“I’ve just become the Executive Vice President of C-JeS Entertainment.”

“That’s great—” the shock came seconds late. “Did you say C-JeS uncle?”

“Yes, and I know what came into your mind.”

I grabbed a cushion and hugged it tightly, “Is this for real? What will happen now? Do I have to leave SM?”

“Of course not, you silly,” then he patted my head. “I just want you to know about it. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about my involvement in C-JeS. When you joined SM I didn’t think it would be a big deal since my name won’t really be publicly related to the company. But now things will change. However as I’ve said, you will not be leaving SM. You have there your bandmates and fellow artists, like Yunho and Changmin whom you love as siblings. I know they are also a family to you.”

He continued, “What I want is just an agreement between us. I will not meddle with your professional affairs and in return I will expect you to let me be with my business affairs. Is that okay?”

I nodded.

“You are a daughter to me and I don’t want to put you in a difficult situation.”

“I understand uncle. But what am I to do? Will my company know about this, too? Should I go and talk to them?” I really am worried. I know how misunderstandings or miscommunications can ruin relationships and I can’t let it happen to me.

“I suggest you go and talk to them. We could of course take care of how much of this would go out to the press but we can only do so much. So if you and your company trust each other, you go and have a talk with them about this.”

“And don’t worry, I’ll send a personal message to your president, too, to explain the situation so that he would not worry about this.”

I smiled at him. “Please do that. Thank you for letting me know about this beforehand.”

“Come on. Let’s see how things will happen tomorrow. Have a good night sleep now.”

“I think that would do me good. Thank you for telling me this again uncle. Good night.”

Life is really amazing when it lets you experience all the extremes in one day. Yet I knew then that more extremes were to come—both very heart-warming and challenging things.

Two days after, I requested for an appointment with our president.

Our president welcomed we warmly when I came to his office. “Raya! Come. Have a seat. I’ve called for your favorite tea to be served. Would you like anything else to eat while we talk?”

“The tea would be fine, Sir. About the food, I’ll think about it later for it would depend on your reaction if I would still be able to eat later or not,” I answered respectfully.

“Ah, what's with such expressions? Okay, hurry now and tell me so I can immediately call for the food if you would want some later. I can’t have you starve.”

“Haha, thank you Sir. This is about my uncle, my guardian, here in Korea.”

“What about him? Is his businesses going well?”

I breathed in a lot of air to calm myself before I spoke again, “He is fine, Sir. His businesses are doing well...particularly one business, which I actually wanted to talk to you about.”

“I can’t bear the suspense, say it now, please.” His facial expressions are still gentle but I can feel that he’s become serious on hearing me out.

I slowly said it out, “He.. has recently.. became the Executive Vice-President of.. C-Jes,.. Sir.”

“Now, that is news,” he said while his facial expression didn’t even changed a bit. “And what has that got to do with you that you have to talk with me about?”

I have to explain this well. “First of all, Sir. Not because my Uncle, almost like my father, has come on such a position in a rival company doesn’t mean I’ll be leaving the company. I don’t have any thoughts about that Sir and my Uncle respects that. Actually, he talked to me and said that he understands that SM is not only my agency but also my family whose members I truly and deeply love. So he actually told me about this just so I would know and would be prepared to respond well if the press gets the news. And now I am here in front of you so that if this news gets out and becomes a concern I would have already reaffirmed my loyalty to the my SM family.” I paused to check if he still doesn’t look like he’ll chew me up any minute now.

He’s still calm and so I continued, “My uncle and I agreed to keep out of each other’s professional concerns. He would also actually send you his personal explanation regarding this matter. He believes that any tension is unnecessary so he wanted me also to do this even before anything else happens. That is all, Sir.”

“I understand,” I was able to breathe out. “Honestly it is a shock to me how he had come to such a position.”

“He is actually a co-founder of the company Sir but he left the management to his friends. But recent circumstances demanded him to take his share in managing the company. My Uncle didn’t see this coming that was why he didn’t say anything about it when I decided to join SM. But now he thinks that it might, so he wanted to avoid any misunderstanding since he meant no offense in any form. Personally, I also apologize for this Sir.”

“It’s alright. I understand. Thank you for letting me know about this. Thank you for your trust that in telling me this I would handle things well. And I promise you I will. You said he will get in touch with me soon?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“That is good. Then I could also personally assure him that no offense will be taken and nothing will be changed in our relationship with one another.” He smiled.

“But, Raya, you know that there will be more boundaries to be considered now that this has happened, right?” he said with an obvious voice of conern.

I looked up at him, “Yes, I realized that, Sir. And I would be honored, Sir, if you would trust me to be on guard about those boundaries, Sir. I also do not want any tension among my family members.”

“That is good enough for me. So what do you want to eat now?”

I felt myself relax on my seat, “Any cake that you’ve recently found pleasing to you, Sir.”

“Good choice. I am craving for that blueberry cheesecake I recently had from a friend’s restaurant.” He called for his secretary and told her what to get for us.

“I knew you had a food in mind that you also want me to try.” In my mind I thought, this attitude of him may be the reason why people think of him as a purposive person.

“You knew me well enough.”

“You made me know you well enough, Sir.”

“Have you told your members already?” he asked as he took his first sip on his tea that got ignored earlier.

“Oh, not yet. I wanted to tell you first and then I’ll talk to them after. I know they would ask me if I told you already and ask what was your reaction about this matter.  It is better to tell them if I’ve already talked to you so that they wouldn’t worry.”

