That Dog, Young Jae - 1. Chapter 1

It still holds true that man

Is most uniquely human when

He turns obstacles into opportunities. "
-Eric Hoffer

1

He ran down the street, weaving through the crowds as if the authorities were after him. Jumping over a dustbin, he grinned when the owner yelled at him but he didn’t stop. Crossing the traffic-ridden street, Jun Min Ho marveled at the extremes he had to go through to enjoy a couple of hours with his friends.

Adjusting the straps of the bag at his back, he pulled off the reading glasses he was wearing and threw them into a trashcan. Hair swept into his eyes, he pushed it out with a fist and jammed on dark glasses. Risking a glance behind him, he was glad he couldn’t see the suits anymore. He didn’t slow down; a quick glance at his watch told him he was late. Shin was going to be giving it to him today.

He crossed the street at the scramble crossing in front of the subway station. The crowd was thick. He doubted the suits would catch up to him, but if they did, a crowd would slow them down. His cell phone buzzed and he answered it.

“Jihu, I’m a block away.” He was supposed to be meeting them around the corner, rushing through the crowd. He hoped he wasn’t too late.

“At the rate we’re going, I’m about to go crazy. Why did you choose this place of all places? We’re stuck in traffic.”

“I just crossed the scramble.” Min looked around the street he was on and sighed. “What car are you in?”

“Don’t move, I see you,” Jihu said.

Slowing down, he looked around trying to see if he could see the car but the street was so busy. A customized blue Mazda swung into the curb and he smiled. The driver’s side window came down and he grinned at the sight of Jihu’s face. “Get in; I have to fight my way back into this awful traffic.”

The back passenger door opened to reveal a grinning beautiful woman. “Hurry,” she called.

He hurried in to the car, shutting the door just as traffic surged into motion. Jihu managed to maneuver into the line of traffic. Pulling off the bag from his back, he dumped it on the floor and let out a relieved breath.

“What are you wearing?” Jihu teased looking at him through the rearview mirror. His tone was more sympathetic than shocked. “Are we pulling you out of a black tie event?”

“Shut up. I feel like a stuffed penguin right now.” He pulled off the bowtie at his neck and unbuttoned the pristine white shirt. Pulling off the jacket, he dumped it on his lap and turned to look at the young woman seated beside him. “Hi Kaori, you look hot.”

“You’re late.” Kaori declared, her cat like eyes smiling at him. “I thought you were going to miss the party of the month again.” Pulling at his shirt, she reached for the bag and opened it. “Come on and change, they are so not letting you in wearing that. Why did you have to wear a suit again?”

“It’s because he’s a puppet who must do what others say.” Shin Haewon provided moodily from the front passenger seat before Min could explain. Meeting angry dark chocolate eyes in the rear view mirror, he could only sigh as Shin asked. “Shouldn’t you at least make your own decisions, Min?”

Looking away from Shin, he started buttoning his shirt because he couldn’t bring himself to explain it all again. Being the only son of a successful businessperson and politician was something he could not live down. There were responsibilities that came with his role as the only son that he could not cast away easily. He loved his father that much, despite the lack of freedom and a normal life. He would do anything for his father.

“Let’s not talk about this.” He didn’t want to think of his other alternative. It included his mother and he just couldn’t think about her right now.

“I’m sorry I brought it up.” Shin offered making him look back at him to find that the other man had been watching him. “Are you ready for today?”

“I don’t care what you think, Shin,” Min said firmly. He wondered why Shin was always so hard on him. Shin knew his circumstances. He frowned, may be not. Shin’s parents allowed him his freedom. At twenty- five, Shin was living in his own apartment and running an IT company funded by his father. Unlike him who was slotted to take over the family business. Feeling frustrated by Shin, he pulled off his shirt and smiled in satisfaction when Shin’s gaze fell on his washboard abs. That was at least something that never changed between them. Shin always wanted him.

“You’re staring.” He pointed out with a raised brow.

“Who would want to look?” Shin retorted his gaze sliding away to look out the window.

