Rebellion Rising - 1. Chapter 1

A Day in the Life of...

Spring had brought a fresh outlook at Jade Entertainment. Suk Dan, C.E.O. and one of the main shareholders of the growing company entered his new office, a spring in his step. The company had flourished in the past few years. Now managing a string of over twenty actors, fifteen musicians and producing content. Jade Entertainment was growing, it was his job to keep that growth silent and committed, for the sake of his beloved partner and the Rebellion band.

Dan patted his ancient desk, tracing the carved wood for a minute, before his gaze redirected to the windows showing off their new location. Jade Entertainment now owned its own lot in Cheongdam. The company had moved into the fifteen-floor building he spent a year designing.

A hectic year, Dan thought with a smile.

His thoughts on the other project he had kept a secret from his partner, Kim Jaehan. He couldn’t wait to reveal that project too.

A knock came on his door, and he turned to see his longtime friend, lawyer and adviser walk in to the office. Mr. Chang was holding a folder and smiling at him, as he looked around the impressive office.

“You surprise me, old friend,” Mr. Chang said in greeting. “Did you let Jae help you decorate?”

Dan chuckled and shook his head, hands in his pocket. He turned to his left, taking in the comfortable couches in the corner, complete with coffee table, and work space. Set away from his own desk, giving Dan enough room to have people come in and out of his office, and even have meetings on the conference table a few feet away without disturbing the comfortable sitting area.

“He likes to hang out in my office, so I made sure he would be comfortable,” Dan said, a small smile on his lips at the thought of Jae.

“Is he coming around today?” Mr. Chang asked, tapping on the folder he held.

Dan shook his head, glancing at the time on his watch, an anniversary gift from Jae. It was four o’clock, almost time to leave the office.

“No, he’s busy with the café. I’m meeting him for dinner later.”

“Oh good,” Mr. Chang said, moving to take a seat at the meeting table a few feet away from Dan. He opened the folder and pushed it to Dan who came to see what Mr. Chang had brought him.

“Your CSR team brought this project to our attention. It is a fashion show competition meant to give an opportunity to aspiring talents. The company involved tagged Jade Entertainment because of your very independent growth. The CSR team was not sure you should take it on. I think you should. I told them I’d talk to you about it.”

“Why do you think we should do it?” Dan asked.

“You’re constantly trying to work CSR into your budget,” Mr. Chang said. “Sponsoring the competition gives you a platform to leverage some of your newer faces: actors and actresses can model the competition fashion designs. You can feature music for the newcomers. Plan a grand concert with Rebellion. It’s a win-win game for the company and the organization seeking your support.”

Dan loved his best friend’s matter-of-fact sense of business. Without Mr. Chang, Jade Entertainment would not be so prosperous.

“Where do I sign?” Dan asked, knowing Mr. Chang would not be here without having done the necessary research and preparation.

Mr. Chang smiled and turned the page to the right page for his signature. Dan took the pen Mr. Chang offered and signed his name, and then Mr. Chang did the same.

Dan stretched his arms above his head, letting out a soft sigh. He had spent hours on more complex troubles with distribution today. He dropped his arms and checked the time on his watch again.

“I should get going,” Dan said.

“Going to pick Jae from the café?” Mr. Chang asked, getting up.

“Yes, I wanted to see progress on the building he’s been working on. I heard it was finally complete and running. I wanted to celebrate with him,” Dan said.

“Congratulations to you both,” Mr. Chang said, knowing the amount of effort Dan had expended to make sure Jae got the best for his Seoul project. “Jae is lucky to have you.”

“On the contrary,” Dan said, moving to take his coat from the armchair where he had left it earlier. He wore it fast. “The luck is mine to have him, Mr. Chang. I’ll leave the legal in that sponsorship to you. Make sure we don’t lose anything. I’m still a businessman here.”

“Yes,” Mr. Chang took up his folder and followed Dan to the door, and out into the hallway leading to the elevator.

Mr. Chang pressed the elevator button and as they waited, he gave Dan a short glance.

“In a week, I’ll have news on our Japan project.”

