Page 16 of Damian & Jun, Episodes 1-4 (The Residency Boys #6)

“That’s how I want you to use me.” Damian squeezed Jun with both arms. “And that’s pretty much why Richard is here so whoever is out there knows you’re not alone.”

“I… I don’t know what to say. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Gigi pointed her chopsticks at him, glaring. “We’re helping. No one is freaking selling you on my watch. This isn’t little trouble, Jun.”

The room went silent.

Richard leaned forward on his elbows, his deeper voice soft and powerful. “As Georgina said, Jun, please don’t dismiss the gravity of the situation. What if Bak were trying this with Su-jin or Yohei?”

Anger, so powerful it stole Jun’s breath from him for a second, flashed through him. “Nothing would be off the table.”

“Exactly.” Damian wrapped both arms around Jun. “So how do you think everyone else feels about it actually happening to you?”

Jun collapsed in on himself, hiding his face. “I’m supposed to protect them. I’m the leader.”

Su-jin pushed around the coffee table and dropped to his knees in front of Jun, prying his finger away from his face. “Hyung, you might be our leader, but we’re a team, okay? If you go away, what happens to us?”

“Bak finds some new idol to replace me. Again.” Everyone winced. Losing Rei had left its mark. They probably wouldn’t actually come back as a group if they lost a second leader.

Geun snorted rudely and made a hand gesture.

Jaewoong pulled a face. “Like any of us are going to keep working with Bak after this. He was already giving us the creeps. We stayed for you, and we stayed for the fans.”

“But your contracts?”

“I don’t sign contracts with kidnappers,” Gigi snapped. “They can see me in court, or I can just work elsewhere for the next five years.”

The rest nodded in agreement. Mi Hi gave two thumbs-up.

* * *

Damian

BBB3 headquarters were unassuming and dingier than one might expect for an agency that ran a major K-pop act.

Only the very front was updated and modern, but the back buildings looked like they belonged to a different company.

There were hallway-style bridges from one building to another that could be seen on various floors, showing how different buildings built at different times had been linked together.

Damian forced himself to walk past it and enter a café with sidewalk seating clustered around the front.

He ordered maesil-cha and chapssaltteok in a variety of complimentary colors, then settled outside, and put his earbud in.

On the other side of the seating area, he noticed Mi Hi already there and apparently enjoying tea while reading on her phone.

Ten minutes later, his phone rang in his ear.

“Sathers,” Yohei said.

“Sanada.”

Yohei chuckled. “I see you. Gigi and I are going in.”

Mi Hi, for her part, also tapped the earbud in her ear. She must have gotten a similar call from Gigi.

Damian glanced over the street intersection in front of BBB3.

Yohei, dressed in a leather jacket, a beanie, sunglasses, black pants and winter boots sauntered across the road and up the steps into BBB3’s lobby.

Gigi, wearing her white and black ensemble from the day before, looked ready to break out into a dance routine with him.

The sound of the door opening and closing filtered through Damian’s earbud.

He sipped his tea and took a bite of one of the small chapssaltteok . In his earpiece, Yohei called out a greeting. Someone called back in surprise. Yohei brushed them off. “Naw, naw, just need to pick some things up.”

Someone told Yohei to wait, but Yohei ignored them, walking through two more doors. At one point, he said, “Talk to Gigi.” Someone called out again. Yohei didn’t sound like he stopped. There was a giant crash and distant sounds of Gigi apologizing.

For at least five long minutes, it sounded like Yohei was going through boxes and drawers. Damian kept his eyes away from the main entrance of BBB3 and forced himself to continue eating casually.

A voice Damian didn’t know sputtered on the other end of the phone. “You can’t do that.”

Yohei laughed them off. “This is vacation. Relax. I’m getting some stuff sorted out.”

“Those have private records!”

“What are you talking about? This is all our records? I told the guys I’d just pick these up for them.”

“You can’t, those aren’t…” Someone was sputtering hard.

“Oh, there’s one missing.” Yohei hummed to himself. The rifling noises continued.

“I’m telling Bak you did this,” someone yelled.

“Seriously? Fine, not worried,” Yohei brushed off the threat. “Let’s see, I need this, and this, and…oh, yeah. That. This will help a lot.”

“Why do you need that! You’re stealing?”

“Ayha! Seriously,” Yohei retorted. “I come in to clear some stuff up on my vacation, and this is what I get?”

“Give those back.”

“Um…no. Told you I have to take care of some stuff.”

“Yohei, let’s go.” That was Gigi’s voice. “We’re going to be late for the train.”

“Coming, coming.” Yohei’s footsteps were quick and loud.

