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It was love at first sight.
[note: Shin Woo's comment about eating dogs is a reference to a story he tells during the series, not a comment stereotyping Korean food. No puppies were harmed in the making of this story, although a few cats may have been deprived of laps during the process.]
“Let’s make this a good one!” the director cheered. “A.N.JELL Animal Rescue PSA, take 20, and…action!”
“Every year, thousands of animals end up in shelters across the nation,” Tae Kyung said seriously, holding an equally serious black kitten to his chest.
“These shelters need your help to provide food, medicine, and new homes for these animals,” Shin Woo continued. He was kneeling on the ground, one arm slung around a large, strong Siberian Husky.
Jeremy cuddled a golden lab puppy to his cheek. “Consider giving a donation to your local shelter, or adopting one of the—eeheeheehee!” Jeremy burst into a round of giggles.
“Cut!” the director called, as Tae Kyung sighed and Shin Woo gave his dog a conciliatory squeeze.
“Again?” Tae Kyung asked.
“Sorry! She licked my ear!” Jeremy held the puppy up in front of his face, giving it a playful glare. “You’re a very bad little girl, aren’t you?” Unrepentant, the puppy licked Jeremy’s nose. He burst into yet another round of giggles. “Oh I take it back; you’re a good girl! Yes you are! Yes you are!”
“We could get a different puppy, if you think it would help,” Shin Woo suggested.
Jeremy hugged the puppy to his chest. “This one’s fine!”
Tae Kyung sighed again. “If you don’t take this seriously, then none of these animals will get homes,” he said imperiously. The little black kitten gave the puppy an equally imperious look.
The look on Jeremy’s face was heartbreaking.
“Okay, guys!” the director cheered. His enthusiasm had yet to wane, though a close observer might notice that he was developing a twitch in his eye. “A.N.JELL Animal Rescue PSA, take 21, and…action!”
“Every year, thousands of animals end up in shelters—“
Tae Kyung didn’t get any farther than that.
“You are the cutest thing in the world!” Jeremy squealed, rolling around on the floor with the puppy.
The kitten let out a low growl while Tae Kyung prepared to say something snippy. The husky whined softly, and Shin Woo patted its shoulder. It was going to be a long day.
***
“Who’s the lucky lady?” Shin Woo asked Jeremy a few days later over lunch. They were enjoying their traditional Meal That Would Kill Tae Kyung lunch of shrimp, prawns, and whatever else they were generally denied because of their leader’s allergies.
Jeremy paused, spoon halfway to his mouth, as expressions of guilt, confusion, and confused guilt passed across his face in that order.
“I…don’t know what you mean,” Jeremy said quickly in absolute truth.
Shin Woo put down his bowl and plucked a few blond hairs from Jeremy’s sweater. “They’re a bit too short, and they’re not quite your color,” he remarked, and rubbed his fingers together until the hairs drifted to the floor.
“Um, that is, hyeong...”
Shin Woo leaned in. “Is she pretty?”
“Pretty?” Jeremy’s spoon was frozen in the air, slowly dripping food back into the bowl.
“Well, being pretty is very important, I think,” Shin Woo said seriously. “But it’s more important that she’s nice, right?”
“Right! I mean. What?” Jeremy’s spoon was nearly empty of food at that point.
“And being friendly, that’s important too,” Shin Woo continued. “And smart…”
“I have no idea—“
“And we have to make sure she’s not just trying to take advantage of you—you can never be sure with some ladies,” Shin Woo said seriously.
“She would never!” Jeremy insisted.
Shin Woo gave him a look.
“It’s not what you think!”
“Are you going to introduce me?” Shin Woo asked. “It’s not polite to keep a beautiful woman in your room without introducing her to your bandmates.” He pushed his bowl back on the table and got up, heading slowly but surely in the direction of Jeremy’s room.
“Ah! Wait, hyeong!” Jeremy cried, struggling to place his bowl and spoon on the table without spilling while at the same time getting up and trying to beat Shin Woo to his room, and during the process, pretty much failing at all three.
By the time Jeremy caught up with him, Shin Woo was already kneeling at Jeremy’s room’s door, lap full of wriggling Labrador. “You are a pretty one, aren’t you?” he cooed, talented fingers finding the sensitive spots and giving the pup the scritching of its life. “I can see why Jeremy’s head-over-heels for you. Are you sure you’re not just using him for his treats?”
“I can explain…” Jeremy began.
“Tae Kyung’s going to kill you for this,” Shin Woo said mildly.
“I know,” Jeremy moaned. “But she was so cute, and who knows if the shelter could find a place for her? And besides…I named her.”
Shin Woo looked up at Jeremy. “What did you name her?”
“Since she’s so pretty, I named her after the most beautiful angel I could think of!” Jeremy said proudly, and before Shin Woo could voice his surprise at Jeremy’s unexpected knowledge of theology, Jeremy said, “Angelina Jolie.”
