The next morning, Yoongi arrived at the practice room at eight o'clock.
It was the first time in thirteen years that Kwon had told him to come in alone.
Yoongi felt uneasy the whole way there.
He pushed open the door.
The room was dark!
The blinds were closed and the lights were off.
Kwon sat on a folding chair in the middle of the floor. His bag was at his feet.
In front of him, on the floor, lay a pale blue paperback.
Yoongi's heart stopped.
"Close the door," Kwon said.
Yoongi closed it.
"Turn on the light."
He turned it on.
The room became bright and white. Kwon did not move.
"Sit."
"Hyung, I can explain..."
"Sit down, Yoongi."
Yoongi sat on the floor across from him. He put his hands on his knees. His palms were wet with sweat.
Kwon picked up the book.
He opened it to the bookmark and took out the small gray photo.
He placed it on the floor between them.
Then he took out his phone, opened the gallery and put it next to the photo.
"I found this in the van," he said. "Yesterday, at the car wash."
"I didn't know I left it there."
"I know you didn't."
"Hyung..."
"I am not finished." Kwon's voice was calm.
That was the scariest part!
"Yesterday, I also called Dr. Park. He confirmed the patient's name. Han Seo-yeon. Sixteen weeks. Twins."
Yoongi said nothing.
"I want to hear it from you. Is it yours?"
"Yes."
"Say it."
"It's my baby." Yoongi swallowed hard. "Babies. Two."
Kwon nodded.
He did not look surprised. He looked tired.
He stood up and walked to the mirror. Then he turned around and walked back.
He stood over Yoongi with his arms crossed.
"Thirteen years," he said.
"I know."
"For thirteen years, I have protected the six of you. I have handled rumors, fights, drunk photos, a stolen car, a woman who claimed to be your cousin, and a man who claimed to be your father. Do you remember that man?"
"Yes."
"He wanted fifty million won."
"I remember."
"I took care of it. I took care of everything. And you went to a bar alone after I told you not to, and now this!"
"I didn't plan it."
"Nobody plans it!" Kwon shouted.
The mirror rattled.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice was low.
"Nobody plans it, Yoongi. That is why we have rules."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't help me."
"I know."
Kwon sat back down on the chair.
He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
"When did you find out?"
"About a week ago."
"A week."
"I didn't know before. I swear. I looked for her after that night. I went back to the bar. I went to the event company. I missed her by ten minutes."
"The meeting," Kwon said slowly. "The one where you ran out."
"Yes. She resigned that morning. I saw her file and ran down the stairs. She was already gone."
"And then?"
"I couldn't find her. For two months, I had nothing. No number. No address." Yoongi rubbed his face. "Then my mother met her."
Kwon blinked.
"Your mother?"
"She saved her from a car. Near a bookstore. She didn't know who she was. She took her to a café, and then she invited her home for dinner."
"Your mother invited her to dinner."
"Yes."
"Without knowing who she was."
"Yes."
"And you walked in."
"I came home to surprise my parents. She was sitting at the table."
Kwon stared at him for a long time.
Then he put his hands over his face and made a sound that was half a laugh!
"This is a drama," he said through his fingers. "This is the worst drama I have ever heard."
"I know."
"If I wrote it down, nobody would believe it."
"I know, Hyung."
Kwon took his hands away.
"Who else knows?"
"My parents. Her parents. The members."
"The members."
"I told them the same night."
"Before me."
"Yes."
"That is why Namjoon looked at me like a dog who swallowed a cake." Kwon shook his head. "That is why Taehyung has been walking around like he is holding his breath. All week, I thought they were sick!"
"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you first. I couldn't make myself do it."
"Why not?"
"Because I was afraid you would look at me like this."
"Like what?"
"Like I ruined everything."
Kwon was quiet for a moment.
"Did you?"
"I don't know."
"That is an honest answer."
"I'm trying to be honest."
"Good. Keep going."
Kwon picked up the photo and looked at it.
His thumb moved along the edge.
"Is she asking for money?"
"No."
"Is she going to the press?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"She hid it from me for months. She almost never told me. She said she didn't want to ruin my career."
Kwon looked up sharply.
