“He does.” Nicky gave a thumbs-up with one hand while holding his phone with the other. Was he recording this? For what? “Rock and roll, son. Don’t keep the Chief waiting.”
“And this is all you want from me? You swear, hyung?”
Nicky promised him that this was it. No strings attached, no fine print. They couldn't torture the info out of him, that's how seriously he took this business. To Jiyeon, he said, “Listen, ajumma. I’m not about transparency. I like secrets, same as you. But that was one time in history when telling the truth actually worked out for somebody, so I think it’s worth a look. I like to study the ways, even if they’re not necessarily my ways.”
Still recording, Nicky indicated that she should leave with Jungwoo. For some reason, the latter was struggling to make eye contact. “Sorry about this,” he said. “I mean it. And can you tell Ari, too? Make sure he knows. I’m really sorry, but I don’t have much of a choice.”
She blinked at him. “You’re saying sorry in advance? For what?”
“This.” His fingers closed around Jiyeon’s wrist, transforming their interaction into a classic Korean drama scene. The only thing missing was a ballad playing in the background. “Come with me.”
24
“Don'taskquestions,Ryan.Just get in the boat.”
It wasn't the strangest directive he'd ever gotten from Denny, but Eunjae was perplexed nonetheless. Had the plans changed? Why had he been brought to the lake on his own? Last he'd heard, the crew wanted Apollo to gather at the midway. There, they would find out if they’d gotten the weekend off.
“Take this,” Denny said now, passing a reusable grocery bag over the side. “Should have everything you need, and then some.”
Eunjae stowed this mysterious cargo at his feet. “Don't we have to pay to ride these?”
“Already done.”
“This sign says the attendant has to explain the safety measures—”
“The attendant,” Denny replied, “is indisposed.”
“Right. Okay.”
“And there’s nothing to explain, anyway. One, wear your life vest. Two, don’t fall overboard. Easy.”
A cheer rose up from the fairgrounds, cresting the hill and reaching Eunjae as a muffled roar. While he adjusted the straps on his life vest, Denny checked his watch. Then he dispatched a text message, muttering to himself about the death of punctuality as a character trait. Also, he mumbled something about a horse. A horse…?
Another minute ticked by. A couple approached the dock, but Denny redirected them. Planting himself in front of the ticketing booth, he said, “Temporarily closed. Low level biohazard situation.”
The next would-be boating enthusiasts were dismissed in a similar manner. Eunjae checked his phone, noting that the group chat was suspiciously quiet. And there was nothing from Jiyeon, even though the stall should be closed. Where did everyone go? Maybe they were headed here. He waited, watching the water, listening to the creak of wooden planks as Denny paced the dock. It was a moment of much-needed tranquility after everything that happened with Ezra, who wasn't here tonight. Not feeling well, according to their dad, when he called the producers that morning. Understandable. In a lot of ways, Eunjae wasn’t feeling well either.
“Any minute now,” said Denny. He motioned at the boats. “Ever tried one of these?”
“Ah, yeah. We were filming for this show in Tokyo and we had to race swan boats for one of the games.”
“And you all made it out alive. Miracles do happen.”
Eunjae reflected on the experience. The members had somehow gotten the idea that they were supposed to sink each other's boats instead of competing to see who could cross the lake at the fastest speed. To this very day, Nicky insisted he had nothing to do with that crucial bit of misinformation.
“I got lucky,” he concluded. His partner was Namgyu, and they had yet to invent a game that his brother couldn’t win.
Another pair came down the hill. This time, Denny didn't warn them away. “Finally,” he grunted. “Better stick to songwriting, Orpheus. Can’t say you have a promising career in delivery services.”
“Jungwoo did his best.”
Eunjae leaned so far over the side that he almost tumbled onto the dock. That was Jiyeon. She climbed in next to him, snatching the second life vest from the floorboards. “This is the one we're taking? Did it have to be the most boring boat they've got?”
“Boring?”
“You heard me.”
“Have you seen the rest? They look deranged.”
