Onyx: Unity

by J. S. Lee

  It took four rings. “Hi Kate!” she greeted me wearily.

  Sungmin hadn’t called her then.

  “Are you free to talk?” I asked her. “Wait, what time is it there?”

  “Nearly two in the afternoon, and yes, I’m free, but only for a few minutes. I have a meeting at two, because guess what, there’s new drama in the world of K-Pop and I think the demon spawn of Satan was caught up in it.”

  “Do I want to ask?”

  “Ask all you want. You’ve probably seen it in the news anyway: businesses being used for money laundering, gambling, female idols being taken advantage of, and other delightfully related activities.” She let out a long and weary sigh.

  “I can call you back?”

  “No!” she snapped, almost harshly. “I need a distraction. What’s up, Kate? How’s…” there was a brief pause. “Argentina?”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  I was greeted by silence.

  “Holly?” I pulled the phone from my ear to discover the call had ended. Before I could redial, Holly was video calling me back. “Hi.”

  “Sorry, I dropped the phone and then I realized I needed to call you back and make sure you knew you were talking to your friend Holly, and not your boss Holly.”

  I pulled a face. “I’m not going to like talking to Boss Holly, am I?”

  “I don’t have a clue at this point,” Holly told me. She was normally calm and poised and that announcement had left her looking frazzled. “Boss Holly needs to not be in the room with Friend Holly. Because Friend Holly…” she shook her head. “OK, I’m going to stop talking about myself in the third person because that’s weird. I’ve also gone forty-seven seconds without saying congratulations!” The last word was so high pitched; I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly.

  “Thank you,” I sighed, leaning my head against the glass.

  “And you don’t look happy.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know who the dad is. We’ve never had this conversation before. I don’t know how any of them will react to this. And then there’s Atlantis and them being idols.”

  “I’m going to ask you something and I don’t want you to think about anything else, or anybody else. Just you.” I nodded. “Do you want to be pregnant? Because, ugh, this is not a nice conversation, but I think we need to have it… you have options, Kate.”

  “You know me: I’ve always wanted kids.”

  “But do you want this one?”

  “Yes,” I replied. She gave me a pointed look and I could see my eyes widening in the small video of me in the corner of the screen. “Yes,” I said again.

  Sungmin had told me to think about what I wanted.

  CX had told me to think about what I wanted.

  And all I had done was worry about what the others might want.

  “That’s the important thing, Kate,” Holly pointed out. “Now that you know that, everything else will fall into place.”

  “What about Onyx?” I asked her, miserably.

  “Do you mean Onyx the group, or do you mean Youngbin, Xiao, Jiwon, Jongsub, Minhyuk and Yongsik? Because the first one; that’s going to need some input from Atlantis, I won’t lie. And that might be difficult. But that’s also going to depend on what your boyfriends want. And they’re not going to be able to tell you that, until you tell them you’re pregnant.”

  “I don’t even know if they want kids, Holly,” I whined.

  “And if they don’t, then we cross that bridge later. But you’re not going to know until you tell them.”

  “Did you ever have this conversation with H3RO?” I asked, curious.

  Before Holly could answer, her intercom was beeping at her. “Hold that thought.” She leaned over and then I could hear her talking to her assistant. Her face reappeared in the screen. “I have to go, I’m sorry. It’s the police. But Kate, try not to stress too much. You’re not alone. Love you, girl.”

  She ended the call before I could tell my best friend I loved her too.

  By the following morning, I had decided I was going to tell them after the show. I didn’t want to leave Argentina and make CX and Sungmin go another night keeping secrets. But I also didn’t want to tell them right before a show. That didn’t seem fair either.

  Which seemed like the perfect plan until the phone call saying the block the venue was located on was suffering from a power failure. Probably happy for something to do to distract himself, Sungmin rearranged all the interviews to take place in the hotel we were staying in.

