Jerks Like Us Book Three Read online

  “You’ll never be as good as you were in SK4! Traitor! Abomination!” She screamed in Korean.

  Kao finally had enough. With all his strength, he pushed her off, not caring what people would say. He wondered what the hell took security so long to help.

  Did they think this is part of his performance?

  Kao didn’t know this lady from Adam’s housecat. Besides, his singing routine wasn’t planned until moments before he took the stage. How could he coordinate something like this in such a short span of time?

  Kao sat up straight. He clutched his racing heart, thundering out of his chest. He tried regulating his breathing but couldn’t. He heard Lau, Gaia, and others speaking to him, but none of that registered. Again, he closed his eyes, trying his best to calm down, but none of it worked. Although she wasn’t on him anymore, his body shook with rage.

  How could someone attack him during his first TV appearance?

  Seemingly some people had no regard for others, only set on ruining someone else’s life.

  Kao opened his eyes, gulped hard, and raised one hand to his quivering lip. This woman had hit him so hard, he bled. Every part of him wanted to go fight her, but real men didn’t do that. Not even in self-defense.

  Two bulky men had the woman within their grasp, trying their best to contain her as she kicked and spewed swear words. Her eyes and hair were wild. She wore an SK4 shirt with his face crossed out.

  Seriously?

  Why would a fan of theirs or any other band do such a thing? Was she a sasaeng or just a SKID with a chip on her shoulder?

  Either way, this stunt marred Kao’s debut.

  No matter what, he would be pressing charges, hopefully putting her behind bars.

  Despite this being over quickly, Kao couldn’t stop shaking from this sudden attack.

  How will I go onstage knowing some crazies wish to do me harm?

  Kao would have to do something soon or else he’d spend the next few months looking over his shoulder.

  No way could he be afraid of traveling when he was still promoting his album.

  Kao would have to hire someone to watch over him.

  Chapter Three

  With a bottle of Naked Juice in hand, Brody strolled into the office, ready for the next assignment. More spoiled celebrities to babysit, but at least it wouldn’t last the whole day. Besides, he was still recovering from last night’s romp. His ex knew how to make him hurt in the most delicious places. If only the guy wasn’t into sharing, Brody would’ve asked for his hand in marriage.

  The client specifically asked that he dress up in his finest. For him that meant the same black suit he wore to every wedding, funeral, and job that required Brody to wear formal clothing. Since that wasn’t always a must, Brody usually stuck to jeans and t-shirts or sweats. Might be time to invest in more of them though because the plain black penguin outfit was getting tired.

  “Brody. Glad you’re here a little early.” Arturo, his boss, walked out of his office with his tablet in hand.

  “Not like I could sleep in. What’s up?”

  “There’s been a change of assignments. You’re not guarding Giselle and Tayven today.”

  “Oh yeah? Does this mean more money, or…”

  Arturo grinned. “Yep. They asked for the best and well, they also specifically requested a gay security guard.”

  Brody made a face. Although it pleased him to hear Arturo mention better pay and him being the best, he ignored it. “What does my sexuality have to do with this?”

  “The star you’re guarding is a gay KPOP star that just relocated to the states. He was attacked yesterday. You didn’t see it? It was all over the news.”

  “Nope. KPOP Isn’t my forte.” Brody finished his bottle and pitched it in the nearby trash.

  “Doesn’t matter. A woman jumped this dude on live television. Security thought it was part of the act, so they didn’t restrain her right away.” Arturo handed him his tablet.

  “What kind of shit?” Brody accepted and played the video showing a slim Asian man about to sing, then a woman knocking him off his feet. About a good minute or two passed before the guy pushed her off.

  “Wow. This chick was bold, huh?”

  “Yeah. These fans get crazier every day. Anyway, his name is Kao Jung-Sik. He’s paying top dollar for you to shadow him to every event and appearance. His manager says he might be a target for bad fans called sasaengs. It’s a big deal in South Korea. Seems they’ve made their way over here to harm him.”

  “Wow.” Brody sat on the corner of the desk and looked over the information on Kao.

