Chapter 176 - EXOTIC (VIII): Debut

Kang Dongsik leaned back on his chair, watching the news. 

"Kwon Jiwon or more commonly known as KJ has been accused of abusing his secret girlfriend," the anchor reported. "Reports came that they've been seen together on occasions and she even works as his Personal Assistant. We have confirmed that the girl, known as Jung Mirae, had been admitted to the hospital after sustaining heavy injuries. The doctors confirmed that she had a miscarriage. This is the latest scandal to hit Exotic after Ash Park's s.e.x trade… "

The news put a smile on his face. All he had to do was bribe a few doctors and steal that girl's medical reports. 

His suspicions about those two were right ever since he saw them at one of KJ's music video shoots. The way KJ looked at her seemed strange and Dongsik deduced that they were an item. 

Even though the abuse part was probably untrue, the scandal was enough to ruin KJ's reputation.

"Maybe I can bribe the girl into falsifying her testimony," he wondered out loud. She looked as if she needed money and was living off of Kwon Jiwon. 

Dongsik massaged his throat. Thanks to KJ, his neck still hurt. He had been focused on KJ a lot so it came as a surprise to him when Ash's scandal hit the news. If rumors were true, Kwon Jiwon himself leaked it to the media. 

But after seeing how KJ stood up for Ash, this rumor genuinely surprised Dongsik. Two men who were best friends are now torn apart? There was something wrong with all this… 

Dongsik picked up the phone to dial a number. 

"Lee," he said as soon as the receiver picked up. "I need some information." 

"Dongsik!" Lee exclaimed. "What can I do for you, buddy?" 

"Get me all the information on Ash Park," Dongsik requested. "Anything you might know. His background, dating history, enemies. Everything by tomorrow." 

"Alright," Lee replied. "I'll send them over."

Dongsik thanked him and hung up. This is gonna be the scoop of the century, he thought gleefully. 

…. 

KJ left the hospital in a fury and entered his car. Revving up the engine, he drove off. He kept on driving aimlessly throughout the streets. Jinhyun's words echoed in his ears. 

"It's time to disband EXOTIC…" 

Was it really that easy for him? Did their life as EXOTIC mean nothing? 

KJ felt betrayed not just by Ash but by Jinhyun as well. EXOTIC was their brainchild. It was all they did these ten years. It was all KJ had to hold on to his sanity. Without EXOTIC, he was lost and confused. The life he had in another timeline was a faint dream but EXOTIC was his reality. How can he just give it up? 

He sped up the car, zigzagging crazily around other cars. Drivers from those cars swore at him but he did not care. He kept on speeding till he stopped in front of a park. 

His head was full of confused thoughts. Even with Ash's betrayal, he still had EXOTIC. He would not let it disband. Never. 

He put his head in the steering wheel, trying to calm himself. "I won't let EXOTIC disband," he promised. "Never…" 

In the midst of his confused mind, the memory was flashing up. The honor Jinhyun wanted to uphold. The time when everything was so much simpler… 

…. 

The lights fell on them, almost blinding their eyesight. Jiwon squinted his eyes as the brightness fell directly on him. The other group who was performing on stage were using spotlights to illuminate their entire performance. The lights were so bright that they reached the backstage as well. Outside, the fans were cheering wildly.

"JNE! JNE!" they cheered as music boomed throughout the hall.

Jiwon tried to see the others. Jinhyun looked nervous as he tried to grip the mike in his hand. Dasom, too, was unusually quiet. He was fidgeting around with his earphone, trying to push away the thoughts plaguing his head. Only Ash seemed somewhat composed but Jiwon could tell he was shaking with worry.

"I wish they'd turn that blood light away," Dasom complained. "It's annoying me."

"They're a popular group," Jinhyun sighed. "It's JNE! The nation's top boyband! We can't just go up and tell them to turn off their lights."

"Those morons are doing this on purpose," Dasom muttered. "They know that the newbies here are nervous and they're just trying to prove their dominance."

JNE was their biggest rival for that night. It was EXOTIC's debut stage performance and they were very anxious. JNE had dominated the charts for six months straight and broke several records. While EXOTIC debut had maintained a steady position in top ten, they were still newbies. Their debut stage would decide if they can break JNE's record or not.