Shin Woo paused for a moment. “That’s a terrible pun.”
Jeremy blinked widely. “It’s a pun?”
Shin Woo pumped the puppy’s paw up and down a few times. “Well, Jolie, it is very nice to meet you.” The puppy looked at Shin Woo very seriously, and then licked his nose. “Does she have all her shots? Did you get her checked out by a vet, or get her spayed? There are leash laws, so you’ve got to get a leash and collar right away, and those things to clean up after her. Hm, what else do we need?” Shin Woo mused. “Oh, and obedience lessons right away, she needs to have perfect manners if we want Tae Kyung’s permission to let her stay.”
Jeremy’s face lit up. “You’re okay with keeping her?”
“She has my approval.” Shin Woo cuddled the puppy to his chest, and it gave a big doggy grin, tongue lolling in the air. “You should go make those appointments now, before Tae Kyung comes back and overhears you.”
“Right! Thanks, hyeong!” Jeremy said, running to go look up the numbers of the places he had to call.
Shin Woo pressed his cheek against one of Jolie’s big, floppy ears, enjoying its strange warmness. “You don’t eat dog, right?” he asked, and laughed softly. “You’re a good pup,” he said, and kissed its ear.
***
“SCANDAL,” President Ahn said loudly in English, while his three stars sat in front of him like naughty schoolchildren, Tae Kyung surly, Shin Woo penitent, Jeremy guilty. He tossed the newspaper clippings and internet printouts on the desk between them. “We have been getting STRANGE NEWS of your behavior all week! I understand you can’t control everything the paparazzi do, but why so many things? And why now? WHY IS IT?”
The band members remained silent, except for Tae Kyung’s slightly voiced sigh.
President Ahn slapped the newspaper article. “ITEM: strange fashion choices at recent interview.” The headline asked the more direct question: “Is A.N.JELL Into S&M?” Directly underneath that was a picture of Tae Kyung giving the camera a smoldering look. He was wearing an embroidered dog collar.
“We wear what Coordinator Wang sets out for us,” Tae Kyung said placidly, the twitch at the corner of his mouth betraying his calm appearance.
“Coordinator Wang said she never saw those collars before,” President Ahn said.
“How else would they have gotten into our bags?” Tae Kyung asked, then snorted and looked at the ceiling. “Complain to your wardrobe staff, not to us.”
“Fine then.” President Ahn pointed to the next article, the shiny ink of the tabloid reflecting back at them. “ITEM: Jeremy’s love child.” The article was poorly written and contained far too many exclamation points, but the image was clear—Jeremy exiting the back entrance of the studio, cradling a little wrapped bundle to his shoulder.
“I can explain!” Jeremy said. “See, I was carrying this, this melon, as a gift! And I had put it in a bag so I could carry it.” He pointed repeatedly to the picture, showing them the bag as proof of his innocence.
“Melons aren’t in season,” Tae Kyung pointed out.
“Right! So I had to be extra careful with it, since she was wriggling—I mean, rolling around, so I wrapped it up all safe,” Jeremy mimed what he was doing, “and carried her out, just like that.”
“You carried a melon?” President Ahn asked.
Jeremy nodded vigorously.
President Ahn decided not to pursue it, and pointed to the last of the printouts. It had a picture of Jeremy picking little blond hairs off of Shin Woo’s black sweater. “ITEM: Shin Woo and Jeremy’s secret affair.”
Shin Woo lightly pinched the bridge of his nose. After all the care he took keeping Jeremy’s secret, covering for him when he left Jolie’s supplies out, distracting Tae Kyung when Jeremy needed to take her to training…it was embarrassing to forget to check himself before he went out.
“Ah! That’s a shocking twist!” Jeremy said out loud, mainly to himself. He mused, even quieter, “How will ’Hearts with Wings’ deal with this new pairing?”
“There’s nothing to it,” Shin Woo said. “I was just wearing a shirt that had a lot of static.”
“It’s not even my hair, anyway!” Jeremy insisted.
Shin Woo resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose again.
“Whose hair is it?” President Ahn asked.
“Would you believe me if I said ‘Angelina Jolie’s?’” Shin Woo asked. That, at least, earned him a pause.
“She has brown hair, right?” Tae Kyung asked.
“If you are dating Angelina Jolie, I expect a big press conference when you announce it,” President Ahn said wearily. “Fine, you may go now, but try to not be in the papers because of things like this. Remember: NO SCANDAL.”
“Yes, sir,” the three chorused, and got up to leave.
Tae Kyung caught at Shin Woo’s sleeve. “She has brown hair, right? Angelina Jolie?”
Shin Woo just smiled at him and walked on.
***
“Sit, Jolie!” Jeremy commanded to the puppy scampering across the kitchen floor. He shook the tennis ball above his head to get its attention. “Jolie, want the ball? Want the ball?” Jolie definitely, definitely wanted the ball. “Then sit, Jolie! Sit! Sit!” He pushed down on Jolie’s rump to give her the hint.