Dan studied him for a minute, hope blooming. It was a year since their meeting with N-Sang Entertainment. That meeting had led to the end of their Rand Agency case, but there was more to the problem. Jade Entertainment needed someone with strong connections and a workable Japanese network. Mr. Chang’s project involved finding this precious partner in Tokyo; the search was long and hard. It had already taken them a whole year.

Dan had almost lost hope.

“Really?” he asked Mr. Chang now, entering the elevator when the doors opened. He pressed the basement button, as he turned to face Mr. Chang. “Are you sure?”

“Quite,” Mr. Chang said. “I’ve reached out to one of our college friends. He was reluctant at first, but my firm has convinced him. I’m to meet him on Friday.”

“That’s two days from now,” Dan noted. “Make sure to vet him thoroughly.”

He never took chances with Jaehan or the band’s interests. Mr. Chang knew that.

“We are,” Mr. Chang nodded. “Which is why I told you I’ll have news in a week.”

The elevators opened in the basement and Dan smiled at Mr. Chang.

“That is promising news,” Dan said. “I look forward to the results.”

Mr. Chang walked him to the black car waiting a few feet away from the elevator. Dan thanked Mr. Chang when he opened the back passenger door for him.

“Greet your wife for me, Mr. Chang.” Dan said, as he settled in the backseat. “We should have dinner at our place soon.”

“I will tell her, and I look forward to dinner with you and Jae,” Mr. Chang said. “Have a great evening.”

“You too, Mr. Chang,” Dan said.

Mr. Chang closed the door and stepped away.

Dan settled back as his driver took off heading to Garosu-gil and Kim’s café.

A year ago, Dan had stood in a loud gym surrounded by Rebellion’s fans, and yelled out his love for Kim Jaehan. It was interesting now to think of that love and how it morphed and aged like fine wine with time. Every minute they stayed together, living, staying apart, they grew.

Dan could not remember a life without Kim Jaehan, nor did he want to remember.

Rebellion was Jae’s baby, his most important thing, after his immediate family. Dan often teased Jae that Rebellion was their child. Knowing this, and the love they both carried for the band, Dan understood what Japan meant for Jae.

The possibility of Japan would send Jae and his bandmates over the moon. Preparing an album for the Japanese market would mean a lot of time in Tokyo for Rebellion. A new aspect added to Dan and Jae’s personal relationship. Rebellion tours were murder on him. Dan hated sleeping in their bed alone.

Dan didn’t want to imagine living so far apart from each other for months. Yet, he knew that he would make it happen if Jae wanted it. A soft sigh escaped his lips and he reached for his phone when it buzzed a message. Checking the screen, he frowned when he saw a message form Ken, Jae’s bodyguard.

“Head to the ArchSea straight,” Ken wrote. “I’ll bring Jae over, 2 many fans @KCafé.”

Dan chuckled, and opened his Instagram account. He was not surprised to find Jae had posted a photo of himself in a meeting with Kim’s Cafe staff. His message was enough to drive his entire fan base to go searching for him. Ken would have his work cut out for him.

“Wang,” Dan called his driver. “Let’s head to the ArchSea direct.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Thank you.”

****

“Keep up with social media,” Jae said, holding a mug with his name on the surface. “These are lovely. Let’s collect everyone who’s posted purchase on social. Feature them on our feed.”

“What about having events here?” Phillip, Kim Café’s social marketer, asked. “We can create them for the weekends, Saturday afternoon or Sunday.”

“I’ll leave it up to you,” Jae agreed, placing the mug on the coffee table between them.

He loved listening to Kim’s Café staff discuss strategies. Their progress in Seoul had Kim’s Café on the map and the Garosu-gil store was now head office, as it was making more than Jae’s beloved Gong branch.

It was thanks to the new building, Jae decided. He had worked hard to create a neighboring businesses synergy.

A bookstore next door coupled as a music store. Jae made sure the cafe ran deals with the bookstore to pull customers to the café.

Kim’s café took up the ground floor and the first floor of his building, his business manager’s advice. Ground floors pulled in more customers. Jae had rented space to a hair salon on the third floor and a street fashion boutique owned by upcoming designer, Lihan, on the fourth floor. He was in good company.

Jae had kept the second floor as a VIP lounge/business office for use by his bandmates, Dan, or any of their friends who needed the space.

