I'll Be Good For You, Ch. 4
Previously:
Chapter 1: Here's to the Night
Chapter 2: Maneater
Chapter 3: Know Your Enemy
Disclaimer: The A.N.JELL-verse belongs to the Hong sisters, creators of You're Beautiful. Superman belongs to DC Comics and Lord Stow's Bakery to its stockholders. The Gorillaz and Taecyeon of 2PM belong to themselves.
Technical Notes: I got "Iron Horse" from when I was living in California. I think it was the Native Americans' term for trains and thought it would make a cool name for a rock band. Shin-woo thinks so, too.
Author's Notes: Thank you, as always, to akaironoyoru and lilivanilla1 for reviewing! I hope you're not finding these chapters too draggy - I thought the interviews were a good opportunity to write down some of my own thoughts on the A.N.JELL members' personalities and relationships with each other. The action will pick up in the next chapter, I promise!
Chapter Four - I Just Wanna Live (Good Charlotte)
Oh-lan supposed that Tae-kyung had warned his bandmates that she wasn't going to stand for any nonsense; or, perhaps, Shin-woo was just being his polite, obliging self. At any rate, her second interviewee looked like he intended to behave himself and let her run the show.
"Let's talk about your role in A.N.JELL," she began when he took a seat in her office. "Everyone knows that you play lead guitar and sometimes do vocals."
"That's right," Shin-woo confirmed.
"But offstage, in the studio," Oh-lan continued, "I've noticed that you spend a lot of time acting as a go-between for Tae-kyung and the rest of the band. If he is A.N.JELL's leader, do you see yourself as second-in-command?"
"Oh, no." He shook his head modestly. "It's just that when I see that the band doesn't understand each other, or one of the others is feeling down, I feel the need to do something about it."
She nodded and made some notes. "Could you give me some examples?" she asked.
The guitarist paused thoughtfully, as if choosing his words. "About being a go-between for Tae-kyung and the others... we've worked together for years, but the work that we do changes all the time, so even after all this time, we still need to make sure that we understand his instructions completely. I just try to make sure that happens. I might not always get what Tae-kyung is trying to say, but asking questions is the best way to fix that and move forward."
"It is," Oh-lan agreed with a smile. "I should know; I'm a reporter. Now, how about when one of your bandmates is feeling down?"
"Well, if they're feeling bad, then it's only right that I try to cheer them up," Shin-woo said with a shrug. "Not only should all of A.N.JELL understand each other, but we have to be motivated to work hard. Besides," he added, "they're like brothers to me. I don't like seeing them sad."
"And who cheers you up?"
He grinned. "My bandmates do. A.N.JELL is a family and like any family, we have our misunderstandings, but we have great times, too. And even if we're really busy in the studio and don't have much time for joking around, just seeing us all do our best for each other is enough for me. I'm happiest when A.N.JELL is working well together."
"Tae-kyung mentioned that while he comes up with the basic idea for a song, all of you work together to come up with the final version. Could you tell me a little about how that works?"
"He more or less said it all, really," Shin-woo said. "Tae-kyung writes a song, plays it for all of us and we critique it. Then we play it as a band and figure out if there's anything we could do to make the song better. You've seen us do that. But sometimes," he added, "we get the chance to add a little more, like a rap or an instrumental solo. Or maybe even sing lead."
Oh-lan nodded. "I checked and saw that you've done quite a bit of all that for A.N.JELL," she noted. "Including writing songs. Are you working on anything new for this album?"
He shook his head. "I've written some new songs, but they're much more rock-oriented and don't really fit in with A.N.JELL's image or the concept of the new album. I'm still interested in going in that direction, though, so I'm still writing."
"That's good. Will you release any of them as a solo single?"
Shin-woo paused. "Can this be off the record?" he asked after a moment.
"We don't have to talk about that if you'd rather not," she replied slowly. She wished she could have just said yes because she was curious and wanted him to keep talking, but he was entitled to choose whether or not to talk at all.
"I don't mind telling you about it, but I'd rather not have this information publicized just yet."
Oh-lan nodded. "All right. You have my word that whatever you say next is off the record." As a gesture of good faith, she turned off her recorder.
"Thank you," he said with a smile. "My bandmates have agreed to help me record my songs and I'll be releasing them, but not under my name. At this point, we're not sure yet how the public would react to a new sound, and I don't want to affect A.N.JELL's image in any way.
"We're going to release them as a group called Iron Horse," Shin-woo confided. "The launch won't be on the same scale as A.N.JELL - it's going to be very low-profile, like an amateur independent band just getting started."
"That sounds very cool," Oh-lan said with an approving nod. "Maybe you can even create fictitious personas for Iron Horse, like the Gorillaz. That might make things more interesting."
He grinned. "It would be fun to be someone else for a while," he agreed. "I'll tell the other guys about it; I bet they'll like the idea, too."
"Making up characters would be awesome!" Jeremy said enthusiastically. "Can mine have big muscles and a ponytail?"
The members of A.N.JELL were sitting in a private dressing room, waiting to go out for a meet-and-greet as part of an AN Entertainment showcase that would also mark the debut of a new group. To help kill time, Shin-woo had told his bandmates about his interview, including the writer's suggestion.
"Sure, whatever you want," the guitarist laughed, and nodded to the others. "The same goes for you guys, too."
"Go Mi-nam, your character can be a girl," Tae-kyung suggested slyly.
He made a face. "Very funny, brother-in-law. Hey, aren't we supposed to be out there socializing with the media or something?"
The vocalist laughed. "The only time I see you eager to get to work is when you don't want to admit that I won one of our arguments."
"What's the name of that rookie group again?" Jeremy asked.
"They're called ROKx," Shin-woo told him, the band's name sounding like the word "rocks." As always, he had done his homework. "And if anyone asks, 'Silent Girl' is your favorite track from their mini-album."
