He maneuvered his suitcase through the narrow entryway. Denny paced to the window, every step producing a faint tremor. “What? Yeah, of course it’ll be okay. It’s one bad review. That’s not enough to tank the whole restaurant.”
At this point, they both heard a theatrical gasp from Jesse in the hallway. “Ohhhhh my gooossshhh. It leaked already? Is it hyung’s fault?”
“I resent that,” said Nicky. “I've been a perfect angel. I could've gotten Jungwoo to board the wrong plane two different times and I totally didn't. Ask the Chief, he can vouch for me.”
“Aww, Jungwoo could've gone on an adventure!”
“Jungwoo can go straight to hell,” grumbled Max. “Hyung, are you okay in there? You looked all weird on the bus.”
Denny threw the deadbolt. “Alright, keep it moving, Lee. You could go a full hour without Ryan if you put some real effort into it.” Then, as Max argued through the door, he motioned for Eunjae to get going. The room had balcony access, so he tiptoed out there, wincing at the immediate blare of traffic from the streets below.
He had Ezra’s phone number but couldn't remember the last time they'd actually talked. Christmas, maybe, a year or two ago. Eunjae did the math again, puzzling out time zones. They'd flown out from Brisbane, since Ezra spent school holidays with Simon. Would his brother be awake if he called right now?
But he was just stalling, delaying an uncomfortable task. Bewildered as he was by Ezra’s actions, and as vital as it was to learn the motivation behind them, this wasn't a conversation Eunjae wanted to have. It was difficult to avoid blaming himself for what felt like the dozens of different ways he'd fallen short. Why was this the first time they'd be speaking to each other in so long? Why hadn't Eunjae done a better job of keeping up withhis brother, of reaching out more frequently? He was older. He should’ve taken the initiative.
He thought he knew what to expect, and what he'd say, when his brother picked up. But Ezra’s voice came down the line and it was no longer the high, piping voice of a child; it didn't match Eunjae's memories whatsoever. He gripped the balcony rail, stunned by this revelation. He'd listened to his own voice on enough occasions to realize that they sounded very much alike. His brother, his echo.
An echo, but only in the most superficial sense. Ezra had words of his own.
“I tried to ask when you’d be in LA. You didn’t write me back. It’s not my fault you won’t talk to Mum or Dad, either. We’re supposed to be your family and you don’t tell us anything. They didn't even know you have a girlfriend.”
Eunjae had plenty of reasons for not talking to his parents, and now he knew exactly how Leila found out about Jiyeon, but this was hardly the time discuss either topic. “Look, I’ve had a lot of things come up over the past week. I’m sorry I didn’t reply. It doesn’t change that you showed up out of the blue. Why? Are you in trouble? Do you need something?”
“I can’t come visit you unless I’m in trouble or I need something?”
“No, that’s not what I said—”
“I guess Mum was right. She said you’d be mad, and you are.”
“Ezra, I’m not—”
But his brother was gone. He’d ended the call.
11
At6:45thefollowingevening, Jiyeon pushed her feet into a pair of flip-flops, then hurried downstairs. Her food had been delivered. She kept Denny on the line as she took the steps by twos, all the way down and all the way up again. Busy arguing her case, Jiyeon didn’t even look up to admire the clouds shrouding the sky in sweeps of blush and lavender, gauzy as cotton candy.
“Like I said, they’re offering more of a consulting role. Not even full-time hours.”
“That’s still too much,” her brother said. “You can’t be backstage at the clown conventionandrunning the shopandstarting a new business from scratch all at the same time. Something’s gotta give, Yeonnie.”
Jiyeon reached the landing. She walked the last few yards to her apartment and let herself back in, plunking the bags down on the counter with a thud. “I could help you. Ishouldhelp you. It’s my fault they want you for the main cast, isn’t it? You werecovering for me. And if I’m on set, I can manage the diner a couple days a week. That gives you time for Wanna Waffle.”
“Sure, sure. These yahoos would take care of themselves while I was gone. They’d get along great and nothing would be on fire.”
“Emerald staff can be with Apollo on your days off,” Jiyeon replied, sorting out the various components of her meal. “Eunjae said they’re sending people over.”
“Yeah, okay. And does he know about your devil’s bargain with Prism?”
“Devil’s bargain? Really?”
“You know that’s what it is!”
Whatever he wanted to call it, the offer relayed by her agent sounded a lot like the tidiest solution to a number of Jiyeon’s problems. They’d proposed a behind-the-scenes role for Emma Han, wanting her help in recreating the atmosphere of Wanna Waffle in an authentic way. She’d be in the background, not part of the main cast. The job did involve some content creation, but her on-camera appearances would be limited to a few interviews.
Most importantly, she could take some of Denny’s workload. She had the training and professional experience to sub for him as diner management. Her brother would have more days off, more time at the shop. Jiyeon saw no reason why both of their dreams should be sidelined.
It worked for her. She saw this as a worthwhile risk, but Eunjae wouldn’t see it that way. He’d likely reject this plan outright.