“Can you make an appearance at one of the weekend events?” Phillip asked, cutting into his thoughts. “It would make these events super special, of course. We understand that you wouldn’t make it each time.”

“I’ll have to check my schedule with Harry,” Jae said, getting his phone.

Harry controlled all band appearances. Jae liked to consult with him first before he did anything outside of Jade Entertainment, or Harry made him consult.

“Of course,” Phillip wrote notes in his pad.

Jae sent Harry a message then accessed his personal Instagram account. He waved the Café’s manager, Suyi, the Sale’s Rep., Kwan and Phillip over to his armchair.

“Let’s take a selfie,” Jae said, holding out his phone with his left hand.

Phillip leaned over the armchair getting close over Jae. Suyi crouched beside Jae, while Kwan perched on the arm. Jae held his smile, conscious of everyone crowding in on him.

“One, two, three,” Jae counted, then took the snap and let out a relieved breath when it came out good and they didn’t have to take another.

His team returned to their seats and Jae concentrated on getting his breathing back to normal. Jae wrote a message to go with the photo.

‘Touching base with @KimsCafe amazing staff who make it happen.

#TeamKC #Bestteam #powermeet #kimscafe #theplacetobe #coffeehouse

Jae posted the photo, placed his phone on the table, and took the sales report from Suyi, the manager.

“We’re in the black, though there are two products on our menu not doing well…” Suyi continued.

Jae was engrossed in sales numbers when his longtime bodyguard and friend entered the lounge. Jae noted the frown on Ken’s forehead in an instant.

“What?” Jae asked, closing the folder he held and placing it on the table.

“The picture you posted sparked interest,” Ken said. “The café is packed. We need to leave before it gets worse.”

Jae glanced at his phone.

“Well, that should boost sales tonight and tomorrow,” Jae said with a smile. “Dan was to come over.”

“He’s heading to the restaurant, that will be easier for you,” Ken said.

“Okay,” Jae stood, and stretched his arms above his head. The tension on his shoulders eased, and he rubbed his right shoulder absently and turned to Suyi and Kwan.

“Talk to the chef about the rolls and the cinnamon cookies. The recipes must need tweaking. Ask him if he needs help with it,” Jae said, taking his red jacket from the armchair. He wore it fast and picked up his phone. “Email Tae Jang the sales reports. Highlight the problem areas. Phillip, I’ll get back to you on appearances for the events. Rebellion is closing up the last of the Messy album concerts. I might have downtime before we hit the studio again. We’ll see where we stand.”

“I’ll send you a reminder,” Phillip said, “latest Friday afternoon.”

“Great,” Jae nodded and handed Ken his phone.

He checked his pockets, making sure he had nothing in them. He got his wallet from his back jeans pocket and handed it to Ken too. Once he was sure he had nothing in his pockets, he turned to Ken.

“I’m ready,” he said.

“See you, boss,” Suyi, Phillip and Kwan chorused.

Jae waved at them and headed out of the lounge on the second floor of the café. They went down the corridor undisturbed, going down the stairs they got to the first floor. The tables there were packed, the patrons concentrating on their coffee. Those who looked up and saw him took pictures on their phones, but none attempted to rush him. He loved such encounters most, subdued and supportive.

Ken wrapped an arm around his waist as they made it to the ground floor. Screams filled the room, fans rushing him in a frenzy. Jae trusted Ken to get him outside and into his car. The key was to remain calm. Jae took pens and signed paper, napkins, hats, t-shirts, paper cups, mugs. Ken moved him on a steady course to the exit door.

Outside, they ran into the more relentless fans. These ones requested no autographs. No, they took photos and videos with powerful cameras. They took pictures in his face. They wouldn’t move, even when Ken’s two assistants asked nicely.

Jae sighed when the two security assistants resulted to moving them bodily. Jae allowed Ken to lead him straight to his van, and let out a relieved sigh when he made it into the back of his black van without incident. Ken helped him inside and one of the guards from the café held the door lock until Ken could board the front passenger seat.

Jae watched fans press against the car, heart pounding when they pressed on the guard holding the lock. Once, a fan managed to open the door and climbed in to the car with him.

Jae sighed as Ken settled up front and the driver started moving the car forward.

