don't know when he'll be available, and I'm flying out soon, so—"

"Are you going to be back in LA tonight?" 

"Yeah. I get in this afternoon."

"Perfect. Text me when you get home, and we'll talk, okay?"

"Okay. Okay. Yeah. I can do that."

"All right. Go get checked in. Safe travels, sweetie."

"Thanks."

We hung up, and I stared at the darkened screen. Jennie and Rachael were getting some seriously fat bonuses this year. Without them, I'd be—

My phone came to life with another text, startling me so badly I almost dropped it.

Ewon had written: 'I don't even know how to process this.'

I flinched. Suddenly I needed to do more than just text him, so without a second thought, I sent the call.

He picked up immediately "Hey. I'm between patients, so I can't talk long."

"That's okay." I swallowed "Listen, I'm sorry about this. I had no idea they'd sell—" 

"It's not your fault." his voice was soft, but just unsteady enough to make my heart hurt "I don't blame you. I'm just kind of, uh, overwhelmed."

"Yeah, I get that. And my assistant and publicist are figuring out how to respond. They wanted me to talk to you first."

"Respond? We...we have to respond?"

"Well, you don't. Even if people start contacting you." I paused "Have they?"

"Don't know yet. I'm still sifting through all the texts and emails from everyone I know." he laughed dryly "And I'm kind of scared to read the hundreds of tweets I've already gotten."

I grimaced "."

"It's okay." he sounded exhausted "I knew this was a possibility. And...it doesn't change anything, does it? With us?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Not on my end. I still want to see you again." he paused, then added with a nervous laugh "Sooner than later, still."

That brought a smile to my lips "Me too. And I'm good at staying below the radar." I glanced around me, and so far no one had noticed me. Or at least if they did, they weren't making a big deal out of it "I'll work something out so no one gets another lucky shot like that. If we want to go public later, we can, but we'll have privacy next time. I promise."

"Okay." he exhaled "That sounds great."

Relief was making my knees shake. I wasn't sure exactly what I'd expected when I'd called him, but knowing he still wanted to see me was a huge relief "For the record, if my publicist denies we're seeing each other—or if I do—it doesn't mean I'm embarrassed of you. Or that I don't—"

"I know. I'd rather deny it for right now too. I mean, I'd love to shout it from the rooftops that we're...that the rumors aren't exactly untrue, but...maybe not quite yet?"

"Agreed." I whispered "For now, let's keep it on the DL, and work on getting together again."

"Sounds perfect. Okay, I have to go. I've got patients waiting."

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

"As soon as possible." the smile in his voice sent a tingle through me. The first truly pleasant feeling I'd had since the initial text from Jennie.

"Definitely." I whispered. 

After he'd hung up, I stayed against the wall for a moment to collect myself. We were still all right. He was probably rattled and no doubt feeling violated as by the article, but at least for the time being, he still wanted to see me. I still needed to see him.

I took and released a deep breath.

Jennie, Rachael, and I would handle the press. I'd work out a plan so Ewon could come to LA without anyone noticing. I'd see him again, and no one but us would know.

We've got this. We can do this.

Still uneasy but way less panicked, I gathered my luggage and headed for the check-in line.

In the cell phone lot outside the San Diego airport, I tapped my fingers on the center console. Whenever someone walked by, I surreptitiously lowered my gaze, letting the brim of my baseball cap shade my face. That was usually way too conspicuous, all but announcing to everyone that I was trying not to be seen, but right now, anything was better than nothing.

At least it was dark out, Ewon's flight didn't come in until 9:30, so we wouldn't be meeting up in broad daylight. Plus no one would really expect us to be meeting here. We'd never get in or out of LAX without someone noticing. Even the smaller airports in the area had the occasional paparazzo lurking outside, not to mention tourists on the lookout for celebrities. San Diego gave us better odds of slipping away unseen.

I checked the clock on the dash again. Two minutes since the last time I'd checked. He'd be on the ground in the next fifteen minutes, and if that plane was two seconds late, I would probably lose my mind. I was more nervous than when I'd gone to see him. When that weekend had been a giant question mark, and I'd had no idea we'd wind up connecting the way we had.

