You Make Me...Crazy

3. Meeting Suk Dan

Jae woke up early the next day. Junghee had called him a car service so by ten o'clock, he was on his way to Seoul. It took two hours to get to the city, and he wanted the time before noon to meet Andre.

He slept through the journey and only woke up when they ran into traffic on their way into the city. Yawning, he stretched as best as he could and rubbed his eyes. A strange wave of excitement hit him as the car got on the highway that would take them to Seongbuk-dong.

Andre and Junghee were waiting for him at Junghee's house. He smiled as they zoomed past traffic. Leaning back in his seat, Jae watched the billboards. Some had changed, others were the same, familiar.

Jae sat up when he saw one with Park Jaesun. A wide smile on his handsome face, Jaesun had his hands opened wide inviting people to a concert at the Seoul Dome. N-sang had changed his stage name to J.P., like that made any sense.

What kind of name was J.P.?

Jae scowled at the billboard and sat back in his seat. Rebellion was going to have five billboards in a row if he had anything to do with it. He was so angry his heartbeat increased into a wild frenzy.

No wonder Jaesun had the guts to talk down on them. He had continued on, happy to get on the stage and sing without them.

Jae fumed the rest of the way to Junghee's house.

Junghee's house was in a highly-secure gated community. The driver had to stop at the gates to give in his credentials. Sliding on dark glasses, Jaehan lowered the back window and held out his identification card. The guard took one glance and immediately gave him a short bow.

"Please, drive through, Mr. Junghee is expecting you."

Junghee's house was set at the end of the long street. They drove up a short driveway to a two-story house. Jae suddenly realized that he'd never visited Junghee's house. Their schedules had kept them so busy when they had been Black Shade that they hadn't had the time to visit each other. After the lawsuits started, it had been easier to be separate in order to escape the meddling press and then, when it got too hard to bear Jae left for Gong. The driver parked the car and Jae got out taking a blue gift bag his mother had helped him prepare.

Junghee and Andre appeared at the front door and he smiled. He hadn't realized just how much he missed them. Andre jumped over the flower garden, ran across the green yard to get to the driveway. Jae laughed when Andre engulfed him in a very tight hug.

Junghee crossed his arms against his chest and watched them. The driver excused himself and drove away a few minutes later. Jae held on to Andre, patting his back.

"Did you miss me that much?" Jae asked, rocking Andre from side to side.

Andre sighed and stepped back.

"Three months," Andre complained. "How can you go away for that long?"

"I called you when I could," Jae soothed.

"It's not the same and you know it," Andre said, taking his hand. "Come inside. I made food. Junghee helped, but he's terrible in the kitchen. Are you hungry, hyung?"

"Starving," Jae said, allowing Andre to lead him up the driveway to the path to the front door. When they reached Junghee, Jae paused to hug him. "You have a nice house. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to visit."

Junghee took the blue bag he held out.

"You should be sorry," Junghee said, peeking into the bag. "Is this your mom's kimchi?"

"She packed it herself," Jae said, as Andre led him into the house. "Wow, Junghee, your house looks so pristine."

"Don't let him fool you, he gets a cleaning service every day," Andre said as they all paused to remove their shoes and slip into comfortable indoor sandals.

"I like a clean house and I don't like cleaning." Junghee stated as they made their way through a brightly lit corridor to the back of the house where the kitchen was.

Jaehan fell in love with the kitchen the moment they entered the room. The windows: glass from top to bottom filled one side of the wall, showing off a gorgeous garden beyond, and bringing in light. The counter tops along the remaining walls were white marble, the cupboards above them painted bright yellows and pale green. He loved the contrast. In the middle was an island table with a cooking range, extended into an eating area with wooden high chairs on each side. Andre had set three place mats across from each other.

Jae took a seat and watched Junghee walk to a large fridge on his right. Getting a bottle of water, Junghee brought it over with a grin.

"Did you tell your parents why you were coming?" Junghee asked.

"Just that I needed to come to Seoul," Jae said, taking the bottle of water. "I told them I missed you guys and wanted to see how you were doing."

