Chapter Text
Prologue
“I can’t do this to you anymore… I’m sorry.” He said softly as he carried Suan’s sleeping body to her bed. As he shut the door, Suan’s eyes fluttered open as she sat up looking at the door. As she got out of her bed, she watched as the company car that he always drove, drove out of her driveway from her window.
She was sure she’d never see him again.
A few months prior….
A few weeks ago, a man had looked for him at his job. A regular old pharmaceutical company, he worked as a software engineer and all around IT assistant when things got bad. And it often got bad. Even more importantly, they switched over to a new system and all of the older and younger members of the company were in disarray on how to use it. The IT tickets were piling up and he didn’t have enough coworkers to help with the tickets. Still, he was pulled from his office to have a meeting with these people. Said it was important.
What could be more important than fixing all of these technical issues that the company is going through? He thought, as he finally made it into the conference room they were waiting in.
It wasn’t someone from the company. An outsider. He should’ve left when he felt himself feel on edge once he walked into the room.
They knew everything about him. Stuff he thought only a very thorough background check or private investigator would find, but then they delved into his past relationships, and even his friendship with Mimi. A childhood friend who grew up with him, treated her like a sister. Did everything for her as a brother would. Including taking extra shifts and responsibilities at work to pay for her cancer treatment.
They knew. But what did they want from him? This was blackmail wasn’t it? They definitely were threatening him, weren’t they?
“SEM Park, was it?” The man looked important, as if he was used to people doing things for him as if his opinion mattered. SEM looked at his nametag on his jacket, as if that was the simplest thing in the world. Of course, he could’ve introduced himself but they didn’t offer an introduction either. “It must be difficult, being a single young, spry man in your early to mid twenties. Overworked, aren’t you? But your dear sister… well, not-sister. She still relies on you to help make her cancer treatments, doesn't she? How about I give you an offer you can’t refuse.”
They offered him a way out of the long hours at the company. This surprised him, since his job paid well but not several back-to-back cancer treatments kind of well. Yet the gut feeling he had in his stomach told him that there was something deeply immoral about this man and he should escape. Even if he did, this man had what he assumed were bodyguards, cronies. If he tried to run, he’d just be pulled back into the room kicking and screaming. And he didn’t want to make a scene. So he decided to humor him and listen.
The man was the head of an idol industry giant, SEM was vaguely aware of them since Mimi liked idols and listened to them often. His task was simple. He had to make one of the QQ girls so undesirable that she was forced to quit to save face.
That doesn’t sound simple, he thought. What am I supposed to do? Stalk them? Beat them up? I don’t think I look like I can do that to someone, and why bother looking into me just to do that? Isn’t there someone better suited to do that than me?
As if the man could read his mind, he smiled as he leaned forward at the conference table. He slid a folder with a picture of a woman paperclipped on the top of it. SEM took the folder as he studied the woman’s face.
Oh, she’s pretty cute-
“Cute, isn’t she?”
SEM tried to hide his blush as if he was caught staring at someone intently. So what if she was cute? If she was an idol, she was supposed to be cute as a prerequisite. He put the folder back down, avoiding looking at her photo. Was he supposed to know her?
“You don’t really know about QQ, do you?” SEM shook his head. “That’s Suan. One of the girls in the group. Pretty popular, hard not to miss her when she’s not blonde like the rest of them. You can say she sticks out. Plays keytar, has a good voice. Overall cute and charming. You’d like her.”
I’d like her? In what way?
“ I’ll keep it simple for you. She has fallen in love with you .” he pointed at him, almost accusingly before he laughed as if that wasn’t the case. “Suan has been… misbehaving in terms of the eyes of management. She doesn’t seem to shine as much or seem as into her work as in idol. Says she loves her fans and yet pulls these stunts.”