By all rights, I should have been way more chill this time, but the stupid articles—because of course there'd been more than one—had me on edge. Even after we'd talked almost daily, after we'd Skyped and Facetimed and texted and chatted, I was worried. He'd insisted he still wanted to do this, and he'd get used to the media attention. If anyone caught wind of us again, and saw past the statement my publicist had released, he'd be ready. He could handle it.

But what if you can't?

What if I'm not worth having to tolerate that ?

I'd somehow convinced myself that I'd feel better once I saw him in person. Once we'd touched again, and everything was still the way it was two weeks ago, I'd be able to breathe. 

Now if that goddamned plane would just land already...

I closed my eyes and wiped a hand over my face. The press had mostly backed off. Rachael had released a bland statement to the effect of Mr. Jung and Mr. Kim have recently become friends, but rumors of them being romantically involved are false. She'd written off the incriminating photo with the God's honest truth—that Ewon hadn't been kissing me at all, and it was just a lucky camera angle. Whether or not people had actually bought it was anyone's guess, but things had been quiet. I'd done a handful of phone interviews this past week about my last movie, and only two had mentioned the rumors about Ewon. When I'd laughed them off as people seeing what they wanted to see and reminded them that men—even gay men—could just be friends, they'd let it drop.

Still, we couldn't be too careful.

My phone chirped with a text, and I snatched it off the dash.

'Wheels down. Be there soon.'

My heart went crazy, and if not for autocorrect, my shaky thumbs would've botched the hell out of 'LMK when you're off the plane.'

About five nerve-racking minutes later, he messaged me again. I waited a couple more to give him some time to get across the airport, then started the car and headed for Arrivals. 

And as I slowed to a stop between a couple of cabs on the curb...there he was.

Ewon smiled when he saw me, and it was like all that worry from the last two weeks just vanished. In an instant, we were back to the way we'd been in his kitchen before we'd left and before we'd known about the article. He wasn't even in the car yet and I already felt better.

He'd only brought a small carry-on suitcase and a backpack, so he put them in the backseat before getting in the passenger seat "Hey. It's good to see you."

"You too." I met his gaze, and wished like hell we could get away with a kiss out here. Since I didn't dare—I was too high-profile and we were both men—I settled for giving his hand a squeeze.

Ewon flashed me a grin, and as he put on his seatbelt, I pulled away from the curb.

"Traffic's pretty light right now." I said "By California standards, anyway. We should be at my place in a couple of hours."

"Fine by me. I'm just glad I'm finally here."

"Me too." I glanced at him as I drove us out of the airport "I've, uh, been a little worried the last couple of weeks."

"How so?" 

"The articles, mostly." I swallowed "I was afraid they'd be too much for you."

Ewon was quiet for a moment "They're a lot to process, but not enough to keep me from wanting to see you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." he reached across the console and put his hand on my thigh "That weekend we spent together was amazing. Every day since then, I've looked forward to this. Hell, I look forward to getting texts from you and chatting with you. It'll take more than some gossipy tabloids to chase me off."

Something settled in my chest, and as I exhaled, my hands loosened their death grip on the wheel. I put one on top of his hand and rubbed my thumb along his "Okay. Good. I was just worried, I guess."

"I know." he turned his hand over to clasp our fingers together "And...you really think we'll be able to stay off the radar?"

That made me grin "Trust me. The only time anyone ever notices me out on the road is when I take out the sports car. This thing?" I nodded at the wheel "No one gives a beat-up Camry a second look in LA."

"Yeah, they probably don't." 

"Anyway, I made sure my kitchen is completely stocked so we don't have to leave at all unless we want to. And if we do, I know a few places that pretty much live and die by their reputations for letting people in discreetly."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. There's a steakhouse out in Sherman Oaks that looks like a hole from the outside, but is absolutely amazing. I guess the owner's daughter is some A-list musician—no one actually knows who she is—and he'll let people in through the back. Doesn't allow any kind of photography."

"Nice." Ewon said with a nod "That could be worth it one night. I'm happy to stay in, too."

"Good. I'll make sure you don't get bored."

Ewon's fingers twitched subtly in mine "I don't think that'll be a problem."

"No. Probably not." I grinned at him again "You like hot tubs?"

"I do. Especially if there's a no swimsuit policy."

"Well." I his hand with my thumb "I guess you're in luck."