Much Ado About Nothing (Part Deux)
Title: Much Ado About Nothing (Part 2)
Pairing: Se7en, Danny
Rating: R for language and implied sex
Summary: Danny finds compromising pictures of himself and a high school boy splashed on every tabloid in South Korea. Janice Rhee, YG senior publicist, attempts to put together a contingency plan. Choi Dong Wook's life will be changed.
Within the past three days of media blitz, Janice Rhee and her small team of publicists had maintained a shrewd sense of order in the chaotic campaign of saving Danny’s public reputation in the nation’s news. The YG senior publicist was an infamously tireless leader whose work ethic easily rivaled the worst military drill sergeants around the world.
There was little sign of wear and tear on the woman that had been running at DEFCON five for a very long 72 hours. Her black dress suit was meticulously pressed, posh silver stilettos studded with gemstones matching the overtly large hoop earrings that dangled from her lobes. If there was a woman who could survive a tornado and still look better than presentable, it would’ve been Janice Rhee.
Flicking through the packet which lay in front of her by some unpaid intern, she waited anxiously for the CEO to arrive. There was a tense spark in the air that screamed of a policy change, a sudden shift after a long journey with unfavorable winds. Janice was confident that the contingency plan would work.
But Janice was worried that perhaps three days had been too long to put together a counterattack and that the war had already been lost. Every ticking of the minute ate at the senior publicist’s hope in gaining some sense of control over the situation.
Another precious five minutes flew by before the sound of the turning door knob brought every employee inside the conference room to rise to their feet. The opening of the door was followed by a gruff looking Yang Hyun-suk who acknowledged the presence of the publicists in the room with a wave of the hand for all of them to be seated.
No one dared to budge until the CEO took his seat and only after he’d taken his seat was there collective movement to do as the man had requested earlier.
“Alright you’ve got twenty minutes. What have you come up with Miss Rhee?” Hyun-suk asked. Janice could see that the CEO hadn’t bothered to look up from the packet of documents he was just starting to flip through.
It was always difficult maintaining the attention span of men who had to be in three places at once, but she knew if she was going to be granted full executive powers to handle this situation the way she needed to, Janice would need this meeting to go well.
“We’ve come up with multiple approaches to solve the current scandal between Danny and Choi Dong Wook. The bulk of the contingency plan is quite simple and can be executed through two channels. One is through official press releases while the other is through chatter online and fake leaks in the public relations department,” Janice said.
“Please explain what these multiple approaches are Miss Rhee,” Hyun-suk inquired, leaning back into his seat.
“The spark for this scandal began with the publishing of pictures taken by some paparazzi of Danny kissing an 18 year old boy. So in order to defuse the situation, the photographs of Danny and Dong Wook kissing have to be dealt with. We at the public relations department believe the best way to deal with these pictures are by giving them logical explanations on why the kiss wasn’t a kiss,” Janice spoke as she flipped through her presentation notes.
Janice could see the look of confusion on the CEO’s face, so she quickly picked up from where she left off to fully explain what she meant.
“In the United States, Christina Aguilera recently released a music video titled, ‘Beautiful,’ to much critical acclaim. The music video features people who are often discriminated against and are commonly socially unaccepted. It’s portrayal of a homosexual couple has earned the music video a special recognition award from the GLAAD organization for its positive message,” Janice said.
“1Tym and other artists on the YG label have often been targeted by the more conservative population of Koreans who state that the group’s hip-hop style and lyrics promote the rebelling of youths,” Janice continued.
“So given these multiple factors, I am in strong belief that the announcement of a new ballad single by Danny, featuring lyrics similar in context to the popular Aguilera song in the United States would be perfect for the current situation,” Janice finished.
Hyun-suk’s face still retained the same sense of confusion. Janice forced herself to suppress her smirk, knowing fully well that she had presented the plan without fully connecting the dots.
