Point Three: Never Gonna Give You Up

The next afternoon, three out of four of the F4 chaebols met up for their weekly round of golf.

"So," Woo Bin said, clearing his throat as the trio walked towards the buggy that was to take them to the golf course, "I heard that your Tae Hyun got shortlisted for an audition, huh?"

Yi Jeong smirked. "News travels fast. Especially in the Song household."

"I heard about it too, okay!" Jun Pyo jumped in, not wanting to be left out. "Well, just this morning on the way here, anyway."

"Well, you may also have heard that I am completely against it." the potter said firmly, hoisting his golf clubs up onto the buggy.

The parma haired chaebol glared at the construction chaebol while Yi Jeong's back was turned.

"You didn't tell me that," Jun Pyo whispered to Woo Bin, a little too loudly.

"I was going to get to it, but we'd already reached the club," came the hushed reply.

"Anyway," Yi Jeong continued, shaking his head as he turned back to his friends, "Hyun knows my word is final, so that's that."

It was Woo Bin's turn to hoist the clubs up onto the buggy. "Why are you so against it, Yi Jeong-ah? It's not like it's a life or death situation or something. It's just an audition, man. Let the boy try out."

"C'mon, Woo Bin-ah," Yi Jeong replied sarcastically, mimicking his best friend's 'know-it-all' tone, "It's not like you've not heard about all the goings-on in those agencies. Tae Hyun is still young and impressionable, I just don't want anything untoward happen to him..."

"Much like when you were asked to sign to that arts management agency when you were 15?" Jun Pyo pointed out helpfully, as his clubs went up on another buggy. "They did give you some great opportunities, you know. You got to go to Vienna!"

Yi Jeong turned to his friend, shielding his eyes from the sun as he did so. "So I did. But did you also know that I had to pay my own way to Vienna and pay for my accommodation there too? The agency didn't help one bit, but they did help themselves to my artist fee," he recalled bitterly, shaking his head again. "The one rightthing my father did for me was to storm their office in a drunken rage to get my money back, and to unceremoniously break the contract. Which he did... along with the guy's arm."

"Your father is the original gangster, indeed." Woo Bin said in psuedo-awe, nodding in approval. "My own father – bless his soul – would be well pleased."

"They didn't even know each other."

"He would still be pleased."

"Anyways, I say no and that's final. Don't change the subject."

"You're a party pooper, So Yi Jeong."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

Jun Pyo tried to follow the best friends' volleying conversation, to no avail.

"So..." he ventured, twirling a peppery curl, "Is that a yes or a no?"

"NO!" "YES!" Yi Jeong and Woo Bin yelled in unison.

The Shinhwa chaebol shook his head as the other two men started to bicker again.

Why can't they just be as decisable as I am, he wondered. It only ever takes me 45 minutes to decide what color underpants to wear in the morning.

...

Meanwhile, back at the So residence, Tae Hyun was hanging out in the living room with his best friend, Jinsu, watching some dance videos online.

"Remember, Hyun," Jinsu said, pointing out one of the dancers on the screen, "The beat for this move is a 1-2, 3-4-jump! Okay?"

"Remind me why we're doing this again, hyung?" the younger boy asked, in a slightly jaded voice. "It's obvious that I won't be able to audition. It's Wednesday; I have less than two days to convince my father."

The older boy whacked his best friend at the back of his head, making him yelp indignantly. "That's for giving up too soon! Remember what Crash-hyung reminds us during every class?"

"To reach the stars, aim, jump, never give up!" The boys said in unison, thinking of their dance instructor, whom they both looked up to.

Jinsu gave Tae Hyun a brotherly pat on the back. "I know you really want this, Hyun-ah. Let's just give it a go, anyway, and show your appa just how much you want this, okay?"

Tae Hyun returned Jinsu's encouragement by giving him a determined nod.

"Okay."

...

Later that evening, Yi Jeong returned home a victor after winning the afternoon's golf match, feeling more satisfied that he didn't have to pay for dinner. 40 rounds of pork belly doesn't come cheap, and he felt it was best that the richer guys in the group paid for it.

As he entered the house, he licked his lips, still tasting the pork fat, and smiled. Victory does taste really good.

Yi Jeong placed his golf clubs at the side of the hallway and surveyed the empty living room. The house was quiet without his family around, but it was good for Ga Eul to spend some time with her friends, and for his baby pearl Mi Sun to do the same. He looked at his watch. 8.30pm. Another hour till he picks up the ladies from the Songs' place.

Just as he began to wonder what his son was doing with his time, he heard loud music coming from the back of the house. Yi Jeong strode through another hallway, past the kitchen, and went towards his garden. The neighbours must be having another party again, he thought to himself, shaking his head as the music got louder, Young punks.

Yi Jeong peered out of the glass door, and to his surprise, it was Tae Hyun, just standing on the porch, as the music continued to play.

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly and was about to open the door to yell at Tae Hyun to decrease the music's volume when the boy began to dance. Yi Jeong watched while his son grooved to the music and flawlessly executed a rather complicated looking routine. After a few minutes of dancing, Tae Hyun shook his head, ran over to the portable music player on a stone table and clicked a few buttons, and then ran back to start his whole routine again.

The father's eyes widened as he continued watching, transfixed to his spot. His son was actually... good.