  Everyone was occupied with hair and makeup and interviews – except for me. Instead of allowing my mind to create imaginary conversations of how everyone would react to me telling them later, I forced myself to finish off the photographs, so that, when we got back to the hotel later, I wouldn’t need to work and could talk to the others.

  By the time we got to the venue, the show was running two hours behind schedule and fans outside weren’t happy. “Did no one update social media?” I asked, Sungmin, surprised.

  “I posted earlier,” Sungmin said, looking confused.

  I pulled out my phone and opened up the post. Due to technical difficulties, the show will be starting later than scheduled. Please keep checking back for updates.

  There were a few comments, but nothing to indicate why everyone was so upset. “I’ll head outside and see if I can work out what the problem is. I’ll find the fansites and get them to share an update. Is it still looking like seven for the fan meet?”

  “Yes,” Sungmin sighed, rubbing at his temples. “Next time, Atlantis need to have a dedicated tour rep taking care of this,” he muttered, walking off.

  I watched him disappear with a frown. That was actually a good point. This whole tour had been run and organized by Atlantis, with the majority of the work being done by people still in Seoul and Sungmin and Taeyoon running around on location. No wonder Sungmin constantly looked stressed.

  I started to make my way to the main doors, but Jiwon appeared out of nowhere, arms folded, looking at me like I had betrayed him.

  Blood rushed from my head.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” he asked.

  “I can explain,” I told him, despite having no clue where to start.

  Jiwon held a hand up, shaking his head. Then he opened the door next to him and pointed inside. I walked in: I had a feeling of déjà vu as I saw the boxes of merchandise. I heard the door lock and I turned around, finding Jiwon leaning against the door, his arms folded again. “I bought you a present.”

  Relief flooded me. I had honestly thought he had found out.

  “Yes,” I agreed. It had been waiting on my bed when I had returned from the hospital, but I hadn’t opened it. My mind had been so pre-occupied, the last thing I could do was bring myself to look. It had ended up packed in the suitcase, unopened.

  “You told Xiao you were going to wear it.”

  And now I wished I had looked.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, sincerely.

  A delicious smirk appeared. “How sorry?”

  If he stuck his fingers between my legs, he’d find out.

  I turned around, spread my legs, and then bent over. Behind me, Jiwon let out an almost animalistic growl. Seconds later, his hands were under my top, unhooking my bra. With surprising speed, he had removed it without removing my vest top. “You won’t be needing this tonight, Katie,” he muttered in my ear, tossing it into a box of tour t-shirts.

  “OK,” I agreed.

  Hands appeared around my waist, unbuttoning my jeans, then roughly pulling them down, taking my panties with me. As the cool air reached between my legs, so did Jiwon, running a finger along my slit. “You’re already wet for me.” I shuddered with longing, and then that finger was being pushed into my mouth. “I’m going to fuck you hard, Katie,” he told me as I sucked his finger. “And then you’re going to suck my cock like you are my finger.”

  I nodded, running my tongue around the tip of his finger, removing the last tast
e of me.

  Jiwon removed his finger. “But I’m not going to let you come, because apparently, you don’t need that.”

  My knees wobbled. “Jiwon?”

  “You have a problem with that, my Katie?”

  “No?” I responded, my voice shaking. The hand was straight on my clit, making me buck back into him. I could feel his erection poking me in the ass. “No,” I repeated, making my voice sound firmer.

  With no warning other than Jiwon separating my legs a little wider, he thrust into me, making me cry out in both shock and pleasure. I felt every inch of him inside me, my body, although wet, not prepared.

  But holy fuck, it felt good.

  Then, he started moving in and out, his balls whacking against me, while his devilishly skilled fingers teased my clit.

  ‘Fuck me hard’ had been accurate.

  Every time he thrust into me, filling me, my body responded with a sharp “Oh!” while he grunted behind me. Raw and hard, but not quite enough to make me orgasm. Whenever I could feel myself getting close, he would remove his fingers from my clit.

  Relentless, he pounded into me.