The drummer laughed. "I like silent girls, period!"
"Really?" Mi-nam asked, arching an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe."
"Shut up, Go Mi-nam!"
Tae-kyung shook his head and got to his feet. "We should probably head out there before you two kill each other," he said. "I don't want to have to explain to the press, President Ahn and Mi-nyeo why A.N.JELL only has two members left."
Apart from the meet-and-greet, the showcase also involved a short press conference introducing ROKx to the public and performances by AN Entertainment artists. It was a combination PR and marketing event, to sell the media on the management company's talents and the music that they were going to release.
Like all of the other women reporters present, Oh-lan was wearing a business suit and sensible heels. She was sure that she would completely blend in with the background, but the members of A.N.JELL spotted her (or else they were obligated to speak to all the journalists in the room) and went over to pay their respects.
"Good evening, Reporter Park," Tae-kyung greeted with a polite bow. His bandmates followed suit. "We're glad you could come tonight."
"I'm happy to be here," she replied, even as she privately thought that she didn't have a choice in the matter. That night, she was doing double duty, covering the event for Inside Showbiz as well as gathering material for the A.N.JELL book.
Jeremy peered at her, his nose wrinking slightly. "You look like my nanny when I was eight."
"I think you mean that Reporter Park looks very professional," Shin-woo corrected him with a gentle nudge.
Oh-lan chuckled and waved off the blond boy's comment. "Well, I think all of you look very nice as well," she said. Having observed the band behind the scenes, she was used to seeing them in more casual clothes. That night, they were wearing more polished, coordinated outfits. "Will you be performing later?"
The guitarist nodded. "All the acts managed by AN Entertainment are supposed to perform tonight, except Yang Jae-min, who's touring right now."
"We'll be going last," Jeremy added helpfully.
"Of course," she said. As AN Entertainment's most successful talent, A.N.JELL would naturally provide the grand finale. "I'll watch out for that, then. I'm sure you'll do very well later."
Oh-lan took her leave of the band not long after and, pausing to exchange pleasantries with colleagues and get quotes from the other celebrities in attendance, made her way to a spot near a very large ROKx poster. From there, she watched A.N.JELL work the room with the confidence that could only come from years of experience. Well, she amended, three of them had years of experience; Go Mi-nam, though relatively new to the game, kept pace with his bandmates thanks to his supreme self-assurance and natural charm.
At least, he would if he spent more time engaging with the media, and less time flirting with the girls, she thought dryly as she spied him chatting up a pretty young music-channel reporter in a very short skirt. There was no harm in what he was doing - after all, it was only human to enjoy the perks of fame - but really, it was quite unproductive.
"Yeah, it was fun," Jeremy said on the ride home from the showcase. He was speaking to Su-jin on his cell phone, and the others were exchanging amused looks and trying not to eavesdrop. "I wish I could have brought you as my date, though.... No, really!... On second thought, you might've become too starstruck and ignored your boyfriend because of all the other celebrities around- hey, I am too your boyfriend!"
Mi-nam rolled his eyes. Trust Jeremy to mess things up in no time, he thought. Deciding to leave the drummer to his own devices, he turned to Tae-kyung and Shin-woo. "So, I have a date tomorrow after our recording session," he boasted with a grin.
"Oh, yeah?" Shin-woo asked. "With whom?"
"Taecyeon of 2PM?" Jeremy squawked, still on the phone. "He is not cuter than me!"
"One of the backup dancers who performed right before we did," Mi-nam told his bandmate. "The one with the long hair and short shorts."
"He looks like a horse!" Jeremy exclaimed.
"I'm pretty sure her name's Hyang-soon," the keyboardist continued.
"Sounds like a match made in heaven," Tae-kyung murmured dryly.
"But aren't you supposed to have your interview with Reporter Park tomorrow?" Shin-woo reminded him.
That brought Mi-nam up short. "Oh, crap."
The guitarist smiled sympathetically. "I'd offer to trade with you, but I already had my interview the other day."
"I've already had mine, too," Tae-kyung added. "You switched with me first, remember?"
That meant Jeremy was Mi-nam's last hope. "Yes, we're meeting in Myeongdong on Saturday!" his last hope was insisting to his cell phone. "Oh, sure, you're saying no right now, but I bet you're still going to show up anyway!"
That made the keyboardist cringe. If there was a way to guarantee a no-show, that was it, but he didn't bother correcting Jeremy. He had other, bigger problems right now. "Hey, Jeremy! Get off the phone! I need to ask you something!"
Jeremy glared and tried to ignore him, but Mi-nam started shaking his arm and that was really annoying. "Argh, Mi-nam is bugging me!" he told Su-jin. "I'll call you back! Bye! This had better be important," he growled after hanging up.
"It is. You see, I have a date tomorrow," the keyboardist began.
"So?"
"So, I'm also supposed to have my interview with the writer tomorrow and I can't possibly go to both at the same time." He managed a smirk. "Contrary to public opinion, I'm not Superman."
"So?" Jeremy repeated, frowning. "What does that have to do with me?"
Mi-nam tried to keep the exasperation from his voice. He was trying to ask a favor, after all. "So," he said, "I can't meet with Reporter Park, but she needs someone to interview, and you're the only other one she hasn't spoken with yet."
"And you need me to take your place, right?" Finally catching on, the blond boy laughed, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "This is rich!"
"Come on, please say you'll do it!" the keyboardist pleaded. "I'll do all your chores!"
"We have a cleaning lady come in once a week," Jeremy said unsympathetically. "We don't have chores."
"But this might be The One!"
"I've heard you say that about the last dozen girls you've dated."
"Me, too," Shin-woo said.
"Shin-woo hyung, please don't help," Mi-nam groaned.