  Fuck me.

  Brody moistened his lips, liking the tall, lean man staring back at him. Dark brown hair with red highlights, prominent brown eyes, and gorgeous kissable lips. Brody wasn’t usually into men who wore makeup, but with this guy it only enhanced his appearance. In this picture, he was dressed in an all-white suit, looking delicious.

  “Ahem. He’s a client, Brody.” Arturo warned him.

  “I know, but, he’s… wow.” Brody couldn’t stop thumbing through the pictures. Something about his piercing gaze enticed Brody.

  “Yeah, I gotta say, he’s a looker. Anyway, you’re supposed to meet him, his manager, and his PR person. They’re paying us top dollar to keep him safe, so please don’t get attached.”

  “I won’t. Looking at him is part of my job.” Brody snickered and handed him back his tablet.

  “Yes, well, don’t look too hard and forget you’re supposed to be guarding him. Just make sure we always know who’s around him. Other than his parents, manager, and the PR lady, he doesn’t know anyone here. The police are on the case to find out who this lady was and her motive for attacking him, so don’t worry about that. Your focus is on keeping him safe.”

  “Got it. Anything else?”

  “Nope. Just check in with me daily. I’ve cleared your schedule for the next three months, because he’s supposed to tour in August.”

  “Shit, really? I’m going on tour too?”

  “Yeah. So, make sure your passport is updated. He’s due to be in several parts of the US, Europe, and in South Korea. I told you this is a huge deal for you and the company. We do well now, but if you do a great job, they’ll bring us more clients.”

  Talk about pressure.

  Brody nodded and gave Arturo a mock salute. “I won’t let you down, sir. I’ll be a good little gay and watch the pop star.”

  Arturo chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, you do that. Remember his life is in your hands.”

  “I will.” Brody said with a smile.

  After assuring Arturo he’d behave, Brody headed to Kao’s home. The drive to Santa Monica would take a little longer because technically it was still rush hour. Good thing Brody didn’t have a set time to be there.

  Once Brody exited on the correct ramp, he made a left turn onto a private road. He passed by several residences sitting on huge lots. Some of them were bigger than all the apartments on his block. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out people’s need to have a gigantic house. In his mind, you’d only need one if you had a large family. Otherwise a two or three bedroom house with bathrooms, bedrooms, and a kitchen was enough.

  The GPS alerted Brody that Kao’s house was on the left. Brody whistled low, eyeing the large, modern mansion with its paved driveway and garage on the left. Compared to the others in the area, this place was one of the smaller ones. Still, it appeared to have multiple rooms and a large backyard. More than enough space for Kao and his parents unless they intended to have company on the regular.

  Brody parked and cut his engine. After closing his car door, he removed his sunglasses, perusing the surroundings. The greenery and shrubs were perfectly cut. Flower beds filled with various colorful plants were off to the left along with bushes molded to look like air instead of plain trees.

  Kao had good taste. Apparently, his KPOP gig paid him well.

  Brody slid his shades into his front pocket and ran
g the doorbell on the side.

  “Yes?” The woman’s voice sounded like an older female. Maybe this was Kao’s mother.

  “Um, this is Brody Maguire. I work for the security firm, Mack Securities?”

  “Oh yes, yes. Please have your identification out.”

  Brody plucked his wallet from his back pocket and waited.

  When the locks clicked, a petite older woman with black hair, wearing a simple dress opened the door and meekly smiled. “Hello.”

  “Hello, ma’am.” Brody opened his wallet, holding up his license. “Brody Macguire.”

  She leaned in, looking at it closely. “Thank you, sir. I’m Ming Jung-Sik, Kao’s mother. I’m so glad you’re here to protect my son. Please come in.” She stepped back.

  “Of course, and thanks.” Brody put his wallet away and walked inside.

  Mrs. Jung-Sik led him from the foyer to their sitting room. The house was open concept with all white and black décor. Various paintings portraying several parts of the world hung from the walls along with family photographs.

  Smells of jasmine filled his nostrils along with the faint scent of food cooking in the kitchen.

