I’ve been sitting in my car, parked down the block from the restaurant, for the last 20 minutes, trying to think about how I want to handle this. What I could possibly say that won’t cause more problems. The feeling of being powerless when someone else has the upper hand is almost akin to torture. I can navigate any kind of negotiation at work, but this is my life.
This isourlife—the one that Sun and I could share, if it doesn’t get taken away.
I have to fight for that.
My phone rings, and I’m fully expecting it to be Sun again, but it’s not. I answer, grateful for the distraction. “Hey, Taeha.”
“Is this an okay time?” he asks, like he always does. We’ve spoken fairly often since the day we ran into each other, and every time he is unfailingly polite and considerate.
“Yeah? Yeah it is,” I stutter a little, unsure of how to answer him honestly. This isn’t exactly the easiest situation to try to talk about. It’s like something out of one of Sun’s romance novels, a plot twist to keep the characters from their happily ever after.
“Are you sure?” I can hear the hesitance in his tone.
“No, you’re fine; it’s a weird time. I’m not in the middle of anything,” I stop myself with a humorless chuckle, because that’s categorically untrue. “Actually, I am in the middle of something, and that something is a mess, but I am currently available to speak to you.”
“No offense, Kija, but I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he tells me. “You don’t have to explain, but I’ll listen if you need to vent.”
I take a deep breath, debating quickly how much I want to tell him. If we’re going to be friends, part of each other’s lives, I’m going to have to trust him. “It’s not so much venting as trying to figure out what the hell I need to do,” I say. “The short version is that someone has information on me that has the potential to fuck up a lot of things really badly, and I’m trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Uhhh, that sounds like you’re talking about the kkangpae. Should we be having this conversation?” Taeha questions. “I don’t want to walk outside and find some mobsters following me later.”
The irony of his words is not lost on me. “Yeah, you never know who is watching,” I mumble.
“What’s going on, Kija? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Maybe,” I say. “But not… it’s probably not anything you might be thinking.”
“Are you going to explain, or should I stay out of this and move on?” Taeha asks. It’s a fair question. I’m not trying to be avoidant, but everything about this seems complicated.
“I have a boyfriend who is famous, and there are picturesof us together that someone took because they were following me,” I say in a rush, the words all smashed up in one breath.
“You have a… boyfriend?”
I chuckle a little, because it’s humorous to me that’s what he chose to focus on, even if it does make sense. “Yes. This is a recent development. But I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how unfavorable it would be for the fans and general public to find out about his preferences or our relationship.”
“Yeah, I get it,” he agrees. “How do you know they have photos?”
“The images were sent to me.” I feel a little sick just saying it, my stomach lurching with that same nausea I’d felt when I first opened the message.
I can hear him shifting on the other end of the line. “Original, single-source digital content?”
“Um, I guess so? Or at least, that’s all I know of,” I answer, not entirely sure I understand where this conversation is going.
“I can’t just hack into someone’s phone, but if you think that’s where they came from, that’s probably to your benefit.” His tone is completely different now, speaking with a note of authority he didn’t have before.
All of a sudden I recall that he works in cybersecurity and probably knows what he’s talking about here. “Is there anything I can do that’s legal and doesn’t involve the authorities?”
“Unfortunately, no. But just because I have morals doesn’t mean that I don’t know other people who don’t have any, so if the situation gets dire, let me know,” he offers.
“And you were worried aboutmebeing mafia? That’s some mob shit right there!” I’m smiling as I tease him, the first time I have all day. I glance at the clock and notice I’m about to be late. “I have to go, but we’ll catch up more soon. I’m sorry I didn’t even ask why you called.”
He scoffs lightly, like it’s no big deal. “No worries. I was just going to invite you to a game night, but it sounds like you havea few things going on at the moment. We’ll catch you for the next one.”
“I’ll do better than that—I’ll host. Or get Jase to. Either way, I’m in,” I say. “Thanks, Taeha.”
Getting out of the car, I slip my phone in my pocket and walk briskly toward the restaurant, thinking of a thousand places I’d rather be.
Basically anywhere but here.