“I don’t follow Miss Rhee, what do pictures of Danny swapping spit with some kid have anything to do with Christina Aguilera and 1Tym’s hip-hop image?” Hyun-suk asked with an annoyed expression.
“Because we’re going to claim that the pictures taken by the paparazzi are of scenes in Danny’s unannounced solo music video for a surprise single which features a positive message for social outcasts that include homosexuals,” Janice chirped, delivering the punch line. A look of understanding and appreciation for the fine plot bloomed on the CEO’s face.
“We can claim that the paparazzi accidentally intruded in on, and took pictures of the music video shoot which includes a controversial kissing scene between two men.”
“God, that’s brilliant,” Hyun-suk chuckled.
“However, that’s just one approach we’ve thought of. Another approach is by spreading rumors through the internet and through fake department leaks that Danny is in the midst of a serious relationship. We can even leak claims that he’s thought about proposing. If we can get some paparazzi to shoot photographs of him buying a ring, it may take the public interest completely off of Choi Dong Wook, especially if they believe the kiss between him and Danny is just for an upcoming music video,” Janice stated while setting down her notes back onto the table.
“Very well then, I’ll approve of the plan and grant Janice the control of the recovery process. I want to be briefed daily regarding the situation and how the contingency plan is working. Don’t make calls you think you may regret without my permission. Is that understood,” Hyun-suk asked while standing up from his chair.
“Perfectly,” Janice replied, a Kodak moment worthy smile on her face.
“Good, I’ll have some producers begin setting up a song. You work on finding Danny a girl and draft that Dong Wook boy a contract for the music video. Make sure this gets done quickly,” Hyun-suk stated while heading towards the door.
“Of course sir, it’ll be done,” Janice replied as she watched the retreating figure of Yang Hyun-suk waltzing out of the room.
- - - - - - - - - -
Danny had always known in the back of his mind that he shouldn’t have called Janice back. However, even for a woman that was as vigorous in her work as Janice Rhee, Danny had no idea that the woman was capable of flying in an escort party to bring him back to mainland Korea.
It wasn’t that Danny didn’t care what was happening to his career. After all, this scandal not only dealt with his public image, but it affected the press coverage of his group members as well. He understood that this scandal was getting to a point of no return, where Danny would have to settle for staying out of the lime light publicly for years.
However, for the first time in his life, Danny had felt the strong need to be around someone. It wasn’t just an urge for an overnight fuck or an arm companion, Dong Wook offered him a sense of stability that he’d never been able to find in his life outside his small group of members and family.
Danny felt for the first time that he was capable of loving someone unconditionally as well as passionately. And if everyone in the world spent their entire lives attempting to find true love, it seemed absurd to Danny to let go of something so many others had sacrificed so much for. So this vacation with Dong Wook, often spent just lounging under the bed covers together in silence, had been something the 1Tym member had desperately wanted. No, needed.
But it was all over now. After a short session on a jet ski Danny had rented for the afternoon, the pair had returned to their vacation house only to find a note on the bed explaining that a group of men had already packed all their belongings and had transported them to the airport already. Along with the note was a set of airline tickets. One first class and one economy ticket running non-stop to Seoul.
The message was clear, come back now and keep a relative distance with each other.
“You know, it’s probably for the best. Besides I can’t afford to miss any more days of school then I already have,” Dong Wook said quietly, his head resting against the taunt stretch of Danny’s abdomen.
“That’s not it, the fact of the matter is, I get to decide when I fucking want to leave and how I want to handle the current situation,” Danny said with iron malice in his voice.
“You know that’s not true, you have to consider your group members too. It’s not fair for them that you refuse to help contain this scandal because you want to have some alone time with me,” Dong Wook reasoned.
“It’s not a scandal if it’s true,” Danny replied with sarcasm in his voice. Even still, he could tell that the comment had pleased Dong Wook who seemed to illuminate the entire room with a sense of energy that was refreshing.
“C’mon we’re going to miss our flight. Besides, I can come see you after school on the weekdays and I can even spend the nights on weekends. It won’t be that bad,” Dong Wook shrugged while getting up from the bed.