Min didn’t miss the small smile playing on Shin’s lips. Jihu shook his head at him as he geared the car, and Min laughed as he pulled on a black slim fit shirt. Kaori folded his shirt up and the suit jacket as well. Putting them in the bag, she handed him the black jeans she’d pulled out of the bag.

After a lot of maneuvering and bumps on the door handle and front driver’s seat, he was finally dressed down. Taking his cell phone, he put in the bag and made Jihu stop by a trashcan. He dumped the bag in the bin and slid back into the car.

“The suits will be looking for me.” He explained when Shin looked at him with concern.

“Those cell phone companies should thank you. You’re helping their business along by yourself.”

“What’s with you today? I’ve already had enough getting away from those stupid goons my father insists I need.”

“Can we have the lover’s spat later?” Jihu said turning the car toward Yonsei University. “Shin, will you tell him what those seniors said yesterday.”

“Oh yeah, if we want to enter the rave, we have to stop at the Yonsei. My friend will give us the address,” Shin said.

Yonsei was the college that Jihu attended and Shin had graduated from before he’d started his company.

“You mean we don’t even know where we’re going?” Min asked rolling his eyes. “I don’t know why you are mad at me, Shin. Is it because I couldn’t get away sooner? For your information, I’m not as free as you are. Just getting out the door is such a big deal.”

“That’s not the problem. Why do you insist on doing it alone? We could have helped.” Shin turned around in his seat so that he was facing him full on. His dark wavy hair fell over his forehead as he stared him down.

“You would have gotten hurt getting involved with that crowd.” Min reached for Kaori’s hand and held onto it. The last time Shin had tried to help; those bodyguards had treated him as though he was a terrorist.

Shin hadn’t been able to hold back his anger and he’d ended up fighting with them. “Don’t yell anymore otherwise my efforts will have been wasted if we’re all angry.”

“Shin,” Jihu said quietly. Moving his right hand away from the steering wheel, he touched Shin’s shoulder gently. “Settle down, I’m getting nervous trying to drive while you two bicker.”

Shin sighed and with one last glance at him, he turned around and stared out the window. Min shook his head and released his hold on Kaori. Trying for a lighter mood, he looked at Kaori and smiled. “I haven’t seen you guys for like three weeks. What have you been up to?”

Kaori aware that Min was trying to ease the tension took back his hand and started answered. “Yesterday, we went for a fashion show at my mother’s gallery. It was awesome; you should have seen these two going crazy over a few models. Seriously, men are all the same.”

Jihu accelerated the car. “What was I supposed to do when they were throwing themselves at me?”

Min laughed at the picture that crept into his mind. Jihu was a ladies’ man all the way. He’d known him since kindergarten and it never changed. He didn’t think Jihu was ever going to get a steady girlfriend. Jihu was the mood setter in their group. He was always ready to take action at any time. Jihu was the reliable friend always waiting with the getaway car.

Min found his gaze straying back to Shin as Kaori continued to talk about the fashion show the night before. Shin was always in casual clothing; one could hardly tell he was a budding C.E.O. He didn’t allow many people close, the shaggy hair and the perpetual cold expression warned people away. Min however was quite aware of the soft heart hidden behind all the hardness. Where Jihu was the mood setter, Shin was the problem solver. He could take on everything if allowed.

“Is your dad out of town?” Kaori asked quietly. “We need to be careful if he isn’t. I’m sure that henchman who is always following him will come to fetch you.”

“He left yesterday morning,” Min assured her.

Kaori was the daughter of a fashion designer mother and an artist father. Her bright personality appealed her to everyone she met. He thought of her as a sister. They shopped, discussed boys, and fought over them. Kaori was the one who’d gotten him through his coming out phase. It was unimaginable how much he depended on Kaori’s free spirited nature. “Can I sleep over your house tonight?” he asked.

“Well,” Kaori said uncomfortably, her eyes looking down as though she was hiding something.

“Do you have a date?” Min questioned in excitement. “Who is he? Do I know him?”

“No, it’s-

“We’re all sleeping over at Shin’s tonight. My parents are home, and Kaori’s parents have week long visitors. We figured that it would be more convenient.”

