Namgyu took a breath and Jiyeon rushed to get a word in. “Can I ask you a question? It’s easy, I promise.”
“Aww! You can ask me any question in the world! It could even be a hard question!”
You’d need a heart of stone to resist Namgyu’s mix of sincerity and enthusiasm. She found herself smiling, and although he couldn’t understand what was being said, Ezra crept in like a traveler drawn to the fire’s glow. Jiyeon pretended not to notice. “Was this always your dream? Did you always want to sing?”
“I didn’t dream of singing. Wow, that would be so silly of me. I knew I would sing no matter what!” Namgyu motioned at the members of Apollo. “I dreamed of not being by myself anymore. Did you know my mom and dad both came from big families? Isn’t that so amazing? But they didn’t have any more kids, after me. That’s why I wanted to debut with a group like this. And look how many brothers I got! It’s the best. Nobody’s life is better. I hope we'll always be together.”
The response was unexpected and somehow within the scope of her expectations, all at once. Jiyeon ended that clip and started another. She recorded a message from Namgyu to the fans, basically a laundry list of everything he hoped they’d have, wherever they might be: delicious meals, good friends, warm laughter. Since she’d filmed every piece needed for the post, she let him return to the track for a few more laps.
Ezra stuck around. “I got some videos of the lake yesterday. Can you show me how to make them go in the right order? So it’s not boring.”
“Sure. Let’s see them.”
He played the clips for her. She suggested ways to edit the footage, tricks she'd learned and more shots he could add. “Wecan split it three ways, like this, and put the title in the middle. It's not a busy clip, since you're just panning across the water. Stays readable and won't distract from the text you put on top of it. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah.” But his excitement dimmed, and he searched the lot the same way she’d done earlier, looking for Eunjae. “Will he be mad? He doesn't want me messing with this stuff.”
“He's just worried. Social media isn't always safe, and it's not always a good place to be.”
Jiyeon spoke from experience. Parts of that experience had been painful. Recognizing this, Ezra asked, “Are you mad?”
“No.”
She was concerned, but wasn’t it better for her to be here? There were dozens of things Jiyeon wanted to change about being Emma, things that were too late to fix now, but it wasn't too late to act as a guide. On this path, intrusion often intertwined with genuine connection. Cruelty coexisted with the incredible kindness of strangers, the stories they told, the joy of being able to help people she might never have reached otherwise. Ezra didn’t have to learn that on his own.
“Did you know about Miss Vivi? Am I the only one who didn’t?”
Jiyeon wasted a moment trying to find the right words, a configuration of sentences that might soften the blow. But there were no right words, and this would hurt regardless. “I knew,” she replied. “Not right away. Eunjae took a while to tell me all of it.”
“It took even longer for him to tell me. Everybody knew before I did. It’s this big, terrible thing that happened and I didn’t know.”
“He has a hard time talking about Vivian.”
“I get that. And I get why he never wants to talk to Mum, and I get why he left.” The bitterness faded. Ezra looked away. “But why’d he stay gone?”
She read the longing in his face, a wish to know and be known in turn. Hadn't Jiyeon seen this before, on an evening in June? Wasn't it the same thing she'd sensed behind a stranger’s shy smile? Maybe those books about Molly Merriweather were right to describe time as water, a liquid expanding to fit its container. It ran through your fingers, gone forever. It pooled in the palm of your hand, a mirror so clear that it was possible to see straight through.
“He’s here now. You’re both here, Ezra.” She gave him her warmest smile. “You’ve got so much time.”
Transcribed from a post by Emma Han(@jiye_unnie)on the official Star-Connect channel forSunshine 24/7,later reposted to Apollo's social media accounts
Emma points to the title as it scrolls across the screen:Let's Fix Your Ponytail! (with a special guest…)The words fade out, revealing rows of bleachers in the background, flashing silver in the morning sun. She filmed this video on a cross-country track that curves beyond the frame. It's orange, painted with white lines. The shot widens and we see Kazu sitting beside her, arms folded over his muscled chest. His tank top barely qualifies as a full article of clothing.
“What did he say to you?” he asks Emma. “Tell me. You wouldn't push him into the lake for no reason.”
Emma replies that she had a reason, for sure. “But we’re supposed to be making a ponytail tutorial,” she reminds Kazu. “Sunshines are waiting.”
Well, say no more. “Sunshines! You ready? Watch this.”
What follows is a step-by-step guide to recreating Emma’s ponytail from the post with Jungwoo. The screen splits, end result on top and advice on the bottom. We learn strategies for making sure the ponytail stays sky high all day.
When it comes time to teach, Kazu turns his back to us, modeling the steps on his own hair while Emma narrates. He's never cut it shorter than shoulder-length, so there's plenty to work with. An Apollo song plays over the footage.
“You were really young when you left home,” Emma says, afterward. “Was this your dream job?”
Kazu chuckles. “You want the honest answer? I had no idea. But I was fighting with my dad every single day, and that made my mom sad, so it seemed like a good idea to leave.” His posture slumps just the tiniest bit. “Thirteen years old. Thought I was so smart.”
“So your dream was to make your mom happy.”