Chuckling, the guitarist did as he was told and turned his attentions to Tae-kyung. "You should probably take lessons from Jeremy on how to resist Mi-nam when he's trying to get you to do something for him."
It was a good thing that Tae-kyung decided not to take Shin-woo's advice, because it turned out that Mi-nam's persistence (or his nefarious methods, no one could ever be sure) eventually wore Jeremy down, and the next day, it was the disgruntled-looking blond boy appeared in the writer's office for an interview.
Oh-lan looked at him in surprise. "Was it you I scheduled for today?"
"No, noona," Jeremy told her. "It was supposed to be Go Mi-nam, but something came up and he can't make it today. I'm here in his place."
"Oh." She spoke slowly, surprised both by the sudden change in plans and the fact that he had called her "noona." The nickname wasn't unwelcome; it was just that his bandmates all still tended to address her more formally. "Well, most of the questions I prepared were for him, but I have some for you already. I suppose we can start with those and see where this interview goes."
"OK, but I don't want to have the interview here. Let's go somewhere else."
"Somewhere else" turned out to be an ice cream parlor not far from AN Entertainment headquarters, where Jeremy waved off her protests and ordered double-scoop sundaes for the both of them. "You should eat more," he told her. "Look at you, you're so skinny!"
"You sound like my father," Oh-lan said, shaking her head, as they took a quiet table in the back. Since it was getting rather late in the evening and the parlor was located on a quiet street, they probably wouldn't have to worry about interruptions.
"He's obviously a wise man." He spooned up the cherry off his own sundae and popped it into his mouth. "You should listen to him."
She laughed briefly and turned on her trusty recorder. "You're a bit of a health buff, aren't you?" she asked, trying to steer the discussion back to him.
"Well, I like having lots of energy," Jeremy answered. "So I try to make sure I can keep it up, especially when we're on tour and doing shows practically every night. And I know this isn't healthy," he added, nodding towards his ice cream. "I watch what I eat, but still let myself have treats every now and then."
"Do you think it's this high energy that got you into playing the drums?"
He pondered this, his entire face wrinkling in deep thought. "Yeah, I think so. That, and my good sense of rhythm. Of course, my bandmates have good rhythm, too, but they can't play drums like I can. I'm the best dancer in A.N.JELL, too."
"Are you really?" Oh-lan asked with a smile. Jeremy seemed to have a very healthy opinion of himself, but he said these things as though they were facts, without the slightest trace of arrogance in his voice.
The blond boy nodded. "I bet if we danced instead of playing instruments, and being the oldest wasn't important, then maybe I'd be the leader of the group."
"Do you want to be the leader of A.N.JELL?"
"Hmmm..." After a few moments' of thinking, he shook his head. "No. I know that being a leader isn't just about being the oldest or most popular member of the group. Tae-kyung hyung works very hard, writing songs, talking to reporters and stuff like that. If I were leader, I'd try my best to do those things, but I don't think I could do them as well as he does."
"You seem to admire him a lot."
"I do!" Jeremy said fervently. "I am a big fan of both my hyungs. They're the best!"
"And what about Go Mi-nam?" Oh-lan asked with a small smile. Based on her observations, there seemed to be a love-hate relationship going on between the two youngest A.N.JELL members.
He wrinkled his nose playfully, but laughed. "It's hard to say if I'm a fan of his because we haven't worked with each other for very long, but Mi-nam is pretty cool. I know you've seen us insult and play jokes on each other, but that's just something that guys do. We're the same age, so I don't have to worry so much about being formal with him." He grinned. "It's fun having someone in A.N.JELL to do silly things like that with."
Suddenly, a guarded expression crossed Jeremy's face. "But don't tell him I said that."
"It might be in the book," she told him truthfully.
"That's fine, but just don't tell him I said that."
Oh-lan paused. That did not make the least bit of sense, but he was a client and she did want to move on with the interview. "All right..." she said slowly. "Shall we talk about something else, then?"
A few days later, there was a knock on A.N.JELL's front door. "I'll get it," Mi-nam announced, shuffling through the living room.
When he opened the door, he found a very tall girl standing on the doorstep. "Delivery from Lord Stow's Bakery!" she announced with a bright smile that could otherwise be found on quite a few billboards and print ads all over Korea.
He grinned. "Ha-neul! Welcome back! Come on in!"
"Thanks," So Ha-neul replied, pulling her suitcase, which had two plastic bags full of yellow bakery cartons tied to the handle, through the door. "Is everyone home?"
"Yeah, everyone's here," he told her, and called out over his shoulder, "Hey, Shin-woo hyung! Special delivery for you!"
"I know," Shin-woo answered as he walked into the living room. "Ha-neul called me from the airport." He smiled at his girlfriend and pulled her in for a hug. "Hi, Ha-neul. Welcome back."
"I'm happy to be back," she said, burying her face in his shoulder. "I missed you, oppa."
"Ugh, get a room, you two," Mi-nam teased. He was glad to see his bandmate so happy, especially after what the two of them had gone through on the way to couple-hood, but he really didn't need to watch any public displays of affection.
Shin-woo wrinkled his nose at the other boy over Ha-neul's shoulder, then drew back to regard her carefully. "You look a little tired," he observed, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Did you get enough rest in Macau?"
"Yes, I did," she assured him. "It's probably just that I came straight here from the airport."
"Come, let's go to the kitchen and I'll make you some tea."
"Me, too?" Mi-nam asked hopefully.
"Yes," the guitarist laughed. "You, too."
Soon, everyone was gathered in the kitchen, drinking tea and eating the egg tarts Ha-neul had brought from Macau. "You guys can eat them all," she said them. "The ones for my dad and Su-jin are in that other bag."
"Su-jin's not coming?" Jeremy asked, disappointed.