“I guess your right,” Danny mumbled as he grabbed the car keys out of his pocket and got off of the bed. Taking the two airplane tickets, he handed the first class seat to the boy.
“Your ass is bigger than mine, you need the larger seat,” Danny grinned as Dong Wook protested with a serious of whines.
“Come on, kid, lets go.”
- - - - - - - - - -
Lillian was getting a bit nervous from the way she was being scrutinized up and down by the woman and two others that were examining her as if she were some package of meat. She had signed the confidentiality agreement just a few minutes ago in order to listen to the offered contract agreement that was being presented by YG Entertainment.
A contract to go out with Danny… what kind of person in the right state of mind would’ve turned down such an opportunity?
Lillian was a relatively no-name model that had signed a contract with a junior modeling firm in hopes of making it big, but thus far she had hit a big fat zero. But Lillian Lim was an aggressive girl determined to make it big in the celebrity world, and the months of pure patience had finally paid off.
She was going to be getting her big break.
A scandal between the famous heart throb of 1Tym and herself would launch her name overnight into tabloid stardom. And of course, the money that was being offered to enter this pseudo-relationship was a pretty penny too. She was beginning to care less and less about the fine print of the agreement, her fingers were already itching.
Contracts for variety programs including YSMM, and Come Over to explain how the two had met and how long they’d been dating had all been worked into the very long piece of paper that lay so innocently in front of her.
With fierce determination, and a deadly sparkle in her eyes, Lillian signed her life away. In front, a very pleased and immaculate Janice Rhee nodded in approval.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Authors Note: Thanks for the massive support! I’m glad there are still people who are interested in the juicy goodness that is Tae7en. I’m sorry that this chapter and the previous chapter (if you can consider 5 pages of writing to be a “chapter”) doesn’t have much interaction between the two of them… but I’m still trying to work out the details and introduce all the semi-main characters in the plot. Janice, Lillian, Danny, Se7en, and a few more are on the way!
Pairing: Se7en, Danny
Rating: R for language and implied sex
Summary: Danny finds compromising pictures of himself and a high school boy splashed on every tabloid in South Korea. Janice Rhee, YG senior publicist, attempts to put together a contingency plan. Choi Dong Wook's life will be changed.
Within the past three days of media blitz, Janice Rhee and her small team of publicists had maintained a shrewd sense of order in the chaotic campaign of saving Danny’s public reputation in the nation’s news. The YG senior publicist was an infamously tireless leader whose work ethic easily rivaled the worst military drill sergeants around the world.
There was little sign of wear and tear on the woman that had been running at DEFCON five for a very long 72 hours. Her black dress suit was meticulously pressed, posh silver stilettos studded with gemstones matching the overtly large hoop earrings that dangled from her lobes. If there was a woman who could survive a tornado and still look better than presentable, it would’ve been Janice Rhee.
Flicking through the packet which lay in front of her by some unpaid intern, she waited anxiously for the CEO to arrive. There was a tense spark in the air that screamed of a policy change, a sudden shift after a long journey with unfavorable winds. Janice was confident that the contingency plan would work.
But Janice was worried that perhaps three days had been too long to put together a counterattack and that the war had already been lost. Every ticking of the minute ate at the senior publicist’s hope in gaining some sense of control over the situation.
Another precious five minutes flew by before the sound of the turning door knob brought every employee inside the conference room to rise to their feet. The opening of the door was followed by a gruff looking Yang Hyun-suk who acknowledged the presence of the publicists in the room with a wave of the hand for all of them to be seated.
No one dared to budge until the CEO took his seat and only after he’d taken his seat was there collective movement to do as the man had requested earlier.
“Alright you’ve got twenty minutes. What have you come up with Miss Rhee?” Hyun-suk asked. Janice could see that the CEO hadn’t bothered to look up from the packet of documents he was just starting to flip through.
