Chapter 2
Although tables couldn’t be reserved in the Emerald Entertainment dining hall, the one in the back left corner was considered to be Apollo’s.
Eunjae had no memory of how this table became their designated spot.
Shoved right up against a window facing the building next door, it didn't offer much of a scenic view.
Proximity to that window also meant sweltering through their meals in summer, then shivering side by side in winter.
And they could've picked any other place to sit, but somehow they always ended up here.
It was arguably the worst corner of the dining hall, but it was their corner.
Not for much longer, though. They’d finished almost all of their remaining contractual obligations.
The members of Apollo had signed a provisional agreement with Emerald that would be in effect until the end of November, but most of the group — including Eunjae— had nothing more on the schedule after this weekend’s performance.
As soon as that was done, he’d be heading back to California with Denny.
Eunjae found it difficult to imagine not living here. Was it really happening? Would he really be allowed to go?
As he finished the last few bites of his lunch, lukewarm sunshine spilled through the window and onto the tabletop, balancing the cold fluorescent lights.
There was something satisfying about the four sets of dishes arranged on green plastic trays, four key cards on green lanyards, four jackets in a pile on the far side of the bench.
Eunjae stopped eating and took a picture.
He meant to send it to Jiyeon. This didn’t happen because somebody had to hurry and catch Max’s pencil before it rolled onto the floor, and then somebody had to intervene before Nicky got himself decked with a cheap book of crossword puzzles.
Kei certainly wasn't lifting a finger. He had yet to even look up from his magazine.
“Look, why are you getting so mad at me?” Nicky had his legs stretched across his part of the bench, bright orange hair freshly dyed, an insouciant little smile on his face. “I'm only reading what other people wrote. It's not like these are my opinions.”
Max tossed the pencil again. It hit the table with a violent thwack. “Fuck right off, hyung!”
“Okay, maybe it's time to get off Star-Connect,” said Eunjae. “We’ve gone through a lot of comments already.”
Without missing a beat, Nicky replied, “And we should go through some more. Like this one! Oh, this one is good.” He cleared his throat. “Shop window couple! This is a PR ploy and I'm sick of it. Max should be deported to Texas, there's no reason for him to be here anymore.”
“Texas…?”
“Shop window couple…?”
“It's what people say when the relationship seems fake,” said Kei, turning to the next page. “Lots of Sunshines think you’re just dating for the attention.”
“Not everybody thinks it's fake. See, this one says Max’s obsession with Hazel is the most romantic thing they've ever seen—”
A woman's voice cut in, disembodied, speaking perfect English. “How can he be obsessed with her?” this voice demanded, startling three of the four people at the table and sending one of them into gales of laughter. “He barely knows this Hallie person. I think Madison’s right and we should sue. This has gone on too far, bubs.”
Max gawked at Nicky. “Why the hell are you on the phone with my sister?” he exclaimed, leaping to his feet. “How do you even have Mikaela’s number?”
“That's just how this works. If she's your sister, I have her number.” Nicky's smile widened into a grin. “Isn't it so funny?”
“You're insane,” hissed Kei, the magazine forgotten now.
“Nah. Mostly just bored.”
“What the actual, honest fuck!”
“Stop shouting in public,” scolded Mikaela. “And why’s Dad saying you won't have Heather with you this weekend? Shouldn't you bring her home to meet us? You've been dating for months now, you're practically engaged—”
“Her name is Hazel! I've said that a million times, and there's no way in hell I'm bringing her with me. Give up! Get a life! Leave me alone!”
“Holly, Hannah, whatever. Don't change the subject, Max. Why do you think it's okay to shack up with some random actress you only met once?”
“Shack up—”
“I'm telling you that it bothers me. It's the most bizarre thing you've ever done in your whole life. I could accept some kind of one-night-stand situation, but this is pushing it.”
Nicky had his head pillowed on both arms by this point, laughing himself hoarse.
Kei seemed on the verge of fleeing the room.
Fellow diners had started to take notice, the commotion drawing eyes and ears.
Eunjae mopped up a puddle that sloshed out of his water glass when Max jostled the table.
He whispered, “We need to take her off the speaker.”
Max went a mile further and wrestled the phone away.
“Bye!” he told his sister. “Go to bed! Goodnight!” He punched the button to hang up, then launched himself at Nicky, a dozen expletives poised to tumble out of his mouth.
But that was as far as he got, because Denny materialized behind him, foreboding as a thundercloud blotting out the sun.
None of Apollo’s other managers had ever been as efficient, or as frightening, as Denny Han.
Persuading him to take the job was the smartest decision they’d made since debut.
Under Denny’s reign, the dorms became a bastion of structured schedules and flawless sleep hygiene.
He delivered everyone to their events on time, in one piece, and appropriately clothed.
The unbridled menace of his glare was enough to kill any suggestion of outlandish diet plans or stylist selections involving mesh.
How they’d go back to living without him, Eunjae had no idea.
Now, Denny’s gaze swept over the table, scrutinizing each of them in turn. A frosty silence descended, changing the barometric pressure in this corner of the room. “Moriyama,” he said. “You’ve been known to read a calendar correctly. What’s on the docket today?”
