Rebellion Rising - 2. Chapter 2

Andre kissed So Jin, pressing her against the kitchen counter, loving the little chuckle that escaped her, as he deepened their kiss. He loved when she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. She melted against him and it was perfect.

“Andre,” So Jin said, ending their kiss with a sigh. “Your phone is buzzing.”

Andre dropped one last kiss on her forehead and reached for the gadget resting on the counter near the chopping board. He answered it without checking who was calling him; a handful of people knew his private number.

“Hello.”

“Let's do lunch today,” Jae said in answer.

“Hyung.”

Andre met So Jin’s gaze when she looked up, her beautiful eyes filling with worry. He looked at the time on the microwave to see it was just after five in the morning. So Jin was awake because she was going to work in the next half hour. It was odd for Jae to be awake at five in the morning when he had no schedule to do so.

“What’s going on?”

“You’re my little brother,” Jae said, his tone teasing. “Can’t I meet you for lunch, Andre?”

Andre closed his eyes. This wasn’t easy. He hated lying to Jae. He had been lying to Jae for more than two months now and it was getting harder.

So Jin squeezed his waist and gave him an encouraging nod.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Andre said, thinking he and So Jin needed to talk.

He couldn’t keep their relationship hidden any longer. Jae and Junghee were his family. He loved them, and shared everything in his life with them. So Jin was Jae’s sister, the one Jae loved most, even though he never admitted it out loud. They couldn’t keep this hidden forever.

“Is everything okay?” Jae asked Andre. “You sound down, Andre. If you’re having…”

“I’m good, Hyung.” Andre infused energy into his voice. “Where are we meeting?”

“We’ll go together from the studio,” Jae said. “Is that okay?”

“It’s perfect,” Andre said.

“All right, I’ll see you at Dan's office,” Jae said, then ended the call.

Andre met So Jin’s gaze and sighed.

“We’re going to have to tell him soon,” he said.

So Jin squeezed her arms around him and nodded.

“I know. Let me do it,” So Jin said, resting her cheek on his chest. “It will be better if it comes from me.”

Andre placed his phone on the counter and wrapped his arms around her too. He was happy for the first time in a long time. He didn’t want to think about the logistics of his love with So Jin. Only that she made his worst days better, and made him smile just by walking into a room. She made him happy. The rest he would leave to fate.

***

Jae stared at his phone for a minute after talking to Andre. A gap was growing between them that he didn’t like. He couldn’t stop feeling as though Andre was holding back on him. Jae wondered if he had been too wrapped up in his own bliss with Dan. He hadn’t checked in with his band mates, and so the distance with Andre was growing.

Jae stared at the music sheets on the piano stand. He couldn’t lie: keeping a perfect work/life balance was a challenge. His personal life suffered from neglect when he focused on work and his work suffered sometimes when he focused on his personal life.

Maybe, Ken was right and he needed an assistant to help him track his life. He could schedule more time with Junghee, Andre and even So Jin…not to forget his parents.

“You’re up early,” Dan interrupted his thoughts.

Jae turned on the piano bench to find Dan leaning on the door into the live room fully dressed for work. He looked mouthwatering in a navy blue shirt and tailored gray slacks, his Dan the CEO, sexy and all his. Jae smiled and got up from the piano bench.

He closed the distance between them and gave a soft moan of appreciation when Dan pulled him into his arms. Warm hands slid under his t-shirt and Dan dropped a kiss on his right shoulder.

“You smell good,” Jae said, against Dan’s shoulder. “Did you find my note?”

“I did,” Dan said, amused. “Inspiration must have struck you very early this morning.”

“Something like that,” Jae said, allowing Dan to lead him out of the live room.

They headed out of the basement, going upstairs to the ground floor. They always had breakfast together when they were both home, a tradition Jae appreciated very much as it grounded him.

“What do you want to have for breakfast?” Jae asked, when they entered the kitchen.

“Let’s make it easy to make,” Dan said, glancing at his watch. “We have a meeting in an hour with Ken’s Angie.”

Jae nodded, opening the fridge to find eggs and any ingredients that wouldn’t need too much prep. He too remembered Dan’s promise to Ken.

“What is your schedule like today?” Dan asked, folding his shirtsleeves back and washing his hands at the sink, ready to help.

