Chapter 34: Dreamin'
*Flashback*
I was told in private that Jenny and I got listed in the JYPE MAMA delegation because they needed people from the marketing and the video team for documentation purposes. I asked if Mina was coming, and if we're allowed to bring at least one camera man. It was reiterated that it would only be me and Jenny—no one else. Flying people out was costly and inefficient to operations and because Jenny and I were "all-rounders" the management "chose" to send us instead. I didn't know what to tell Mina when she asked what the meeting was all about. However, I did confirm that it was about MAMA, and I let her in on the news that aside from managing the GOT7 Official and JYP Entertainment pages, we also have to handle GOT7 Global pages. I couldn't bring myself to tell her that she wasn't going to Hong Kong, but she heard anyway and never said a word about it.
I just really wish I didn't find out that my company basically used me to get free hotel accommodations. The moment our car stopped in front of the Corinthians Hotel in Hong Kong, I had a bad feeling. I thought Jenny and I were riding the presidential car because they had nowhere to put us in, but I was mistaken. People started bowing to me the moment we stepped in and I was shocked because Hope and I were never introduced to the staff here, or anywhere.
"Do tell your father that we appreciate his hospitality towards our company. I was afraid he wouldn't grant my request to sponsor our accommodations but he graciously did!" Chairman Wook whispered to me as we walked side by side with Jenny tailing behind. There were no messy check-ins, no chaotic rooming assignments, no bills to settle. Everything went smoothly for our delegation. There were security personnel and staff escorting everyone to their rooms. They even closed off two whole floors for JYPE to the public.
Jenny was dead silent and we were exchanging cautious glances throughout the whole ordeal. I wasn't brought there as a staff, it wasn't work. I was brought to be a collateral—to be the heiress I've always been trying NOT to be, which explains the suite.
My suite is bigger than CEO Wook's or JYP's hotel room, even bigger than the rooms dedicated to the idols. I was my Dad's princess again and as always I felt grateful yet embarrassed. I called my dad the minute I settled down to ask for an explanation, but his secretary said he's busy. So I called Mark instead because if there's anyone from JYP I wasn't ashamed to see at that time, it was him.
He was obviously impressed when he entered the hotel suite, but not in the very least surprised. He knew what it was like living in a world of extravagance and entitlement. He grew up in a house with a pool, and a garage that was big enough to fit five cars. But the Tuan household is humble. I have seen that for myself. It reminded me of our own house and my own family in Sydney where though it wasn't such a luxury to sleep in hotel suites, it was still too much to ask for money to buy concert tickets because I was told I needed to work for the things I want.
Basically, I was prepared to sleep in a thousand-dollar-per-night hotel suite. What I wasn't so prepared for was the fact that Mark found it fascinating to see me in such a different light. I wasn't a lowly video producer, I wasn't his staff. Out of Korea and out of my cozy apartment, I was a whole different person. I was Love, a part-time DJ and a full-time heiress who's used to sleeping in expensive silk nighties and robes. We ate dinner and drank some wine. Then we had sex in the jacuzzi, against the marble walls of the shower, on the plush couch, and on the bed with excellent white sheets. For some reason Mark was extra sweet and caring, even gentle when I asked him to slow down. He must have felt my need, my sadness, throughout the night. For the first time in a long time, we fell asleep in a spooning position and it felt foreign and different, but not at all bad.
*Flashforward*
For some reason I'm already wide awake at 6AM wanting to break away from Mark's heavy arms. Thankfully he decides to shuffle in his sleep so I creep out of bed and tiptoe out of the room. I head to the snack bar, desperate for a drink. I finish one small bottle of water while looking around for the wine we left somewhere last night. Ah yes, I remember.
I open the door to the massive hotel bathroom and there it is, the half-full bottle of Pinot Noir standing beside two empty gold-rimmed Bordeaux wine glasses by the jacuzzi. I can imagine the scandal it would create if a sasaeng fan decides to break into my hotel suite only to find evidences of a crazy first night in Hong Kong.
Stop it, Love.