Min glanced at Shin quickly, and then he nodded in agreement. He couldn’t help wondering why everyone seemed so anxious about it when it was no big deal. Kaori’s nervous glance made him think something was going on. He hadn’t seen them in three weeks. He hated feeling as if he was an outsider when he loved them all so much.

******

“Sir, we lost him.” A solemn faced man with short dark hair and average height informed him. His head held down as he addressed the Company President’s right hand man, keenly aware that the news he was delivering was the last thing Mr. Kim Young Jae wanted to here. “I’m sorry.”

“By ‘Him’, I assume you’re talking about the President’s son.” Young Jae spoke in a flat tone, not bothering to stop typing away on the laptop on his desk.

It had been an especially long day, and the Company President was due back home in the morning. He needed to finish the three proposals he was working on before the man returned tomorrow. The schedule was so tight because the President had insisted on spending some time with his son. A son that was now currently missing in action, he sighed. If Min Ho was still missing in the morning, the explanations were going to be very difficult. Just thinking about that brat made his temper rise. What was he thinking running around the darned city like this?

“What time did he go missing?” Young Jae asked.

“It was around three o’clock, Sir.”

Glancing at his watch, he got to his feet when he saw the time. It was already ten o’clock at night. “Why didn’t anyone say anything? Do you even have a clue as to where he is?”

“The last time we saw him, he was running down Rodeo Street. We lost him in the crowd and haven’t been able to figure out where he went.”

“Seven hours plus have passed. He could be anywhere. Are you kidding me?” Young Jae closed his laptop and moved around his desk to stare at the bodyguard standing there with his head down. “What are you doing out there?”

“We’re still looking, Sir.” The bodyguard explained earnestly. “I waited to tell you because I thought we’d catch up to him before the incident would need reporting. Unfortunately, Min has turned into a master when it comes to evading us. We found his cell phone in a trash can at the sports complex.”

“Did you call his friends?” Young Jae asked, shuddering at the thought of Min’s three friends. He had no idea why Min insisted on spending time with the trio. “There is no doubt on my mind that they are all together. Contact their various homes and find out where they are.”

“We have, Sir. None of the parents seems to know where they are. Shin lives independently.”

Of course, their independence only makes my life that much harder. Young Jae shook his head in disgust at the thought of Min laughing at him with his friends. Min was going to get it when he got home. His work was going to have to wait until they found Min, which meant he had no hope of any kind of sleep.

I’m really going to kill him.

That man was going to be the end of him. He wished Min would think of others before he went gallivanting to places unknown. Taking his cell phone from the desk, he said to the bodyguard. “I will go check Jihu’s apartment at the university. His friends might know where they went. Why don’t you have the security team canvas Shin’s house and Kaori’s home?”

“Yes, Sir.” The bodyguard left quickly and Young Jae picked up his suit coat. His tie was long gone, rubbing the five o’clock shadow at his jaw, he wished for a bed. As he strode out of his office, he muttered curses against Min until he was at the elevator. Here he was fighting off exhaustion, while Min’s job was to make things worse by the minute.

Torture was definitely going to be part of his revenge on Min, he thought as the elevator doors opened.

***********

“Wow,” Kaori exclaimed jumping off her stool as the music started to play. “This place is off the scale. I’m so happy we were able to get in. Thanks, Shin.”

Min laughed while Shin shrugged, an elegant flex of muscles that had Min staring. Kaori reached for Jihu’s hand dragging him to the crowded dance floor as the band on stage struck the first chord. Her body moving to the music as they joined the frenzied crowd.

They were in an underground parking lot turned into a rave for the underground band wars. Musicians from Seoul meeting one night to rock out for a night, drinks were in house provided by the sponsors of the rave. It didn’t matter how much money you had to get into Jibaje they had needed serious connections. Shin was a miracle worker with these kinds of things.

Looking around the dimly lit rave, Min suddenly realized that none of it mattered. His gaze finding Shin’s again, he watched the handsome man sip at his beer. It wouldn’t have mattered if they had not gotten in. He was glad that he was getting to spend time with his friends. It got lonely being the boss’s son sometimes.

