Nami said, “I know it's short notice, Ari, but we've been told to take you to the airport this morning. The email said to make sure you're at Incheon by 6:30am at the latest. We’ll help you pack, okay?”
Eunjae recoiled. “What? No, it's not okay. The airport, noona? Why?”
“To catch a flight,” Doyoung snapped at him. “What else? Use your brain. And start packing or we’ll be late.”
“It's nothing bad, I promise. Just a trip back home.” In response to Eunjae's panicked, questioning look, Nami expounded with, “Home to Brisbane, Ari. Your parents requested it after what happened. They think you need to go home and rest. Looks like Mr. Yoon agreed with them. I do wish we’d been given more time to prepare, but it's nice that you can be with your family for a while. I know you’ve had your issues, but maybe they’re trying to be part of your life, now. Give them a chance.”
Brisbane. His parents.Leila. Eunjae felt like he'd been shoved in front of a train. That was because Yoon knew exactly what he was doing.
While the other members felt homesick for actual people and locations, Eunjae felt homesick for a time that was gone, impossible to relive again. He was homesick for Vivian, driven from his life with such finality. And now he was homesick for that apartment on Ivy Lane, for a waffle restaurant on a boulevard lined with palm trees. By sending him to a place that was never going to feel like home again, Yoon had chosen to hit him where it would really hurt.
Here was his true punishment, then. Yesterday's events were only the opening act. Haewon and Soyeon both knew the state of Eunjae's relationship with his family; they were under no illusions that sending him to Brisbane would result in a happy reunion, a peaceful retreat. They knew exactly what they were doing, too.
“Let me talk to Mr. Yoon, to the founders. There's something I have to tell them. It's important.”
Doyoung sneered at him. “Who do you think you are? The higher ups aren't at your beck and call. They don't have anything to say to you, kid. Take the free vacation and be satisfied that you got away with murder.”
“Didn’t you need some time to rest?” Nami asked, wringing her hands. “That's what all of this was about, right? You can't be upset about going home. You're getting what you wanted.”
“That’s not my home,” Eunjae said fiercely, wresting the suitcase out of Doyoung’s grip. “I won't go.” And he was about to bolt when Jungwoo stepped into the room.
Eunjae watched, warily, as his brother finished typing a half-composed message, then punched the Send key on his phone. Jungwoo’s gaze took in the managers and the open suitcase, the expression on Eunjae’s face, before saying, “They can't ship Ari off to Australia right now. Our unit debut was postponed, not canceled. How are we supposed to get through promotions without him?”
“Jungwoo, this isn't your business. Leave so Ari can pack, please.”
“Well, aren’t you being polite today, Doyoung-hyung? What a nice surprise. A lot nicer than finding out my next project’s getting sabotaged by Yoon himself. But I had to deal with enough shit when Ari ran away, and I’m not dealing with more, so I can’t let you take him to the airport.” Jungwoo crooked a finger at Eunjae. “Come on, we’re taking this to the CEO. Apologize, beg, bribe. I don’t care as long as you convince him to let you stay. It’s the least you can do for me.”
“Boys, you can’t bother Mr. Yoon at this hour. I understand what you're saying, and the timing does seem kind of strange, but we can schedule a video call once Ari’s safely with his family. The scheduling will get ironed out later.”
That was Nami’s most placating tone. It usually had a decent success rate, paired with her gift for compromise, but not this time. Jungwoo behaved as if she hadn’t spoken at all. Phone buzzing nonstop, he replied to another message. “Let’s go, Ari. I’ll call Yoon on the way over.” Pointedly, Jungwoo added, “Unless you’d rather be in Brisbane. Which I doubt, but I won’t pretend to know you as well as I thought I did.”
A chasm still yawned between them. This was only the first step in potentially bridging that gap, repairing the damage done. But there was no time to hesitate. There wasn’t even time to do more than assemble the rudimentary beginnings of a plan, like wending his way down a twisting path with only limited visibility. It would just have to be one foot in front of the other, from here on out.
At least he wasn’t alone.
Eunjae snatched up his laptop and the jacket he'd worn on the flight from California. His passport and wallet were tucked into the pockets, right where he'd left them. He threw these essentials into the duffel bag, in too much of a hurry to add anything else, then checked that he had Jiyeon's phone as well. “Noona, you tried to stop us. You did everything you could, okay? This isn’t your fault.”
Nami gaped at him. “Huh?”
“Tell the story any way you want,” urged Eunjae, backing away, “as long as you blame it on me. I was uncooperative. I pressured Jungwoo into helping.”
“Say that we tripped Doyoung when he tried to chase us,” his brother added for good measure. “He fell on his face. It was embarrassing but he made a good effort.”
Doyoung started toward them. “What are you two —”
“Okay,” Eunjae said to Jungwoo. “Let’s go.”
Jungwoo turned on one heel and sprinted for the apartment door. Eunjae was right behind him. On their way out, they overturned every piece of furniture in their path: two bar stools, an end table, a life size cardboard cutout of a masked, tuxedo-wearing anime character that had been gifted to Jungwoo by a fan. And in the hall, they broke into an all-out run.
Transcript from a video posted to Apollo’s official YouTube channel in August 2022, part of a project in which Jungwoo performed covers of popular K-pop songs. Many of these videos featured collaborations with his fellow group members.
Jungwoo- I'll be on my deathbed saying this, and you'll have to admit that I'm right —
Ari- (laughing) Will I?
Jungwoo- Yes! Because the best Jewell song is obviouslySecret Garden. It’s not even a question!
Ari- (bowing) To our founders, Haewon-noona and Soyeon-noona, I loveSecret Gardenbut I respectfully disagree with hyung —
