Rebellion Rising - 3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – Lunch with His Beloved Eighth Sister

“Noona,” Jae said, studying his sister.

They were at Restaurant Blue, and the chef was already working hard on their orders. The manager chose to sit them in a private dining room with a round table. So Jin sat next to Jae, with Andre to her immediate left. His sister looked out of sorts.

Jae wondered if something had happened at home that made her look for him during her lunch hour.

“Noona?” Jae waved his hand in front of her face, hoping to gain her attention. She blinked and turned to him with a weak smile. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine. Nothing is wrong,” So Jin said, shaking her head and making her hair move around her shoulders in a pretty wave.

“They are not giving you a hard time at work, are they?” Jae asked, studying her face with rapt attention.

So Jin tended to hide her problems until the last minute. Her last workplace was associated with his old record company, N-Sang Entertainment. Her workmates gave her a hard time when he left N-Sang on bad terms, and So Jin fought them over their unfair treatment of him and then her.

She left work without telling Jae. Thank God for Dan, who helped find her the job she was in now. So Jin studied marketing in school and worked for an electronics company with a culture she enjoyed. She was happy at work, or so he hoped.

“Work is very good,” So Jin said, the pleasure in her voice reassuring him. “You know I got a promotion last year. It’s fun being the Senior Sales Manager. This brings me to an idea I’ve been developing. I’ve been wondering how to get you to agree to be our brand ambassador. We have a new product coming out and need a great campaign. Won’t you agree?”

“Ask Andre,” Jae said, shaking his head with a shudder. “I’m afraid my schedule will make me cave under the pressure.”

“I don’t mind doing it,” Andre said, agreeing before So Jin could ask. He poured a glass of water for So Jin and placed it on her coaster. “Hyung is occupied with his café. He doesn’t look it, but getting him to sell merchandise is harder than ever. If you don’t mind, I will do it, So Jin Noona.”

So Jin took the water glass and drank deeply. She nodded and promised to bring it up with her team. Her mood seemed restored, so Jae concentrated on enjoying lunch with two of his favorite people in the world. It felt good to laugh at So Jin’s jokes. It was better to see her including Andre in the fold. He had the best damn lunch hour.

Jae excused himself to sort the bill and reached for his wallet when Angie approached him at the counter.

“I’ve already handled it,” Angie said, holding up his phone. “Harry gave me access to your expense account. Do you want me to arrange a car for Miss So Jin? She can make it to the head office in less time if we get her a ride.”

Jae paused, pleasantly surprised.

“Yes, So Jin needs a ride,” Jae said, returning his wallet to his pocket and looking at the dining room, where he had left the door open.

So Jin and Andre seemed in an intense conversation. They were leaning toward each other, and for a moment, Jae paused, trying to figure out why it looked different. The moment passed almost as quickly as the thought crossed his mind.

Jae remembered Andre had agreed to do So Jin’s brand ambassador project. That had to be what they were discussing.

Jae turned to Angie. She seemed competent and talked to him with confidence. He liked that about her.

“Call Ken and tell him or one of his guys to send So Jin to her office using my car. It’s better to keep it in-house instead of calling a cab. Less outsiders, the better,” Jae said, giving her a wink.

“Understood, I’ll handle it,” Angie said. “After this, you’re heading to the stadium for rehearsals, right?”

“Yes,” Jae nodded. “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome, Sir,” Angie said and hurried away, already calling Ken.

Jae stared after her for a minute and then returned to So Jin and Andre. They stopped their argument when they saw him.

“Noona, you’re coming to our last two concerts this weekend, right?” Jae asked.

“I’m hoping to drive home to Gong on Saturday, but I’ll be there on Sunday,” So Jin said, getting up from the table. She squeezed Andre’s shoulder and came around to hug Jae. “It’s Thursday today, so I’ll see how my plans change tomorrow. I’ll be at the venue on Saturday if I can't make it to Gong. You guys have worked hard on this one. You should have fun.”

“We will,” Jae kissed her cheek and winked at Andre, who still watched them at the dining table. “Noona, I got you a ride back to work, so you’re not late.”

“Call Mom,” So Jin told him as they left the private dining room. “You haven’t been to see her in weeks. Now that your tour is over, you should make time for her, Jae. She’s been down lately.”