“Better than yesterday,” Jae said, beating eggs in a bowl, while Dan took over chopping tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. “After the meet in your office, I’ll spend the morning in the production studio laying down music with Andre, then after lunch we’re in practice for the performances this weekend at the Jamushil Arena.”

“We can do lunch together,” Dan suggested, having turned on the burner and placed a pan in readiness for Jae’s eggs.

“I’m meeting Andre for lunch today,” Jae said, moving around Dan to work on frying their eggs. “I haven’t been seeing as much of him as I would like. I’m…anxious about it.”

“Something wrong?” Dan asked, as he put four brown bread slices to toast.

“I don’t quite know,” Jae said, turning the first egg with expertise. He watched Dan toast whole bread, then slice kiwi slices. “What about you, Dan? What’s your day like?”

“My assistant has set up production updates from every producer in the building. I’ll meet them all after our meeting with Ken,” Dan said. “After that, Len is getting ready to go on tour, so his team will need an hour of my time. There are a few sponsors involved with that tour, so I need to make sure we get what we need. Around eleven, I’m heading across town to meet Music Base’s team.”

“I love their streaming site,” Jae said, finishing with the eggs. “They have an insane market share.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Dan smiled at him and Jae winked as he plated the eggs, and concentrated on sauteing the onions, bell peppers and tomatoes, adding black pepper and salt.

Dan set the kitchen table with forks and knives, a glass of orange juice for each of them and the fruit bowl. Jae brought the plates with eggs and sauteed veggies. He turned off the fire and placed the pan he used in the sink, soaking it with water first.

He moved to sit next to Dan as they ate their breakfast.

“Music Base does live showcases,” Dan continued. “Would you be interested in doing one?”

“Rebellion is winding down the Messy album tour with the two concerts this weekend,” Jae said. “After that, we take a short break and then head into studio. Showcases are very welcome.”

“Good to hear,” Dan mused. “Don’t you have a fashion magazine shoot this morning too?”

Jae got his phone from his pocket and checked his messages.

“Harry sent a message late last night. It was pushed to next week,” Jae said.

They ate breakfast and then Jae left Dan cleaning up to go upstairs and get a shower and dress for the day, oddly excited.

***

Dan placed his suit jacket on the coat hanger in the corner of his new office. He adjusted his shirtsleeves and moved to his desk, picking up the tablet his assistant had placed on the desk for his attention.

Jae was perched on the couch in the sitting area on the other end of his office. He was working on his laptop and had earphones on. He looked delicious in a white shirt, with the collar open and blue slacks, his feet in white slip-ons.

Dan ignored the tablet for a minute, and crossed the large room to where Jae sat. Sitting on the coffee table, he smiled when Jae looked up at him, an elegant eyebrow arching in question. Dan leaned in and kissed him, a sweet, savoring kiss that had Jae leaning into him. When Dan felt he had enough for now, he ended the kiss and sat back on the coffee table.

Jae grabbed his laptop before it slid off his lap, making Dan chuckle. He got up happy to get back to work now that he had his much-needed dose of Jae.

They sat working for thirty minutes until a soft knock came on the door. Dan murmured a welcome and the door opened to reveal Ken and a woman in her mid-thirties. Dan sat up saving the forms he had been working on for the distribution team.

“Sir,” Ken said in greeting, ushering Angela in to the office.

Angela wore a neat black business trouser suit with a navy blue blouse. Her hair around her shoulders and wore sensible black shoes. She clutched her company identification card tight, biting her bottom lip. Her gaze flitted to Jae who had yet to notice the newcomers, but she quickly looked to Dan instead.

“Morning, Ken, Miss Angela,” Dan said, indicating for them to take seats at his desk.

Ken pulled out Angela’s chair and didn’t sit until she did.

“How are you today?” Dan asked Angela, knowing he needed to put her at ease. She looked on the verge of exploding with anxiety.

“Nervous,” Angela admitted with a small shaky laugh. “Are you sure I’m qualified to even discuss this position?”

“You’ve worked at Jade Entertainment for three and a half years,” Dan said. “I’ve read your records and you’re very meticulous. Your team is fond of you, and I’ve never heard any complains.”

Angela nodded.

“You’re competent, which is important,” Dan said, sitting back in his chair, studying Angela. He liked her eyes. She was nervous, but he read determination. She was hardworking but not a pushover. “Do you want this job?”

