“Sorry, Den,” said Jiyeon, not sounding sorry at all. “We decided Dad would get too excited if he found out, but I thought Mom was gonna tell you.”
“Surprise!” trilled Mrs. Han.
“Is that scary man trying to say we all look like Ari?” Namgyu whispered to Nick. “Because I don’t think we all look like Ari.”
Nick pinched his cheek, hard. “Calm down, Gyu. You don’t look like Ari. One: you’re shorter. Two: you’re way uglier. And three —”
That argument never built up steam, what with Mr. Han avidly making his rounds. He pumped each member’s hand with enough enthusiasm to power three squads of cheerleaders. He’d also memorized everybody’s names, including nicknames. And when he reached Eunjae, he snatched him up in a bear hug that made his back pop in at least two different spots.
“RYAN!” Mr. Han roared. “Lion-nim! You’re here! You came back!”
“I did,” said Eunjae, gasping for air. He was here. He’d made it back.
In that moment, he felt like he could get through anything.
“Ah, hold on. I just remembered.” Eunjae pulled Kazu and Kei out of the group and positioned them in front of the Han parents. “In the seventh or eighth episode ofI Loved You, there’s a song that plays in the ending credits.”
When he heard it, he’d recognized his brothers’ voices in an instant. What with Apollo’s burgeoning discography, it was hard to keep up with all the projects the members had undertaken since 2014. Kazu and Kei had contributed a song to that soundtrack, though. They’d collaborated with success on multiple occasions, despite the chronic bickering.
“Just the chorus, Kei,” coaxed Eunjae.
“But I barely remember the lyrics!”
“Kazu’s got them on his phone.”
“You’re ganging up on me now? I hate it here so much.”
“What a big baby,” scoffed Max, in English. “Keiichi is a big, sad boo-boo bear.” Which did the trick, of course. Kei scanned the lyrics, opened his mouth, and began to sing. Kazu took over the second half of the chorus, and even before they were done, the rest of Apollo had broken out into deafening whistles, cheers, and applause. Jesse went so far as to doodle a sign on his phone that read ‘JAPAN LINE 4 EVER’. He waved this in the air like fans did at their concerts.
Mrs. Han fanned her face with both hands, bubbling over with tears. Jiyeon dashed for the box of Kleenex and brought it back to her. Mr. Han gave a loud sniffle, then started another round of hugs. Even Denny appeared fairly awestruck. Eunjae was not surprised. Anytime those two could be convinced to sing together, the result was a revelation. The slight rasp to Kazu’s voice provided a perfect balance to the unexpected sweetness of Kei’s.
Eunjae was glad to have thought of this as a gift, but there was still so much he needed to repay somehow. Not only to the Hans, but to his brothers. When all of this was over, he would keep chipping away at that debt. He’d work on it forever if he had to.
There was no way of peering into the future. He could secure no real guarantee that the battle would be won, but he would hold these people close, regardless. And there was one thing Eunjae knew for sure: any place was magic as long as they were with him.
It was worth it. It was everything.
38
Obligedtomakeroomfor seven additional bodies, the Hans’ apartment seemed, mystically, to expand. Kazu made a beeline for the dining table, but Nicky went into the kitchen, asking if he could help with dinner. Namgyu parked himself on the rug in front of the TV. Kei took the couch, yawning, and Jesse collapsed into Mr. Han’s recliner with a satisfied sigh. A very harassed Max stalked into the hallway to return a call from his eldest sister, Madison. His other two sisters called right after, back to back.
While his brothers settled in, Eunjae drifted toward the back patio with Jiyeon. If she noticed the extra pairs of eyes tracking her every move, she gave no sign of it.
Denny noticed, though. He prowled onto the patio too, but not before averting all the curious gazes with the sheer power of his aura.
“They're still building it,” Jiyeon was saying. “You probably saw in the pictures. The outside is done but the inside won't be ready until September, they said.”
Eunjae came through the glass doors right behind her. “Do you think there's enough room for everything you need?”
“Uh-huh. I don't need much, really. A chair, a big mirror, a sink. Oh, and some counters. That would be helpful.”
“You should get a couch if there's enough space. We’d have to measure.”
“I think the light will be really nice.”
“I thought it might be.”
They were interrupted by an abrupt barrage of throat clearing. The sound was reminiscent of two thunderstorms locked in a fight to the death, or possibly five Siberian tigers growling in concert.
