When footage resumes, we’ve moved to the diner’s gleaming, newly renovated industrial kitchen. Multiple conversations are underway. Kei praises the Captain’s decision to have them come in for ‘intensive diner boot camp.’ Nicky giggles over an email from Prism, tickled by whatever he’s found there, while Max is hunched over his phone. He’s typing at a furious rate.
Our captain bangs a wooden spoon on the countertop. “First, some housekeeping. As you’re all aware, my sister decided to fall for a celebrity paralegal.”
“Sorry, what did you just call him?”
“You heard me,” Denny retorts, continuing over his sister’s protestations and the roar of Apollo members laughing their heads off. “As I was trying to say, it’s all hands on deck, no errors, no exceptions. Take this seriously. Sometimes the best place to hide is right in plain sight, but that won’t work unless every last clown in this room pitches in at 150%. Don’t let Ryan’s ill-advised relationship hit the news cycle.”
“Ill-advised?”
“Noona, if you’re just gonna repeat everything I say like a parrot—”
“Oh, like Miss Gloria’s parrot that used to give you nightmares, and then you’d come into my room crying in the middle of the night—”
Nicky applauds, positively alight with joy. “I’ll take a large popcorn. Put it on my tab.”
“Sit down and find your knitting needles,” Denny snaps at him, “or I’ll find them for you.”
“Oh my gosh—”
“The crew’s getting here in less than forty-five minutes and only three of you can handle a griddle without incident. So we’ll be working on that, but you need to remember what I’ve told you.”
“Captain! You said that pancakes are inferior to waffles, Captain!”
“And I’m right,” says Denny, with a snort. “Subpar texture. Structurally unsound. Poor syrup retention. It’s a flawed food on multiple levels, but that’s what they put on the menu. What else? Speak up. Don’t let Moriyama hog the one lonely brain cell.”
“Oooh, about pancakes or dating scandals?”
Jungwoo raises his hand. “Never let the film crew catch them alone.”
“Correct. Under threat, converge en masse.”
“Me, me!” Jesse squeals. “Run interference! Deflect suspicion with nonsense!”
Emma has forgotten about her phone. The camera’s pointed at the floor. “We’ll be fine,” she insists. “I won’t even be here half the time.”
“There’s the other half of the time,” says Ari, with a sigh.
“Nice to see that Ryan’s eyes are only 79% empty this morning. Downright refreshing.” There’s a rush of air, the rustle of fabric; Denny has started tossing aprons at Apollo members. “Yeonnie, listen. You’re gonna need all the help you can get. I see nothing wrong with mobilizing these yahoos for the war effort. Think about their skills: singing, dancing, shouting, generating chaos, vapid small talk, minor acrobatics. It’s the most efficient use of existing resources, yeah?”
Nicky’s knitting needles click and clack. “Chief, don’t forget that Max can steal girlfriends. That counts as a skill.”
“You can fuck right off, hyung—”
As all semblance of order goes up in smoke, Ari reaches over and cuts the video.
17
She’dregretitlater,but Jiyeon had to ask. “Erin. Is that an acronym, just like Eric?”
Today’s Prism lackey had wispy bangs and a long, thin face. Pearl earrings, teal dress, nude pumps. Smiling, she said, “You’re so observant, Miss Han. E-R-I-N stands for almost the same thing, except for the last letter, of course.”
“Right. What does the N mean?”
Erin smiled, baring teeth that were a dental and orthodontic masterpiece. “Neutralize.”
Well, that was pleasant. Jiyeon went back to combing through outfits, perusing the rack labeled ‘Emma’ with one eye on the clock. She was supposed to film an interview soon. An hour had passed while Erin held forth on the kind of tone and body language that would best align with Emma’s low key, minor supporting role. No deviating from the script. No referencing Apollo members by name or hinting at personalties. The fans were much too suggestible. They could take the smallest detail and run wild with it.
“You should show some emotion, but don’t go overboard. You love your brother, you love your family, you love your family’s cute little restaurant. Apollo? Fun people. Very talented. If the producers push you for it, you can say the members are sort of like brothers to you.”
