A Stable Love in an Unstable Society
Lee Soo Man stood in his office. He’d been pacing for many hours, especially since the last media request. The one about a Taiwanese fan creating a kissing GIF image that just happened to look like two of his best artists. Both of them being male.
But now one of the two male idols that was thought to have been in the GIF image had now gone and said, on Chinese National Television Broadcast, that the other male idol involved in the same “scandalous” image was the best lover. Sorry, “is” the best lover.
And this same male idol is well known for going through lovers like he does toilet paper. And yet he used the words “is”, not “was” or “will be”. Is. This is the cause of why there are now four very clueless idol group members sitting in his waiting room. And why he had now become suspicious.
“Come in Super Junior,” he said in a very authorative tone; Jungsu walked meekly in, holding his head low; Heechul pranced in happily - he’d been in there too many times before anyway; Donghee walked very light on his feet for such a large bodied person, the reason he’d been chosen in the first place; and Jongwoon walked only a few steps before tripping through the door.
“I believe you know why you are here?” he raised an eyebrow at the men before him, and although they were all nearly their late twenties, they seemed to have suddenly become younger in his presence. But this was no time to be nostalgic about their trainee days - although Heechul was already making him feel all the same types of exasperation as he often felt back then.
“No, sir. We have no clue.” Jungsu was not given his stage name for nothing. Nor had he been given his position of leader for nothing. Lee Soo Man could see the concentration mixed with worry that tainted his young features - flipping between trying to remember what he could’ve done wrong, and then the more concerned face of hoping the others had done nothing wrong.
“What do you all understand about your members, Cho Kyuhyun and Lee Sungmin’s, relationship?”
Jongwoon looked clueless, while Donghee kept his silence. Jungsu looked at him in the eyes with fear etching every line on his face, and Heechul just smirked.
“You called us in here to talk about fanservice?” Heechul drawled sarcastically before reclining on the chair in an almost cat like manner.
Lee Soo Man shook his head sternly. “I am questioning whether or not you know either about their “kiss” image, or the fact that only a day ago Kyuhyun named Sungmin as the best lover?”
Heechul laughed.
“The kiss image? That’s an old one from years ago. You remember when Kyuhyun just debuted? And we often get asked which member we’d date if they were a girl -“
“No Heechul, I mean the new kiss image that came up mere days ago of two men French kissing, with the participants bearing a striking resemblance to your members; and the difference that this time, the question didn’t ask for ‘if the member was a girl’. You all know of Kyuhyun’s past dating history, so why do you think that he would say that ‘Sungmin is the best boyfriend’?” He placed a lot of emphasis on the word ‘is’. The same amount that he felt needed to be justified.
Jungsu’s face turned to stone; Jongwoon looked away; Donghee found his shoe - or was it the floor? - suddenly very interesting; and then Heechul just yawned.
“How can you act so calm, Heechul?” Lee Soo Man roared; didn’t this imbecile, who had given him enough hassles over the years, understand how much of a problem this was? Even more so than the idiots habit of randomly kissing people at concerts!
“You brought us in here to rehearse a story to tell the media and deny anything KyuMin related. But seriously sir, its not us you need to talk to. It’s Kyuhyun and Sungmin. In our group there is a certain tolerance, and this includes our members’ sexual preferences; so, hypothetically, if they wanted to come out to the public, we would back them as far as we could. It’s people like you, who have to cover this sort of thing, considering it a scandal, that only fuel the netizens’ intolerance of issues like this. It’s you people who look down on someone based on their sexuality. It’s bullshit. I have nothing more to say.”
Heechul walked out of the room with all the grace of an avenging angel.
Lee Soo Man Looked to Jungsu next who merely coughed, getting to his feet. The other two soon followed.
“Sir, I’m sorry for how Heechul handled this, but…” he looked with uncertainty to his other two members, who both nodded at him. He exhaled looking more relaxed with his position. “We agree with him. If Kyuhyun and Sungmin are doing this, it’s their decision; and I will protect them until the day I die. They are the ones you need to talk with - they are grown men and I cannot make their choices for them.”
And then Lee Soo Man was back to where he started. Alone; standing in the middle of his office; still as confused.
He had no idea what to tell the media. Deny it and prove Heechul right, that he was as intolerant as the rest of society. Prove it and fear losing two of his best artists. Or to take the middle ground, neither denying or supporting the fact, but simply making an offhand statement about how if Kyuhyun and Sungmin ‘were that way’, what would it matter? They still made good music…
And then maybe later, when society was more accepting, those two could try again.
“Secretary, get me the Chinese Manager of SJM on the line,” he said in an even tone.
He’d still talk with Kyuhyun and Sungmin about this issue; it did still have to be sorted out.