It was always difficult maintaining the attention span of men who had to be in three places at once, but she knew if she was going to be granted full executive powers to handle this situation the way she needed to, Janice would need this meeting to go well.
“We’ve come up with multiple approaches to solve the current scandal between Danny and Choi Dong Wook. The bulk of the contingency plan is quite simple and can be executed through two channels. One is through official press releases while the other is through chatter online and fake leaks in the public relations department,” Janice said.
“Please explain what these multiple approaches are Miss Rhee,” Hyun-suk inquired, leaning back into his seat.
“The spark for this scandal began with the publishing of pictures taken by some paparazzi of Danny kissing an 18 year old boy. So in order to defuse the situation, the photographs of Danny and Dong Wook kissing have to be dealt with. We at the public relations department believe the best way to deal with these pictures are by giving them logical explanations on why the kiss wasn’t a kiss,” Janice spoke as she flipped through her presentation notes.
Janice could see the look of confusion on the CEO’s face, so she quickly picked up from where she left off to fully explain what she meant.
“In the United States, Christina Aguilera recently released a music video titled, ‘Beautiful,’ to much critical acclaim. The music video features people who are often discriminated against and are commonly socially unaccepted. It’s portrayal of a homosexual couple has earned the music video a special recognition award from the GLAAD organization for its positive message,” Janice said.
“1Tym and other artists on the YG label have often been targeted by the more conservative population of Koreans who state that the group’s hip-hop style and lyrics promote the rebelling of youths,” Janice continued.
“So given these multiple factors, I am in strong belief that the announcement of a new ballad single by Danny, featuring lyrics similar in context to the popular Aguilera song in the United States would be perfect for the current situation,” Janice finished.
Hyun-suk’s face still retained the same sense of confusion. Janice forced herself to suppress her smirk, knowing fully well that she had presented the plan without fully connecting the dots.
“I don’t follow Miss Rhee, what do pictures of Danny swapping spit with some kid have anything to do with Christina Aguilera and 1Tym’s hip-hop image?” Hyun-suk asked with an annoyed expression.
“Because we’re going to claim that the pictures taken by the paparazzi are of scenes in Danny’s unannounced solo music video for a surprise single which features a positive message for social outcasts that include homosexuals,” Janice chirped, delivering the punch line. A look of understanding and appreciation for the fine plot bloomed on the CEO’s face.
“We can claim that the paparazzi accidentally intruded in on, and took pictures of the music video shoot which includes a controversial kissing scene between two men.”
“God, that’s brilliant,” Hyun-suk chuckled.
“However, that’s just one approach we’ve thought of. Another approach is by spreading rumors through the internet and through fake department leaks that Danny is in the midst of a serious relationship. We can even leak claims that he’s thought about proposing. If we can get some paparazzi to shoot photographs of him buying a ring, it may take the public interest completely off of Choi Dong Wook, especially if they believe the kiss between him and Danny is just for an upcoming music video,” Janice stated while setting down her notes back onto the table.
“Very well then, I’ll approve of the plan and grant Janice the control of the recovery process. I want to be briefed daily regarding the situation and how the contingency plan is working. Don’t make calls you think you may regret without my permission. Is that understood,” Hyun-suk asked while standing up from his chair.
“Perfectly,” Janice replied, a Kodak moment worthy smile on her face.
“Good, I’ll have some producers begin setting up a song. You work on finding Danny a girl and draft that Dong Wook boy a contract for the music video. Make sure this gets done quickly,” Hyun-suk stated while heading towards the door.
“Of course sir, it’ll be done,” Janice replied as she watched the retreating figure of Yang Hyun-suk waltzing out of the room.
- - - - - - - - - -
Danny had always known in the back of his mind that he shouldn’t have called Janice back. However, even for a woman that was as vigorous in her work as Janice Rhee, Danny had no idea that the woman was capable of flying in an escort party to bring him back to mainland Korea.
