บท 52: Trans Idol (10)
Edited by: Kuro
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JADED's manager, Keith, called when he saw things were blowing up. Luna, the CEO, was also called and she made the final decision on what to do. She wanted to meet Jaden before starting a press conference.
"Jaden, the CEO wants to meet you as soon as possible. Get ready because I am going to pick you up with Charlotte." Keith said as his usual soft-spoken voice became serious. Keith was a little confused as well because usually, the president would address something like this, not the CEO.
"Understood." Jaden calmly said as he shrugged and got up to go to his room. He hung up the phone only to have Dexter clinging on to him.
"Jaden, are you really going to go? Do you want us to come with you?" Dex clung to him, his face filled with worry.
After spending several months with the other members, they all regarded each other as family.
"I will be alright."
Al brought Jaden into a hug. "No matter what, we are on your side alright? You are a member of JADED and our family so if you need anything, let us know."
"That's right, Jaden! JADED would not be here without you so no matter what anyone else says, you are our Jade, our Jaden!" Danny jumped into the hug pile along with Dexter.
Eli slowly wrapped his arms around them to complete the hug. He was a little awkward but everyone knew he cared.
Jaden felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes and hugged them all tightly. "Thank you..." He didn't know what else to say because all the words were jumbled up in his mind, but he knew that he was really happy.
Worlds like these really taught him the meaning of friendship and chosen families. They chose him and he chose them. It was a mutual affection that he couldn't forget. But he also wished that the original could feel this too as the Host knew that the original needed this type of companionship the most.
As they were hugging, they heard a knock on the door before hearing the click of the card going in. Keith was still in mid-knock while Charlotte strolled in with the card in her hands.
"Sorry for rudely entering but we need to go. Now." Charlotte's voice was much different from her usual cheerful self. She seemed like a successful businesswoman ready to tell her company about her latest project. It was an odd contrast from her usual demeanor.
Everyone let go of Jaden before seeing him off.
"You got this!"
"Kill them with kindness!"
"Keep being you!"
Many words of encouragement were shouted out as Jaden waved goodbye.
He wasn't worried about what was happening, but he couldn't wait to come out and finish these missions and then live out his life with God System
*****
Jaden was driven to another company called Lunar Corp. This was Luna's main company and where she did all of her work. The company was in a high-rise building with 38 floors. Luna's office was on the 37th floor while her lounge was on the 38th.
They were going to meet Luna in the lounge, so Charlotte and Keith escorted Jaden to a private elevator. It zoomed to the 38th floor without stopping.
Once they arrived on the 38th floor, Charlotte and Keith walked in front of Jaden to show him around and make sure he didn't get lost. They walked past many doors before finally stopping at the one at the end of the hall.
"Jaden, don't be nervous, okay?" Keith said as he smiled. It was a rare smile coming from him.
"Alright, I will try not to." Jaden nodded at Keith who was trying to bring down the tension.
Charlotte opened the door and Jaden was almost blinded by the light coming in from the windows. When his eyes adjusted to the natural light, he saw a large room full of couches and tables. There was someone sitting on the set of sofas in front of them.
That person was sitting in the center and only her side profile could be seen. She had long dark brown hair and blonde tips. She was wearing a fitted black suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and a skirt that went to her knees. She also wore matching 6-inch tall, black pumps. Her body was on the thicker side but she had curves in all the right places. All in all, she was very beautiful.
When the woman heard the door opening, she turned over and smiled at them. Her beautiful brown eyes were accompanied by light makeup but her lips were a bright red. She had the grace of an elite businesswoman but also the casual vibe of an older woman with her cat on Sunday. She seemed cheerful so her aura was bright.
"Come in, come in. If you want any drinks, I can call the secretary to get you all some."
They walked in and sat in front of the woman. Jaden was seated between Keith and Charlotte and directly in front of the woman.
There was a table in between them, but it still made Jaden a little nervous to be stared at so intently by the woman.
"As you know, I called you here. I am the CEO and founder of Lunar Corp. You can call me Luna."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Luna."
"Likewise to you, Jaden. Now, let's get on to business and why I called you over."
Luna snapped her fingers and her secretaries entered through the door. One of them handed her a thin folder and the other put down a tablet on the table.
She opened up the folder and placed it in front of Jaden. "I've gathered up some data and evidence on the individual who leaked your private information. Don't worry. He's in a nice place right now and won't be bothering us in the future."
They could see a picture of a man who looked like a certain jackass from the dance studio. He was the one who thought he was the most handsome and talented out of everyone there, when in fact, he was just a bit above average in looks and his dancing was mediocre. His name was irrelevant to everyone there but they couldn't help but pity the young man.
Everyone felt a chill down their spine seeing her smile. It was no wonder Luna was able to work her way to the top. Her methods were ruthless.
"To get rid of some worries, just know we won't be kicking you out of the company just because people have expressed that we should do so. At any of the companies under Lunar Corp, we push for gender equity and won't tolerate the public's toxic behavior."
"Thank you, Ms. Luna." Jaden gratefully expressed.
"It's no problem at all. Well, let's not give me all your thanks right now as there are some things we must do."
