That Dog, Young Jae - 5. Chapter 5

I’m going to become someone

That you can lean on,

I’m going to become stronger,

So I can protect you.

5

“Stop your mother’s antics and I will support you, Jun Min Ho. If you can’t do that, I don’t think you’re fit to take the position your father is so willing to give you. You see, Son, being chairman of a group is not just work. It’s also family politics. Can you handle it, Jun Min Ho? If you can’t, you have no business trying. ”

The words rang through his head since he’d left Mr. Rio’s home alone. He’d left Young Jae getting Mr. Rio to sign documents for the warehouse that had burned. He’d taken the car from the driver, and taken off feeling suffocated by the responsibility. He wanted to call Shin.

He pulled into the parking lot at the musical fountain at the Han River Park and got out of the car. It was eleven o’clock, the park wasn’t crowded yet. He strolled along the paved path, his hands deep in his pockets. The wind ruffled his hair, he sighed as drops of water wet his face. He stopped and stared at the rising fountain. When he’d been ten, his father had brought him to the park and they’d spend hours running through the water. He smiled at the memory. If he tried it now and someone caught him on camera, it would be on the news in minutes with a judgmental caption to go with the picture.

He got his cell phone and dialed Shin’s number. It rang six times before it went to voice mail. He hung up because he didn’t want to leave a message. He tried Jihu next with the same results. Kaori answered but she didn’t have time to talk.

“I’m sorry, Min. I’m in the middle of something important.” She apologized with a soft tone. “I’ll call you later okay? We can talk then.”

“Don’t worry, go ahead.” He assured her. He let her go and stuck the phone into his pocket. His friends were busy with their lives. He had expected that would happen.

“I thought you might be here,” Young Jae said coming to stand beside him. He closed his eyes in defeat. He’d hoped for a few more minutes before the man caught up with him.

“How did you know where to find me?” Min asked quietly, opening his eyes to watch the fountain spray water in synchronized sprays on the ground.

“I’ve had practice.” Young Jae breathed in the cool air. “I always find you here when you’re worrying about something and can’t find Shin. The driver was very worried when you drove off. He came to get me.”

“I just wanted a few minutes away.” Min kept his gaze on the fountain. He couldn’t stop thinking about the water. He sat down on a stone ledge behind him and allowed a long sigh to escape.

“What did Mr. Rio tell you?” Young Jae asked sitting beside him.

Min glanced at the older man with a sigh. “I need to control my mother to earn his support. I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Mr. Rio is key, Min. His decisions sway the board ninety-percent of the time. We need him on your side.”

“Why should controlling my mother be important?” Min shook his head. “She’s not involved with Hanje.”

“Your parents might be separated, Min, but they are not divorced. What she does will always affect the public view of Hanje Group, Min. You must understand that.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Min looked at Young Jae. “What would you do?”

“Make peace with her.” Young Jae met his gaze and his lips curved into a smile. “She’s your mom, Min. Reach out to her maternal instincts.”

“She left me when I was ten years old.” He shook his head, trying to keep away the pain of being abandoned. He hadn’t understood her leaving. Why had it been so easy for her to walk away from him? “I was angry when she left. Dad wouldn’t say anything about it. He brought in a nanny and a tutor. That was his extent of parenting. She abandoned me, Young Jae.”

“I’m sure she had her reasons.” Young Jae consoled. “My question is this, what does Hanje Group mean to you. Is it worth it? Is your father’s company worth you forgiving your mother?”

Min stared at the dancing water sprays below, his thoughts returning to running around in the water park when he was little. The carefree boy he’d been those days didn’t exist anymore. He was encumbered with responsibilities now; he couldn’t remember carefree.

“Dad used to bring me here when I was a kid. We’d spend the whole afternoon just running around in the water. It was so much fun. I miss that.” Min confessed quietly.

After a moment of quiet silence, Young Jae stood up abruptly and reached for his hand. Young Jae pulled him up and led him toward the fountain.

“What are you doing?” Min asked as they got closer to the splashing water. “Have you gone mad?”

“You know you want to, Min,” Young Jae declared with a wide smile at him before he pushed him into the spraying water.

Min gasped as drops of cold water hit him on the face and soaked his gray suit. He wiped his hand down his face and glared at Young Jae. It didn’t last long as a new set of sprays came at him and he jumped out of the way.

He was drenched in minutes. A chuckle escaped and he stopped in the middle of the fountain, water raining down on him. He held out both hands to the spray of water and smiled at Young Jae when the water sprayed out in a series of dances. He laughed when a nozzle splashed water at him unexpectedly.

He stopped in the middle of the fountain and while the water fell around him he suddenly realized why he was so tired. He’d been spending all his time working so hard to get control of the different companies under Hanje because he didn’t trust anyone. While what he needed to do was earn his employees’ trust. He needed to talk to the company heads so that they trusted him.

Min closed his eyes. As for his mother, one thing was disturbing him. Why would his mother talk to striking workers when she wasn’t even involved with the company? Why take the risk of pulling herself into a scandal?

Cold water splashed into his face and he blinked. His gaze fell on Young Jae who stood at a safe distance watching him. His thoughts centered on his Uncle and the reason his father had put him in the cross hairs in the first place. Control your family. Mr. Rio had insisted on that. His mother was the key, he thought with a sigh. He needed to connect with her before she sold him out to his uncle.