Damian stood up and started moving up the street.

The same aghast voice that had accused Yohei of stealing was following him. “Why are you taking that?!”

“These are all 5N things. Don’t worry. I’m not touching anything else.”

“You’re not supposed to be looking at that.”

“Um…why?” Yohei feigned shock like the actor he was. “This is just my stuff.”

There were sounds of a scuffle. Gigi raised her voice. More doors opened and closed. Damian passed the door of BBB3 and made himself walk slowly toward the next corner. He turned it just as he heard, both in his earbud and in his open ear, the sound of BBB3’s outer door opening.

Damian turned down the alley on his left. A moment later, Yohei brushed past him, sliding him a bag. It was heavier and bigger than planned.

Damian shoved it into his coat, keeping his face blank and his back turned to the noises of someone running after Yohei.

“Stop! Stop!”

“ Ja ne !” Yohei waved at them, laughed, and strode off whistling. Gigi wasn’t with him. The office woman chasing Yohei stumbled to a stop in the middle of the street, leaning forward, hands on her knees, sputtering in desperation, looking after Yohei’s tall figure striding away.

Damian took the next available turn, texting his driver.

“Getting a cab,” Yohei sang triumphantly into the phone.

So he’s safe, for now. At least with witnesses. Damian turned the last corner, and his driver slid seamlessly up beside him, silent in the electric car with its shining windows. Damian opened the back door, checked the face of his driver was someone he recognized, and slid into the back seat.

“Hotel, sir?” the driver confirmed.

“Yes.” Damian sighed. He swapped text streams and sent Richard a thumbs-up. He would tell Jun that he was on his way back. As soon as this press conference was over, Jun needed his own phone.

* * *

There was a crowd in the suite when Damian arrived.

He had barely made it inside and undone his coat, retrieving the bag, when the door opened again and Gigi ran in, under Yohei’s arm, completely heedless of the fact.

The much taller Japanese band member let her by, ushered Mi Hi in as well, and then shut the door, giving Damian a nod and then sweeping his eyes over the room. “This everyone, then?”

Jun nodded. Damian offered Yohei the bag. “What did you find?”

“Passports.” Yohei smirked at each of his fellow band members. He emptied the bag out on the coffee table and started distributing the booklets. “Check inside. Make sure everything’s there.”

Jun leaned forward. “You found mine?”

Yohei dangled the last booklet between two fingers. “Yes.”

Jun snatched it. “How?”

“Gigi distracted them.”

The choreographer in question smirked and struck a pose. “Just call me the chaos goddess.” She fanned herself. There was some general cheering. Mi Hi was looking at her like she was a goddess.

“So I walked right past them and started searching all the places I’d noticed Julie and the others go when things needed to be gotten. Took a while, but…”

“So that’s why you’ve been hanging out in the office,” Su-jin exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

Yohei smirked. “Ever since Jun brought up the financial questions awhile back. Which…” Yohei reached down into his pilfered pile and set some papers to rights, handing them to Jun, “I snagged some of these. Maybe it will help.”

Damian went around the couch and leaned over Jun’s shoulders. The papers would absolutely help. There were banks and account numbers and dates.

Jun sucked in a deep breath. “Didn’t they try to stop you?”

“Chased him all the way out into the street.” Gigi giggled. “Well, one of them did. The guard was face down in the mop bucket.”

“You didn’t!” Su-jin gasped.

“What can I say?” Gigi shrugged. “After spilling all that mess on the floor, I just had to try to help.”

“Bak is so going to screw with you,” Su-jin whimpered.

Yohei stuck his hands into the pockets of his track pants. “Let him. Done playing his games. Besides, looks like Jun’s boyfriend is going to fuck with Bak more than Bak is going to fuck with us.”

Yohei shot Damian a look with a raised eyebrow. Damian couldn’t help it, and he grinned back with teeth. Yohei let out a huff of laughter.

Su-jin was stroking his fingers over his passport, looking at it like it was something precious.

“Keep those onyou from now on,” Damian said. “No one else needs to be carrying them. They need them, they can deal with you.”

“Got it.” Su-jin nodded. Jun wasn’t even looking up, just staring at his, holding it with both hands.

“Jun,” Damian said more softly. “You ready?”

Jun swallowed and shook his head, then pushed his passport into his pocket, “No, but we better get started. Do you mind?” He waved his hand. He looked overwhelmed but determined.

Damian nodded. He could take point. It was only natural. “Everyone know what the plan is?”

Most shook their heads. Damian clapped his hands together. “All right. Does everyone know why Jun disappeared?”