“Everyone knew who I was talking about, Ryan!”
“Pass,” said Max, matching Denny glower for glower. “I was down there all morning, okay? It’s like being in goddamn jail. And I wanted to eat with Ari-hyung.”
“What, like you can’t do that separately? Not everything has to be a group activity. You guys can do stuff on your own even though you share a hive mind powered by one brain cell.”
“But we won’t see each other for a while,” Max argued. “Everybody’s leaving after the awards thing. You can’t blame us for wanting to eat lunch together.”
“Spare me the melodrama, Lee. You’ve been eating lunch together for more than a decade. It’s not like you won’t see Ryan when you move to LA.”
“I won’t be out there for another month!”
“Yeah, and I think you’ll live. Start looking at apartment listings. Send him some weepy postcards from Florida. ‘Day two of the struggle. Wish you were here. How about this coffee table from IKEA?’”
Kei wrinkled his nose. “IKEA.”
Much to Eunjae’s consternation, Denny motioned for him to get up. “Let’s go. Founders just asked to see you upstairs in ten. I have no idea why, so don’t ask.”
“Whoa, whoa,” said Nicky, in the middle of stacking lunch trays. “What about me? That’s my son, Chief. His business is my business.”
While their manager enjoyed a solid laugh over that assertion, Eunjae handed Max his pencil and crossword puzzle. “Don’t let Jungwoo forget about the meeting, okay? Hyung loses track of time when he’s working.”
“I hope he forgets. I’ve seen enough of him today.”
“Max, come on.”
“I’m not going back down there,” his brother insisted. “Jaehwan said I have to put in eight hours of songwriting every single day, but he didn’t say which hours.”
“Help Kei, then. Or go up to the conference room and see if you can figure out what the meeting’s about.” Everyone in the group wanted to solve this mystery. When pressed, not even Denny could provide much in the way of information.Something about a change of plans, he’d told Eunjae yesterday.More vague than usual.
A change of plans. This worried Eunjae, but surely anything major would be communicated with more urgency. Apollo was expected in Bangkok by Friday afternoon. Tickets were booked, hotel rooms arranged, stage outfits tailored and ready. And he wasn’t the only one flying home when the performance was done; if the schedule was extended in any way, they’d all be affected.
He fell in with the others leaving the dining hall, Max at his heels. “You’re going up, right?”
“Yeah,” replied Eunjae. “To the top, I guess.”
“Then I’ll go with you. Keiichi can handle Nicky and Gyu by himself. I’d rather be at this meeting fifty minutes early like a fucking loser.”
The lobby of Emerald’s main building buzzed with activity. Paneled in dark wood, with a contrasting floor that gleamed like ice, it thronged with people coming and going. As they walked by, one of the receptionists called to Denny from the front desk, a frantic note in his voice.
“Manager Han, it’s… um… well, it’s another phone call.”
Denny's expression hardened into a scowl carved from granite. He waved them on, striding to the front desk without further explanation. All they got out of him was, “The executive floor, Ryan. I’ll meet you up there when I’m done.”
Kei and Nicky veered off toward the exit. With Max, Eunjae walked past reception, aiming for the main bank of elevators. While they waited, his brother flicked through text messages, foot tapping on the marble floor.
“Zu says he just saw some board members coming in. What’s going on? We agreed to having PR babysitters and they agreed to let us pick which ones. I thought that was the last thing left. What else could they want?”
Apollo had fielded multiple offers of representation since June. Many of these were generous, but none were entirely forgiving. The industry couldn't overlook rebellion, and the dating news had angered legions of fans. The group was expected to make concessions. For example, aggressive public relations management for the transitional period, plus longer if deemed necessary. And Apollo was prepared to negotiate, so long as their next agency agreed to sign all nine of them, together.
We belong to our fans, Jaehwan had reminded them all, back when the group started reviewing offers.The least we cando for Sunshines is to stay together. They’re afraid this is the end for us, but we can show them that it isn’t.
Some agencies were fine with keeping Max, but only if he dropped Hazel. Others just wanted him out of the group. A few felt that Apollo should continue as seven, without the two members who had dared to rock the boat. The victory they’d earned on that summer night continued to come at a price.
It was a price Eunjae remained willing to pay. His bags were packed, the majority of his belongings crated up and on their way across the sea. The future was a vast, unmapped wilderness, but going home was the most important thing.
One more week. Jiyeon was right when she said it still felt like forever.
3