“Family politics,” he murmured. Mr. Rio was right. He stepped out of the water fountain and wiped a hand down his face. “Young Jae, I want to meet my Uncle.”

“No.” The protest was abrupt. Young Jae cursed under his breath and tried again. “I mean, why do you want to go see Mr. Yul?” Young Jae demanded.

“Don’t you think it’s time we met face to face? He keeps making trouble for me.” Min narrowed his gaze. “I think he’s inciting my mother, promising her something.”

“Min,” Young Jae said with a slight shake of his head. “Talk to your mother first.”

“I will, but I need to talk to my Uncle too. This has to stop.” Min smiled at Young Jae and shrugged. “You’re right you know. Hanje Group is important to me, so if I’m reconciling with my mother. This ridiculous crusade my Uncle is running has to be challenged as well.”

“Mr. Yul is not Mr. Rio or your father, Min. He is stubborn and set in his ways-

“I can handle it.” Min assured him firmly. “I can face him. I’m strong enough, Young Jae.”

Young Jae sighed and looked at him skeptically. Min frowned when he noticed that there was softness in Young Jae’s eyes. It hadn’t been there before, or if it had, he’d never noticed. A breeze ruffled Young Jae’s hair and a lock of it fell over Young Jae’s right eye. He reached up and swept it back gently. Young Jae smiled and he jerked his hand away in surprise. He looked away quickly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Young Jae assured him. “Come on; let’s get you something new to wear. I think you should talk to your mother again. Take your sister to the gala, and show a united front to everyone. Tomorrow morning, we can set up a meeting with your Uncle.”

“Are you coming to the gala?” Min asked quietly.

Young Jae met his gaze and held it for a moment before he nodded. “I will be right beside you.”

Min smiled happy with the answer. He had no idea when it started but having Young Jae beside him was turning into a comfort. “Well, look at me now. I have to get changed. I’m absolutely wet.”

“You’re happier for it,” Young Jae pointed out with a laugh. “You should try it more often.”

“Can you imagine the headlines?” Min looked around almost expecting a reporter standing a few feet away with a camera. “I’m half terrified of tomorrow morning’s headlines, ‘Hanje Group’s Jun Min Ho, acting like a child in the park.’”

“It would start a trend.” Young Jae countered. “We’d find more people in the park at ten o’clock in the morning trying to look as carefree as you did a moment ago.”

Min laughed and started for the car. “You’re funny.”

“It’s true.” Young Jae followed him. “You looked really handsome running around in the water. I have never seen you smile that hard unless you were with Shin.”

“Why do you always say that about Shin? I wasn’t so dependent on him.” Min pulled open the driver’s side door but Young Jae took the keys from him. Min moved around to the passenger seat and got in. “Why don’t you like my friends?”

Young Jae started the car and gave him a short glance before he started pulling away from the parking lot. “I like them just fine.”

Min shook his head in denial. “You picked a fight with Shin every time you saw him. Why?”

Young Jae pulled into traffic and shrugged. “Well, Shin did piss me off a bit. Nothing against him, he just had what I wanted.”

“What is that?” Min asked with a smile. He couldn’t imagine what Shin had that Young Jae wanted.

“He had you.” Young Jae turned into the shopping district. “Now you know.”

Min stared at him at a loss, but then again, he wasn’t surprised. He thought about the kiss in the morning and sighed. “You’re so complicated, Young Jae. If you’d been a bit nicer to me, I’d have known you liked me sooner.”

Young Jae spared him a glance before he pulled the car to the curb. He stopped the car and turned to look at Min. “What would you have done about it, Min? I’m not Shin who owns his own company. I work for your father and you. I don’t have the stellar background that your friends do. I was born to a very poor family. My mother is not refined like yours-

Min leaned forward and pressed his lips against Young Jae’s to shut him up. If Young Jae could do it to him, he could use kisses as shut up tools too. He closed his eyes when Young Jae moaned and brought a hand up and sunk his fingers into his hair. He broke away with a small sigh.

“I don’t know what it is about kissing you. I can’t stop thinking about it.” Min complained when Young Jae pressed his lips to his jaw, tracing his way to Min's right ear.

“Is it a bad thing to think about my kisses?” Young Jae asked hotly against his ear. “It drove me nuts every time I caught you kissing Shin in the corner. Why can’t you two keep your hands off each other? I thought you broke up ages ago.”

Min chuckled. “Are you the jealous type? Shin is a friend.”

Young Jae pulled back his hands holding on to Min’s upper arms gently. Dark eyes, blazing hot with need captured his. “If he comes back Min, I’m going to kill him if he tries putting his hands on you like this.”

Min blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I’m laying my claim on you.” Young Jae shook him gently. “No more kissing Shin. If you want comfort, kisses, hugs, whatever you feel you needed Shin for, come to me, Min. I’m strong enough for both of us.”

Young Jae pulled him into a tight hug, not caring that his clothes were getting wet from Min’s soaked suit. Min closed his eyes as his heart started an impossible fast beat. He clung to Young Jae’s shoulders tightly. The tinted glasses of the black town car protecting them from prying eyes, he sighed as tension he’d been carrying around for days faded away.