“Is she okay?” Jae asked, getting worried.

“She’s fine, it’s just that…” So Jin trailed off with a soft sigh as they exited the building.

Jae led her to the curb, where a black car waited. He opened the back passenger door for her and studied her worried face.

“Just call her, okay?” So Jin said, using that big sister tone he could never ignore.

“Okay, I will.”

So Jin mussed up his hair, he let her, smiling as she entered the car and he closed the door. He stepped back and wore his cap, pulling it low as Ken arrived with the large dark van Jae used for work. Ken opened the sliding door, and Jae climbed into the van, followed by Andre. They headed to Jamsil Stadium for rehearsals.

***

Standing on the sidelines, Harry watched Jae singing into the microphone at the front of the stage. Jae looked as enticing as ever, dressed in a t-shirt, faded jeans, and old sneakers. Andre and Junghee played bass and guitar, and their drummer sat at her spot, twirling her drumsticks. Jae stopped singing and gripped his microphone.

“I still can’t hear any of the guitars,” Jae said, his voice filling the stadium.

His frustration was rising with the sound engineering team. They had been at this problem for the past hour. None of the easy fixes seemed to be working, driving Jae crazy.

Harry watched Jae run fingers through his hair and then perch on a tall stool behind him, staring at the empty seats in the stadium. The sound team leader climbed the stage and patted Jae’s shoulder.

“We’ve adjusted all our equipment. There is nothing wrong with our sound settings. It means the problem is in the stage build. The setup absorbs the sound. We need to reconfigure the stage. The bad news is, to get it done, we will have to undo the front of the stage so that we can fix the problem.”

Jae nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. Problems with sound stressed Jae. His motto was providing the best audio experience to his audience, and sound in a music concert was vital. They were so close to the first concert of the weekend, rebuilds presented a serious challenge. The practice was going to run later than they had expected.

Harry started walking over to Jae, but Junghee beat him.

Junghee took Jae’s arm and urged him away from the microphone. They walked to the stage exit, and Harry sighed as the urge to hurry after Jae and pull him into a hug took hold. Afraid he might do it, he stayed rooted where he stood.

Closing his eyes, Harry breathed in hard and let it out slowly. He repeated the exercise twice more before that urge faded.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Harry reached for it like a lifeline.

“Yoon,” he answered the call.

“Harry, we got the Music Base Showcase. The session's producer will call you,” Dan said, his voice akin to ice pouring over Harry’s head. “He also knows that Rebellion is prepping for the weekend concerts. He asked if they could get exclusive footage of Rebellion during rehearsals. I’ll leave you to plan them.”

“Yes, sure,” Harry said, glancing to the exit where Jae and Junghee had disappeared. Andre was watching the sound engineering crew work with the stage builders to undo the speakers under the stage. “Just a heads up, we’ll delay their entry for a while. We have an issue with sound, and Jae is not in the right headspace.”

“I’ll call him,” Dan said. “Thank you, Harry.”

The call ended, and Harry closed his eyes and leaned on the wall behind him. He needed to find a way to escape the clasp of jealousy. Dan was his best friend, and Jaehan was Dan’s partner. There was no way he would ever get in between them. Besides, Jae was in love with Dan.

Idiot, he thought. Why would you fall for someone you can never have?

***

“The song list is good,” Jae said, reading the sheet the concert director brought him into their dressing room. “Jung, are you okay with the guitar change during the fourth set?”

“Yes, it’s all setup,” Junghee said. “The only thing left is clearing the sound check.”

“Are you okay with lighting?” the director asked.

“Yes,” Jae said, returning the sheet to the tall man. “Rothe’s team never disappoints. We tested the lighting sequences earlier, and there were no problems. We’ll run them again through practice tomorrow afternoon to fix any issues. I’m happy with their setup.”

“Me too,” the director said with a small smile. “It’s a small relief. Now, we’re left with the sound engineering team. They are having a hell of a time getting under the stage.”

“Not their fault, each venue has its problems,” Jae said.

“True,” the Director said. “Get some rest. I’ll let you know when you can come back on stage.”

The director left, closing the door to the dressing room and leaving Jae alone.

Sitting on the chair at his dressing table, Jae closed his eyes and massaged his head.