Andre placed a plate on his place mat.

"Did you read the articles?"

"Yeah," Jae said shaking his head. "I read them and saw JP's new billboard on my way over. He's really become their golden boy."

"Sadly, our situation has gotten worse. No one will distribute our albums. Without an agency and in legal battles with two bull entertainment companies, Rebellion is in trouble," Junghee said.

Junghee took the chair beside Jae.

"My brother is still gathering evidence for our lawsuit against Rand. As for N-sang, they keep pushing back the dates in court. They are dragging this situation out while they try to collect evidence on why we should honor our contracts with the company."

Jae sighed. Shrugging out of his jacket, he draped it over the back of his seat and pulled off his shades. He opened the bottle of water and took a healthy sip.

"Who did you meet?" he asked Andre.

Andre glanced at Junghee for a moment then said quietly, "Suk Dan."

Jae closed his eyes and wiped a hand down his face.

"Why would you call Mr. Suk?"

"He called me," Andre protested. "He heard our story and wanted to know more. I met with him, we had a long talk and he thinks he can help."

Jae sipped his water and stared at the empty white plate before him. He had heard the name Suk Dan in the news for a few months even though he didn't know the man. Next to Black Shade, Mr. Suk was the other disgraced man on entertainment news. Mr. Suk had gone into hiding a year ago amid fraud rumors from his previous company. He was helping run a talent agency representing popular actors. His company fired him after the actors claimed he had not had their best interest in mind when he got them jobs. The cases had gathered so much interest, Jae had been sure Mr. Suk would never venture into the entertainment business again.

Shaking his head, Jae turned to Junghee.

"Are we really this desperate?"

Junghee shrugged and stared at his own empty plate.

"No one will believe our story is true. N-sang has done a thorough job of casting us as rebels and greedy musicians. No agency will touch us with a ten-foot pole."

Jae turned to find Andre standing over his stewing pot.

"Andre-"

"I really want to sing on stage again." Andre stated bracing his hands on the counter. "That's what makes me happy."

Jae sighed and sat back.

"Fine, I'll listen, but if I don't like what he has to say, we're walking away."

"That's all I'm asking," Andre said, taking bowls and passing them around their place mats. "He's not a bad guy. I've met him and he seems nice."

Jae glanced at Andre with a frown. The N-sang Entertainment C.E.O had also seemed nice, until he turned into a viper at the end.

Junghee noted Jae's apprehension and patted his back.

"I've taken up golfing, want to go out with me after the meeting?"

"You're golfing?" Jae laughed. "What happened to you when you went to visit your parents?"

"My dad took me. It's very relaxing, and I've really learned a lot about the perfect stroke," Junghee said with pride. "I can teach you."

Andre shook his head as he brought a bowl of steaming beef stew on the table.

"Can you imagine Jae golfing? He'll undo all the grass with his club."

"Hey, that's not fair. Why do I have to go golfing with you, when you won't go bike riding with me?" Jae asked.

"If you play soccer with me, I'll ride bikes with you," Andre suggested passing them bowls of rice. He laid out bowls of side dishes on the table and sat across Jae. "Let's eat."

Jae sat up, appreciating the scent, his stomach growled and they all laughed. "I'm starving."

"Eat." Junghee urged taking pieces of spicy beef from the bowl with his chopsticks and placing them in Jae's rice bowl. "If you're going to play soccer we need to get you healthy. You're so skinny, Jae."

"I'd probably score for the wrong team," Jae complained, taking a bite of the spicy morsel. "We should find something we all like together."

"Let's go sailing," Andre said. "Junghee got a yacht."

"Really," Jae said happily. He loved water, and being out on the ocean. "It's sunny. Do you want us to go today?"

"Of course," Junghee smiled. "Hyung, you'll cook the fish we catch, right?"

Jae grinned because Junghee was teasing him. They all knew he was squeamish about gutting the fish he captured. The last time they went fishing, he caught the fish and let them go the moment he could get them off his hook. He figured it was unfair to eat fish that survived in a vast ocean. Yes, it was illogical reasoning since he ate fish cooked by someone else, but that was his motto.