I shake my head to drive the cynic away before taking the glasses and the wine bottle. I wash one of the glasses with ice cold water from the fridge and put it back to its original place at the bar as if it's never been used. All these elements paint a picture that would make the nosy cleaning ladies gossip. Then I take the other glass and pour more wine in its deep bowl so I'll have something to take with me as I pick out my outfit.
It's impulsive and stupid to be drinking so early in the morning but, well... So is calling the hotel room he's supposed to be staying in with Jackson just a few floors below. It was a bad idea to finish half a bottle of expensive wine together when one of us was itching to "fuck on every flat surface available" and the other one was in dire need of validation. Then again all we are was a bad idea to begin with, so why stop now?
I walk barefoot into the bedroom wearing light blue linen pants and a pink off-shoulder top. My hair is still wet from the early morning shower and my moisturized face is naturally blushing from the wine. I had to apply layers and layers of serums and essences to hide my sleepless, slightly drunk state but that still doesn't compare to Mark's naturally pretty face.
I kneel on the floor beside the bed, watching him sleep. He looks so peaceful and beautiful, he'd put Princess Aurora to shame. This isn't the first time I get to stare at him in deep slumber but I'm still floored by how gracefully his dark brown hair flops over his forehead, covering his brows. His eyelashes are so long and pretty, I couldn't help but trace them carefully with my finger just to check if they're real. His nose is perfectly shaped, his plump lower lip jutting out just a little. They always draw me in, those lips. But I don't want to disturb him so I sit still. Just a bit more. Just a few more minutes.
As I watch him, I can't help but think that it would probably hurt a like a bitch to part ways. We won't always stay like this, floating in the middle. I knew from the moment I came back to Korea that somehow, at some point, we would have to quit this game. Things are getting messier the longer we stay together. It's so hard to focus at work when you're always around somebody who knows all your secrets, all your deep desires. The worst part is that it's getting harder for the both of us not to want more.
I let the back of my hand graze his smooth cheek gently. His eyes flutter open and a smile creeps in when he sees me. "Hey pretty girl," His greeting makes me blush. It's not so often that he praises me in the morning, mostly because he's always on a rush to go back to their dorm so people wouldn'tvnotice he was gone. "What time is it?"
"It's 8AM"
"Okay..." He says, yawning and stretching in bed before tucking his arms under the covers again.
"Baby, you need to go, they might be looking for you and I have breakfast with PD-nim and Jenny in an hour." I say, standing up. Mark catches my wrist and pulls me back.
"Can we stay here for a few more minutes?" He smiles at me and I balk at the sight. He makes room for me and I sit on the edge of the bed just staring at his fluttering eyelids. He looks at me too and reaches for my face with his long, dainty fingers.
We're perfect. Liv says that a lot when we Skype, sometimes while Mark and I are hanging out. She says we're perfect for each other. We're both introverted, artistic, and chill. We're both pretty—at least that's what they say. Liv joked that we'd make great babies, but I can't bear to think about kids when I'm not even sure we can call ourselves adults in the first place.
Mark sits up and the comforter falls on his lap to reveal his toned torso as he stretches so casually. He knows exactly what this does to me. I try not to stare too hard at his arms, his neck, his small, hard nipples. His abs are well-sculpted due to constant workouts and liters of protein shakes consumed in the last few months. Suddenly he pulls me by the back of the neck and kisses me tenderly, his other hand pulling my body closer. I grip the sheets. "Let's do another round before I go..."
"Baby, no," I manage to say in between harsh kisses. I put my hand on his chest to push him away. "We're both going to be really late. You need to rehearse and I—" I stop. I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing today.
"It won't take long, I promise." He's doing the aegyo puppy eyes again, his lower lip jutting out in a pretend pout. "Please?" He takes my hand and makes me feel his morning wood under the comforter, my fingers wrap around his length out of habit. I lick my lips while stroking him, making him moan loudly. Oh no. No.
"Sorry, Baby," I peck him on the cheek one last time before standing up and heading to the dresser to do my makeup. He sighs loudly before grabbing the robe by the bedside and shuffling out of bed. "Tomorrow, maybe?" I say, still staring at my reflection. The bruise he left on my shoulder is still a little bit visible so I dab some concealer on that area.