But then he’d ask for the truth behind the actions…
And hopefully they would answer.
But now one of the two male idols that was thought to have been in the GIF image had now gone and said, on Chinese National Television Broadcast, that the other male idol involved in the same “scandalous” image was the best lover. Sorry, “is” the best lover.
And this same male idol is well known for going through lovers like he does toilet paper. And yet he used the words “is”, not “was” or “will be”. Is. This is the cause of why there are now four very clueless idol group members sitting in his waiting room. And why he had now become suspicious.
“Come in Super Junior,” he said in a very authorative tone; Jungsu walked meekly in, holding his head low; Heechul pranced in happily - he’d been in there too many times before anyway; Donghee walked very light on his feet for such a large bodied person, the reason he’d been chosen in the first place; and Jongwoon walked only a few steps before tripping through the door.
“I believe you know why you are here?” he raised an eyebrow at the men before him, and although they were all nearly their late twenties, they seemed to have suddenly become younger in his presence. But this was no time to be nostalgic about their trainee days - although Heechul was already making him feel all the same types of exasperation as he often felt back then.
“No, sir. We have no clue.” Jungsu was not given his stage name for nothing. Nor had he been given his position of leader for nothing. Lee Soo Man could see the concentration mixed with worry that tainted his young features - flipping between trying to remember what he could’ve done wrong, and then the more concerned face of hoping the others had done nothing wrong.
“What do you all understand about your members, Cho Kyuhyun and Lee Sungmin’s, relationship?”
Jongwoon looked clueless, while Donghee kept his silence. Jungsu looked at him in the eyes with fear etching every line on his face, and Heechul just smirked.
“You called us in here to talk about fanservice?” Heechul drawled sarcastically before reclining on the chair in an almost cat like manner.
Lee Soo Man shook his head sternly. “I am questioning whether or not you know either about their “kiss” image, or the fact that only a day ago Kyuhyun named Sungmin as the best lover?”
Heechul laughed.
“The kiss image? That’s an old one from years ago. You remember when Kyuhyun just debuted? And we often get asked which member we’d date if they were a girl -“
“No Heechul, I mean the new kiss image that came up mere days ago of two men French kissing, with the participants bearing a striking resemblance to your members; and the difference that this time, the question didn’t ask for ‘if the member was a girl’. You all know of Kyuhyun’s past dating history, so why do you think that he would say that ‘Sungmin is the best boyfriend’?” He placed a lot of emphasis on the word ‘is’. The same amount that he felt needed to be justified.
Jungsu’s face turned to stone; Jongwoon looked away; Donghee found his shoe - or was it the floor? - suddenly very interesting; and then Heechul just yawned.
“How can you act so calm, Heechul?” Lee Soo Man roared; didn’t this imbecile, who had given him enough hassles over the years, understand how much of a problem this was? Even more so than the idiots habit of randomly kissing people at concerts!
“You brought us in here to rehearse a story to tell the media and deny anything KyuMin related. But seriously sir, its not us you need to talk to. It’s Kyuhyun and Sungmin. In our group there is a certain tolerance, and this includes our members’ sexual preferences; so, hypothetically, if they wanted to come out to the public, we would back them as far as we could. It’s people like you, who have to cover this sort of thing, considering it a scandal, that only fuel the netizens’ intolerance of issues like this. It’s you people who look down on someone based on their sexuality. It’s bullshit. I have nothing more to say.”
Heechul walked out of the room with all the grace of an avenging angel.
Lee Soo Man Looked to Jungsu next who merely coughed, getting to his feet. The other two soon followed.
“Sir, I’m sorry for how Heechul handled this, but…” he looked with uncertainty to his other two members, who both nodded at him. He exhaled looking more relaxed with his position. “We agree with him. If Kyuhyun and Sungmin are doing this, it’s their decision; and I will protect them until the day I die. They are the ones you need to talk with - they are grown men and I cannot make their choices for them.”
And then Lee Soo Man was back to where he started. Alone; standing in the middle of his office; still as confused.
He had no idea what to tell the media. Deny it and prove Heechul right, that he was as intolerant as the rest of society. Prove it and fear losing two of his best artists. Or to take the middle ground, neither denying or supporting the fact, but simply making an offhand statement about how if Kyuhyun and Sungmin ‘were that way’, what would it matter? They still made good music…
And then maybe later, when society was more accepting, those two could try again.
“Secretary, get me the Chinese Manager of SJM on the line,” he said in an even tone.
He’d still talk with Kyuhyun and Sungmin about this issue; it did still have to be sorted out.
But then he’d ask for the truth behind the actions…
And hopefully they would answer.