Ken turned to face him, handing him his phone and wallet back.

“Tip that guard at the café,” Jae said, looking back to see the guard swallowed by his excited fans.

“I did,” Ken promised him.

Jae nodded and removed his jacket. He sat back as the driver took on the task of driving out of the parking lot without injuring anyone.

“You should have warned me,” Ken said from the front, when they joined the main street.

“It was inspired,” Jae explained. “The café needs attention.”

“Still,” Ken insisted. “Warn me next time.”

Jae smiled then because Ken would keep up the statement until he promised to do as asked. Meeting Ken’s gaze in the rearview mirror, Jae promised.

“I will warn you next time,” Jae said, just as his phone rang.

It was Harry Yoon, Rebellion’s manager.

Ken appeased for the moment Jae answered Harry’s call.

“Why don’t you ever warn anyone when you’re about to make trouble explode?”

“We handled it,” Jae said, smiling at a stone-faced Ken. “I have Ken with me and his team.”

“Is that the point?” Harry demanded. “The website is flooded with questions about your next appearance at Kim’s Café. What should we say?”

“Talk to Phillip, he handles the café’s social.”

“Jae.”

“Harry.”

“Kim Jaehan,” Harry said, once again exasperation in his voice. “Let me know next time.”

“It’s my business.”

“Yes. Rebellion is too,” Harry said. “You need an assistant I can yell at for these things.”

Jae bit his bottom lip at the mention of assistants. He couldn’t help thinking about his past assistant, the man who kidnapped him for a little over twenty-four hours. Jae remembered every minute of his hands tied to that awful bed in a basement.

“I’m sorry,” Harry said on the other end. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It’s fine, Harry. I’m over it,” Jae said.

I’m fine. Jae reminded his speeding heart.

“If you really thing I need one, can’t you find someone in house?”

“I’ll talk to Dan about it,” Harry promised. “I’ll talk to your Phillip too. Go to dinner, Jae. We’ll handle your flood of love from the world.”

“Are you sure?” Jae teased.

“Quite,” Harry said in a gentle tone.

Jae frowned at the sound of it. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that note in Harry’s voice. It intrigued him but he didn’t have the courage to investigate further.

“Goodnight, Harry,” Jae murmured.

“Goodnight, Jae,” Harry said.

Jae ended the call and sat staring at his phone. His thoughts lingered on Harry until a message came on his phone.

‘BBQ chicken or Steak?’

‘I wanna say steak.’

Jae thought about the photo shoot he had in the morning with a fashion magazine and sighed.

‘But make it chicken.’

‘Interview?’

‘Photoshoot.’

‘No alcohol then.’

‘Sigh.’ Jae sent a funny gif to Dan.

‘Hurry, I’m starving.’

Jae smiled and looked up to find Ken watching him.

“We’re five minutes out,” Ken said.

Jae thanked him and spent those five minutes texting Dan about his day. Getting into the super private ArchSea restaurant took a few minutes. The restaurant had strict security measures. Something Jae appreciated compared to his café in Garosu-gil. No crowd would manage entry here.

Ken left him at the entrance. The host led Jae to a private dining room upstairs where he found Dan already seated at the table.

Jae closed the door behind him and walked straight into Dan’s arms when Dan stood. Jae wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tight, burying his face into Dan’s chest. He closed his eyes when Dan sunk gentle fingers into his hair.

“My poor baby,” Dan murmured, stroking fingers through Jae’s hair. “Hard day?”

“Mm…the longest,” Jae complained, feeling the weight of it lifting already. “I didn’t get to see you even once.”

Dan rocked him from side to side.

“Here I am now,” Dan murmured.

Jae breathed Dan in and almost mourned the fact that they weren’t home. Then his stomach growled and they both chuckled.

“Let’s get you food first,” Dan said, pulling out a chair for him.

Jae kissed Dan’s cheek and sat down, reaching for the glass of water already on the table. He drank deep, noting Dan’s smile, then he placed his glass on the table and wiped his mouth, feeling refreshed.

****

Dan watched Jae pop a grape into his mouth, shifting in his seat so that Jae faced him.

“I’ve been listening to music from Turkey.”

“Turkish music?” Dan asked, lifting a brow in question.