She shook her head ruefully. "Sorry, Jeremy. I called her to ask if she wanted to come here, but she said she has to do something for her mother today."
The blond boy pouted for a few moments, then shrugged as he realized there was a bright side to the situation. "I guess that means I can eat these three tarts instead of saving them for her."
Tae-kyung grabbed one. "Hey, if those aren't Su-jin's, then they're communal property."
"I thought you said eggs didn't agree with you," Shin-woo said, looking amused.
"I didn't say I was allergic."
"So, how have you guys been?" Ha-neul asked them. "How's that book project coming along? Has the writer interviewed you yet, Shin-woo?"
"Yes. I think she's interviewed everyone except Mi-nam." He grinned at the keyboardist. "But you're finally having your interview tomorrow, right?"
"I was supposed to," Mi-nam answered, grinning back, "but then Reporter Park had to postpone. Something about having to do another assignment."
Tae-kyung chuckled briefly. "Perhaps, Mi-nam, you weren't destined to be interviewed for this book," he said. "Maybe the writer will have to make up information about you instead."
That wasn't true, of course. Mi-nam's interview finally pushed through a few days later, if about twenty minutes behind schedule.
"Sorry I'm late," he said as he swaggered into the writer's office. He saw her sitting on the couch, garbed in her usual black, and for a brief moment, he felt as though he were eleven years old again, being summoned to explain to Mother Superior why the statues in the garden were all wearing bras.
She looked up and, seeing that it was him, put aside the book that she had been reading. "It's all right," she told him with a polite smile. "Please sit down."
Mi-nam flopped onto the other end of the couch. "Are you using that for inspiration?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at the book. Judging from its size and very colorful cover, it was more for schoolchildren than career girls.
"Hmm?" She glanced back at her book and colored slightly. "Oh, no. I was just taking a break and doing some... very light reading."
He smirked. "OK, if you say so."
Oh-lan watched him stretch out his legs and lounge in his seat. His suave, reckless air was a stark contrast to his delicate, almost feminine features. It would have been interesting to ask if he purposely cultivated that attitude to come across as more masculine, if such a question didn't seem so insulting. "Do you like to read?" she asked instead.
"Me?" He laughed briefly. "No, not really. Sorry. I mean, I read magazines like yours," Mi-nam explained quickly, "but I don't really read serious stuff, like books." He nodded towards the one she had just put away.
"Why not?"
He looked at her blankly. "Because... I just don't," he said. Judging from his tone of voice, he obviously didn't know what this had to do with anything.
"If you can read a magazine, then you can just as easily read a book, right?" Oh-lan pressed.
"No, you can't," he told her after a thoughtful pause. "Sure, I know how to read, but it's not as easy to put down a book, and I'm much too busy to read books these days."
"Much too busy recording and fulfilling all your business commitments?"
"Yeah, that, and... other things." Mi-nam grinned when the writer raised an eyebrow. He could tell that she knew what he meant.
Suddenly, she stopped writing. "My pen's out of ink," she complained, scratching at the paper.
"Why do you still take notes when you're recording the interview anyway?" he asked.
"The recording is just backup, to make sure I don't misquote you. Besides, I like to write down ideas while I'm interviewing." She rummaged through her bag for another pen, making an impatient noise when she couldn't find one.
"There's a pen in your hair," he reminded her, even though he still thought it was dumb to have to write stuff down. If he got this interview out of the way quickly enough, maybe he could still take that cute trainee out on a date.
"Oh, right." She reached up and pulled it out, making another impatient noise when the action undid her scruffy bun and sent masses of wavy, wiry hair tumbling around her face.
Mi-nam laughed. Who knew that such a small person could have so much hair? "Here," he said, pulling a hair tie from his pocket and sliding it across the table at her. His own hair was much shorter than hers, but it was still long enough to need tying every so often.
"Thank you." Accepting the elastic band, the writer quickly got her hair out of the way and returned to the matter at hand. "So," she said briskly, "can you tell me a little about those 'other things' that are keeping you busy?"
"I think you already have an idea of what those are."
He had a tellingly cocky smirk on his face. "I suppose you're talking about girls?" Oh-lan asked. "Does that make our conversation off the record now?"
"I don't mind talking about them," he told her. He shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a faintly diabolical gleam in his eyes, as though daring her to take the interview in that direction.
She met his gaze squarely. It wasn't directly relevant to the focus of the book, but a discussion on dating could provide insight into Mi-nam's personality. (However flawed it is, she thought dryly.) Furthermore, as ashamed as she was to admit it, it might be sensational enough to help sell copies of the book.
"All right," Oh-lan said finally, "we'll talk about it." President Ahn could make the final decision. "How do you find the time to date, given all your obligations with A.N.JELL?"
"Well," he began, "if you want to be able to do what you want, you have to make the time for it." He grinned and linked his hands behind his head. "And you have to keep an eye out for the right opportunities. You'll never know when you'll meet someone nice."
She nodded non-comittally and jotted down a few notes. From the sound of it, Mi-nam was seeing more than one girl, or he was going through them like peanuts. "Aren't you concerned about what your fans might think if they find out about this?" she asked.
Mi-nam shrugged again. "I think that real fans, like real friends, would want their idols to be happy. A.N.JELL really appreciates our fans' support, but we're people, too. We like pretty girls and get lonely, just like normal guys."
Just then, he realized that he was referring not just to himself, but to all his bandmates, and hoped that the writer wouldn't catch on. "Besides," he added, "I'm not really looking to settle down with any one girl right now, so who knows? Maybe I'll date a fan someday." He laughed. "They should be happy about that, right?"
"I suppose so."
The writer didn't show any expression, but Mi-nam was picking up some pretty disapproving vibes from her. That didn't matter, he thought. He didn't mind if she thought he was some irresponsible womanizer. Liking girls was part of who he was, anyway. She didn't need to know about the rest.