  “Please, Jiwon,” I begged, clutching at the box I had been holding onto, so hard, it tore.

  “I told you what was going to happen,” he told me, his words tight.

  Unable to take it, I let go of the box, my own hand going between my legs. There were mere seconds of relief before he let go of my hips, his cock still deep inside me, and reached for my hand. He brought it and the other, behind my back, then, with one hand holding them behind me, slapped my ass.

  I yelped in surprised rather than pain. Moments later, he was massaging the spot he had slapped me. “Naughty, Katie,” he hissed. And then he was pounding into me again.

  Finally, when my legs were ready to give up on me, he pulled out and turned me around. “How do you feel Katie?”

  “I need to come,” I practically begged him.

  He lowered me to my knees, shaking his head as he tutted. “That’s not how this works. You’re going to make me come, and if you can be a good girl, I might let you come.”

  I leaned forward, taking the tip of his cock in my mouth, sucking away the taste of me until I could taste his pre-cum. The ache between my legs grew and I could feel the dampness spread down my inner thigh.

  “Take me, Katie,” Jiwon ordered. He was long and thick. I wrapped my hand around his shaft, moving in a twisting motion as his hands dove into my hair, clutching at it in bunches. “Harder.” His voice was rough. He was close.

  I could feel the restraint as he gripped at my head, but I knew he wanted to fuck my mouth as hard as he had fucked me. I moved my head and my hand up and down his shaft as hard and as fast as I could, eager to make him come. Eager for my own release.

  And then he froze. I felt him tense seconds before his cum hit the back of my throat, just as he let out a cry. He held me there, making me swallow it all.

  Finally, he released my head and pulled his cock out of my mouth. “Jiwon, please…” this time I was begging as he put is cock back in his pants and zipped them up. “Please.”

  He kneeled down in front of me, that wicked, dirty smirk back on his face. “I can’t hear you,” he said as his fingers dove between my legs, cupping me, toying with my entrance.

  “Please!” I cried.

  “I thought you didn’t need me anymore,” he said, pinching my clit.

  I gasped, my breast thrusting into his face, but I saw something then. It was brief and gone as quick as it had appeared, but it was enough for me to know he wasn’t teasing with that comment.

  With incredible willpower, my hands wrapped around his, removing him from me. I ignored my objecting body, and laced my fingers through his. “I love you, Jiwon,” I told him. “I love you, and I need you. And I am going to need you and love you for a long time to come, so please don’t think anything otherwise.”

  Jiwon’s eyes seemed to bore into me, and yet his expression was soft. “You don’t just have my heart, Katie; you are my heart.” He leaned forward, kissing me, surprising me with the gentle passion.

  제 23 장

  Upside Down

  The delayed start to the show set my plans astray. Thankfully, the grumbles outside were nothing more than anxious fans wanting to see their favorite group, tired of being kept outside. It wasn’t like we had any say over a power outage, and they were satisfied when they got their full show.

  The fact I now had a reason as to why I was tired was some relief too. I had fallen asleep in the minibus back to the hotel and I’d been told by Sungmin to go to bed, despite him knowing my intentions. “Do it in Lima, Kate,” he sighed.

  I hadn’t argued. There had been only a few hours before we needed to get out and to the airport and I welcomed the sleep. I managed to sleep on the plane too. I had no idea how considering, when I woke up, my stomach was churning. Not at illness or morning sickness, but the fear that was taking over me.

  This had to be incredibly stressful for a woman to tell one boyfriend. I had five more people to tell. I loved them all, but fatherhood was a huge deal, and while I couldn’t say for certain who was going to take it badly, there was no way in hell all of them would take it well.

  I’d sat on the plane with Sungmin who had told me that, so long as the guys weren’t tired when we arrived at the apartment (this conversation needed to be held while they were alert), he would send the team out for the afternoon.

  That had been two hours ago. I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling as my hands tried to find some evidence of life in my belly. It was too early for any of that, but it didn’t stop me.