Jae settled in his chair to eat, loving the conversation. They talked about fishing, moved on to swimming. They laughed, a lot.

Jae had missed laughing with Junghee and Andre. They caught up on their lives. Andre's brother had gone to China to promote his latest book. Junghee's brother was thinking about getting married. Junghee talked about the bride to-be with pride. Saying Sang's woman was kindhearted and down to earth.

Jae felt as though he had missed so much in the last three months.

They finished lunch and he helped Junghee clean up the dishes. They were wiping down the table when the doorbell rang. Jae paused, crumbling the napkin he held. Junghee turned off the water and wiped his hands.

"That's Mr. Suk. I'll get the door," Andre said quietly. "I'll take him to the living room."

Once Andre had left the kitchen, Jae turned to Junghee.

"What happens if Suk Dan is just playing us? Andre will be devastated."

"Are you coming back to Seoul?" Junghee asked him.

Jae sighed and leaned on the counter.

"I suppose. I can't keep hiding away. N-sang will think we've given up."

"Then we'll find a way to sort Andre out," Junghee said quietly, "even if it means starting from zero again, like an indie band."

Jae threw his napkin into a trashcan and sighed.

"We can't turn back if we start, Junghee."

Junghee gave him a small nod.

"Let's go meet this Suk Dan."

Jae followed Junghee to the living room, his chest tight with anxiety. He paused at the entrance into the comfortable room. Like the kitchen, the living room also had floor length glass on one wall. The sun spilled into the room, falling on comfortable dark couches and the shining hardwood floors. Junghee had put paintings on the walls, and leather-bound books on bookshelves on one wall. There were leafy plants growing in big dark pots in corners. The living room was comfortable and elegant just like Junghee.

Taking a seat on the dark brown three-sitter couch, Jae crossed his legs and finally looked at the two men sitting in armchairs across him. One was shabbily dressed in an old gray sweater, green t-shirt and jeans. His dark hair shaggy around his head and black rimmed glasses resting on his nose. He would probably look younger if he tried with his clothing.

In the other chair sat a man in his early thirties dressed in a black suit and white shirt. His hair neatly combed back, he sat with an alert air. Jae assumed he was Suk Dan. A round glass coffee table took up the space dividing them both. Jae sighed as he realized the divide between them would only get wider after this conversation.

Bureaucrats were all the same.

Andre stood by the couch and said, "Mr. Suk, this is Kim Jaehan, and Kang Junghee."

Jaehan bowed his head in greeting and Junghee followed suit.

"Thank you for meeting us," Jae said quietly. "We apologize that you had to travel out of the main city to this house. It's difficult to meet in a public place right now."

The two men nodded and Andre turned to Jae.

"Jaehan, Junghee, this is Mr. Suk Dan and his lawyer Mr. Chang."

Jae frowned when Andre pointed out Mr. Suk. He had assumed the lawyer was the shabbily dressed man slouched in his chair. When Mr. Suk met his gaze, his frown deepened as he realized Mr. Suk had been watching for his reaction. Fighting a scowl, Jae sat back on the couch and waited.

"Mr. Suk, why don't you repeat what you told me when we met," Andre said taking a seat on the couch beside Jae. Junghee sat to Jae's right, making them a team.

"Please call me Dan. I'm happy to meet the three of you," Dan said, sitting up in his armchair. "I was expecting to meet your lawyer first before I met the three of you. This is-,"

"I wish you'd jump straight to the point," Jae interrupted him tired of the run around.

They had met so many talent agencies with the same speech. He didn't want to raise his hopes up only to have them crashed.

"What are you offering? We're people who can't appear on television, promote on radio or even get a distribution company to sell our albums. What can you do for us?"

"Nothing," Dan replied, holding his gaze. "I've heard your story and from my stand point, your careers are finished."

"So what are you doing here?" Jae asked, annoyed by Dan's blunt nature. "If you put Andre on just to-,"

"Hyung," Andre said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please, just give him a chance."