Chapter 1: Here's to the Night
Chapter 2: Maneater
Chapter 3: Know Your Enemy
Disclaimer: The A.N.JELL-verse belongs to the Hong sisters, creators of You're Beautiful. Superman belongs to DC Comics and Lord Stow's Bakery to its stockholders. The Gorillaz and Taecyeon of 2PM belong to themselves.
Technical Notes: I got "Iron Horse" from when I was living in California. I think it was the Native Americans' term for trains and thought it would make a cool name for a rock band. Shin-woo thinks so, too.
Author's Notes: Thank you, as always, to akaironoyoru and lilivanilla1 for reviewing! I hope you're not finding these chapters too draggy - I thought the interviews were a good opportunity to write down some of my own thoughts on the A.N.JELL members' personalities and relationships with each other. The action will pick up in the next chapter, I promise!
Chapter Four - I Just Wanna Live (Good Charlotte)
Oh-lan supposed that Tae-kyung had warned his bandmates that she wasn't going to stand for any nonsense; or, perhaps, Shin-woo was just being his polite, obliging self. At any rate, her second interviewee looked like he intended to behave himself and let her run the show.
"Let's talk about your role in A.N.JELL," she began when he took a seat in her office. "Everyone knows that you play lead guitar and sometimes do vocals."
"That's right," Shin-woo confirmed.
"But offstage, in the studio," Oh-lan continued, "I've noticed that you spend a lot of time acting as a go-between for Tae-kyung and the rest of the band. If he is A.N.JELL's leader, do you see yourself as second-in-command?"
"Oh, no." He shook his head modestly. "It's just that when I see that the band doesn't understand each other, or one of the others is feeling down, I feel the need to do something about it."
She nodded and made some notes. "Could you give me some examples?" she asked.
The guitarist paused thoughtfully, as if choosing his words. "About being a go-between for Tae-kyung and the others... we've worked together for years, but the work that we do changes all the time, so even after all this time, we still need to make sure that we understand his instructions completely. I just try to make sure that happens. I might not always get what Tae-kyung is trying to say, but asking questions is the best way to fix that and move forward."
"It is," Oh-lan agreed with a smile. "I should know; I'm a reporter. Now, how about when one of your bandmates is feeling down?"
"Well, if they're feeling bad, then it's only right that I try to cheer them up," Shin-woo said with a shrug. "Not only should all of A.N.JELL understand each other, but we have to be motivated to work hard. Besides," he added, "they're like brothers to me. I don't like seeing them sad."
"And who cheers you up?"
He grinned. "My bandmates do. A.N.JELL is a family and like any family, we have our misunderstandings, but we have great times, too. And even if we're really busy in the studio and don't have much time for joking around, just seeing us all do our best for each other is enough for me. I'm happiest when A.N.JELL is working well together."
"Tae-kyung mentioned that while he comes up with the basic idea for a song, all of you work together to come up with the final version. Could you tell me a little about how that works?"
"He more or less said it all, really," Shin-woo said. "Tae-kyung writes a song, plays it for all of us and we critique it. Then we play it as a band and figure out if there's anything we could do to make the song better. You've seen us do that. But sometimes," he added, "we get the chance to add a little more, like a rap or an instrumental solo. Or maybe even sing lead."
Oh-lan nodded. "I checked and saw that you've done quite a bit of all that for A.N.JELL," she noted. "Including writing songs. Are you working on anything new for this album?"
He shook his head. "I've written some new songs, but they're much more rock-oriented and don't really fit in with A.N.JELL's image or the concept of the new album. I'm still interested in going in that direction, though, so I'm still writing."
"That's good. Will you release any of them as a solo single?"
Shin-woo paused. "Can this be off the record?" he asked after a moment.
"We don't have to talk about that if you'd rather not," she replied slowly. She wished she could have just said yes because she was curious and wanted him to keep talking, but he was entitled to choose whether or not to talk at all.
"I don't mind telling you about it, but I'd rather not have this information publicized just yet."
Oh-lan nodded. "All right. You have my word that whatever you say next is off the record." As a gesture of good faith, she turned off her recorder.
"Thank you," he said with a smile. "My bandmates have agreed to help me record my songs and I'll be releasing them, but not under my name. At this point, we're not sure yet how the public would react to a new sound, and I don't want to affect A.N.JELL's image in any way.
"We're going to release them as a group called Iron Horse," Shin-woo confided. "The launch won't be on the same scale as A.N.JELL - it's going to be very low-profile, like an amateur independent band just getting started."
"That sounds very cool," Oh-lan said with an approving nod. "Maybe you can even create fictitious personas for Iron Horse, like the Gorillaz. That might make things more interesting."
He grinned. "It would be fun to be someone else for a while," he agreed. "I'll tell the other guys about it; I bet they'll like the idea, too."
"Making up characters would be awesome!" Jeremy said enthusiastically. "Can mine have big muscles and a ponytail?"
The members of A.N.JELL were sitting in a private dressing room, waiting to go out for a meet-and-greet as part of an AN Entertainment showcase that would also mark the debut of a new group. To help kill time, Shin-woo had told his bandmates about his interview, including the writer's suggestion.
"Sure, whatever you want," the guitarist laughed, and nodded to the others. "The same goes for you guys, too."
"Go Mi-nam, your character can be a girl," Tae-kyung suggested slyly.
He made a face. "Very funny, brother-in-law. Hey, aren't we supposed to be out there socializing with the media or something?"
The vocalist laughed. "The only time I see you eager to get to work is when you don't want to admit that I won one of our arguments."
"What's the name of that rookie group again?" Jeremy asked.
"They're called ROKx," Shin-woo told him, the band's name sounding like the word "rocks." As always, he had done his homework. "And if anyone asks, 'Silent Girl' is your favorite track from their mini-album."