“Sit!” Tae Kyung commanded.
Jolie sat.
In retrospect, Jeremy was surprised that his secret lasted as long as it did.
“Hello, hyeong!” he said, giving Tae Kyung the cheeriest smile he could manage. “I thought you were going to be out all of today.”
There was no way Tae Kyung should look intimidating when his hair was in pigtails and he was wearing a sparkly scarf, but he did. Oh, he really, really did. “Jeremy. Why is there an animal in our kitchen?”
Jeremy scrambled towards Tae Kyung, Jolie following at his heels. “You see, hyeong, I—“
“Sit!” Tae Kyung commanded again.
Both Jeremy and Jolie immediately sat.
“Wow, hyeong. You’re good!” Jeremy said in awe.
“I suppose this is the reason for the collars?” Tae Kyung asked. “And the sneaking around, and the,” Tae Kyung twitched reflexively, “the hair in my food last night?”
Jeremy laughed weakly. “Sorry, she’s still in training. She’s a really, really good dog!”
Tae Kyung knelt on the floor, evaluating the dog. “She looks healthy,” he said. Jolie started to get up. “Stay!” Tae Kyung commanded, and Jolie stayed. He held out a hand. “Paw,” he said, and Jolie neatly placed her paw in his hand. “She seems well behaved,” he said, a hint of approval in his voice. He leaned in to take a closer look.
Jolie licked his nose.
“I…need to take a shower,” Tae Kyung said, backing away and running to his room, slamming the door behind him.
***
Shin Woo found Jeremy sitting despondently beside Tae Kyung’s door. He threw a tennis ball down the hallway, which Jolie merrily chased after and returned to him.
“I take it he knows?” Shin Woo asked.
“He knows,” Jeremy repeated.
“It didn’t go well?”
“She licked his face.”
Shin Woo made a face like biting into a lemon.
“Poor Jolie,” Jeremy crooned, throwing the ball again. “Go chase the ball as much as you like; tomorrow you won’t be here with me.”
“How long has he been in there?” Shin Woo asked.
“Two hours.”
Shin Woo could faintly hear a deep, rhythmic thudding noise coming from behind the door. “What do you—“
“No idea.” He threw the ball again. “Poor Jolie. Tomorrow, you can take this tennis ball to remember me by.”
Tae Kyung’s door swung open, sending Jeremy sprawling backwards. He managed a weak, “Hello, hyeong,” before Tae Kyung started listing things off.
“The first thing,” Tae Kyung continued. “Proper hygiene must be maintained. She is to be washed at least once a week, and you are to clean up after her…messes.”
“O….kay,” Jeremy said. Shin Woo had a little smile on his face.
“The second thing,” Tae Kyung said. “Obedience training must continue until she can properly follow commands. She is also to be kept on a leash when not directly supervised. Is this understood?”
“That sounds fair,” Shin Woo said.
“The third thing,” Tae Kyung said imperiously. “Jolie is to remain in her house outside the building whenever possible. If she must be brought inside, you are to absolutely keep her from all places where food is either kept or prepared, and also, my room.”
“Wait,” Jeremy said, piecing the facts together. “Does this mean I can keep her?”
Tae Kyung reluctantly nodded his head.
“What’s this about a house?” Shin Woo said, always one to pick up on small details.
Tae Kyung turned around and picked up a small, wooden doghouse. It had “JOLIE’S HOUSE” written across the front in big, purple letters. “So there’s no question about where she sleeps.”
“Oh hyeong, you’re the best!” Jeremy said, knocking into Tae Kyung to give him a big bear hug. Shin Woo stood laughing to their side, while Jolie pranced around their feet and made sure everyone in the room knew she loved them.
***
The press conference room was smaller than normal. They had only called in the usual reporters they had a relationship with—the magazines and papers who would do little features on them, but none of the big music news sites.
Tae Kyung leaned into his microphone. “There have been a lot of rumors going around lately about A.N.JELL and our new direction. That’s why we are proud to announce today that a new member has joined our group.”
He sat back from the microphone, and Shin Woo paused a moment for the crowd’s response to die down. “It took a lot of deliberation about whether we could accept someone new, but we feel we have made a good choice for all of us.”
“I hope you learn to love her as much as we all already do,” Jeremy concluded for them. He then stuck his fingers into his mouth and blew a shrill whistle.
A golden retriever puppy toddled in from back stage, jumping up onto the table when Jeremy prompted it. It had a pair of floppy, white angel wings attached to its back with strings.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Miss Angelina Jolie, our newest member,” Jeremy announced, rubbing her sides. The puppy barked into the microphone, to the audience’s delight.
Shin Woo leaned over to Tae Kyung and murmured, “If we ever get another member added to A.N.JELL, I hope it goes this smoothly.” Tae Kyung rolled his eyes and gave him a half-smile.
Jolie barked again and licked the microphone until the feedback filled the entire room.
“Good girl,” Jeremy said.