Chapter 201 - The Talk Show

Mirae arrived at the office late. That morning, she woke up with a mild flu. Her temperature was rising so she popped a pill but it had little effect. She would have stayed home and rested but her workload was crazy especially with the upcoming album preparations for Six X. 

Most importantly, she was looking for KJ. 

He had left that morning without waking her up. Mirae dimly recalled that she fell asleep on the floor next to his mattress but woke up on the bed. She suspected that KJ probably carried her over and put her there while she slept. 

Moreover, Sejong informed her that he did not even have his breakfast. This greatly concerned Mirae because KJ had erratic meal timings. As long as she was living with him, she must fix that bad habit of his. She had Sejong fix a lunch box for him. Carrying the lunch box, Mirae started to look for him in the office. 

I have to find him, she decided. Upon entering the office, she asked one of the employees at the production department, "Where is KJ?" 

"I saw Mr. Kwon entering the recording studio," the employee replied. Mirae thanked him and headed towards the studio. 

KJ was writing lyrics in his diary when he heard a knock. He turned around to see Dami. 

"Got you coffee," she said, putting it on the table. 

"Thanks," he muttered. He was completely absorbed in his notes. 

"Did you manage to write a new song?" she asked in astonishment, as she climbed on the desk and sat there. "Weren't you struggling?" 

"I finally found some inspiration," he said, still focused on the notes in front of him. He did not realize that Dami was sitting very close to him and was leaning onto him. 

"How did you get the inspiration?" she asked softly. 

"It just came to me, I guess," KJ said absentmindedly. 

"This line here," Dami said, leaning over the notes. "Every morning I wake up, wanting to forget you. Why not change it to, 'Every morning I wake up, I see your moon-like face'? The first one doesn't go with the -" 

Suddenly Dami leaned too forward and lost her balance. Fortunately, KJ held her by the shoulders just in time as she almost fell on him. 

"You okay?" KJ asked. 

"Yeah… I'm -" 

Dami looked aside only to sit upright. "CEO Jung," she greeted, slightly bowing her head, blushing furiously. 

KJ turned around to see Mirae standing at the door. Her face was unreadable as she saw the scene before her. KJ realized that if someone else had walked in, they would have misinterpreted them. 

"I was just helping KJ with his song," Dami said quickly as she stood up. 

KJ did not reply but turned his back and refocused on his song. 

Mirae put on a smile. "Thank you, Dami," she said. Dami nodded and exited the room. 

Once outside, she glanced back at the couple. Her slow pace gained momentum as she walked a victory dance. She had seen Mirae approaching the studio a few minutes ago. For days, Dami was looking for an opportunity to create a barrier between the happy couple. 

Luck favored her when Mirae was stopped by an executive for some doc.u.ments. Taking her chance, Dami went into the recording studio and timed her 'accident' to make Mirae suspicious. By the looks of it, her plan was working. 

She grinned as she walked away. 

Meanwhile, Mirae stood at the door, speechless. KJ was completely ignoring her. She approached him. 

"KJ…" she called out but he stood up and left. Mirae lowered her head. A sharp pain stabbed her head as she stumbled. Luckily, she was able to hold on to the wall for support. 

"CEO Jung." 

She heard Psycho call out as he came in. "CEO, are you alright?" he asked, noticing that she was slightly swaying. 

"I'm okay," Mirae replied, standing straight. "What is it?" 

"CEO, we have to scout locations today," Psycho stated. "For the music video shooting."

"Ahh yes," she remembered. "How many places do we have to visit?" 

"Five." 

"Let's go," she said, putting on her sunglasses. Psycho nodded and followed her out. 

…. 

"Can you ever act even remotely likeable?" Somi lamented at KJ. 

"No," KJ replied firmly. 

They were at the shooting studio for a famous broadcasting company. As part of her new PR strategies, she signed KJ, Dasom and herself up for various variety shows in order to increase their public profiles. Dasom was already popular for his fan service but KJ was always rebellious. Even though the public love his bad boy persona, they wanted to see more of his 'married man' image. All he had to do was talk freely about his love for Mirae. 

Unfortunately, KJ shot down the idea and threatened to walk out if anyone raised questions about his love life. 

"You never shied away from answering questions on love," she hissed. "You were even open about your past dating scandals! Why are you so shy now?" 

"I don't feel like it," he said bluntly. In all honesty, he did not want to talk about Mirae when he was so angry at her. Somi frowned. 

"Did you two have a fight?" she demanded. 

"None of your business!" he snapped but Somi was not giving up. There were reporters and various celebrity hosts around them. If a word of this got out, his reputation was over. 

"KJ, I don't know what you did, but get your act straight," she hissed at him. "Be professional. If you act like this, it will not only affect you but Mirae as well!" 

"Which is why I don't want to answer anything regarding -" 

"KJ!" 

They looked up to see Kang Sedong, the most popular variety show host of Korea. 