"She said that?"
"Yes."
"Then she is either very stupid or very good."
"She isn't stupid."
"Then she is good." Kwon set the photo down. "That is rare."
Yoongi did not answer.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
A car honked outside. Somewhere down the hall, a door opened and closed.
"I want to tell you something," Kwon said.
"Okay."
"The first time I met you, you were nineteen. You were thin, you had a bad haircut, and you sang so loudly that the trainer asked you to stop."
Yoongi almost smiled. "I remember."
"The CEO wanted to cut you. He said your voice was too loud and your face was too plain."
"I didn't know that."
"I didn't tell you. I told him that if he cut you, I would quit." Kwon looked at the photo. "I was twenty-nine. I had no money. I had a baby of my own at home. And I almost quit my job for a boy I had known for one week."
"Why?"
"Because you stayed after practice every night. Alone. You sang until the janitor kicked you out." Kwon shook his head. "I thought, this one will make it."
Yoongi's eyes stung.
"I never told you because it would make you arrogant," Kwon said. "But I am telling you now, because I want you to understand. I am not angry because you embarrassed me. I am angry because I have spent thirteen years building this, and in one night you put it all at risk!"
"I know."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you do it?"
Yoongi opened his mouth.
He closed it.
"Because she was crying," he said at last. "She was alone. She had just been betrayed, and she was crying and smiling at the same time. And she asked me not to leave her alone." He rubbed his eyes. "I know that isn't a good reason."
"No."
"But it's the truth."
Kwon looked at him for a long time.
"Did you use protection?" he asked.
Yoongi's ears turned red.
He looked at the floor.
"No."
"No."
"We were both drunk."
"Both drunk." Kwon laughed once, short and dry. "Of course."
---
The room was silent for a long time.
"I need to ask you something else," Kwon said. "And I want you to think before you answer."
"Okay."
"Do you love her?"
The question hung in the air.
Yoongi opened his mouth.
He closed it again.
"I don't know," he said.
"You don't know."
"I know I can't stop thinking about her. I know I went to that bar six nights in a row. I know I ran down five flights of stairs when I saw her name." He shook his head. "I don't know what to call it."
"Call it whatever you want. But decide before the agency does."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you are not the only one who has noticed." Kwon tapped the book. "In the past month, three people have asked me why you are acting strange."
Yoongi's back straightened.
"Who?"
"The chairman's assistant. A man from the PR team. And a woman from the Planning department, who asked me, very casually, whether you had a girlfriend."
"Planning?"
"The department that works with the event company."
Yoongi's face turned pale!
"Does she know?"
"She suspects. She may not know exactly what. But she asked." Kwon leaned back. "That is three people in a month, for a man who is supposed to spend all his time in a practice room."
"What do I do?"
"I don't know."
"Hyung."
"I don't know, Yoongi. I haven't slept in two nights." Kwon pushed his hands through his hair. "Yesterday, I sat in my car in the parking lot, trying to decide whether to call the chairman or burn that book."
"You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't what?"
"Call the chairman."
Kwon looked at him for a long moment.
"That is my job," he said. "I am the manager. If one of my artists gets involved in something that can destroy the company, I am supposed to report it."
"Hyung..."
"I said it is my job. I did not say I will do it."
Yoongi let out a long breath.
His shoulders dropped.
"But I need time," Kwon said. "And you need to decide what you want. Do you want to hide it? Do you want to announce it? Do you want to leave the group? There are a hundred options, and every one of them is bad."
"I'm not hiding."
"You are not?"
"I told her I wouldn't run again." Yoongi looked up. "I meant it. I'm not leaving her, and I'm not leaving the babies. If the company has a problem with that, then they have a problem."
"The company will have more than a problem."
"I know."
"They could cancel your contract. They could cancel the whole group. Six other people depend on this."
"I know that too."
"Do you?" Kwon's voice hardened. "Junho has a mother with medical bills. Jungkook is paying his sister's tuition. Taehyung is paying off a loan. You are not the only person on that stage!"
Yoongi's jaw tightened.
He looked down.
"I know," he said quietly.
"Then think about what you are saying."
"I am."