  Finally, there was a knock at the door and Sungmin poked his head in. “Hi,” I greeted him, my stomach churning.

  “We can do this another time?”

  I closed my eyes, a brief moment of imaging not doing this, but this was something you could only put off for so long until someone noticed the very obvious bump. Plus, it wasn’t something I wanted to hide from anyone. I shook my head.

  “We can do this one by one?” he offered.

  I stood and shook my head again. “Doing this once is going to be hard enough.” I got as far as joining him at my bedroom door and then I could feel my hands shaking. This was Onyx. I shouldn’t have been this scared.

  And then Sungmin’s hand wrapped around mine. “We will do this together.”

  I was telling my boyfriends, not my parents.

  “Oh fuck,” I muttered, freezing.

  “What? Are you OK?” Sungmin asked, his eyes wide with alarm.

  “I have to tell my mother. I have to tell their mothers. We haven’t even told them we’re dating.”

  Sungmin’s hand tightened around mine. It was strangely comforting. “Let’s just tell them today. We will worry about parents another day.”

  I stared into his deep brown eyes as he gave my hand another squeeze. There was a flash of something, and then he was leading me down the hallway to the living room before I could work out what it was.

  MinMin and Jiwon were already seated on the couch, looking at something on Jiwon’s phone. Youngbin was sat at the table, working away on his laptop. JongB was flicking through the television channels. CX was sitting on the second couch – I swear if anyone had looked at him, they would have known something was up – and Xiao was…

  “Where’s Xiao?” Sungmin asked.

  “Here,” Xiao replied, walking into the room with just a pair of tight shorts on. For eight glorious seconds while I drank in the sight before me, I forgot I was pregnant.

  And then I remembered why I was pregnant.

  “What’s up?” he asked, his gaze dropping to Sungmin’s hand holding mine.

  “Kate has something to tell you all,” Sungmin replied, not noticing.

  Xiao looked at me, then Sungmin, then the hands, then back to me, spared a glance at the others, before looking back at me. “I’m down with that,” he shrugged, clapping Sungmin on the shoulder as he wa
lked past and sat down next to CX.

  It took Sungmin a few moments to work out what Xiao was implying, before his eyes went wide. I went to let go, but he held on tightly. “That’s not what-”

  “Oh damn!” Youngbin exclaimed loudly.

  I thought he was reacting to the weird hand-holding thing that was going on, and I jerked my hand free, only to discover he was staring at his laptop. Youngbin looked up and turned to us looking like he had discovered the juiciest of gossip.

  “What’s up, hyung?” JongB asked, muting the television.

  “You remember that rookie girl group from Meropis Entertainment that we met at The Show last time, ECHO?”

  I didn’t recall the name, but the others did.

  “The leader, An Subin; she’s pregnant.”

  “Well her life is over,” I heard Jiwon mutter.

  I closed my eyes, feeling faint.

  “You don’t think the rumors are true?” MinMin asked. He sounded concerned, directing his question at his leader, but I couldn’t open my eyes.

  “They’re true,” JongB said. Strangely, there was none of the lightheartedness that you associated with JongB in his tone. “I’m friends with Minseok. It’s bad over there.”

  I sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling detached from my own body. Finally able to open my eyes, I sank onto the arm of the chair next to JongB. “What’s bad?”

  “Meropis Entertainment,” Jiwon replied. “They’ve got a really sleazy Chairman. There’s a reason they’ve only got one girl group, and that’s because all the girls leave. Or most of them do. He hits on them. Apparently, he does worse.”

  “That’s bad, but it’s worse than just that. To “save money” he closed the dorms down and kicked all his rookies out. Deity and HIM are OK, I think – they make him the money.” JongB explained. “But the rookie groups, Echo and Pure, they were made homeless, and still expected to show up for training. We complained about having it rough when we were rookies, but at least we had a bed each and a meal a day. They got nothing.”