The drummer laughed. "I like silent girls, period!"
"Really?" Mi-nam asked, arching an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe."
"Shut up, Go Mi-nam!"
Tae-kyung shook his head and got to his feet. "We should probably head out there before you two kill each other," he said. "I don't want to have to explain to the press, President Ahn and Mi-nyeo why A.N.JELL only has two members left."
Apart from the meet-and-greet, the showcase also involved a short press conference introducing ROKx to the public and performances by AN Entertainment artists. It was a combination PR and marketing event, to sell the media on the management company's talents and the music that they were going to release.
Like all of the other women reporters present, Oh-lan was wearing a business suit and sensible heels. She was sure that she would completely blend in with the background, but the members of A.N.JELL spotted her (or else they were obligated to speak to all the journalists in the room) and went over to pay their respects.
"Good evening, Reporter Park," Tae-kyung greeted with a polite bow. His bandmates followed suit. "We're glad you could come tonight."
"I'm happy to be here," she replied, even as she privately thought that she didn't have a choice in the matter. That night, she was doing double duty, covering the event for Inside Showbiz as well as gathering material for the A.N.JELL book.
Jeremy peered at her, his nose wrinking slightly. "You look like my nanny when I was eight."
"I think you mean that Reporter Park looks very professional," Shin-woo corrected him with a gentle nudge.
Oh-lan chuckled and waved off the blond boy's comment. "Well, I think all of you look very nice as well," she said. Having observed the band behind the scenes, she was used to seeing them in more casual clothes. That night, they were wearing more polished, coordinated outfits. "Will you be performing later?"
The guitarist nodded. "All the acts managed by AN Entertainment are supposed to perform tonight, except Yang Jae-min, who's touring right now."
"We'll be going last," Jeremy added helpfully.
"Of course," she said. As AN Entertainment's most successful talent, A.N.JELL would naturally provide the grand finale. "I'll watch out for that, then. I'm sure you'll do very well later."
Oh-lan took her leave of the band not long after and, pausing to exchange pleasantries with colleagues and get quotes from the other celebrities in attendance, made her way to a spot near a very large ROKx poster. From there, she watched A.N.JELL work the room with the confidence that could only come from years of experience. Well, she amended, three of them had years of experience; Go Mi-nam, though relatively new to the game, kept pace with his bandmates thanks to his supreme self-assurance and natural charm.
At least, he would if he spent more time engaging with the media, and less time flirting with the girls, she thought dryly as she spied him chatting up a pretty young music-channel reporter in a very short skirt. There was no harm in what he was doing - after all, it was only human to enjoy the perks of fame - but really, it was quite unproductive.
"Yeah, it was fun," Jeremy said on the ride home from the showcase. He was speaking to Su-jin on his cell phone, and the others were exchanging amused looks and trying not to eavesdrop. "I wish I could have brought you as my date, though.... No, really!... On second thought, you might've become too starstruck and ignored your boyfriend because of all the other celebrities around- hey, I am too your boyfriend!"
Mi-nam rolled his eyes. Trust Jeremy to mess things up in no time, he thought. Deciding to leave the drummer to his own devices, he turned to Tae-kyung and Shin-woo. "So, I have a date tomorrow after our recording session," he boasted with a grin.
"Oh, yeah?" Shin-woo asked. "With whom?"
"Taecyeon of 2PM?" Jeremy squawked, still on the phone. "He is not cuter than me!"
"One of the backup dancers who performed right before we did," Mi-nam told his bandmate. "The one with the long hair and short shorts."
"He looks like a horse!" Jeremy exclaimed.
"I'm pretty sure her name's Hyang-soon," the keyboardist continued.
"Sounds like a match made in heaven," Tae-kyung murmured dryly.
"But aren't you supposed to have your interview with Reporter Park tomorrow?" Shin-woo reminded him.
That brought Mi-nam up short. "Oh, crap."
The guitarist smiled sympathetically. "I'd offer to trade with you, but I already had my interview the other day."
"I've already had mine, too," Tae-kyung added. "You switched with me first, remember?"
That meant Jeremy was Mi-nam's last hope. "Yes, we're meeting in Myeongdong on Saturday!" his last hope was insisting to his cell phone. "Oh, sure, you're saying no right now, but I bet you're still going to show up anyway!"
That made the keyboardist cringe. If there was a way to guarantee a no-show, that was it, but he didn't bother correcting Jeremy. He had other, bigger problems right now. "Hey, Jeremy! Get off the phone! I need to ask you something!"
Jeremy glared and tried to ignore him, but Mi-nam started shaking his arm and that was really annoying. "Argh, Mi-nam is bugging me!" he told Su-jin. "I'll call you back! Bye! This had better be important," he growled after hanging up.
"It is. You see, I have a date tomorrow," the keyboardist began.
"So?"
"So, I'm also supposed to have my interview with the writer tomorrow and I can't possibly go to both at the same time." He managed a smirk. "Contrary to public opinion, I'm not Superman."
"So?" Jeremy repeated, frowning. "What does that have to do with me?"
Mi-nam tried to keep the exasperation from his voice. He was trying to ask a favor, after all. "So," he said, "I can't meet with Reporter Park, but she needs someone to interview, and you're the only other one she hasn't spoken with yet."
"And you need me to take your place, right?" Finally catching on, the blond boy laughed, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "This is rich!"
"Come on, please say you'll do it!" the keyboardist pleaded. "I'll do all your chores!"
"We have a cleaning lady come in once a week," Jeremy said unsympathetically. "We don't have chores."
"But this might be The One!"
"I've heard you say that about the last dozen girls you've dated."
"Me, too," Shin-woo said.
"Shin-woo hyung, please don't help," Mi-nam groaned.