"I really wanna beat them," Jinhyun admitted. Even though he was usually a cheery person, he had a competitive side to him. 

"What's your goal here, Jinhyun?" Ash asked. "To beat JNE, or to make a successful debut stage?"

"Both," Jinhyun said. "I want our first stage performance to be legendary."

"We'll be fine," Dasom assured him. "Won't we, KJ?"

KJ was the name Jiwon had chosen as his stage name. It was the only link he had to the past he had erased. 

"Yes," he replied. "But like Jinhyun, I also want our performance to be legendary. I want our fans to remember us for a long time."

He stood up. "I can't give any long ass motivational speech," Jiwon said. "All I want to do is go out there and have fun performing. If you feel nervous, then remember all the things we gave up to reach this far. Friends, family. We gave up a lot. You can say...we literally fought fate to reach this far."

He looked at his members. "We laughed together. We cried together. We suffered a lot together. Honestly, I don't know if EXOTIC will ever become famous. All I know is that as long as we're together, we'll be unstoppable. We need to have each other's backs. Every one of us is important to EXOTIC. If even one person is missing...the group will fall apart."

His words were met by a silence as the members tried to understand the impact of his words. Finally, Ash spoke up. "Let's do this," he said. "Together."

Their spirits went up as they gripped their mics. 

"And ladies and gentlemen!" the MC boomed through the speakers. "May I now please welcome the monster rookie who have been sweeping the charts! The group which is a force to be reckoned with! EXOTIC!"

Jiwon smiled. "Let's go!" he shouted.

They stepped on to the stage. The crowd's cheers dimmed as they held their breaths. The stage was completely dark. The crowd murmured in confusion as they tried to see what the group was going to do. But unlike the previous performance, the whole stage was darkened and lights were turned off completely.

Suddenly, a small ray of circular light rose from the ground. Then rose another. And another. Small circle lights were rising up like stars, twirling around. The lights were of different colors, illuminating the stage. Finally the crowd understood that those were not any ordinary lights; those were tiny drones. At the very back stood four boys, who were barely in their teens. 

Then the drones began to form shapes. The first one was of a male and the other one was of a female. The animated figures were slowly walking towards each other, as if floating in the air. They tried to come closer but something pulled them apart. The crowd watched as the animated couple were being separated again and again as they tried to hold on to each other's hands.

"There was once a boy," came Jiwon's majestic voice, pointing at the male figure. "Who was walking by the forest one day."

"Suddenly he stumbled upon a beautiful girl," Ash continued, indicating the female figure. "Her beauty captivated him. He fell in love. The girl, too, was madly in love with him."

"They got married," Jinhyun narrated, as the drones danced above him. "And were happy for many days. He gifted her a locket to symbolize their love. But one day, the boy returned home to see his wife missing."

"He went around, looking for her," Dasom went on. "He went back to the forest to find her. Instead, he saw a beautiful white snake, wearing his wife's locket. The snake shed its skin only to reveal that it was his wife all along."

The female animation was turning into a slithery white snake as the male silhouette backed off in fear. The crowd was listening to the story intently. There was no chanting, no wild shouting nor any cheers. Only a pin drop silence remained as they were mesmerized by the four youths in front of them, invested in their tale.

"The boy screamed in fear," Jiwon said, his voice filled with fear. "He denounced her. Called her a witch. The girl proclaimed her love for him. 'I love you,' she said. 'I have always loved you! I only want to live a long life with you,' she begged."

"The boy would not listen," Ash lamented as the male silhouette threw stones at the snake. "He shrieked out, 'Liar! You're the devil! You will kill me!' He quivered in fear and ran away, leaving his wife distraught."

"The girl remained in the forest," Jinhyun said in a hoarse voice. The female figure was crying and morose as the male ran away. "Heartbroken and depressed. For days, she sang her heart out. Every night, she sang the song about their story, hoping he would return. But days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months and months became years. He never returned."

"One day, she stopped singing," Dasom said dramatically. "Her voice no longer echoed the nights. Her husband had been feeling guilty all this while. He was too remorseful of his actions yet his pride as a man kept him away. He held his pride for many years while secretly wishing to return to his wife."

"But her song stopped," Jiwon narrated in a sad tone, pointing at the male drone figure running through the forest. "Her husband, who always listened to her song, became afraid."