Angela glanced at Ken, and she wrung her hands on her lap.

“Yes,” she said, finally meeting Dan’s gaze. “I need this job.”

Dan nodded, noting Junghee, Andre and Harry entering his office using the private entrance at the sitting area. Jae removed his earphones when Andre waved his hand over the laptop. Jae placed his laptop on the coffee table, bumping fists with his bandmates and Harry.

“Then let’s meet Jae,” Dan said, getting up, and indicating the sitting area where Junghee and Andre had all claimed couches, with Harry sitting on the couch next to Jae.

Dan gave Angela no time to breath, heading to the bright sitting area where Junghee was bickering with Harry about eating meat for breakfast.

“You’re the one who promised to buy for me,” Junghee said. “I’ve been waiting forever. Harry, shouldn’t you give me a call and tell me let’s meet and eat?”

“I’m expecting an invitation from you,” Harry countered.

“You offered it first.”

“Okay, okay,” Jae interrupted. “I’ll take you to eat, Jung.”

“I want to eat barbecue meat bought by Harry. He’s never treated us to a meal before,” Junghee complained.

Jae chuckled and turned to look at Harry. “Now that I think about it, you really haven’t.

“This must have been your plan all along,” Harry said, pointing at Junghee. “Putting me on the spot like this, now I have no choice but to invite you all for a meal.”

“Finally caught on,” Junghee teased, and rested his left ankle over his right knee settling in his armchair. “Barbecue on Hyung-nim, I can’t wait to eat. I’ll make sure to have a huge appetite.”

Jae and Andre met each other’s gazes then they both chuckled and shook their heads.

Dan reached them and perched on the arm of the couch next to Jae.

“We have a guest, guys,” Dan said, waving for Angela to move closer. “This is Angela Yeo. She is applying for a job as Jae’s assistant.”

Junghee sucked in air and dropped his leg, sitting up. Andre sat alert too, his gaze lingering on Angela’s nervous face.

“Background?” Harry asked.

“She’s worked for Jade Entertainment the last three and a half years,” Dan provided, keeping his gaze on Jae who was fiddling with his earphones. “She runs a team in the mailroom, not an easy feat as she manages all fan mail coming into the building, as well as each team’s requests.”

“Whether she can work is not the problem,” Andre said, turning his attention to Jae. “The other one could too, quite efficiently. This is about trust, Jae’s personal trust, so to speak.”

Jae met Andre’s gaze, his lips curving in the slightest smile.

“I’m sorry you had to go through such an incident,” Angela spoke, drawing Dan’s gaze. She was looking at Jae as she talked. “I can promise that I don’t want to violate your personal life. I need the job, and you need an assistant. I can guarantee that I’ll concentrate on work and nothing else.”

Jae closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

“I do need someone to manage my life,” Jae said. “Just—”

“She can take the job on probation,” Junghee suggested, making Jae look at him. “Three months’ probation and we see how you work, and if Jae is fine with it. It’s a good plan, Jae. We’ll all help how we can. She should report directly to Harry.”

Angela gasped. She never got to work close with talent managers. Rebellion’s manager was the top of the team. The band brought in the most revenue at Jade Entertainment making them gold product. Even her team in the mail room sorted all content to do with Rebellion with utmost care, especially after the stalking incident last year.

Dan met Harry’s gaze then nodded in agreement with Junghee. He squeezed Jae’s shoulder pulling him out of his silence.

Jae placed his earphones on his laptop and got up to face Angela. He held out his right hand to her, and she took it, her expression all business.

“Let’s try it,” Jae said. “I apologize for any trouble in advance.”

Jae let go of her hand and gave her his business phone.

“Harry has everything else,” Jae murmured, then sat down.

“So, guys, let’s talk about a potential showcase with Music Base. I’ve been checking out their live shows and they’re very good. Dan is going for a meeting with them, and he wondered if he could ask for a live showcase.”

“I listen to music on Music Base,” Junghee said, excited, getting his phone from his pocket. He showed them the open app, with a happy grin. “Their app is awesome.”

“A live showcase sounds like a lot of fun,” Andre agreed. “I do know their shows are acoustic. We’ll be getting down to basics.”

“The best kind of music,” Jae grinned, already excited by the prospect.

“Of course, this is if they let the showcase happen,” Harry reminded them.