"Maybe," He answers before shutting the bathroom door. Then he opens the door again and sticks his head out. "If we win tonight will you finally date me?"
I stare at him slack-jawed and he laughs hysterically. I shake my head and smirk. This guy, jinjja! "No, but I'm in on the celebratory sex if that's what you mean." I answer, winking conspiratorially. He laughs again in response and closes the door.
"Wae ileohge neujeosseo?" [What took you so long?] Jenny asks the minute I sit down with my buffet plate. She's on her second plate of bacon already and JYP PD-nim is still nowhere in sight.
"Oh, uh... The boys said they wanted to see me." I answer, which isn't a lie. BamBam is particularly excited to talk to me because he wants to know what I think of his MAMA Red Carpet outfit.
"Well, of course they would want to see the owner of the hotel first thing in the morning!" She answers with a sarcastic grin. That's what I like about Jenny. She is unapologetically frank.
"I am not the owner of this hotel."
"You will be, though," She says, half laughing before stuffing more bacon in her mouth.
"I'd rather not be if it means my parents need to die." I answer back with a smile. I've said those words so many times but it's the first time I'm saying it in Korean. "Also, I did not know we're staying here. My dad has not answered my calls. I'll probably FaceTime my mom later."
"I noticed that. You looked intense yesterday I was so worried about you. But you're okay with it, right? I mean, there are a lot of people in this delegation—a lot more than last year. I'm not surprised they went this far." Jenny is speaking in full English now and I appreciate her more for it. She studied in Thailand for a bit which trained her to speak in fluent English.
"It's fine, I just... I wish they didn't pretend like they took me here to work, you know? Because on our way here I was literally thinking that I must have done something right for me to merit something like this. And then we get here and... I just... I feel like everyone is expecting me to suddenly be a princess, like, you know I'm not like that." I was on full-on rant mode now. Jenny nods and pats my hand to comfort me. She tells me that if there's any consolation at least we get to go to MAMA.
JYP PD-nim then appears with a breakfast tray. He's in such a colorful mood in his white turtleneck and gray cotton pants. At his age it's a rare gift to look classy in that outfit but he manages to pull it off gracefully. "Ladies, good morning!" PD-nim says setting his coffee down on our table. "I want you to meet a really good friend of mine."
A tall thin girl with long straight hair steps out from behind him. She's wearing the warmest smile I've ever seen all day and it goes very well with her purple fitted shirt, her acid-wash jeans, and lace up flats. She shakes my hand first, and introduces herself. "I'm Sheen Park nice to finally meet you, Love." She knows me. That fact takes both me and Jenny by surprise. She introduces herself to Jenny as well and we all sit down again to eat breakfast.
"Girls, Sheen is from JYP Hong Kong. She manages Jackson's schedules," JYP starts. We nod dutifully, realizing belatedy that we're all from the same company. Maybe that's why she knows me. Jackson probably already babbled about me.
"Oh, it reminds me, where is Jackson? I visited their floor a while ago and Mark said he didn't sleep here." That's a lie. Mark already told me last night that he'd be sleeping alone anyway so he'd rather be with me."
"He prefers to go home to his parents when he's here. You know, he always misses his mom." Sheen answers. We all nod, knowing that Jackson feels homesick the most. "He will return after the rehearsals though, because he needs to glam up with the boys for the red carpet."
"Oh okay, I should probably film some B-rolls for that then." The PD-nim nods and I smile, glad that I now have actual work to do. I should probably change my shirt later. Off-shoulders are not very conducive to filming—especially for GOT7. The boys are I need to be alert and extra flexible when changing framings and angles. Jenny also seems pleased that I've got something better to do now. She's in charge of writing the PR articles for the event. I probably just have to follow the boys all day just like her.
"Oh, so you're still working as a video producer today?" Sheen says, turning to me. I give her a confused look. What does she think I'm her for? Does she expect me to just sit and be pretty?