  Although Brody had juice for breakfast, he couldn’t help but wonder what Mrs. Jung-Sik might’ve been preparing.

  “Welcome to our home, Mr. Maguire. Can you get you something to drink?” She called over her shoulder.

  “Water would be good. And please, call me Brody.”

  She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “All right. Call me Ming.”

  “Okay Ming. You have a lovely home.”

  “It is gorgeous.” Ming’s grin turned down. She toyed with her hands. “Maybe you can convince Kao to stay with us? With these rabid fans running around, I worry about him moving out.” She waved to the left urging Brody to sit.

  Brody thanked her and unbuttoned his suit jacket, before sitting. “Oh, I thought he lived here?”

  “He does… for now but he plans to move into his condo soon. Let me get your water. Kao and his people will be here in a minute.” She walked away.

  “Thanks.”

  Brody understood her concern. Before leaving the office, he perused Kao’s file. He was an only child, born in a small South Korean town. At age fifteen, he was selected by WRL Entertainment to be part of the band, SK4. He’d been with them until he was drafted into military service a little over three years ago and was honorably discharged. Months after he returned, he declined to re-sign with WRL and also came out. Obviously, someone had an issue with his new career path and decided to let him know it.

  “Mr. Brody?”

  Brody looked over his shoulder, eyeing a young man dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt and matching slacks. “Yes?”

  “I’m Lawrence Lau, Kao’s manager.” He walked over and held out his hand.

  Brody stood, taking Lawrence’s palm into his. “Brody Macguire from Mack, Securities.”

  “Thank you for taking this position. Although I love giving someone a job, I wish it didn’t have to be a personal bodyguard.”

  “I hear you. I heard about what happened. That had to be a scary situation.”

  “It definitely was. Worse the security idiots thought it was part of the act. I lost my shit when they told us.”

  “Yeah, that’s ridiculous. If that was the case, they would’ve been alerted ahead of time.” Brody sat back down.

  “See? Why couldn’t they be as smart as you?” Lawrence snickered and took the seat across from him. “By the way, Kao will be down in a minute. He should be done with his Facebook Live soon.”

  “No rush. I’m here to work. I’m sure you know my schedule has been cleared to protect Kao from any more potential occurrences.”

  “Here you are, Brody. Sorry it took me a while. My husband, Kim called, saying he was leaving his work to come meet you.” Ming handed him the bottle.

  “That’s fine. No worries there. I look forward to seeing everyone so we can all be on the same page about Kao’s safety.” Brody cracked the water open and sipped.

  “Agreed. We want him to continue his success without having to look over his shoulder. It’s a shame we had to go through such extremes, but it is what it is.” Lawrence said. “Ironically, the record sales improved after that instance. I’m not sure if people felt sorry for Kao or actually wished to hear him sing.”

  “People do strange things for strange reasons. In my line of work, I see all types. However, I gotta ask you, how come you didn’t think to hire someone for Kao before his appearance?”

  “Honestly, I didn’t think about it. I thought the studio’s guards would suffice, but boy was I wrong.” Lawrence pushed his hand through his ebony hair. “I’m just glad he wasn’t seriously hurt.”

  “So am I.” Ming cut in. “Brody, please convince my child to stay here. When my husband arrives, he will reiterate that point. I don’t like the idea of him living alone while all this is going on.”

  “Well, I’ll try. I’m sure he has his reasons for wanting to be on his own.”

  “Yes. While I understand he is a grown man with needs… and um…” Ming dropped her gaze. “Desires, I am concerned about him being in that building with total strangers.”

  “As we all are. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll suggest that and make my own recommendations. I wanna make sure all of you are comfortable with that too.” Brody took another large gulp and leaned back on the couch’s cushions.

  Ming laughed. “You’re sweet, Brody, but I must warn you, my son is his own man. Your recommendations are just that. If you said the sky is purple, he’ll say it’s blue.”

  Brody and Lawrence snorted.

  “Ah, Momma Jung-Sik, you’re spot on with that analogy. Although I will say, when Gaia told him to adjust next week’s schedule, he relented.”