“Yes.”

Dan agreed, though now that he could see Jae so inspired by the prospect of the live, he would find a way to make it happen.

“I hope it’s a positive outcome. Rebellion is on board with the showcase,” Junghee clapped getting up, checking his time. “I need to be across town for a meeting with Director Park. Harry wants me to audition for another part.”

“Studio time is coming,” Dan said, nodding. “It’s good for the band to have one of you visible.”

“Then I gotta go,” Junghee said, moving around the coffee table to pull Jae into a short hug. “Call me any time, Hyung.”

“Thanks, Jung,” Jae patted his back, and watched him leave.

Andre got up too.

“Hyung, I’ll be in the studio,” Andre said, and left with a short wave at Angie and Ken.

Jae picked up his laptop and earphones, looking to Harry. He bit his bottom lip, and then shrugged.

“I’m heading to the studio too, and then I’ll have lunch with Andre.” Jae gave Angie an apprehensive glance. “Harry, you update her on the weekend events.”

Harry gave him a small smile, while Dan wrapped an arm around Jae’s shoulders and led him to the door.

Stepping out into the deserted hallway, Dan pulled Jae into his arms.

“Don’t be nervous about Angie. She’ll work out,” Dan soothed, brushing his fingers through Jae’s hair.

“You’re so sure,” Jae said with a small sigh. He rested his forehead on Dan’s shoulder for a minute. “When is our next getaway?”

Dan chuckled reading Jae’s mind.

“Should we plan one?” Dan asked.

“I could use days without schedules.”

“Me too,” Dan stroked his hand over Jae’s back. “I’ll talk to Harry. We’ll block of time.”

Jae lifted his head and pressed a kiss on Dan’s jaw.

“I love you.”

Dan tightened his arms around Jae and held him tighter.

“I love you more,” Dan murmured, he breathed in Jae’s scent and let go of him with reluctance.

He stood in the hallway watching Jae enter the elevator that would take him to the studio Rebellion was using on the thirteenth floor. He grinned when Jae opened the elevator doors again to blow kisses at him.

Dan caught them and pressed them to his heart.

Jae smiled and allowed the elevator doors to close, leaving Dan alone. Slipping his hand into his left trouser pocket, Dan pulled out the key he had taken to carrying with him. He needed to tell Jae about it soon. He just needed the right time.

Letting a sigh escape, he entered his office to find Harry, Angie and Ken waiting for him.

“Ken, you go ahead,” Dan said, releasing Jae’s bodyguard to continue his work. “Update me through the day if there are any changes. I’ll let you know if I’ll stop by for the rehearsal this evening.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Ken said, waving at Angie. He left the office in fast strides at the same time, Mr. Chang walked in, carrying his briefcase.

“I have the documents you asked for,” Mr. Chang said in greeting coming to join them. He opened his briefcase and laid out a set of contracts on the coffee table.

“Do you want to look them over?” Mr. Chang asked Dan.

“I trust your judgment,” Dan said, watching Angie who was wringing her hands on her lap. “Angie, we’ll try it out. Sorry for the red tape, it protects you, Jae and the company. I hope you understand.”

Angie let out a nervous breath and sat when Harry indicated the couch where Jae had sat a while ago. Her hand shook when she picked up the pen Mr. Chang gave her to use. Dan hoped she took the next few months as an auspicious change in her life.

As for Jae, Dan hoped Angie would restore the trust Jae had lost in people.

***

Jae spent the morning in the studio with Andre, going over music they had laid down the past few weeks. The inspiration he had been searching for found him when Andre sat at the piano at around eleven. Jae held his microphone tight, pacing from wall to wall; eyes closed as he listened to Andre play.

Something Andre had written this week. Jae crouched low by the wall, bringing the microphone to his mouth. He let the music fill him, surge through him until it flipped a switch inside him. He hummed the melody, as it sung through him, adding bits of lyrics as they came to him. They let it run to the end in the same way, music filling the space, Jae humming to it at will, and when Andre reached the end of the song, Jae sat on the floor microphone turned off.

“It’s good. It’s really good when we add your voice. I can’t wait to hear the lyrics, Hyung,” Andre said, after a period of silence. “Your voice is holding. You’ve been careful this tour.”

Jae wiped his eyes and put the microphone to the side.