Jae had the ability to surprise him in a moment.

“Yes,” Jae said, eating another grape. “I get this energy from it, like it’s full of mystery and old, old secrets. That energy is injected straight through to my bones. I can’t get enough of it.”

“And?” Dan asked, fascinated. He leaned his elbows on the table, listening to Jae.

“I don’t know. Something is growing in me. Something I can’t define but I want to explore, like having sex for the first time.”

“Really?” Dan took a grape from Jae’s pile and popped it into his mouth, loving the tangy burst of taste in his mouth. “What was that like for you?”

“Awkward,” Jae confessed, wrinkling his nose. “Messy. I bumped into furniture, he bit my lip and then we did it on the carpet, and I got rug burn.”

“Rug burn is a good sign, right?” Dan asked on a chuckle.

“No.” Jae shook his head. “It was weird, and too fast. When it was over, I wondered what was so special about the whole thing.”

“Baby, your first lover sucked.”

“Not his fault,” Jae shrugged. “I was curious, but didn’t care a bit about him. I sucked for him too.”

“So, how does listening to Turkish music remind you of that weird experience?” Dan asked, brushing soft strands of hair away from Jae’s left eye.

“Well, since it was so bland that first time, I felt like I was in a quest to discover if sex could be more.”

“Did you find that more?”

“You know the answer to that, Dan.”

“Do I?” Dan asked, taking in the grape Jae brought to his lip.

“Better than me,” Jae said, his voice low, turning sexy.

Dan ate the grape Jae pushed into his mouth and took his hand.

“Why are you really listening to Turkish music?” Dan prompted, touching the callus on Jae’s thumb from playing guitar.

“I’m searching for inspiration,” Jae smiled. “What I’ve heard excites me. I love the movement of their music, the strings, and the lilt of the language. Would it be weird for you if we travelled to Istanbul?”

“Not at all,” Dan squeezed Jae’s fingers. “We can spend a week there. We can find a place to stay, and immerse ourselves in Turkish culture.” Dan leaned closer and whispered into Jae’s ear. “Find out if we can make our sex life more.”

Jae leaned into him too with a soft laugh. Picking up his glass of red wine, he took a healthy sip.

“Going home right now will definitely make it more, Dan,” Jae said, his sexy voice making Dan push back his chair and get up.

“Let’s go,” Dan said, taking Jae’s glass and placing it on the table. He grabbed Jae’s hand and pulled him up.

“What about the bill?” Jae asked, taking his phone and Dan’s before they forgot both here.

“Taken care of,” Dan said, leading him out of the restaurant.

Ken drove Dan’s car this time, with Dan’s driver taking on Jae’s van. They drove in opposite directions, the van heading to the new Jade Entertainment offices. Ken headed to Jae’s house in the suburbs of Pyeonchang-dong. Dan had found the house for Jae years ago, when Rebellion returned from their self-imposed exile abroad.

Those days Jae had spent most of his time focused on making the band a success in his home country. He had no time for anything else, not his family, not even Dan’s obvious infatuation at the time. Dan smiled now thinking about it. Those days, he had not imagined they would end up together like this, holding each other in love.

Dan wrapped an around Jae’s shoulders and pulled him closer so that Jae rested his head on his chest. He smiled when Jae simply sighed and got comfortable, closing his eyes in rest for the ride.

When they got home, Jae had fallen asleep on Dan.

Ken turned off the car, and was about to get out when Dan asked, “Anything unusual today?”

“Other than the fan invasion at Kim’s Café, nothing,” Ken said, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror. “He’s kept a low profile of late. No trouble, Sir.”

“That’s news,” Dan said, his gaze thoughtful. “Has he met Jung or Andre for lunch?”

“No. They are meeting during their combined schedules,” Ken shrugged, “for about a month now.”

“And his sister, So Jin?”

“He is calling her often, but she’s been too busy to meet,” Ken said.

Dan nodded and opened his door.

“Thanks for taking care of him when I’m not there, Ken.”

“It’s my job,” Ken said, also opening his door. “Sir, if I might offer an opinion.”

“Sure,” Dan said, holding Jae’s head steady, as he got out of the car.