"He rushed through the night," Ash recited. "He ran and ran until he reached the forest."

"He searched for her everywhere," Jinhyun picked up. "Until he reached that spot again. But he was too late."

"There lay his wife," Dasom whispered as the male drone figure reached its wife. "Aged and yet still heavenly. Her beauty had not diminished but her life was over."

"He clutched her body in his arms," Jiwon said. 

"He cried for her to come back, to say sorry to her," Ash told.

"But she was gone," Jinhyun mused.

"Leaving behind nothing but regrets," Dasom concluded. "And her song."

Suddenly the drones floated away and everything was dark once more. The crowd held its breath as four spotlights illuminated the breathtakingly handsome boys on the stage. With determination in their hearts, they began to sing.

"In the midst of the mystic forest

When I saw you one day

I blankly stared at you

Like a fool I fell in love with you

Like a fool I believed you loved me too

I felt it was our happily ever after

Until one day the love you had for me

Was no longer there

What wrong did I do?

You went farther and farther

Until you disappeared

And I could no longer hear your voice

I wanted to be with you

Is it too late for us?

Are you really fine with this?

I keep staring at your back

But you won't look back

Like a fool I kept on waiting

Like a fool I kept on loving

When my song ends

I will disappear too

Will it be too late for us then?"

They ended the song with a high note chorus. Jiwon's eyes were closed throughout the song but he felt they were teary. An image of a lively green eyed girl flashed through his mind. His heart ached at the thought of her and for a brief moment, he felt as if he was back at their dingy apartment.

But he opened his eyes to see that he was not in their small apartment but staring at a sea of people, who held out yellow light sticks, chanting the song with them. People at the crowd were teary eyed too as the emotions hit them hard. 

"EXOTIC! EXOTIC!" they cheered. The yellow ocean of lights lit up the dark sky as the fans went wild with frenzy. 

Jiwon looked at the others, who were also overcome with emotions. Dasom began to cry uncontrollably as Jinhyun hugged him. He was also crying yet kept a happy face. Ash fell to his knees, bowing down deeply at the crowd as they cheered for EXOTIC. He dropped his aloofness and fully embraced the love that was being showered on them.

As for Jiwon...no. KJ. He simply stared blankly at the crowd. He finally achieved his dream…

"We did it!" Jinhyun exclaimed in their makeup room. "We made a successful debut!"

He and Dasom were hyped with energy while Ash and KJ smiled.

"Who knew EXOTIC would become this popular with just the first performance!" Dasom said gleefully.

"We still have a long way to go," Ash pointed out.

"Yes," KJ agreed. "And we'll do it together."

He looked at his members. "Let's make a pact," he declared. The other three looked at him in surprise.

"What pact?" Ash asked.

KJ held out his fist. "That EXOTIC will keep on existing only when all four of us will remain in it. If any one of us leaves, no matter what the reason, EXOTIC will disband."

They gaped at him. "Are you serious?" Jinhyun asked.

"I am," KJ said with confidence. "All four of us make EXOTIC. If any one of us ever decides to leave, EXOTIC will disband. I'll not perform on that stage as a member of EXOTIC without any of you. We'll remain together until the end."

His words struck a chord with them. They had no words to describe what they were feeling. Thinking about leaving EXOTIC seemed like an insane idea.

Finally Ash stepped forward. "Deal," he said, bumping KJ's fist.

"I'm in!" Dasom chirped as he too bumped his fist.

"Me too," Jinhyun sighed as he joined them. "At this rate, we'll probably never disband!"

They burst into laughter as they made the promise. The memory of their laughter was carved into KJ's head. He may have lost many thing in the other timeline, but he gained a real family here. 

And he was not willing to let them go. No matter what.

….

KJ's phone vibrated in his pocket. He had ignored it for a while but it was starting to annoy him. The caller was persistent. He took out the phone to see Hyun Jung calling him.

"KJ!" Hyun Jung exclaimed before he could say hello. "See the news! Now!"

"What happened?" KJ frowned.

"The news about you and the CEO of Abyss is all over the net!" Hyun Jung exclaimed. "Her name has been leaked as Jung Mirae and the media is claiming that you caused her miscarriage!"