Chuckling, the guitarist did as he was told and turned his attentions to Tae-kyung. "You should probably take lessons from Jeremy on how to resist Mi-nam when he's trying to get you to do something for him."
It was a good thing that Tae-kyung decided not to take Shin-woo's advice, because it turned out that Mi-nam's persistence (or his nefarious methods, no one could ever be sure) eventually wore Jeremy down, and the next day, it was the disgruntled-looking blond boy appeared in the writer's office for an interview.
Oh-lan looked at him in surprise. "Was it you I scheduled for today?"
"No, noona," Jeremy told her. "It was supposed to be Go Mi-nam, but something came up and he can't make it today. I'm here in his place."
"Oh." She spoke slowly, surprised both by the sudden change in plans and the fact that he had called her "noona." The nickname wasn't unwelcome; it was just that his bandmates all still tended to address her more formally. "Well, most of the questions I prepared were for him, but I have some for you already. I suppose we can start with those and see where this interview goes."
"OK, but I don't want to have the interview here. Let's go somewhere else."
"Somewhere else" turned out to be an ice cream parlor not far from AN Entertainment headquarters, where Jeremy waved off her protests and ordered double-scoop sundaes for the both of them. "You should eat more," he told her. "Look at you, you're so skinny!"
"You sound like my father," Oh-lan said, shaking her head, as they took a quiet table in the back. Since it was getting rather late in the evening and the parlor was located on a quiet street, they probably wouldn't have to worry about interruptions.
"He's obviously a wise man." He spooned up the cherry off his own sundae and popped it into his mouth. "You should listen to him."
She laughed briefly and turned on her trusty recorder. "You're a bit of a health buff, aren't you?" she asked, trying to steer the discussion back to him.
"Well, I like having lots of energy," Jeremy answered. "So I try to make sure I can keep it up, especially when we're on tour and doing shows practically every night. And I know this isn't healthy," he added, nodding towards his ice cream. "I watch what I eat, but still let myself have treats every now and then."
"Do you think it's this high energy that got you into playing the drums?"
He pondered this, his entire face wrinkling in deep thought. "Yeah, I think so. That, and my good sense of rhythm. Of course, my bandmates have good rhythm, too, but they can't play drums like I can. I'm the best dancer in A.N.JELL, too."
"Are you really?" Oh-lan asked with a smile. Jeremy seemed to have a very healthy opinion of himself, but he said these things as though they were facts, without the slightest trace of arrogance in his voice.
The blond boy nodded. "I bet if we danced instead of playing instruments, and being the oldest wasn't important, then maybe I'd be the leader of the group."
"Do you want to be the leader of A.N.JELL?"
"Hmmm..." After a few moments' of thinking, he shook his head. "No. I know that being a leader isn't just about being the oldest or most popular member of the group. Tae-kyung hyung works very hard, writing songs, talking to reporters and stuff like that. If I were leader, I'd try my best to do those things, but I don't think I could do them as well as he does."
"You seem to admire him a lot."
"I do!" Jeremy said fervently. "I am a big fan of both my hyungs. They're the best!"
"And what about Go Mi-nam?" Oh-lan asked with a small smile. Based on her observations, there seemed to be a love-hate relationship going on between the two youngest A.N.JELL members.
He wrinkled his nose playfully, but laughed. "It's hard to say if I'm a fan of his because we haven't worked with each other for very long, but Mi-nam is pretty cool. I know you've seen us insult and play jokes on each other, but that's just something that guys do. We're the same age, so I don't have to worry so much about being formal with him." He grinned. "It's fun having someone in A.N.JELL to do silly things like that with."
Suddenly, a guarded expression crossed Jeremy's face. "But don't tell him I said that."
"It might be in the book," she told him truthfully.
"That's fine, but just don't tell him I said that."
Oh-lan paused. That did not make the least bit of sense, but he was a client and she did want to move on with the interview. "All right..." she said slowly. "Shall we talk about something else, then?"
A few days later, there was a knock on A.N.JELL's front door. "I'll get it," Mi-nam announced, shuffling through the living room.
When he opened the door, he found a very tall girl standing on the doorstep. "Delivery from Lord Stow's Bakery!" she announced with a bright smile that could otherwise be found on quite a few billboards and print ads all over Korea.
He grinned. "Ha-neul! Welcome back! Come on in!"
"Thanks," So Ha-neul replied, pulling her suitcase, which had two plastic bags full of yellow bakery cartons tied to the handle, through the door. "Is everyone home?"
"Yeah, everyone's here," he told her, and called out over his shoulder, "Hey, Shin-woo hyung! Special delivery for you!"
"I know," Shin-woo answered as he walked into the living room. "Ha-neul called me from the airport." He smiled at his girlfriend and pulled her in for a hug. "Hi, Ha-neul. Welcome back."
"I'm happy to be back," she said, burying her face in his shoulder. "I missed you, oppa."
"Ugh, get a room, you two," Mi-nam teased. He was glad to see his bandmate so happy, especially after what the two of them had gone through on the way to couple-hood, but he really didn't need to watch any public displays of affection.
Shin-woo wrinkled his nose at the other boy over Ha-neul's shoulder, then drew back to regard her carefully. "You look a little tired," he observed, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Did you get enough rest in Macau?"
"Yes, I did," she assured him. "It's probably just that I came straight here from the airport."
"Come, let's go to the kitchen and I'll make you some tea."
"Me, too?" Mi-nam asked hopefully.
"Yes," the guitarist laughed. "You, too."
Soon, everyone was gathered in the kitchen, drinking tea and eating the egg tarts Ha-neul had brought from Macau. "You guys can eat them all," she said them. "The ones for my dad and Su-jin are in that other bag."
"Su-jin's not coming?" Jeremy asked, disappointed.
She shook her head ruefully. "Sorry, Jeremy. I called her to ask if she wanted to come here, but she said she has to do something for her mother today."