“I know the last assistant he had was a disaster,” Ken said. “Still, Jae needs help keeping up. It’s hard to keep track of everything he needs to do. I’m helping out, but that takes time out of what I need to do for him.”

“Do you have a suggestion?” Dan asked, reaching into the car, and picking up Jae. He took great pride in the fact that he could carry Jae into their home.

Ken closed the car door and hurried after him to open the front door.

“There is a lady working at Jade Entertainment’s mailroom,” Ken said. “She’s a team leader there, and has worked as long as I’ve held my job with Jae.”

“You mean Angela,” Dan said, drawing the name from months of reading through his staff lists.

He was particularly interested in team leaders at Jade Entertainment. They were responsible for keeping projects moving and on schedule, so he made an effort to know them. Angela was a great worker, but she never tried to rise higher, and seemed content with managing the mailroom.

“She could use a boost in income,” Ken said, as they went up the stairs to the master bedroom. “She’s qualified. I checked the requirements posted for the job last time. She’s not had experience working in close contact with someone like Jae, but she manages a team of ten, so that should compensate for that.”

“Ken.”

Dan smiled when Ken opened the master bedroom door and Dan entered, heading to their large bed. He laid Jae on the left side of the bed, and straightened up, removing his jacket.

“Before you ask, yes, I know her personally,” Ken said, keeping his voice low when Jae shifted on the bed curling to his side. “She is taking care of her sister who has a little girl. If you want, I’ll send you her background information, and all the checks I’ve done since.”

Dan studied Ken for a minute, and then nodded.

“Fine, have her meet me in my office first thing in the morning,” Dan said. “You understand what she has to go through? There’s Junghee, Andre and Harry now. After the last incident, none of them will be kind.”

“I understand,” Ken said with a wide smile, heading out of the master bedroom. “I promise to explain it all to Angie.”

“Good night, Ken,” Dan said, amused when Ken took the time to close the master bedroom doors. Chuckling under his breath, he turned to Jae who was now clutching a pillow on the bed.

“Are you going to say anything?” Dan asked, removing his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt. He’d known Jae woke up the moment he placed him on the bed.

“You handled it so well,” Jae said. “I’ve never heard Ken talk that much, plus, he kept calling you sir. He sounded very determined. I didn’t want to ruin it by being awake.”

“You know Angela?” Dan asked.

“Not well enough,” Jae said, shifting to his left to watch Dan strip out of his trousers. “I’ve seen her in passing.”

“And?” Dan asked, perching on the side of the bed, meeting Jae’s gaze.

Jae sighed and lay back on the bed, pressing his fists into his eyes.

“Everyone thinks I need someone helping me,” Jae said. “I know I do, but—”

“It’s hard to trust,” Dan guessed, because it was difficult for him to think of anyone new that close to Jae again.

“Assistants get in,” Jae said with a sigh. “She’ll have access to this place, to my life, just like that bastard.”

“She’s not that bastard,” Dan pointed out, though it pained him to say it.

“I know.” Jae dropped his hands to his side. “What should I do?”

Dan reached out to brush the back of his hand over Jae’s left cheek.

“One step at a time, Chagiya,” Dan murmured. “We’ll meet her and see what she has to say. If you don’t feel comfortable with her, then we forget it.”

Jae studied him for a moment, and then nodded.

“Okay,” Jae said.

“Okay.” Dan smiled. “Let’s go take a shower. You can tell me more about your inspiring Turkish music.”

Jae chuckled and allowed Dan to pull him up and out of their bed. In minutes, they were too busy making out in the shower to talk. Instead, they communicated in the age-old language of love. Dan gasped with pleasure as he sank deep into Jae, pressing him hard against the wall as they both drowned in pleasure. It was heaven.

***

Across town, an exhausted Andre rang the doorbell at an apartment complex. He held a pack of beer with his left hand. When the door opened, he braced his free hand on the doorjamb, staring at the woman standing in the doorway. Her hair damp from a shower, she smiled at him with welcome.

“Noona, I’m tired and hungry,” Andre said, returning her smile.

So Jin smiled and pulled him into her apartment. When the door closed, Andre pulled her into his arms and kissed her like a man starved. In that moment, all he could think was how important she was becoming to him. Nothing else mattered, especially when she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.

***