His phone buzzed, and he answered it when he saw Dan’s face lighting up the screen. Answering the video call, he smiled.

“How did you know I needed to see you?” Jae asked, setting his phone on a stand.

“I’m Jae psychic,” Dan said with a grin.

“Gosh, you are corny,” Jae shook his head, propping his chin with his right hand as he stared at Dan on his screen. “Just let me look at you.”

Dan always made him feel like everything would be better.

“What’s going on?” Dan asked.

“I’ve been standing on stage, and when I sing, my voice is the only thing I can hear. There is no guitar, no bass, just drums. It felt like Junghee and Andre disappeared, and that’s a major nightmare.”

“Jae,” Dan said.

“I know,” Jae closed his eyes. “I’m panicking about the sound engineering team. I know the stage build is having issues, and the sound team is working on the problem. Still, the situation annoys me.”

“Breath in and out,” Dan soothed. “They won’t let you down. Trust them, Jae.”

Jae took in a deep breath and let it out, feeling calmer. He also could not help staring at Dan. Moments like this reminded him that he was lucky to have someone to call. Dan was still in his tie and wearing his suit jacket. Jae blushed, getting hard at the thought of getting Dan out of his expensive suit.

“Where are you?” Jae asked, hiding his smile.

“Meeting Mr. Chang,” Dan said. “We’re dealing with legal issues due to sponsorship we are managing. I will tell you all about it when we have figured out the details.”

Jae nodded.

“So Jin asked me to call Mom today,” Jae said. “We haven’t visited her in a while.”

“We can have your mom visit us,” Dan suggested. “You have never invited her to our house, Jae. Is it something you would want?”

Jae bit his bottom lip, studying Dan.

His mother was well aware of Jae’s life choices. She knew Dan was his lover. Still, Jae had never found the courage to invite her to his home because he feared she would be uncomfortable. He did not intend to hide Dan, so…

“Dan,” Jae said, unsure about inviting his mother into their sanctuary.

“Let’s call her together,” Dan said, giving him a small, knowing smile. “We’ll invite her to visit us. She can stay at our home or live with So Jin and visit us. Either way, she’ll see you in your natural habitat.”

Jae chuckled at the last line.

“Natural habitat my ass, I’m not in a zoo,” Jae said.

“It becomes a zoo when you step out to go grocery shopping without warning.”

“That was once last year,” Jae said.

“What about the café yesterday?” Dan asked.

Jae chuckled.

“Okay, you might have a point. I don’t want Mom to have to live through something that crazy. It might be easier for her to stay with So Jin.”

“Jae, we’ll talk to her together,” Dan said. “Now, I need to sit through a few hours of boring money talk. You have fun at rehearsals. I do not doubt that you’ll get through rehearsals. I love you.”

“Love you too, honey,” Jae said, blowing kisses at Dan.

Dan ended the video call, and Jae rested his head on the table. He closed his eyes, feeling his stress levels tumble down. He should have called Dan first. He smiled and let out a relieved sigh.

“Feeling better?” Harry asked, making Jae sit up.

“Yeah,” Jae said with a nod, taking his phone from its holder and sliding it into his pocket. “Much better. Let’s wait on the sound check until they finish the rebuild. I should head to the video team. The marketing team needs new footage. I’m sure they have a bunch of stage instructions for me to remember.”

“They were asking when you would visit them,” Harry said as Jae got up.

Jae frowned when he reached out to pat Harry’s left shoulder, but Harry stepped out of reach. Dropping his hand, Jae wondered at the withdrawal as they stepped into the busy hall.

“Music Base wants footage of the band backstage,” Harry said, drawing Jae’s attention away from the little shoulder snub.

“Does it mean we got the showcase?” Jae asked, excitement washing away the stresses of the hour.

“Yes,” Harry said, chuckling when Jae jumped, pumping his arms up in the air in victory.

“Yes!” Jae shouted, drawing amused gazes from the crew. “That’s the best news ever. Harry, give them whatever they want. I would only ask they make our backstage footage fun to watch. We’re not always serious back here.”

Harry laughed, and Jae reached out to pat his shoulder again. This time, Harry leaned into the touch. Once again, a strange moment passed and disappeared so fast that Jae shrugged it off.

*~*~*~*