The blond boy pouted for a few moments, then shrugged as he realized there was a bright side to the situation. "I guess that means I can eat these three tarts instead of saving them for her."
Tae-kyung grabbed one. "Hey, if those aren't Su-jin's, then they're communal property."
"I thought you said eggs didn't agree with you," Shin-woo said, looking amused.
"I didn't say I was allergic."
"So, how have you guys been?" Ha-neul asked them. "How's that book project coming along? Has the writer interviewed you yet, Shin-woo?"
"Yes. I think she's interviewed everyone except Mi-nam." He grinned at the keyboardist. "But you're finally having your interview tomorrow, right?"
"I was supposed to," Mi-nam answered, grinning back, "but then Reporter Park had to postpone. Something about having to do another assignment."
Tae-kyung chuckled briefly. "Perhaps, Mi-nam, you weren't destined to be interviewed for this book," he said. "Maybe the writer will have to make up information about you instead."
That wasn't true, of course. Mi-nam's interview finally pushed through a few days later, if about twenty minutes behind schedule.
"Sorry I'm late," he said as he swaggered into the writer's office. He saw her sitting on the couch, garbed in her usual black, and for a brief moment, he felt as though he were eleven years old again, being summoned to explain to Mother Superior why the statues in the garden were all wearing bras.
She looked up and, seeing that it was him, put aside the book that she had been reading. "It's all right," she told him with a polite smile. "Please sit down."
Mi-nam flopped onto the other end of the couch. "Are you using that for inspiration?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at the book. Judging from its size and very colorful cover, it was more for schoolchildren than career girls.
"Hmm?" She glanced back at her book and colored slightly. "Oh, no. I was just taking a break and doing some... very light reading."
He smirked. "OK, if you say so."
Oh-lan watched him stretch out his legs and lounge in his seat. His suave, reckless air was a stark contrast to his delicate, almost feminine features. It would have been interesting to ask if he purposely cultivated that attitude to come across as more masculine, if such a question didn't seem so insulting. "Do you like to read?" she asked instead.
"Me?" He laughed briefly. "No, not really. Sorry. I mean, I read magazines like yours," Mi-nam explained quickly, "but I don't really read serious stuff, like books." He nodded towards the one she had just put away.
"Why not?"
He looked at her blankly. "Because... I just don't," he said. Judging from his tone of voice, he obviously didn't know what this had to do with anything.
"If you can read a magazine, then you can just as easily read a book, right?" Oh-lan pressed.
"No, you can't," he told her after a thoughtful pause. "Sure, I know how to read, but it's not as easy to put down a book, and I'm much too busy to read books these days."
"Much too busy recording and fulfilling all your business commitments?"
"Yeah, that, and... other things." Mi-nam grinned when the writer raised an eyebrow. He could tell that she knew what he meant.
Suddenly, she stopped writing. "My pen's out of ink," she complained, scratching at the paper.
"Why do you still take notes when you're recording the interview anyway?" he asked.
"The recording is just backup, to make sure I don't misquote you. Besides, I like to write down ideas while I'm interviewing." She rummaged through her bag for another pen, making an impatient noise when she couldn't find one.
"There's a pen in your hair," he reminded her, even though he still thought it was dumb to have to write stuff down. If he got this interview out of the way quickly enough, maybe he could still take that cute trainee out on a date.
"Oh, right." She reached up and pulled it out, making another impatient noise when the action undid her scruffy bun and sent masses of wavy, wiry hair tumbling around her face.
Mi-nam laughed. Who knew that such a small person could have so much hair? "Here," he said, pulling a hair tie from his pocket and sliding it across the table at her. His own hair was much shorter than hers, but it was still long enough to need tying every so often.
"Thank you." Accepting the elastic band, the writer quickly got her hair out of the way and returned to the matter at hand. "So," she said briskly, "can you tell me a little about those 'other things' that are keeping you busy?"
"I think you already have an idea of what those are."
He had a tellingly cocky smirk on his face. "I suppose you're talking about girls?" Oh-lan asked. "Does that make our conversation off the record now?"
"I don't mind talking about them," he told her. He shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a faintly diabolical gleam in his eyes, as though daring her to take the interview in that direction.
She met his gaze squarely. It wasn't directly relevant to the focus of the book, but a discussion on dating could provide insight into Mi-nam's personality. (However flawed it is, she thought dryly.) Furthermore, as ashamed as she was to admit it, it might be sensational enough to help sell copies of the book.
"All right," Oh-lan said finally, "we'll talk about it." President Ahn could make the final decision. "How do you find the time to date, given all your obligations with A.N.JELL?"
"Well," he began, "if you want to be able to do what you want, you have to make the time for it." He grinned and linked his hands behind his head. "And you have to keep an eye out for the right opportunities. You'll never know when you'll meet someone nice."
She nodded non-comittally and jotted down a few notes. From the sound of it, Mi-nam was seeing more than one girl, or he was going through them like peanuts. "Aren't you concerned about what your fans might think if they find out about this?" she asked.
Mi-nam shrugged again. "I think that real fans, like real friends, would want their idols to be happy. A.N.JELL really appreciates our fans' support, but we're people, too. We like pretty girls and get lonely, just like normal guys."
Just then, he realized that he was referring not just to himself, but to all his bandmates, and hoped that the writer wouldn't catch on. "Besides," he added, "I'm not really looking to settle down with any one girl right now, so who knows? Maybe I'll date a fan someday." He laughed. "They should be happy about that, right?"
"I suppose so."
The writer didn't show any expression, but Mi-nam was picking up some pretty disapproving vibes from her. That didn't matter, he thought. He didn't mind if she thought he was some irresponsible womanizer. Liking girls was part of who he was, anyway. She didn't need to know about the rest.