Ruan turned away and walked towards the first door, Lucas's office, where the rest of the one4all members were already waiting. As he reached the front of the door, he sighed deeply and stopped the bodyguard from opening the door for him. He slammed the door open and strode into the CEO's office, his eyes blazing with annoyance.
''Lucas, what's going on?' he demanded. ''why didn't you tell me about the reporters and fans camping outside?'' he demanded.
Lucas sighed. ''No one knew that they were hiding until they showed up when you arrived, but we've already sorted that out and put a restraining order on them!''
Ruan's scowl deepened. ''no one knew?'' he scoffed and looked into the eyes of the other members present in the office with him. ''I know you all didn't inform me because you want me gone that badly!''
Tae, seated in a corner, spoke. ''This is all your fault, Ruan, not anyone's. If you had not continuously put this group's name into scandals, we wouldn't have to deal with every mess. And since you wanted attention, they went after you like vultures. I have to say that you deserved what happened to you!''
Ruan's face darkened, and he clenched his fists tightly. He knew that Tae would judge whether he was at fault. ''Lucky for you all, I am going to rehab, and you won't have to put up with me anymore!''
''you bet,'' Tae said and looked away from him.
''Guys, enough,'' Ethan said and facepalmed himself. ''Arguing is not…'' he paused when Jax and the woman walked in. ''oh…who is the pretty boy?''
Ruan glared at him, and he snickered back at him but said nothing. Lucas stood up and smiled at them. ''Welcome, Jax, Welcome Regina,'' he greeted with his hands stretched forward, both receiving it warmly.
''nice to see you again, Mister Lucas,'' Jax said.
''Likewise,'' Lucas responded and pointed to the rest of the members in the room. ''I want you to meet the rest of the members, Tae,'' he pointed towards Thompson, who looked at him but said nothing. ''Echo,'' he introduced Ethan, who waved at Jax and finally introduced Liam. ''Lixx.''
Liam was the only one who stood up to shake hands with Jax. ''welcome. I can call you Jax, right?'' he asked politely.
Jax nodded in response, dumbstruck as he stared at Liam, making Ruan wonder if Liam was his favorite member.
''Great,'' Lucas sat down and pointed to the two empty chairs opposite him. ''please have your seats, both of you.'' he said and then looked at Ruan. ''are you not going to sit down somewhere?'' he asked.
He frowned at him before attempting to sit on the couch beside Tae. Since his scandal started, Tae had been distancing himself from him, acting as if he didn't want to be close to him. Each time Ruan tried to talk to him, he always cut him off, which made Ruan wonder why and what he could have done to make Tae, his best friend, change so drastically.
''so everyone,'' Lucas's voice took Ruan's attention from his thoughts as he spoke up. ''I have gathered every one of you to meet Jax, who will be managing Ruan in his six-month rehab!''
Tae chuckled, and all attention, including Ruan's, was turned towards him. ''what!'' he shouted, looked at Ruan, and pointed at him. ''You think someone like him could manage a problematic person like Ruan?'' he scoffed. ''I don't know how you think that is going to happen, but good luck.''
''you seemed to have a problem with everything that I do!'' Ruan retorted.
Tae scoffed and rubbed his forehead. ''That is because all you have ever done is bring problems to us, and somehow we always manage to resolve them for you!'' He fired back, his voice going higher with each word he said. '' I don't know about the others, but I am already tired of your bullshit and the way you get away with everything. I am fed up of your…''
Ruan stood up and shouted. ''That is why I am doing this! It is why I am going to the rehab to change!''
Tae also stood up and pointed a finger toward Ruan. ''if you didn't do anything in the first place, then we wouldn't have to go around dealing with your bullshits,'' he pushed Ruan's shoulder backward. ''Have to deal with you all the time and…''
''That is enough, Tae,'' Echo came in between them and pulled Ruan away while Lixx grabbed Tae's hand.
''leave me alone,'' Tae pushed Lixx's hand from his and moved towards Ruan, but Echo stood between them. '' This is why he keeps doing this. It is because you all pampered him, thinking the group would not succeed without him!''