She picked up the tablet and a projection screen to their left came down from the ceiling. They all saw everything that was on the tablet. "There are a few things that you need to see before we discuss the press conference you will be speaking at. As you can see, we are doing a lot behind the scenes to push for Trans Rights. We are also helping a lot of LGBTQIA+ organizations but we mainly focus on organizations that help out the transgender community. In the public view, the push for trans rights seems slow, stagnant even, but right now, we are doing a lot to help create legislation.
"As you can see here, we have statistics, and in this document, we have a master list of organizations in more than 50 countries that are helping out the trans community. In this country, it's relatively difficult to live as a trans individual but it's not impossible. We are also helping medical schools to teach them about trans-affirmative health care. This will all be implemented in the next few years.
Seeing the progress that Luna and her company had made, Jaden was left in shock. He thought he would have a lot of work to do, but Luna had laid down a solid foundation.
"I understand all the data, but I don't understand why you are showing me all of these..." Even though Jaden said this, he actually had an idea as to why, but he wanted to hear it from her instead of assuming.
"I want you to be the face and the driving force of the Trans Rights Movement."
It was something most people couldn't even fathom, but Jaden already planned on doing so.
"I've already planned on doing so the moment I came to JQ."
Luna looked at Jaden's serious and determined face and couldn't help but give a hearty laugh. She was happy that Jaden was on the same page with her.
"Fantastic! This makes things so much easier. Your schedule will become 10 times busier, but it will all be worth it. Now let's talk about the press conference."
Long story short, the press conference was for Jaden to come out in front of all the netizens of the world. Then Luna would come out to give her company's support and how everyone who works for her will have equal opportunities regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. They would answer questions and shoot down all the transphobia coming their way. The press conference was scheduled to happen in 3 days, so they had a bit of time to practice and plan for it.
Some could argue that people could protest her decision, but she wasn't worried about the country they were in. Her business expanded all over the world, one measly country was not enough to ruin her billions in profit. Plus, she had a hold on almost all the governments where her company was at. They would think twice before trying to knock down her amazing enterprise.
Luna and her subordinates were in charge of setting everything up and background-checking the reporters who were entering. All Jaden needed to do was show up and talk about his coming out.
"And that's it for now. After this, we will do a lot of promotions and pushes for Trans Rights. It will be inevitable that you will receive hate and scorn, are you ready?"
"I am." Jaden had been through thousands of years of the Villain System and was even stoned to death. Receiving some hate comments was nothing in comparison.
"Good, you can go back and rest up." Luna held out her hand. "Let's work well together from now on."
Jaden shook her hand and they looked at one another for a brief moment. They both had the same look on their faces. Determination, motivation, and passion. They both knew they could count on each other from then on.
After that meeting, Jaden went back to the dorms with Keith and Charlotte while Luna stayed in the lounge for a bit. She walked over to the window and looked at the cityscape that could be seen. There were many buildings but also a lot of apartments that seemed to run for miles. Below, were cars trying to drive from point A to point B. People walked the sidewalks on the slightly hot day.
A few minutes later, Jaden got into Keith's car and drove away from the company. Seeing Jaden leave, Luna turned away from the window and sighed in relief.
She understood Jaden on a level that most couldn't. She was a trans woman herself and knew how difficult it was to live in a country where trans individuals were either killed by hate crimes or suicide.
For the beginning half of her life, she hid the fact that she was a woman for a very long time and struggled as a man. Luna even got married to another woman, but they got a divorce a couple of years into their marriage. She gained custody of their kids who were barely 4 years old. That woman she was with up and ran away leaving Luna to struggle on her own. She started her transition once her kids became old enough to go to school. She struggled to make ends meet every day and was met with disgust from the people around her, but Luna never gave up. She started her own company and became a cosmetics tycoon. This all happened in another country, but it was a past that she knew she couldn't forget.
Her two kids had grown up and one of them even had kids of their own. They still kept in contact with her and loved her as a mother and grandmother. Her kids and grandkids were the only ones who supported her through the most difficult times of her life.
She was older and it was better for the young to pave the way. That was why she decided to make Jaden the face of the Transgender Rights Movement instead of her. Seeing Jaden, a younger trans individual with a bright future in front of him, she couldn't help but regard him as her own kid.
She had heard a bit about Jaden from Adriel, that crazy bastard, but seeing him in person, she understood why Adriel was fanatically in love with him. Adriel's love was on a level that she wanted to be concerned about, but she knew that crazy man was still a good man. If Adriel hurt Jaden, as someone who could be regarded as Jaden's new mother, she wouldn't hesitate to cut Adriel down to the ground.
"Jaden, the road will be long and difficult, but I will be cheering you on..."
She knew that Jaden would go far and couldn't wait to watch him fly.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
MakusCorner
MakusCorner Grandpa Marky: I don't know if any of y'all noticed, but I used the word equity instead of equality (in some instances). Equality is typically defined as treating everyone the same and giving everyone access to the same opportunities. Meanwhile, equity refers to proportional representation (by race, class, gender, etc.) in those same opportunities.
kuro_kama: The first time I saw the word Equity was when I was in 9th grade. It was about some three lines on the title Gender Equity that was under the chapter of Human Rights and Women Empowerment. After I read the definition and example I was so mesmerized by the word. I still remember thinking ‘Wow! This word is really cool.’ The example was about 10 breads. I still remember so clearly.
Anyway, this is it from your favorite Grandpa! I will see you all tomorrow with the rest of this arc :D
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