Kei sat up straighter. “Captain! We have a meeting in fifty-seven minutes, Captain!”
“Correct. Make sure Hong gets to the right conference room this time. You’ll need to bring this one, too.
” He rousted Nicky off the bench while Kei’s enthusiasm deteriorated instantly.
“Help Moriyama with these trays. You’re going from Point A to Point B, no detours.
Until then, keep your hands where I can see them,” he added, “or else.”
“Oooh, or else what?”
“Try me and find out, bucko.” Next, Denny pointed at Max. “Why are you here? You’re supposed to be in the studio with Shakespeare. Working lunch, no breaks, no fraternization.”
“Ah, Jungwoo goes by Orpheus in the song credits… not Shakespeare…”
“Everyone knew who I was talking about, Ryan!”
“Pass,” said Max, matching Denny glower for glower. “I was down there all morning, okay? It’s like being in goddamn jail. And I wanted to eat with Ari-hyung.”
“What, like you can’t do that separately? Not everything has to be a group activity. You guys can do stuff on your own even though you share a hive mind powered by one brain cell.”
“But we won’t see each other for a while,” Max argued. “Everybody’s leaving after the awards thing. You can’t blame us for wanting to eat lunch together.”
“Spare me the melodrama, Lee. You’ve been eating lunch together for more than a decade. It’s not like you won’t see Ryan when you move to LA.”
“I won’t be out there for another month!”
“Yeah, and I think you’ll live. Start looking at apartment listings. Send him some weepy postcards from Florida. ‘Day two of the struggle. Wish you were here. How about this coffee table from IKEA?’”
Kei wrinkled his nose. “IKEA.”
Much to Eunjae’s consternation, Denny motioned for him to get up. “Let’s go. Founders just asked to see you upstairs in ten. I have no idea why, so don’t ask.”
“Whoa, whoa,” said Nicky, in the middle of stacking lunch trays. “What about me? That’s my son, Chief. His business is my business.”
While their manager enjoyed a solid laugh over that assertion, Eunjae handed Max his pencil and crossword puzzle. “Don’t let Jungwoo forget about the meeting, okay? Hyung loses track of time when he’s working.”
“I hope he forgets. I’ve seen enough of him today.”
“Max, come on.”
“I’m not going back down there,” his brother insisted. “Jaehwan said I have to put in eight hours of songwriting every single day, but he didn’t say which hours.”
“Help Kei, then. Or go up to the conference room and see if you can figure out what the meeting’s about.
” Everyone in the group wanted to solve this mystery.
When pressed, not even Denny could provide much in the way of information.
Something about a change of plans, he’d told Eunjae yesterday. More vague than usual.
A change of plans. This worried Eunjae, but surely anything major would be communicated with more urgency.
Apollo was expected in Bangkok by Friday afternoon.
Tickets were booked, hotel rooms arranged, stage outfits tailored and ready.
And he wasn’t the only one flying home when the performance was done; if the schedule was extended in any way, they’d all be affected.
He fell in with the others leaving the dining hall, Max at his heels. “You’re going up, right?”
“Yeah,” replied Eunjae. “To the top, I guess.”
“Then I’ll go with you. Keiichi can handle Nicky and Gyu by himself. I’d rather be at this meeting fifty minutes early like a fucking loser.”
The lobby of Emerald’s main building buzzed with activity. Paneled in dark wood, with a contrasting floor that gleamed like ice, it thronged with people coming and going. As they walked by, one of the receptionists called to Denny from the front desk, a frantic note in his voice.
“Manager Han, it’s… um… well, it’s another phone call.”
Denny's expression hardened into a scowl carved from granite. He waved them on, striding to the front desk without further explanation. All they got out of him was, “The executive floor, Ryan. I’ll meet you up there when I’m done.”
Kei and Nicky veered off toward the exit. With Max, Eunjae walked past reception, aiming for the main bank of elevators. While they waited, his brother flicked through text messages, foot tapping on the marble floor.
“Zu says he just saw some board members coming in. What’s going on? We agreed to having PR babysitters and they agreed to let us pick which ones. I thought that was the last thing left. What else could they want?”
Apollo had fielded multiple offers of representation since June.
Many of these were generous, but none were entirely forgiving.
The industry couldn't overlook rebellion, and the dating news had angered legions of fans.
The group was expected to make concessions.
For example, aggressive public relations management for the transitional period, plus longer if deemed necessary.
And Apollo was prepared to negotiate, so long as their next agency agreed to sign all nine of them, together.
We belong to our fans, Jaehwan had reminded them all, back when the group started reviewing offers. The least we can do for Sunshines is to stay together. They’re afraid this is the end for us, but we can show them that it isn’t.
Some agencies were fine with keeping Max, but only if he dropped Hazel. Others just wanted him out of the group. A few felt that Apollo should continue as seven, without the two members who had dared to rock the boat. The victory they’d earned on that summer night continued to come at a price.
It was a price Eunjae remained willing to pay. His bags were packed, the majority of his belongings crated up and on their way across the sea. The future was a vast, unmapped wilderness, but going home was the most important thing.
One more week. Jiyeon was right when she said it still felt like forever.