“You also know your members well. And I know there are others who will also worry when they hear about this. Are you planning to tell them, too?”

“That.. I don’t know, yet. I know they could be more sensitive about this than my members because of the other company that is involved.” Now was my turn to sip on my untouched tea.

“I think they could handle it well.”

“I trust they could, but... If you don’t mind me asking, Sir. Have you been in contact with the other three since the case has ended?”

“I wanted to. Can I just be honest with you right now?”

I adjusted on my seat and faced him directly, “Of course, Sir. And allow me to promise that whatever you’ll say in a while will remain inside this room.”

He took another sip on the tea and then, “Thank you. As you know I am very hurt about what happened. Well, as a businessman it has been a huge loss. But more than that, as like a father to everyone in this company, I felt as if I lost three sons. I admit I had fallen short, indeed and I will not offer any justification for myself about that. However, what continues to hurt me is that I know all five of them are still suffering because they remain separated. Many times I wanted to call one of the three to apologize and offer a reconciliation to get them back together.”

“Have you succeeded in at least trying once?” I already blurted out before I could think how he might think I am being nosy.

Still, he answered, “No. Not yet. Because if I am to contact them it has to go through the agency. If I am to do it personally, I still find no courage to do so. Even though I trust them to be good, after all that has happened, I don’t know anymore how they think so I cannot just go there and talk to them. So much is at stake; more than my pride, it is this family, most especially Yunho and Changmin. I fear that if I fail I would add more to their hurt.”

“I understand, Sir. Didn’t the members themselves contact one another?”

“I don’t think they did. There have been rumors that I am prohibiting Yunho and Changmin from communicating with the three.” Another sip. Could it be that it is true?

“That is not true,” I coughed a little. “I talked to them personally after the case was over that they are free to communicate with them. Though I asked them to be careful about it and firmly asked them to not do it publicly, yet. We all agreed that we will give everything a time.”

“I see. I didn’t know about that for I believe the two didn’t want to betray you by talking about you being this way, like you are now, being honest with me.”

“Yes, I believe that is why they did so.”

“They often talk about their good times and they still reminisce about their times together and how their relationship was even with you. Yet they never talk about any attempt to contact the other three,” I looked at Yunho and Changmin’s huge poster in the office as I said that. “I think I am beginning to understand now. Thank you for sharing all these to me.”

“I trust you that is why.”

“I am curious about that, too, Sir. I’m sorry but it is a wonder to me how ShijieShou which includes me, have become this close to you, and to TVXQ, in such a very short time.”

“It is also a wonder to me,” he chuckled a little then added, “Personally, I immediately recognized that you are a trustworthy and loyal person. If I may say, I observed that it may seem easy to make you listen to a lot of things but it isn’t easy to change your heart when you’ve set yourself to believe on something. And I respect you for the choices you’ve made. I saw how carefully you’ve made each one of them, in huge consideration for so many people that you value, without losing your honesty to yourself. That is why I trust you. You are still young yet you consider things as if you’ve lived even longer as I have.”

“Sir, that is too much. Yet, thank you for the trust and thank you for seeing that in me.”

The cake he ordered actually came while we were in the middle of the conversation and we finished it that time. Then his secretary came in to inform him that one of his scheduled conference for the day was about to start in 15 minutes.

“Oh, I’m sorry that I took so much of your time, Sir. I hope you could still prepare well for your meeting.”

“It’s okay. Spending quality time with someone who is almost my daughter is also important to me. Besides, I’m done preparing for that meeting when you came in.”

“That’s relief to know then. I will go now, Sir. Thank you for your time, Sir.”

“Thank you, too. Continue to do well, alright? Take care.”

“Yes, Sir. Bye.”

After that I went to our rehearsal room and told everything to Haru and Jine.

“You are really full of surprises,” Jine said after I’ve explained everything.

“I know right. Haha.” I am thankful that they seem to understand.

Haru then said, “Thanks for telling us, and for affirming that you are not leaving us for that matter.”

“I am so not leaving you. Where will I go without you two, huh?”

“And it is a relief that you already talked to the President about it and he understood the situation,” Haru added.

“I am so thankful all went well. I also didn’t want you two to worry so I had to go through all that first. I did well, right?” I looked at them for affirmation.

“Thank you for thinking about us. But if it had happened less well than that it would be okay if you came to us for help.” It was Jine who said that and I was really surprised at how can really be serious at times like these.

“I know I can do that. But as we all see now, there is no more need to be worried about.”

All went well after that. The news came out but as I and the two company requested, the press did not make a big fuss about it since all concerned sides declared that it would not be a big deal.

As for my uncle, his business, and I, though professionally we have nothing to do with one another, when the company has gatherings where his family’s presence would be appreciated, we accompany him. People from his company have learned to not bring up any topic regarding my involvement in SM whenever we are with them. We were able to go through much of that well.

One night my uncle asked me to accompany him in a dinner with his friend, C-JeS president, along with some of their artists. I drove to the venue, an exclusive high-class restaurant, after my schedule for the day. My uncle has just arrived, too, when I gave my keys for valet parking. Seconds after his friend arrived, too, so we three walked in together.

As we neared our reserved table, the three men who were already seated behind it immediately stood up and bowed to us—well, to my uncle and his friend. Because I was behind them walking I didn’t get to see right away who greeted them. Then my uncle greeted them back.

“ Jaejoong, Junsu, Yoochun! You’re already here!”