He’s angry. Just what is she doing? Sleeping around? That’s not a crime, I mean to fans it is, but-
“She’s not sleeping around or anything like that. But according to her ex-personal aide…don’t worry, she’s just on maternity leave, she hasn’t been taken care of. Like that .” Another laugh, SEM was increasingly disliking this man the more he talked. “She has the wish to be with a man that she suddenly had a dream about. And increasingly, they’ve become more vivid until finally… She had the great idea to find him and have him fall in love with her. She’s a QQ, who wouldn’t fall in love with her?” the man grinned before pointing at SEM again. “Well, according to what her ex-aide had said, the description is basically you. Physically. Now, maybe she saw you in passing or whatever, doesn’t change the fact that I want you to do something about it.”
“And… what exactly… What do you want me to do? Besides, making her undesirable to the point of not being a QQ. I just don’t understand-”
“Do anything and everything in your power to make her undesirable. You’re a young, spry man aren’t you? She’s cute to you isn’t she? You can sleep with her if you want. Might be an easier way out if you do that-”
He laughed again, all of the men did. As if it was a funny joke despite the raunchy implications. He didn’t like that idea. He wasn’t the type to sleep around with someone, just because, even if they were cute . Even in his past relationships, he always made them feel special and loved. But, for many of them, they couldn’t see past the idea that Mimi would always be close to his heart, even if he insisted that Mimi was only like a sister.
Even if he went through the same route for Suan. He didn't like the sound of wounding someone up to be in love with them, impregnating them, and dumping them to the side. Even if it meant paying for Mimi's cancer treatment. It felt sick and wrong and he couldn’t justify that even if it paid a lot.
"Mr. Park, you'd also be paid as a member of the QQ aides. So it's like double dipping." The man said, answering a question that he didn’t ask. SEM squinted at him, as if trying to understand where he was getting at. “I may not be in your situation, but I know money would help you out a lot. Money doesn’t make people happy, but it makes it easier to be happy, isn’t that what you poor people call it?”
So, I’m just a pawn to keep their money tighter. And they want me to be cruel to one of their girls in order to get it.
“But idols are superficial girls, and I wouldn't suppose you want her to fall in love with the real you and then run away together, right? You could do that too. Real trophy wife material, am I right?"
The man chuckled and SEM knew he hated his guts. The rest of them weren't much better. They stared at him as if he was a tool to their scheme but… the idea of paying for Mimi's cancer treatments. Even the future unforeseeable ones… he couldn't exactly let that slip.
Could he really emotionally hurt someone like that all for Mimi?
…
..
.
He could. He just had to stay detached, he hated that idea…hurting a person like that, idol or not, by doing that. But he was good at that, being detached, that is. He started becoming detached at work, not a lot of people saw him smile for the most part. Always thought he had a resting bitch face, which was true too. As long as he kept Suan at arms length, she would never fall in love with the more caring side of him, and he’d leave once she was emotionally unable to continue as an idol. It really was all for Mimi, because Mimi was always there for him.
The man saw him swirling the idea in his head and laid a contract out to him.
"Read it over, you can stop at any time. We'll pay you for how far you get. If you weren't a good fit. Then well… we won't come after you for that."
He laughed and the men behind him sneered. He really hated them. They all left him shortly after, leaving as though the meeting took up too much of their time. SEM took his work phone out of his pants pocket and looked at the notifications asking where he was and if he could handle another IT ticket.
He couldn’t.
SEM quit his job that week as he had to study and learn about the QQ idol group and how to be a proper personal assistant to one of them. It really was like being a chauffeur, a right hand aid, and first and foremost someone they could rely on. It made him even more sick to his stomach of being given so much of that trust and just fucking it all up because he was being paid to do it.
He learned only the popular girls have aides. The rest were managed by their manager, but they didn’t remain as close to them. Suan's aide had left, maternity leave, which wasn’t a lie, he found out. Which left the position open. All he had to do was sign the contract and send it in.
He found himself at the headquarters, submitting in the contract to one of the secretaries who gave him a once over that left him nervous. He wasn’t used to being seen as good looking by others. She looked it over and phoned the company head who simply said “start now.”
SEM looked awkwardly as he tried to find his bearings around the lower levels, where the practice rooms and actual idols worked when they weren’t performing. Everything else had been in the packet they left with Suan’s photo paperclipped on top, as if they knew he would consider.