"Sunbae!" KJ and Somi exclaimed as they stood up to greet him. Kang Sedong was one of the most influential talk show hosts of the country. However, he was also shrewd and ruthless. He had the knack to ask intrusive questions about celebrities' lives if they get on to his bad side. 

"KJ my boy!" he roared as he hugged him. "Congrats on your marriage! An invitation would have been nice though." 

KJ stiffened a little at those words but maintained a smile. Sedong would not hold that against him would he? 

But the talk show host's eyes were unreadable as he turned towards Somi. 

"And Somi, my dear!" he shook her hand. "Congratulations on your new job!" 

"Thank you Sunbae," she smiled. "I'll send an invitation for the party soon!" 

"Looking forward to it, my dear," he laughed. "Are you two ready?" 

"Yes," they replied together. 

"Sit down on the couch here," Sedong said, pointing to the guests' seats. "I'll sit on the couch opposite to you. Now, the questions will be very basic. Mostly about your upcoming plans and the various changes your company is going through." 

"Could we request you not to ask about the Ash Park scandal?" Somi asked apologetically. "We have been facing so many problems with it despite the fact that Mystic Entertainment has no more ties with him." 

KJ snickered a little at Somi's attempts at making a cute expression, fully knowing that she was cringing inside. If he was not aware of her fiery nature even he would have fallen for it. 

Somi threw him a dirty look. Thankfully, Sedong did not notice. 

"Don't worry, my higher ups told me not to mention Ash Park," he explained. "He has been banned from performing in public anyway." 

Somi nodded while KJ did not reply. But his mind was working fast. Ash was banned? How was he able to secure artists for his company then? 

Sedong walked away towards his vanity room. 

"Please don't act up," Somi pleaded. "There are already some people who are speculating your marriage is a farce. Don't add to those rumors!" 

"I won't!" he snapped. Somi sighed and hoped for the best. God help us, she prayed. 

Finally, after half an hour, they were ready to go on-air. The show would be featured live. Sedong, KJ and Somi took their seats. 

As soon as the cameras rolled, Sedong began to talk. 

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen!" he roared. "To a new episode of Candid Talks with me, Kang Sedong! 

The studio audience cheered. 

"Let me introduce you to my special guests tonight," Sedong went on. "She is the most popular actress in Korea and known for her stunningly natural visuals. Her dramas have made many people crazy for her and dubbed her as Nation's True Love. She is none other than, Shin Somi!" 

Somi walked onto the stage, wearing an off shoulder beige dress which complimented her beauty. Her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail. She waved and bowed as the audience roared at her entry.

"And now!" Sedong clapped his hands. "My next guest. He is known for his magical music. His passion for songs and knack for performance made him the Nation's Idol! He is none other than KJ!" 

KJ walked onto the stage, wearing a sleek, grey suit. His shirt was untucked and he wore no tie but he wore a stud on one of his ears while rocking a slightly longer hair which was tied in a small ponytail. He had his hair dyed copper brown when he arrived at the studio, enhancing his image. The audience exploded as he climbed on the stage. 

Sedong ushered both of them towards the couch. They took their seats. 

"First of all, congratulations to both of you on the new journeys you have embarked upon," Sedong said. 

"Thank you," both of them said together in a humble manner. 

"Somi, are you enjoying your new position as the PR Director at Mystic Entertainment?" he asked. 

"A lot!" Somi chirped. "Even though it has been only a few days, I'm very excited to implement my plans. Mystic Entertainment will come out stronger by the end of this year!" 

"Isn't it going to put a lot of pressure on your shoulders?" 

"I'm ready for the challenge!" Somi said enthusiastically with a smile which made the audience clap hard for her. 

"And you, KJ," Sedong turned toward him. "What about your comeback plans now that EXOTIC has disbanded?" 

"I will make a comeback sometime later this year," KJ replied. "As you may have heard, we are planning a big project for Six X in the coming month. Once they're done promoting, I'll prepare for my own song." 

"Will you get the time?" Sedong asked. "After all, you just got married and must spend some time with your wife." 

"Both of us know our priorities," KJ said with a smile. 

"Prioritising work over your honeymoon?" Sedong scoffed. "Aren't you two newlyweds? " 

Somi felt KJ stiffen beside her. 

"We need to focus on reinventing Mystic Entertainment first," KJ explained. "With so many incidents happening, we are committed to-" 

"But… didn't your wife recently suffer a miscarriage?" Sedong pressed. "Shouldn't you focus on helping her recover?" 

"She is resting at home-" 

"Isn't it strange?" Sedong asked, sneering a little. "A newly wedded couple spending more time at the company than with each other."

"As he said, they are simply focusing on Mystic Entertainment's image since both of them are shareholders there," Somi piped in. "It will take time but as a couple, they are working together to fulfill their shared goals." 

"But isn't it strange?" Sedong laughed. "They got married in the midst of so many scandals. And after their marriage, the stocks of Mystic Entertainment and KJ's image went up!" 

He turned towards KJ, a sly grin placed on his lips. "Sounds like a business marriage to me."