"Think harder."
"Hyung, I have thought about nothing else for a week!" Yoongi's voice shook. "I know what I could lose. I know what they could lose. But I can't pretend those two don't exist. I heard their heartbeats. I held the picture. I can't go back to before."
Kwon stared at him.
He had known Yoongi since he was nineteen.
He had seen him cry. He had seen him shout. He had seen him break a mic stand and apologize on live television.
He had never seen him look like this.
Not scared. Not angry.
Just certain.
He has grown up, Kwon thought. When did that happen?
"Okay," he said at last.
"Okay?"
"Okay. I am not saying yes. I am saying okay." Kwon stood and picked up the book. "Here is what is going to happen."
Yoongi sat up straight.
"First, you will not tell anyone else. Not another friend. Not a cousin. Not your barber."
"Okay."
"Second, you will not go anywhere in public with her. No restaurants. No walks. No hospitals unless I arrange it."
"We went to the hospital through the back door."
"I arranged that back door for a personal appointment." Kwon rubbed his eyes. "I thought you were sick. I almost called your mother!"
"I'm sorry."
"Third." Kwon looked at him. "I want to meet her."
"Meet her?"
"Before I decide anything. Before I say a word to the chairman. I need to see who she is."
"She is exactly who I told you."
"Then you have nothing to worry about." Kwon put the book into his bag. "This weekend. Somewhere private. Not a restaurant."
"My house."
"Fine. Tell her she can bring a parent if she wants. I don't care. I only need one hour."
"She'll come."
"And Yoongi."
"Yes?"
Kwon stopped at the door.
For a moment, he did not say anything.
When he spoke, his voice was rough.
"I am still angry. I will be angry for a month."
"I know."
"But thirteen years ago, I never thought you would become a father." He opened the door. "So. Congratulations."
Yoongi stared at him.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Hyung..."
"Do not call me Hyung. Do not look at me like that." Kwon pointed a finger at him. "And do not hug me."
"I wasn't going to."
"You were."
"A little."
"Don't." Kwon turned away, then stopped again. "Twins?"
"Twins."
"A boy and a girl?"
"Yes."
"God help you." He walked out. "Rehearsal is at ten. Eat something before you come."
The door closed.
---
Yoongi sat alone on the floor.
The photo was still next to his knee.
He picked it up, looked at it and slid it into his wallet.
Then he stood. His legs felt weak.
When he opened the door, he almost walked into someone.
It was Namjoon!
He was standing in the hallway with his back against the wall, holding two cups of coffee.
"How long have you been here?" Yoongi asked.
"Since seven-thirty." Namjoon handed him a cup. "I saw Kwon-hyung walk in carrying a book. I figured."
"You figured?"
"I'm not stupid, Hyung." Namjoon looked at his face. "Was it bad?"
"It was bad."
"How bad?"
"He shouted. Then he said congratulations."
Namjoon blinked.
"He said congratulations?"
"Yes."
"After he shouted?"
"Yes."
"That's the most Kwon-hyung thing I've ever heard." Namjoon let out a breath of relief and laughed. "I thought you were dead!"
"So did I."
They stood in the hallway drinking coffee.
"He wants to meet her," Yoongi said. "This weekend."
"Will she come?"
"I think so."
"Are you scared?"
"Terrified."
"Of Kwon-hyung?"
"Of everything." Yoongi looked down at his cup. "Three people at the agency have noticed. One is from Planning."
Namjoon went still.
"Planning?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Hyung." Namjoon lowered his voice. "Last week, a woman from Planning stopped me in the elevator. She asked if you were seeing someone. I said no. But she smiled at me in a strange way."
Yoongi's heart sank.
"What did she look like?"
"Thirty-something. Short hair. A gold name tag." Namjoon frowned. "Her name was Yoon, I think. Manager Yoon."
"Do you know her?"
"Not really. But she has been at every one of our schedule meetings for the past month."
Yoongi stared at the floor.
We have a week, he thought. Maybe less.
He took out his phone and typed a message.
I told him.
The reply came almost at once.
And?
He wants to meet you. This weekend.
He looked at the empty hallway.
We don't have much time, he typed.