“We’ll have to think about the message in the next album,” Jae said, wrung out emotionally. “The lyrics floating in my head are fragmented. I need a clear image of what we’re creating next.”

“All three albums up to now have been about us, really,” Andre said, moving away from the piano, coming to sit next to Jae on the floor. “We’ve created a movement with our fans, and I feel like we need to reward that in some way.”

“Without sacrificing our original sound,” Jae said, picking up the microphone to study it. “I’m always afraid we’ll end up far away from the original music in the first album. Like if we change up the sound too drastically, original fans might step away…go like ‘oh, those guys changed too much I won’t listen anymore.’ You know…”

“Those guys?” Andre asked, with a chuckle.

“Those guys,” Jae said, smiling. “They’ll say it with this tone full of disappointment. I don’t think I can take it if that happens.”

“I’ve been listening to our music lately,” Andre said. “I mean, you can’t really count the albums we did under Rand. We’d have to say our first true one is Rough Terrain. There was a lot of pain in that one. We’re obviously not in that head space anymore, so that sound changed.”

“True,” Jae agreed.

Rough Terrain had felt like the highest mountain, climbing every second to get back to a place he recognized.

“You were like a mad dog those days,” Andre mused.

Jae laughed and leaned on Andre, struck by the description. There was no point countering it, Andre was right. Those days he hadn’t thought about anything else but getting back to Seoul.

“The second album was better,” Jae insisted. “We had fun with that one.”

“Yes, I still love rocking out to Stronger,” Andre said, with a grin. “It got us the attention we needed from our fans, the perfect opening for the Messy album.”

Messy, Jae breathed out at the thought of their last album. He had written it from a point of desperation, trying to find sanity when he should have lost it.

“Are you still meeting Dr. Bora?” Andre asked.

Jae stared at his hands on his lap.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice coming out in a whisper.

Andre kept his silence, waiting.

“It should have ended by now. It’s been a year and some months,” Jae sighed, and shook his head. “I-uh—”

“No need to explain,” Andre said, surprising him. “It’s not like we were there with you. I can’t imagine what being handcuffed against your will on a bed in a basement feels like. That you fought your way out is badass as fuck. If talking to Dr. Bora makes you feel better about that time, do it.”

“I gave her tickets for the concert on Saturday,” Jae said, with a grin. “She asked to watch one.”

“She can come backstage,” Andre said. “She can hang out with Dan if he makes it.”

“He’s been really busy,” Jae said, knowing Dan’s schedule sometimes went late into the night. “I told him we need a vacation.”

“Hyung, we’re about to go into studio,” Andre said in protest. “Seriously, you two are not going to go on a honeymoon and disappear for a month, are you?”

Jae laughed at the expression on Andre’s face. “You can come along.”

“As who? Your child that you look after in a family of three?” Andre asked, glaring at him

Jae sunk his fingers into Andre’s hair to muss it up. He grinned when Andre shifted away from him with a growl.

“I can take care of you, and spoil you.”

“Be serious, Hyung,” Andre said, his eyes still flashing at him.

Jae dropped his arms, studying Andre for a minute. Andre looked upset with him, so he stopped joking around.

“I’m sorry. You have something serious to say. Tell me,” Jae said.

“I’m only a year younger than you,” Andre pointed out. “You know that right?”

“I do,” Jae said, smiling.

His smile faded when he noted Andre’s strange expression: a cross between rebellion and frustration. Something was bugging Andre, even though he was not sharing it.

“What?” Jae asked, when Andre got up from the floor with a sigh.

“I’m struggling with something I want to tell you,” Andre said, digging his hair through his hair as he went to turn on the lights. They liked working with them off. Jae picked up his microphone, got up and returned it to the stand.

He put his hands in his pockets and watched Andre pace the room for a minute.

“Andre.”

“Can I ask if you would ever stop seeing me as your little brother?” Andre asked. “I mean, if I did something that might make you really angry—”

“Where is this coming from?” Jae asked. “Andre, I get angry all the time. You get angry at me too. When has it ever gotten to the point that we broke apart?”

Andre dropped his hands to his sides and stopped pacing.

“I’m in love with someone,” Andre stated, meeting Jae’s gaze. “She’s important enough for me to introduce her to the band, and have her join us the way it is with you and Dan.”