But why would the company head try to sabotage one of his own girls? Suan could just be reprimanded or retired. Or is being seen as an innocent girl who got kicked out too much bad publicity?
He straightened his tie before opening the door to a private break room. QQ was an idol group of almost all blonde haired beauties. Long flowing hair, some in curls like Wendy, some wavy like Suji, and or straight. Suan stood out to him mainly because he had to be her assistant but also because her hair was a grayish brown, startlingly different from the others.
"Oh! Welcome! You must be…?” A woman in her mid-thirties looked at him, and he introduced himself to her quietly, mentioning that he was Suan’s new aide, starting today.
"Ladies, this is Suan's new aide. Mr. Park. Please give him a cordial round of applause."
When they all clapped he felt himself unnerved. He didn't like being the center of attention at all. And what was with the idea that every aide and manager was a woman too? He was the only man in there and he felt he was interrupting something sacred. But as he scanned the room, he didn’t see Suan there at all. Was he being tricked? But before he had time to ask to look for her, Suan had burst into the room carrying a plastic bag full of snacks.
“I’m back! Hope I didn’t miss anything important!”
Suji looked at her idolmate before pointing at SEM. With a blank expression and open mouth, she turned to see SEM who gave a polite nod to her. Suan closed her mouth, she stared at SEM, studying his face. Was she… dreaming?
“Wh-who is this?”
“That’s your new aide, silly. Mr. Park.” SEM nodded again before returning to the other aides’ side.
“Suan, sweetie. We would’ve grabbed it for you, if you really wanted them.” an aide started, breaking Suan from her still constant stare.
“No way! I don’t want to seem that helpless! And besides, we always wear disguises when going out if not for being in public anyway!”
Suan pulled her hair out of her newspaper boy cap and let her long hair flow freely. She removed her sunglasses and then walked towards SEM, who immediately stiffened up.
“Mr. Park, starting today you’ll be my personal assistant! I promise I won’t work you too hard.”
SEM stared at her unflinchingly, Suan didn’t let up her physical gaze either. He blinked and then slowly shook his head.
“Whatever you’d like, I’ll do for you. Simple as that. And speaking of, if we continue to mingle here, we’ll be late to a dance practice. Shall I take you there?”
“How was your first day at work?”
“Easier than being a software engineer, that’s for sure.”
Mimi had greeted SEM into their shared apartment, since both of their parents passed away, they shared it because a single apartment felt too big for either of them. Mimi had tried to squirrel away her parents’ life savings and inheritance, but when it came to her cancer treatment.. It just couldn’t have been saved. SEM on the other hand, didn’t have much, but had enough to pay for his college degree.
“I don’t like the idea of you doing this to a poor girl, SEM.” Mimi started immediately, she had found out that it was SEM’s first day when he had texted her during the QQ’s dance practice.
“...I know you don’t.” SEM responded quietly. He was beginning to cook and Mimi would’ve grabbed his wrist if it weren’t for the fact he had eggs in his hands.
“But what about you? Don’t you feel bad for this Suan girl? I know you just met her today, but the idea of doing something so horrible to a girl… just because she’s been starting to fall in love with the notion of falling in love, a very real human emotion mind you, just to kick her out instead of just retiring her peacefully?!”
“I do feel bad for her, but it’s a job now. And it pays the bills… and your cancer treatment.” he tried saying this without sounding accusatory.
“I’d rather die than know my almost brother treated a girl so horribly on my behalf!”
“Mimi! Please…” SEM turned to face her, and felt the color in his face vanish. Mimi stopped her ongoing verbal accusations when he grabbed both of her hands. “You’re the only one I have left… everyone else is gone.”
Mimi looked at SEM, before removing one of her hands to gently pat his head, just like his mother would.
“Then… would you promise that, if at any point… you want to stop hurting her, you’ll stop? Throw away the money earned and all that? I know it’ll eat your conscience because she’s innocent, she’s done nothing wrong in this world..”
“That…” SEM said after a brief moment of silence. “That I can do.”
“Good, now, let’s get cooking.”