  “Well there’s hope then.” Ming laughed.

  “Hope for what?”

  Brody turned his head, watching an Asian man and woman walk inside the room. The slim build wrapped in tight black pants and a button up that was only halfway done showing his neck to chest ink told Brody this had to be Kao and perhaps his…

  Girlfriend?

  No. He’s gay. So, this pretty lady had to be his assistant.

  Instead of the brown hair with red highlights, he had blueish gray hair like he had in the video. He had less makeup on. Along with the eyeliner, he wore a touch of color on his eyes and cheeks along with pink lipstick that accentuated his pouty lips.

  Damn.

  Brody mentally shook his head to get out of the lusty haze.

  “Mr. Brody Macguire. This is Kao Jung-Sik and our PR extraordinaire, Gaia.” Lawrence introduced them.

  Brody stepped up and wiped his hands on his slacks then offered his palm. “Mr. Jung-Sik.”

  “Please call me Kao, Mr. Brody.” Kao grasped Brody’s hand firmly. “And before we start, let me make something clear. You work for me, which means you can’t tell me where to go or what to do. You feel me?”

  Brody smiled wryly. “Yes sir. But please understand any of my suggestions are for your safety.” Brody liked this guy’s spunk. Just the glare alone told him, Kao Jung-Sik would not be a pushover.

  Kao shrugged, forcing his hands into his pockets. “I get it, but I won’t allow this incident to turn me into a wuss. I’ve never been a scaredy cat before, and I’m certainly not going to turn into one now.”

  Chapter Four

  Kao loved what he saw. Mr. Brody was one tall, delicious redheaded package unfortunately wrapped in a suit that covered his large frame. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to have a bodyguard after all.

  Assault me baby!

  Kao usually wasn’t one to let men dominate him, but he’d gladly give Brody the right to do anything as long as they ended up horizontal.

  When Kao met Brody’s gaze, he turned away so as not to stare. Those gorgeous blue irises contrasted nicely with his reddish brown hair and matching mustache. The same color fuzz on his chin was perfectly coiffe
d.

  Fucking gorgeous.

  Despite these feelings, Kao wouldn’t allow anyone to dictate his life. He’d gotten away from that when he left SK4. Sure, the situation was serious, but that couldn’t stop him from achieving his dreams. Everyone would have to understand that one nutcase would not ruin his solo debut.

  Kao’s Mom cleared her throat. “Kao, please. Mr. Brody is here to keep you safe. It is best that you follow his lead on these matters.”

  Kao shrugged. “Like I said, I get it, but he’s not gonna convince me to stop what I’m doing. This is a huge time for me. It’s what I’ve waited years to do. One crazy person will not stop the Kao train from runnin’. Not now, not ever!”

  Kao’s mother pursed her lips.

  The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

  Kao’s mother, Gaia, and Lawrence knew not to argue with Kao when his mind was made up. Fine time for Mr. Brody to know the same.

  Again, Kao’s eyes met Brody’s. He moistened his lips, gazing at the gorgeous specimen who’d be risking life and limb to keep him safe.

  While they made eyes, Kao’s mother, Gaia, and Lawrence took a seat on the sofa, waiting for the fireworks to begin. Too bad these wouldn’t be the kind that ended with Kao underneath Brody’s huge body.

  “Look Kao.”

  At the sound of Brody’s voice, Kao turned to him.

  Brody pushed his hands in his pockets and dropped his head. “I’m here to protect you. Not destroy your life. The least you can do is hear me out.”

  “Oh, I’ll listen, but I won’t stop living just because some assholes are jealous of my success. I ruined their precious boy band, and they wanna target me. And don’t forget that I’m gay.” Kao blew out a breath and shook his head. “They’re okay with men wearing makeup and frilly clothing, but the moment one of us wants to love a man, we’re a target of useless hatred. It’s a fff…freaking contradiction.”

  Brody nodded as if he understood. “I get it. They have plenty of stigmas about LGBTQ people here in the United States also, but that doesn’t seem to be the main reason they’re trying to hurt you.”