"Oh, she's still here for work... And I hope she'll continue to work for us in the future." JYP gives me another puzzling smile before drinking his coffee.
"I'm sorry, what are we talking about?" I'm just glad this whole conversation is in English because I'm already having a hard time trying to understand what's happening. Meanwhile, Jenny's bacon seems long forgotten.
"She doesn't know yet?" Sheen asks our boss.
"No, but she will now," JYP answers with an amused smile.
"What exactly is there to know?" I interject, desperate for some explanation. The man moves his coffee and plate away. He puts his arm on the table and leans towards the center before smiling excitedly, eyes disappearing into tiny crescents.
"I have news for both of you," His long pointing finger moves in between Jenny and me. We hold our breaths for his secret announcement. "Jenny is getting an offer to transfer to JYP Thailand to head the marketing team." I gasp, eyes wide with disbelief. Jenny just nods professionally, as if being sent abroad isn't a huge ass deal for her career. "And you..." The PD-nim points at me with a slightly less happy face. My heart starts to pound. "You just got an offer from Big Hit."
That's when Jenny's cool facade falls apart. She's been a fan of BTS since their debut. It's funny how she doesn't stan any of the artists from our agency, but freaks out whenever a new Bangtan Bomb comes out. "PD-nim, what do you mean?" Jenny spells the question out for me because I'm obviously too shell-shocked to speak. Namjoon was right. The card was a real invitation, not a polite gesture.
"Bang called me and told me that he met Love at a gig. He's interested in training and managing her." The seriousness in my boss' face is disorienting to say the least. I let go of my utensils, speechless and weak, not knowing what to feel or what to say. "They want to set a meeting with you when we get back. Unless..." The look on his face seems rather unperplexed and confident, as if talent trading is a daily work nuance to him. Maybe it is.
Thankfully Jenny is there to answer for me, seeing as how I seem to have lost my ability to talk. "Unless what?" I clench my fists, waiting for a bigger bomb to drop.
"Unless she accepts my counter offer." The man starts eating casually again. "Sheen here will go back to Korea next year to help jumpstart your media activities and your trainings. She'll set up some meetings and collaborations on the side. Oh, and gigs. Lots of gigs. Maybe even local and international music festivals. You will slowly transition from editing and producing videos for GOT7 to mixing, editing, even producing your own songs, or for other JYP artists, under JYP Studios. That's my proposal."
"B-but PD-nim..." I start, not really knowing how to phrase my thoughts.
"You can still talk to BigHit of course. Bang has a different course in mind, he says wants to see you do underground scratch battles. But honestly I think he's more interested in making you an idol or a solo artist. I'm sure he doesn't have details yet." The man goes on and on about his prodigy-turned-competitor and we're all just listening intently. He seems proud that a man such as Bang came from his watch. The whole industry knows of this success story—of the way Bang respects JYP higher than any other producer in the field, and of how JYP says that the man is better than him in many aspects. Their relationship is fascinating.
"Love," Sheen finally speaks up, hand on my shoulder. She stops for a second before taking her hand away and speaking to me softly. "You still have time to think. I have to fix a lot of things here but I'll be in Korea by March so maybe then we could talk? I can help set up the meeting with BigHit but PD-nim is open to your final decision." Sheen pats me on the shoulder again and I nod with a smile. The producer gives me his signature grin which warms my heart.
We all proceed to eat. I'm still not talking. Jenny is lost in her own little world, probably realizing that she'll be back in Bangkok soon.
"You know what, she's the total package, she won't be hard to handle." Sheen tells the man with a big smile. Then she turns to me again with a smile. "Oh and in case you didn't know, JYP doesn't make counter offers all the time." I think back on all the artists and trainees that came and left JYP. Hyolyn left even after a successful TV show. Shownu left to join a reality show that landed him his place in Monsta X. JYP is known for its humanist approach to management which is why PD-nim is so well-loved in an industry full of politicking and hate. It's fascinating to know that I have the kind of boss who would let me pursue my dreams on my own terms, but if he knows he can help me better than anyone else, he'll fight for me, and I appreciate that.