“The official story.” A storm roiled beneath Kazu’s glacial demeanor. His hands had clenched into fists.
Bitterly, Nick asked, “Is it the one where you put that penalty in our contracts because it’s supposed to save us from ourselves?”
“Oh, there will be no mention of that. If you want Apollo to continue, if you want to heal your fans’ poor little broken hearts, no one can go off script. You’ll stand on that stage together and explain to the audience that Ari wanted to quit. He begged us to end his contract because he just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Haewon looked to Jungwoo. “Isn’t that what you told me, the night you found him here? You were so worried.He isn’t strong enough for the long game, you said.”
Jungwoo hung his head in shame. “Leave him alone,” Eunjae cut in.
“Is this why they love you, Ari? Did they follow you down this road because you forgive them even when they turn on you?”
“He didn’t turn on me.” Jungwoo was only human. He was allowed to be afraid, to make mistakes.
“It’s nice to hear you taking his side, now. I’d like to think we can still make you see reason.” She motioned at the dining area’s dim interior. “He was right to be concerned for you. How is this anything to aspire to? And do you really think these people, this life, would satisfy you for very long?”
“Don’t talk to hyung that way,” Jesse cried out.
Soyeon dropped into a chair. “Haewon-ah,” she murmured. “Remember why we’re here. Don’t get carried away.” Her gaze seemed a little less distant, although Eunjae could’ve been imagining it. He could hardly think straight thanks to the pain. He could barely stop himself from shouting everything in his heart.
How is this anything to aspire to?
But it was everything to aspire to. He knew that now.
Haewon dropped her line of questioning, although the clipped tone suggested that she chafed under her sister’s warning. She went back to addressing the group as a whole. “Anyway, since you all love your brother so much, you decided that it was better to disband rather than limp along for another few years, one member short. Then it will be Ari’s turn in the spotlight.
“I don’t know how much of an actor you are, but you’ll need to do your best. Confess that the guilt is too much to bear. Tell your fans that you can’t allow the group to fall apart just because of your selfishness. Tell them you’ll stay. As brothers, they were prepared to go down with you, but you won’t let it happen. You’ll dig deep and get over yourself. All for one, one for all.” She clapped. “Done! No more disbandment. No more termination.”
Haewon straightened the printed pages on the table. “The rules will be stricter and the penalties a little higher, but let’s be fair — you deserve it. Then the fans go away feeling oh, so relieved and the drama makes you more popular than ever. Perhaps we should be thanking you for this catastrophe, after all.”
“Why did you bother with all of this?” Kei spoke up, visibly trembling. “You brought the fans out here, you set up this whole charade — for what? So we can help you tell your lies?”
“See, I knew you would react this way. I understand because I lived it too. The fans are the ones who brought you here, when we really think about it. It’s their love that sustains you. But they’re fickle, too. They can love you, and they can ruin you. None of you can stand to see them hurt, can you? Even though you hate them sometimes, I’m sure. That’s why I knew you would come if I brought them here.”
“It should’ve been enough that you bullied Ari into staying,” said Namgyu. “You didn’t need to punish us, or Sunshines, or anybody. How could you do this? After Polaris refused to credit you for your work, you still wrote that clause into our contracts. You made it so we could lose our music.” He swiped at tears with the sleeve of his sweater. “Like we weren’t going to lose enough.”
“I did nothing to deserve what Polaris did to me,” Haewon volleyed back. “I tried to fight for myself and my work, but I never took it this far. I never ran away. I put up with the schedule, I showed up even when I was sick and had barely slept for days. None of what they did to me was fair, but I tried to be fair for you.”
“So if one of us tries to leave the group, losing all our work is only right. That's what you think is fair.”
She smirked at Eunjae. “You think you shouldn't be punished. Even after everything you’ve done, and everything we’ve given you. I can see it in your eyes.”
“Everything you’vegivenme?” He tried to keep controlling his temper but didn’t fully succeed. “I wasn’t given any of this. Forced into it, yeah. I auditioned because I was a kid who felt like I had no other choice. But everything after that? I earned it.”
Eunjae came forward, then, heart slamming in his chest. “If I do what you want — if I go out there and tell these lies for you — will you remove the penalty clause from our contracts?”
Haewon only regarded him coldly. “No.”
“Because it saved you from disbandment. Without the clause, Jewell would’ve fallen apart when Soyeon tried to leave. That’s what you said, but I don’t think it’s true.”
He approached Soyeon. “Noona,” said Eunjae, addressing her as an elder sister just as she’d once asked all Emerald Entertainment artists to do, in happier and easier times. “When Polaris threatened you with the musketeer clause, you felt too guilty to go through with quitting. After that, how did you feel?”
“How dare you force her to remember that?” Haewon launched into him immediately. “She hates to think about it. You’re out of line.”
But now Soyeon let out a sob, and Eunjae knew that he’d asked the right question. “Noona, you wanted to quit because you weren’t happy anymore. Leaving was what you needed to do for yourself. Then you saw that doing this for yourself would make your sisters suffer, so you gave up. The penalty clause kept Jewell together. Did it really save you, though? I don’t think it did. And you know it wouldn’t have saved us, either.”
“Stop it!” Haewon shrilled. She moved as though to shield Soyeon from Eunjae. He stood his ground. Although Soyeon was upset, she hadn’t contradicted him.
“I’m sorry to make you cry,” Eunjae said to her. “I’m sorry to remind you of something so painful. But the pain you went through then and the pain you're going through now, you allowed it to happen to me, to everyone in this group. Even though it’s too late to change that now, you could change it for the ones who come after us. Soyeon-noona, please. Remove that clause from all Emerald contracts going forward. Make it so no other group has to go through this.”
