Chapter 173 - EXOTIC (V): Newsflash

KJ headed over to the hospital to meet Mirae. He went there whenever he had time to spare. For the past week, he shuffled between the studio and hospital except for the time when he had to go back home to find the box. He still did not tell her that the box was missing because it will only add to her stress.

Mirae was sitting by the window when he arrived. She looked lost as she stared absentmindedly outside.

"Hi," he greeted. She looked up.

"Hey," she said in a small tone.

KJ took a seat next to her. She was not her usual feisty self but was reduced to a demure girl enclosed in a shell. The gleam she had in her eyes disappeared, leaving nothing but a lost space in them.

"Did you eat?" he asked. 

"Hmm," she gave a nod. KJ glanced over to the tray on her bed. She barely touched the food other than taking a few bites of it.  

"Your food looks untouched," he pointed out.

She mumbled something which sounded like 'Not hungry." KJ was at a loss on what to do. She had been quiet ever since she woke up and was barely communicating with anyone. It may be a good idea to try to involve her in small talks, he thought.

"Guess what?" he asked. "Do you know Director Kim? The one who made that famous movie called King's Scandal? He has a scandal of his own now! He's having an affair with an actress almost thirty years younger than him. And he's married too!"

Mirae did not say anything but gave him a glazed look. 

"Then another idol is getting into trouble with the social media's so called netizens," he rambled on. "He just announced that he is getting married to this supermodel. I mean, he's so happy but his fans are boycotting him because of this. Aren't real fans supposed to support their idols? Why show hate for his happiness?"

KJ looked at Mirae but she was still silent. He knew that his attempts at small talk were failing but he wanted to divert her mind away from her suffering. But whatever he tried, nothing seemed to work. 

"I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "It's all my fault…"

Mirae watched him closely. He truly was apologetic and was at a loss on what to do. KJ could not hold back his feelings of helplessness. His cold exterior was cracking and the vulnerability he hid for so long was coming out. 

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I'm sorry I hurt you. You wouldn't have been hurt if I wasn't so careless…"

A single tear shed from his eye. For the first time in many years, he was crying in front of someone. A soft hand reached out to wipe out his tear.

"How would that have changed anything?" Mirae asked gently. "You sure are silly."

"If only I hadn't..," KJ started but trailed off. If only I hadn't changed time, he added in his head.

"You couldn't have stopped anything," Mirae replied. "He would have eventually betrayed us all. No matter what. Don't blame yourself for not knowing your friend's intentions. I was stupid enough to believe that he was trapped by the Cartel. I was the one who gave him my heart only for it to be trampled upon. And you...you trusted your friend the most. You cared for him and he was the heartless one to reject your friendship. So it is not your fault."

KJ did not have the heart to correct her. What could he say? 

"But I'm relieved that you're unhurt," she said. "I couldn't have lived with myself if anything had happened to you that night…"

"All thanks to you," he assured her, holding her hand. He looked at her straight in the eye.

"I'll never let you be hurt again," he promised. "Never."

Mirae gave him a sad smile. "Funny how our roles reversed," she mused. "I was supposed to be the one preotecting you."

"Let's protect each other then," KJ said with a smile. 

"You're a great friend, Jiwon," Mirae said. She leaned sideways to rest her head on his shoulder. The gesture made KJ feel soothed. Even if he could not stand by her side as the person she loved but he was happy to lend her his shoulder to cry on as a friend. 

A silence fell upon them as Mirae rested on his shoulder. Soon, she drifted to an uneasy sleep. KJ did not wake her up but rather let her sleep. He put his hand on her head and patted her gently. 

As soon as she fell into a deep slumber, he gently picked her up in his arms and carried her towards the bed. Tucking her in, he removed a stray strand of hair which fell upon her face. Her face was gentle and peaceful. It looked as if she was sleeping soundly after months. The emotional toll she was suffering from finally made her tired. 

He pulled the blanket over her carefully. She stirred a little but was once again snoozing. He stared at her for a while before making a phone call. The person picked up on the third ring.

"Oppa!" Psycho's voice came from the other end. "You called me? "

"Psycho can you do me a favor?" He asked. "I need you to leak a news to the media."

"Of course! Anything for my oppa! What news is it? Is it spicy?"

"Tell them that Ash Park has left EXOTIC," KJ replied. "He was affiliated with high end escort services and his contract was terminated. Our agency will release a statement soon after."

"Oh snap!" Psycho gaped.

"Make sure all the newspapers cover the news," KJ instructed.

"Got it oppa!" Psycho beamed. "We'll get that a**hole!"

KJ nodded and hung up. His eyes trailed back to the sleeping girl. You won't get away, Ash, he thought. Not this time.

….

The following day's newspapers carried the scandal of the century.

"Ash Park involved in flesh trade?"

"Ash Park named as top escort for high profile clients?"

"Ash Park kicked out of EXOTIC!"

"Country's top visual, Ash Park, expelled from EXOTIC due to s.e.x scandal."

People from all over the world began to pour in their anger and confusion through social media accounts.

"Ash oppa isn't like that! He's being framed!"

"Ash oppa betrayed us!"

"What a hoe!"

"He just destroyed EXOTIC!"

"KJ had just recovered and now he has to face this? He must be so devastated…"

"Good riddance! Always found him to be fake anyway!"

"I heard he was in cahoots with underworld gangs!"

"He slept around with so many women? I thought KJ was the playboy of EXOTIC!"

"I'm burning all my Ash Park collectibles. I feel so betrayed."

Hate messages came from all segments of the society. Mystic Entertainment sent out a media statement about terminating Ash Park's contract after finding out about his illegal activities.

"Hello, this is Mystic Entertainment. With regards to Ash Park, we regret to inform you that he has been caught in illegal s.e.x trafficking activities with Madam Lim. While the whereabouts of Madam Lim are unknown, we have plenty of evidence against Mr. Park. In order to protect our artists and the other members of EXOTIC, we have decided to terminate Mr. Park's contract and remove him from EXOTIC. We apologize to the fans who have been hurt. We assure you, we will take strict measures to ensure that our company's artists do not go through such disgraceful acts again. Thank you for understanding."

While many people have taken Mystic Entertainment's stance positively, some people blamed the company for negligence regarding his actions.

"Shouldn't Mystic Entertainment stand up for its artist?" one user tweeted.

"They are simply trying to save their face," another one claimed.

"They ruined EXOTIC…"

The news of Ash's departure shook the nation. Reporters hoarded outside of the agency's building, trying to catch a glimpse of the other members of EXOTIC and ask them for opinions but the security was tightened around Jinhyun and Dasom. No one was able to come near them as they entered or exited the building. As for KJ, he was at the hospital at all times and hence, was not accessible.

….

"Have you seen the news?" Junhyung asked. He and Ash were at one of the mansions the latter owned secretly. 

"How typical of KJ," Ash yawned.

"Aren't you afraid that the police might come after you?"

"Let them," Ash replied. "It doesn't matter. They have no evidence anyway. Besides, the news of me leaving EXOTIC would have come out sooner or later anyway."

"He's trying to corner you," Junhyung pointed out. "Seems like he has gotten smarter over the years…"

"KJ is nothing but a mere roadblock," Ash scoffed. "My main target is to take over the Cartel."

He looked dangerously at Junhyung. "And I will get what I want. I can't lose. Not this time."