Page 69 of Damian & Jun: Episodes 5-8
“I’ve only done that for a music video.”
“Willing to do the real thing?”
Jun nodded. “If it helps them believe us, I’m good with it.” His pulse point fluttered under his own grip on his wrist. He could do this. He would do this.
Damian checked something off his list. “Mi Hi, as Jun’s partner, I shouldn’t run the interview. We could potentially have people from the State Department, the FBI, the Korean Embassy, and Seoul police, and a few others I’m not certain of yet. Someone has to keep everyone in the loop.”
Mi Hi visibly gulped. “I’ve never… I just do media.”
“It’s not much different. Everyone needs to ask their questions; everyone needs to be told where to sit. Besides Jun and I, you’re the only one fluent in English and Korean. I have translators for anyone who teleconferences in. They’ll be off-site and typing out what’s said. I just need someone who speaks both languages to be present and help organize. The questions will be asked in turns. There’s a designated questioner already, a trained interviewer.”
“Will you be there?”
“I’ll be in the background.”
Mi Hi squared her shoulders. “Okay. I’m going to need coffee.”
Gigi clapped her shoulder. “I got you, girl.”
Damian drew Jun aside. “You still good?”
Jun grimaced. His stomach felt like lead. “No, but we’re doing this. I’m doing this. We’ll get through it.”
“I think we should go up to the Estate after, get out of the city. Whatever the fallout is, I’d rather we had more control over the physical situation.”
The idea of being with his group members somewhere faraway from other people sounded beautiful. “Let’s do that.”
“I may not be able to stay, but I can go with you tonight and come back in the morning.”
Jun nodded. He wasn’t going to think about the future. He was just going to do the next few hours. If necessary, just the next few minutes.
Damian
It was all a wave of preparation after that. Alice and Ash continued working, but Damian kept Jun close, not letting him go back to research. There were several people who wanted to talk to him personally. Damian passed him the phone at least three times. Jun slipped into a distant, professional state that he’d held so often working as an idol. Nothing could phase him; nothing surprised him. His tone stayed level and his back straight. He knew what he was going to say, and he kept saying it.
They were almost ready to leave for the meeting site when Damian’s phone rang again. Damian picked it up, looked at the screen, and frowned. He answered more slowly, speaking in Korean.
“Mr. Su.” He moved toward the hallway as he spoke, gesturing Jun to follow him. A moment later, he put the call on mute and turned to Jun.
“There’s a judge on the phone. He’s deciding whether to participate. It would be via video conferencing. He wants to talk to you.”
Jun held out his hand. “Any advice?”
Damian grimaced. “He’s an old professor of mine from my days as a student in Seoul. A good teacher. Don’t admit to anything. Don’t tell him anything. Stick to the meeting and why you want to go through with giving your testimony. I don’t know who’s controlling him.”
Jun took the phone. It felt like he was wrapping his hands around a snake he didn’t know. Thumbing off mute, he held the screen up to his face. “Mr. Su.”
“Mr. Gang,” Mr. Su said from the other side of the screen. It looked like he was sitting in an office with old furniture and lots of books.
There was an uncomfortable bout of silence. Jun waited. He was the younger one in this situation, and Mr. Su had called him, not the other way around.
Mr. Su drummed his fingers against his desk. “I’m told you are determined to go public with your accusations. I’m hoping to dissuade you.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir.”
“If Damian is standing right there, I know he will have told you not to answer this, but I’ve heard a rumor that you plan to implicate the chief of police and your manager, Bak, as individuals who acted against you.”
Jun held his silence.
