Point Two: So Much For The Extra Help...
Yi Jeong, Ga Eul and Mi Sun had a very quiet dinner that evening, while Tae Hyun continued to stew in his room, refusing to come down to eat with his family. When dinner was over, Ga Eul sent Mi Sun up with some leftover kimbap for her sulky brother, while she did the dishes with Yi Jeong.
"You might have been a little harsh with him earlier, Jeong-ah."
Yi Jeong clinked the glasses he was washing down on the counter, in reply. Ga Eul shook her head and picked one up to dry with a dishcloth.
"It's for his own good," her husband pouted, squirting more dishwashing liquid onto the sponge before soaping another glass, "You know that."
"Of course I do, but he thinks that you just don't want him to do what he loves."
"Since when did he start getting into all this dancing nonsense anyway?" he asked, scrubbing a plate slightly aggressively. "He's always been the sporty type! I'd imagine he'd be much more co-ordinated on the football pitch than on the dance floor."
Ga Eul began to dry some freshly washed bowls. "Well, this same co-ordination was what helped him pick up dancing fast, in just a little over a year. And if you want someone to blame, try your best friend's son who's best friends with our son."
Yi Jeong turned off the tap and lightly shook his wet hands into the sink to get the excess water droplets off.
"Oh?" he said, reaching for the hand towel to dry his hands, "I didn't know Song Jinsu's a dancer."
"More like he tries to be," his wife grinned, stifling a chuckle, as she stacked away the dry crockery into the cupboard, "Jae Kyung unnie told me that he's got his father's two left feet. In any case, our Hyun is apparently much better."
Just then, something in Ga Eul's eyes changed.
"Which is why," she turned to Yi Jeong and yanked him closer to her by his loosened tie, her voice lowering into a sultry whisper as she played with his collar, "You should let him audition."
Yi Jeong studied his beautifully seductive wife for a moment (despite her messy hair and the soapsuds on her neck) and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. He felt her weaken slightly, and she had to lean against the kitchen counter for support. Yi Jeong smiled into the kiss, deepening it gently.
Just when things were beginning to get... a little too hot for the kitchen (and the kitchen can get pre-tty steamy as it is), Yi Jeong broke away from a breathless Ga Eul. He lovingly caressed her cheek and kissed it tenderly, and leaned in to whisper back in her ear.
"For the thousandth time tonight... no."
With that, the ex-Casanova, pleased that he still had it in him to at least charm his wife, turned and headed up to his room, leaving his wife behind to catch her breath.
...
Up in his room, Tae Hyun occupied himself by complaining about his current predicament over a chat programme. He quickly typed something on his keyboard and pressed 'Enter'. Soon, what he'd typed appeared on the screen.
It's no use. Appa refuses to budge.
Almost immediately, a reply popped up under it.
How about your mom?
The boy cricked his neck from side to side before typing out a reply.
She's fine. In fact, she was happy for me. Appa's the party pooper.
Tae Hyun pressed 'Enter' again, and sighed. He continued typing.
What do I do, hyung? I need to give an answer by the end of the school week. And it's already the end of Tuesday! There's no way I can convince him in such a short time.
A reply popped up quickly.
Hey, you're best friends with Song Jinsu. I'll think of something.
Tae Hyun smiled despite how he was feeling. He resumed typing.
As long as it doesn't involve kidnapping, bribing, threats by penknife, database hacking of any kind...
Whoa WHOA! came the almost instant reply. You seem to take me for some kind of... criminal?
Sometimes I wonder. His best friend grinned as he typed out his reply.
Just then, Tae Hyun's mobile phone started buzzing. He grabbed it and glanced at the screen. Exactly whom he was waiting to hear from.
I have to go, Jin. His fingers flew frantically over the keyboard. Long distance call. Talk tomorrow.
Tae Hyun logged off the chat programme hurriedly, and quickly answered the video call.
"Ji Hoo-samchon!"
The (still) golden haired man in the video feed waved to his godson through the screen. "Annyeong, Hyun. How are you? I got your message."
Tae Hyun nodded sadly and quickly filled his godfather in on the abridged version of the details.
"Hmmm, I see." Ji Hoo said thoughfully, rubbing his chin. He was silent for a while before replying.
"Well, your dad does have his reasons..."
Tae Hyun rolled his eyes. He'd done that so much that day, they felt like they were going to roll out of their sockets.
"Not you too, samchon..." the teen moaned, beginning to tug at his hair in frustration.
"Now, hold up before you really get that bald patch I'm beginning to see from here," the older man smiled. "How much do you really want this audition?"
"So much!" Tae Hyun's voice raised a notch, "I'd do anything to get it!"
Ji Hoo paused to give him a look. "Anything?" he asked?
"Anything!" he nodded earnestly.
"Anything like cleaning my house for a week?"
"I'd do it for a month!"
"Anything like... wearing pink for the rest of your life?"
Tae Hyun contemplated that for a moment. "I've heard some girls say that baby pink looks good on me."
"Anything like... sleeping four-hour days, eating nothing but chicken salad, dancing till your legs give way?"
"Samchon..." He didn't like where this was going.
"Anything like... not being able to see your friends and family for weeks, months on end? Anything like giving up your experiences in college? Anything like not being able to taste your mother's cooking?"
Tae Hyun was quiet by then.
"Anything like... signing ten years of your life away and meaning nothing but another contract in a company's file?"
"Enough, samchon," Tae Hyun's previously sunny expression was now darkly shrouded. "I thought you were on my side."
Ji Hoo sighed. "You know I always am, boy. But I have to be on your father's side on this one. I happen to know a little bit more about what goes on behind the scenes in the music business, and I have to say that it isn't pretty. We just have your interests at heart."
"Thanks samchon," Tae Hyun replied flatly, "Appreciate it." With that, Tae Hyun abruptly ended the long distance video call.
He threw his phone onto his bed in irritation. Why do they all have to sound the same? He thought to himself, shaking his head.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Oppa?" Mi Sun's tentative voice said from behind the door, "I have kimbap for you here."
"Just leave it at the door!" he yelled, peeling his comforter from his bed and climbing in, "I'm not hungry!"
Tae Hyun flung the comforter over him and wished so much for his bed to just swallow him whole.