Ruan didn't respond; instead, he glared at Tae, lost for words. He never imagined that his best friend, with whom he had shared most of his life, would hate him to the core, and what baffled him was that he had never done anything wrong to him.
''Stop wasting your time on someone like him who is not willing to change, and no matter how you send him to that rehab, it will all be a waste! He is never going to change and…''
''And what makes you think that,'' Jax jumped into Ruan's defense, shocking everyone in the room, including Ruan.
Tae scoffed. ''I know because I am his best friend and….''
Jax cut him off again. ''As his best friend, ain't you supposed to have his back and protect him?''
''what…'' Tae turned towards Ruan. ''did you tell him to talk back at me and…''
Jax cleared his throat and stood up. '' No one told me anything, Mister Tae,'' he responded and looked at Ruan, who was still dumbfounded, unable to speak. He had never expected that Jax would defend him because he was the one who usually defended himself against others. ''I know you are Mister Ruan's best friend, and if you truly care about him and want him to change, you should believe him because he is willing to change and accepted to go for rehab.''
Ruan smiled, and Tae noticed him, which made Tae groan in frustration. He tried to move closer to Jax, but Lixx came between them. ''I am not trying to fight him, but I am trying to make him understand that believing in Ruan is useless and…''
''Well, you believed in him and joined the group! If you don't, then you wouldn't be here and…'' Jax retorted.
''you…'' Tae shouted and tried to move closer to him again, but Lixx stopped him, pulling him backward. ''you,'' he pointed to Jax. ''Do you think that you can change someone like Ruan in six months? You truly believe that he is going to change?''
Jax nodded in response.
''Good luck changing him, but I give you one warning as someone concerned about you! Whatever you think you and Ruan have that is making you defend him like this, and he picking you as his manager will never last and…''
Ruan interrupted before he could finish, surprised that he was already concluding that he had something with Jax. ''Whatever you are thinking is…''
''I am not talking to you!'' Tae shouted at him.
'' listen to me, Jax,'' he turned back to face him. ''Ruan will use and dump you like he always does to those close to him! That is the way of his life, and since you believe that you can change him, then I must say that is good for you, but trust me, you will regret everything if you let him continue to lead you on,'' he said and yanked his hand free from Lix. ''Good luck on your rehab,'' he said to Ruan as he headed towards the door. He stopped and turned back to look at him again. '' I truly hope that you change this time because if you don't, then this is over,'' he declared and opened the door wide, slamming it closed on his way out with a loud bang.
Nobody said anything for a moment until Lucas's loud throat clearing broke the staring competition. He looked at Ruan and Jax and then sighed. ''I hope what Tae said is not the truth… you two don't have…''
''no,'' Ruan responded quickly before Jax could. ''whatever you and Tae are thinking will never happen! Jax seemed like a good candidate for the managing position because he saved me from reporters without knowing who I was. There is nothing between us.''
Lucas nodded and then turned towards Jax. ''I can trust you, too, right?''
Before Jax could answer, Ruan shouted. ''I already told you what you want to hear! There is nothing between us, and it is never going to happen!'' he sighed and then walked away from Echo, heading towards the door. ''no one ever listened to me and…'' he paused for a moment and turned back to look at everyone, including Jax and then opened the door walking out and slamming it shut as loud as he can.
Just as he walked out, strolling down the hallway, he met Tae on the way. They glanced at each other without saying anything, and as they walked past each other, they stopped, paused, and looked at each other again.
''I truly hope you change in six months, Min Soo,'' Tae called him by his Korean name, and the only time he ever called him that was when he was serious.
''I don't think you have to worry about that, Thompson,'' Ruan responded by calling Tae's real name. ''I will come back stronger than you expected and…''
Tae hissed and walked past him before he could finish. ''no one believes all of that, but goodluck.''
Ruan clenched his fist tightly until he could feel the pain radiating from his palm. He said nothing to Tae and started walking to the company's roof.
He brought out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, and then searched his pocket for a lighter but found none, which made him angrily threw the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it over and over again and then he let out a scream.