"If he doesn't get to the point soon, I'm going to-,"

"Run away again?" Dan asked, cutting him off.

Jae turned to meet Dan's gaze in surprise.

"What-,"

"You ran away from Seoul when the Rand Agency dropped Rebellion. They had no right to do so, since you held valid contracts with them but you ran away," Dan said, his tone accusing.

Jae stood up annoyed by the man's audacity.

"I don't have to listen to you."

"If you leave, you won't get to hear my plan," Dan said quickly. "Kim Jaehan."

Andre tugged his left arm forcing him to sit.

Jae gritted his teeth and looked at Dan.

"N-sang won't let you go easily. They think what you've done is an insult to their agency. They trained you, taught you most of what you know about music and performing. Your lawsuit turns them into villains and they're sour. Rebellion is officially the anomaly. You're a band that is going against the understood system in the South Korean entertainment industry. They don't want you to succeed on your own."

Jae stared at Dan not ready to admit that the man understood Rebellion's current problem.

"What do you propose?" Junghee asked.

"Firstly, I think we should correct your situation with N-sang Entertainment. My lawyer will take over your lawsuit with them. Meanwhile, Rebellion should get back in the studio."

Jae closed his eyes. None of them had a studio to record. The convenience of the N-sang Entertainment studios had given them a false sense of security. They had been too busy to think about owning studios in their homes.

"How do you feel about leaving the country?" Dan asked abruptly.

"What?" Jae stared at him in confusion.

One minute Dan was lining up lawsuits against their previous agency, the next he wanted to ship them out of their country.

Dan met his gaze for a moment before he continued, "It's alright. I understand your confusion. I'm running when I need to warm up. How about this, from today, let's say I'm committed to Rebellion."

"You'll help, just like that?" Jae asked, snapping his fingers in question.

"Yes," Dan said. "Leave the situation with Rand Agency and N-sang Entertainment to me and I'll do my best to help Rebellion get on stage again."

"What do you want in return?" Junghee asked, his tone guarded.

They had had similar meetings, received promises of help to overcome lawsuits and N-sang's blackouts. The cost was always ridiculous, no different from working the slave contract they escaped.

Jae braced for disappointment.

"Absolutely nothing," Suk Dan said with quiet conviction. "We'll step into this venture as equal partners."

Jae frowned. He wanted to believe in Dan but this sounded too easy.

Dan had to have an ulterior motive, Jae thought.

"I'll let you think about my offer. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume you've agreed to work with me," Dan said. He stood and his lawyer followed suit. "It was nice to meet you all."

Andre showed them out. When he returned, he leaned on the wall with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Hyung," Andre said, looking at him with concern.

"I don't like him," Jae stated with a shake of his head. "He's pushy and doesn't say what he'll get from helping us."

"You didn't give him a chance," Andre pointed out with a glare. "We have to start trusting someone."

Jae gave an impatient sigh and stood.

"Look, things can't get worse." Andre tried to reason.

Junghee scoffed.

"Don't you know not to say that Andre? Jae's concerns are valid. Dan looks excessively eager to help. We should ask ourselves why because we've been down this road with Rand agency. Look what happened."

Andre's gaze dropped to the floor, a frown dancing on his smooth forehead. He was clearly struggling, looking for a way out. Jae felt like an idiot for being so afraid. Closing the distance between them, Jae touched Andre's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Andre," Jae said quietly. "I haven't been here and you've gone through so much alone. Why don't we take this day to day?"

Andre lifted his gaze with hope. "Do you mean that? Honestly, are you going to make an effort with Mr. Suk?"

Jae winced and gave him a small smile. "I'll try, but I warn you, the moment I feel we're in trouble again, we walk, Andre. I don't mind peddling our albums on the streets now. I've reached that place. We don't need a big company behind us anymore."

Andre grinned and they both turned to find Junghee smiling on the couch. Jae was glad to see smiles on his band mates faces, the trouble was, how long would this ray of hope last?

****