Jae smiled, elated by the news. He wanted the best for his bandmates. If Andre loved someone, then it was a cause for celebration. He walked up to Andre and pulled him into a quick hug.

“I’m happy for you, Andre. So happy,” Jae said, mussing Andre’s hair again. “When do we get to meet her? We can call Jung and have a barbecue at my house, or yours. Whichever place is comfortable.”

“She’s not ready to meet you yet,” Andre said, his tone oddly shy. “I just wanted to tell you that I have someone who matters to me the way Dan matters to you. I don’t want to keep it a secret from you anymore.”

“Okay. I’m glad,” Jae said, with a smile. “Is this what you’ve wanted to tell me?”

“Part of it,” Andre said, rubbing his eyes, he looked stressed. “The rest…it depends on her.”

“Hey,” Jae locked his arm around Andre’s neck, pulling him close. “Why are you so nervous when you talk about her? As long as she’s good to you, you know she’ll fit in with us.”

Andre’s responding smile was enough to make Jae wonder about this new girlfriend. He looked so happy; it was enough to make Jae curious.

“She is too good to me,” Andre said, rubbing his stomach. “I’m hungry. We should go eat now. I’ll treat you today. You never eat enough food. We should eat meat for lunch.”

Jae chuckled as Andre extricated himself and went to get his wallet and phone from a table in the corner of the room.

“You sounded like my mom for a minute,” Jae mused as he wore his shoes and pulled on a hat to cover his head and face.

Andre grunted and led the way out of the studio.

Strange, Jae thought. He spent too much time thinking of Andre, as someone he needed to look out for, it was weird seeing him act so grown up.

“Where to?” Ken asked, when they left the studio and entered the lounge taking up the front entrance of the fourteenth floor.

“Lunch at Blue,” Jae said.

He had made a reservation earlier. Blue was a private restaurant in the building right across the road that offered relative privacy. He could eat a meal without excessive attention.

“They are expecting us.”

“Good choice,” Ken said, following them to the elevators. “Can Angie come along?”

Jae hesitated for a minute. The punch in his stomach each time he thought about an assistant getting close annoyed him. The hesitation was enough for Andre to reply.

“Yeah, sure, I’m treating today. I hope she likes beef.”

Jae frowned at Andre’s definitive answer. He raised a questioning brow and Andre grinned.

“I’m looking out for you. You need to break the ice, Hyung. How else will she work for you?”

“When did you get so smart? What is your new girlfriend giving you?” Jae asked, with a scowl.

“I’ve always been smart,” Andre said, winking at him, as he wore dark glasses that covered half his face. It was easier to walk across the street, so they used the side entrance when they got to the ground floor.

Jae stretched his arms up, taking in a deep breath, turning his face up to the sun for a moment. He dropped his arms and stopped when he noticed the pretty woman with long brown hair, dressed in blue walking toward them with a small smile. She carried a take-away bag from a chicken restaurant down the street.

“Noona,” Jae said in surprise, staring at his eighth sister.

It looked like she was bringing him lunch without calling first. It was unusual as her office was fifteen minutes away from here. She hated the hurried commute and always ate lunch close to her office.

“Is this a new thing, bringing me lunch?” Jae asked, happy to see her.

He hurried to her side and she dropped the brown bag she was carrying on the ground in surprise. Jae grinned and pulled her into a hug.

***

Andre stared at So Jin’s expression, reading the shock. She met his gaze as she held her brother. Andre picked up the bag of chicken and raised a brow in question.

“Noona?” Jae prompted as he stepped back to look at her too. “Why are you on my side of town?”

“I had an errand near the chicken place,” So Jin said, her gaze apologetic when she looked at Andre. “I thought I’d stop by. I forgot…”

She trailed off, biting her lip. She couldn’t say that she knew about Andre and Jae having lunch together.

Andre gave So Jin a reassuring smile as Jae took her hand and urged them to keep heading to the restaurant across the street.

“Well, I’ll take it as good luck,” Jae decided. “We’re going to eat beef. We can keep the chicken for later. Noona, I’ve missed you. It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Andre handed the bag of chicken to his personal assistant, asking her to take it upstairs. He followed Jae and So Jin, watching brother and sister walk together: their hands held, and their close relationship evident.

Andre couldn’t help sighing as he wondered how he was ever going to get Jae to accept him as So Jin’s man.

***