“You’re thinking.” Shin interrupted his thoughts. “Although, I wonder what that brain of yours could hold considering the level of your intellect.”

“Are you going to pick on me all night?” He reached for his drink a bit too quickly and hit the bottle making it spill on the table.

“Seriously, Min, how do you survive? You can’t even lift a drink up.” Shin reached for some napkins from the bar counter, dropping them on the mess on the table. He was obviously still angry about something. Min tried to help, but Shin slapped his hands away for his effort. “How did you manage to get away on your own?”

“None of your business,” Min replied glaring at him. Shin was acting like an idiot and he’d had enough. “Why are you so pissed off about it? If you didn’t want me to come you should have said so.”

“Did I say anything like that?” Shin asked leaving the messed up napkins on the edge of the table he reached for his own beer.

Shin sat in his stool, those dark chocolate eyes staring at him as if they could read everything. He hated it when Shin looked at him that way. He’d been so desperate to get away earlier, to come see him, why was he being such an asshole.

Sliding out of his stool, Min shook his head. “I can leave.”

“Sit down.” Shin reached out and caught his hand, his long fingers circling his slender wrist and holding him prisoner. “I’m sorry. I’m just mad at myself. I wanted to help and you wouldn’t let us.”

Aware that Shin was looking at him, Min kept his gaze straight forward because he could feel the threat of tears swimming in his eyes. Shin had the unique ability to make him feel like he was a wimpy teenager again in high school still picked on by bullies. He didn’t want to cry, not now, not in front of Shin. He couldn’t let him know how lonely he got without them.

Shin pulled on his wrist and he sat back down, his head bowed down as he tried to force the tears away. However, they didn’t disappear, he closed his eyes, and they slid down his cheeks betraying him. Seeing them, Shin cursed under his breath. “Don’t cry, Min.”

“Who’s crying?” Min asked brushing the offensive tears away from his cheeks quickly. “I don’t cry.”

Shin chuckled. “Of course not, I’m just imagining things. You know if it gets that bad, you can always use your cell phone to call me. You know that right. I don’t recall getting a phone call from you.”

Min shrugged and looked at Shin, his eyelashes clamped together from his tears. “I just got one last week. Young Jae has been controlling my calls through my assistant.”

“That bastard, why do you take it?” Shin asked disgust for his Young Jae quite clear on his face. “He is such a bastard at twenty-six, what will happen when he gets older. Min, you have to stand up to him. You’re only two years his junior, but you have the status to back you up. Fight him, there is no reason he should treat you this way.”

Min shuddered at the thought of Young Jae. He was probably looking for him. It was already eleven o’clock at night that meant Young Jae was probably directing the security teams in a search. The moment they found him, he was going to be under lock down again. He couldn’t regret these precious hours with his trio of friends. He had decided to take the opportunity to have fun with them and that was exactly what he was going to do.

“Can we not talk about my life right now? I am here; don’t you want to dance with me?”

He got up suddenly feeling energetic as the music changed into a fast techno beat.

“Come on let’s dance, I feel like a little sweat.”

**********

Shin took a quick sip of his beer and got up following Min as they headed to the dance floor. Min was moving around people, making his way to the center of the crowd where the energy was wild and stimulating. His shirt was unbuttoned showing off his abs, because of the heat. Min swayed to the music, his hips moving enticingly as the beats washed over him. Shin could see why his family kept him protected.

Despite the elegance, the first class breeding, hidden inside was a wild unrestrained personality that only came out when Min was comfortable. To solidify his thoughts, Min started earnestly dancing each move to the beat wild and unrestrained, his eyes closed, the beat his only muse. It was so sexy just watching him. Watching Min made him want that slender gorgeous body. He wondered every day what it would feel like to caress that chest, moving his hands down to those gyrating hips; feel them move in search of ecstasy.

God, it was hot in here. Min glanced at him then and smiled his eyes seductive as he beckoned him closer with a finger. Obliging him, Shin wondered what that dog Young Jae would say if he were to see Min like this.

*********