It wasn’t that Danny didn’t care what was happening to his career. After all, this scandal not only dealt with his public image, but it affected the press coverage of his group members as well. He understood that this scandal was getting to a point of no return, where Danny would have to settle for staying out of the lime light publicly for years.
However, for the first time in his life, Danny had felt the strong need to be around someone. It wasn’t just an urge for an overnight fuck or an arm companion, Dong Wook offered him a sense of stability that he’d never been able to find in his life outside his small group of members and family.
Danny felt for the first time that he was capable of loving someone unconditionally as well as passionately. And if everyone in the world spent their entire lives attempting to find true love, it seemed absurd to Danny to let go of something so many others had sacrificed so much for. So this vacation with Dong Wook, often spent just lounging under the bed covers together in silence, had been something the 1Tym member had desperately wanted. No, needed.
But it was all over now. After a short session on a jet ski Danny had rented for the afternoon, the pair had returned to their vacation house only to find a note on the bed explaining that a group of men had already packed all their belongings and had transported them to the airport already. Along with the note was a set of airline tickets. One first class and one economy ticket running non-stop to Seoul.
The message was clear, come back now and keep a relative distance with each other.
“You know, it’s probably for the best. Besides I can’t afford to miss any more days of school then I already have,” Dong Wook said quietly, his head resting against the taunt stretch of Danny’s abdomen.
“That’s not it, the fact of the matter is, I get to decide when I fucking want to leave and how I want to handle the current situation,” Danny said with iron malice in his voice.
“You know that’s not true, you have to consider your group members too. It’s not fair for them that you refuse to help contain this scandal because you want to have some alone time with me,” Dong Wook reasoned.
“It’s not a scandal if it’s true,” Danny replied with sarcasm in his voice. Even still, he could tell that the comment had pleased Dong Wook who seemed to illuminate the entire room with a sense of energy that was refreshing.
“C’mon we’re going to miss our flight. Besides, I can come see you after school on the weekdays and I can even spend the nights on weekends. It won’t be that bad,” Dong Wook shrugged while getting up from the bed.
“I guess your right,” Danny mumbled as he grabbed the car keys out of his pocket and got off of the bed. Taking the two airplane tickets, he handed the first class seat to the boy.
“Your ass is bigger than mine, you need the larger seat,” Danny grinned as Dong Wook protested with a serious of whines.
“Come on, kid, lets go.”
- - - - - - - - - -
Lillian was getting a bit nervous from the way she was being scrutinized up and down by the woman and two others that were examining her as if she were some package of meat. She had signed the confidentiality agreement just a few minutes ago in order to listen to the offered contract agreement that was being presented by YG Entertainment.
A contract to go out with Danny… what kind of person in the right state of mind would’ve turned down such an opportunity?
Lillian was a relatively no-name model that had signed a contract with a junior modeling firm in hopes of making it big, but thus far she had hit a big fat zero. But Lillian Lim was an aggressive girl determined to make it big in the celebrity world, and the months of pure patience had finally paid off.
She was going to be getting her big break.
A scandal between the famous heart throb of 1Tym and herself would launch her name overnight into tabloid stardom. And of course, the money that was being offered to enter this pseudo-relationship was a pretty penny too. She was beginning to care less and less about the fine print of the agreement, her fingers were already itching.
Contracts for variety programs including YSMM, and Come Over to explain how the two had met and how long they’d been dating had all been worked into the very long piece of paper that lay so innocently in front of her.
With fierce determination, and a deadly sparkle in her eyes, Lillian signed her life away. In front, a very pleased and immaculate Janice Rhee nodded in approval.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Authors Note: Thanks for the massive support! I’m glad there are still people who are interested in the juicy goodness that is Tae7en. I’m sorry that this chapter and the previous chapter (if you can consider 5 pages of writing to be a “chapter”) doesn’t have much interaction between the two of them… but I’m still trying to work out the details and introduce all the semi-main characters in the plot. Janice, Lillian, Danny, Se7en, and a few more are on the way!