The world went blurry. “Yeah. It is a lot.”
“I know it’s rough right now, but guess what? It’s never that way forever. The bad stuff comes and goes.” Again, the weight of Namgyu’s arm around his shoulders, warm and reassuring. “When it’s over, everything good is still right here.”
From the footage that eventually became Episode 5 ofSunshine 24/7: Apollo At Your Service(after considerable editing)
The episode opens with pumpkins. The sheer number of these is distracting, but we can't overlook the hayrides, the haunted house, and two enormous inflatable slides gently swaying in the wind. Monroe’s annual Fall Festival is the total package, an autumnal entertainment complex that simply screams, “America!”
On this chilly Friday night, there are toddlers running around with gourds, parents pushing strollers, roving bands of children destined for a violent sugar crash. Lights beckon from the midway, and every ten minutes we hear the clanging of a bell as draft horses pull a wagon around the fairgrounds.
“There’s also a petting zoo,” Denny informs the camera in dire tones. Screams ring out; they're filming him in front of a ride meant to look like a Viking ship. It swings in an ever-widening arc, back and forth, as tinny music pipes through the speakers.
Jesse dashes by just then, clutching a bouquet of candied apples on sticks. Denny watches him like a spectator pre-gamingthe apocalypse. He turns back to the producer and says, “Hazard pay. I deserve it.”
Meanwhile, the members of Apollo take turns posing with a scarecrow whose misshapen head and menacing smile would be right at home in anyone's nightmares. They exclaim over every single baby dressed as a pumpkin. They're collectively mystified by funnel cakes. They want to do all the things.
“I'm sure the boys will be fine,” the producer replies, laughing nervously. “Look at them. They love it.”
Denny laughs himself hoarse. Then, the video suddenly plays in reverse. Jesse runs backwards across the screen, and scenes from the festival blink past in a blur. Night brightens into day. Now Apollo gathers in front of the boathouse, dressed for work, admiring their surroundings. It's late afternoon and the lake shimmers under a flawless blue sky.
Jungwoo stands at the railing with Namgyu. “Look, hyung,” he says. “They have those boats here. Remember when we did that variety show in Japan?”
“Aww! That was the best time ever!”
Here, the episode cuts to a clip of this show, in which Apollo played a game yet to be surpassed in chaos. We're presented with sixty seconds of carnage as the members careen around a lake on pedal boats shaped like swans. Bodies fly through the air, clad in neon life jackets, arms and legs flailing. Jaehwan gives orders to ram someone's boat head-on. His eyes glitter, beautiful and utterly without mercy. Our final image is of Nicky boarding another vessel, a move stolen from pirates terrorizing the high seas. He flips Kei into the water while a roaring Kazu threatens to string him up like a flag.
“That was so much fun,” gushes Namgyu, the winner of that game. “I hope we get to play again!”
Although we won't be seeing a repeat of Apollo’s nautical disaster, it looks like a competition is at hand. The producersexplain that the prize is two glorious days off for the whole group, but only if everyone succeeds at their assigned task. “Secret missions,” grumbles Kei, lips flattening into a grim line.
“Secret missions,” Max concurs. He pulls a granola bar out of his pastel yellow hoodie and takes a bite. When he extends this bounty to the brother nearest at hand, the offer is declined. Ari seems to have lost his appetite.
They're called in order by age, eldest first. Kazu enters the boathouse while the others confer amongst themselves. Only Nicky is quiet, industriously tapping away at his phone. This behavior hasn't escaped Denny's notice, but he doesn't intervene. For now, he just glances at a text message and announces, in response to Namgyu’s repeated requests, that zero K-pop people will be operating watercraft without training or proper licensure. “Over my dead body, Hong.” (“Awww…”)
Kazu emerges, deep in thought. Nicky goes in right after him, receives his mission, and… strolls back to the group, behaving in perfect compliance. Wait, really?
No, not really. Thanks to an enterprising cameraman, we get to observe a master at work. Nicky approaches the members one by one, pressing them to reveal their secret missions. The goal: win two days off. The strategy: find the easiest mission and give it to their weakest link, Ari.
Again, it’s Kazu first. “Okay, keep yours,” Nicky tells him. “Nobody wants to do that one.”
“What? Why not?”
“They want you to find birthday presents for Max and Keiichi, but you can only pay in vegetables. Terrible mission. You’re the only one who could make that work, so keep it.” Nicky waves him away. “Gyu, what's yours?”
There's some resistance. Namgyu knows you can't win if you're disqualified for breaking the rules. But Nicky points out that the rules never explicitly said to keep the missions a secret.They never gave that to him in writing, which was their first mistake. And wouldn't it be sad if theyallended up losing just becausesomebrothers always have to be the winner? Namgyu surrenders. We learn that he’s been tasked with assembling a five-course meal using free samples from market stalls. Then he needs to get somebody to eat the feast he’s put together.
“Eh, that's rough. Have fun with that.” The same verdict is issued for Jungwoo. His mission is to spend an hour integrating the full choreography of Apollo's debut single,U SHINE, into his regular work duties. If anyone asks what he's doing, he has to start over. And Nicky is endlessly amused by this, but it’s Max’s mission that takes the cake. While working their pancake stall at the fall festival, he’s supposed to quote some of Apollo’s English lyrics to their customers. He’s required to do it with a straight face, and he doesn’t get to choose which lyrics. This means "Baby, can I waste your time?" is fair game.
“Who’d you piss off?” Nicky asks, once he’s finished laughing himself to tears. “Aren’t you supposed to be popular in America? Don’t they love you here? Maybe one of the producers has a crush on Hazel.”
“Shut the hell up, hyung.” But despite the vitriol, Max appears to have accepted his own doom. Shoulders squared, he says, “You want us to get the time off, don’t you? And you promised to help me with Ari. I’ll take care of my end if you take care of yours.”
“Oooh, relax. I’m on it, buddy. Your favorite brother is in good hands. I’ll be your knight in shining armor—”
Nicky takes a punch to the arm. He doesn’t care; everything is just so funny. He's still wheezing when he gets to Kei. “Let’s see. You need to thank a member every time a customer thanks you.” The prospect makes him giggle. “You’ve got the worst luck. That’s a bad fit for you, but Ari could manage it. I might come back later.”
“Get him to switch with me now. Mine is stupid. They want me to thank you guys, for what? Stealing my silk pillowcase? Ruining my life?”
Nicky grabs Kei’s face and plants a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek. “You're welcome, my son. I know I bring you so much joy.” He traipses away. In the background, Kei might be breaking out in hives.
