He turns partway, brow furrowed. “You know what? Yeah. Mom’s the best.”
A picture pops up: Kazu hugging his mother at an Apollo concert in Tokyo. She's smiling, tears shining in her eyes. Like Kazu, she has her hair up in a bun. It's the cutest thing ever. “I bet she’s proud of you,” Emma points out, gently.
“Yikes. I hope so.” He shakes his head. “Man, I can't wait to go home.”
Brothers pounce on Kazu, crowding in from every side. What's he doing? Isn't he supposed to be helping her? Don't cry, big dummy. You're going home in two days!
It’s difficult to hear Kazu over the noise, but we do hear him revisiting an earlier topic, a dog with a bone. “Tell me what he said. You want me to take care of that for you? I'll do it.” He points at someone to his left. “And where were you when this happened? Why aren't you the one who pushed him into a lake?”
“Ah, I was with you. Remember?”
“Oh my gosh, Zu. You'll take care of it? That'sterrifying, you sound like amurderer—”
Emma chooses this moment to step in front of the camera, blocking our view of the fracas. Brightly she says, “That’s it! What did you think? Post your ponytail and tag us, okay?”
32
Theyenjoyedapproximatelyonesunny afternoon in Tokyo. Clouds had rolled in by evening, smothering the sky and putting an end to the mellow autumn weather, but of course the wedding would go on as scheduled. Neither the staff nor the bridal party showed much concern.
“It’s lucky,” Kei explained the next day, as water fell in sheets over the hotel’s glazed tiles and sloping roofs. Eunjae and several of his brothers had convened in the shelter of a covered walkway. It was time to rehearse for their performance at the reception, but the usual suspects were late. Jungwoo and Kazu had already gone ahead with Denny. Nicky tended to be punctual for dance practice and very little else, while Jesse… was Jesse. Fervently, Eunjae hoped that their youngest member would show up within the next five minutes. Someone would have to go get him, otherwise. Who had the mental or physical fortitude for such a task? Jet lag was enough of a struggle.
Thunder rumbled. Namgyu looked out at the gardens, humming the chorus of a song intended for Apollo’s next album. “What do you think?” he asked. “Like this, or like this? Ha, I can’t decide.” He sang the chorus two ways, both slight deviations from the guide track, and brothers huddled close to hear the melody.
“Could change it a little more,” said Eunjae. “How about this?”
His voice rose above the sound of rainfall and dripping eaves. Max’s scowl disappeared. “Hey, that’s it. Keiichi, sing it just like hyung did. That line and the next one.”
Eunjae heard this and felt a pang of guilt. It occurred to him that Max had been much quieter lately, present but more withdrawn. Things got so busy, with the group decamping to Tokyo for a week. There hadn’t been a minute to spare, but Eunjae should’ve checked on him, especially after the news about Jungwoo.
He’d talk to him after rehearsal. Meanwhile, Kei eyed Max like he was crazy. “Why do you want me to do it? That’s the chorus. I never get the chorus. What would be the point?”
“And you’ll never get the damn chorus,” Max shot back, irate, “if you don’t sing it right now. I’ll play it for Jungwoo and see what he thinks. It’s not like we have to follow all the same old rules we used to, so just sing.” He pressed the Record button on his phone. Kei gave up and delivered the verses as demanded. Namgyu came in with the harmony.
The result was something different, something new. But it was still Apollo, and Eunjae realized how much he liked the song, now that he’d heard it this way.
Passing guests expressed admiration. Kei croaked out his thanks, deeply embarrassed. Jiyeon walked up during the last round of bowing, deflecting praise, and then bowing some more. She and her brother had rooms at the adjacent hotel, anotherTachibana Group property called Equinox Tokyo. The grounds were connected at several points, allowing guests to come and go.
Drawing Eunjae aside, Jiyeon murmured, “Prism’s here. I saw an Eric in the lobby.”
He had no time to react. Jesse had finally deigned to come down from his room, skin perfectly dewy and moisturized, whining about being cold. And how could they be so mad at him for trying to get his full ten hours of sleep? And why was the banquet hall so far away?
The Grand Empress Hotel encompassed multiple buildings, including the wedding venue, a renowned restaurant, and a pair of towers like crystalline shards piercing the sky. These were linked by a garden touted in guidebooks as one of the most picturesque within city limits. Autumn foliage blazed in russet and gold, and a graceful bridge arched over koi ponds dotted with lilies. The scene belonged in a painting, but the paths were uncovered. They’d have to brave the rain in order to make it to rehearsal.
Liveried hotel staff stood at the ready, bowing and smiling, bearing umbrellas wide enough for two. Nicky borrowed one, then approached with a diabolical grin on his face. “It’s time, my son. You’re up.”
Jesse had only been awake for about ten or fifteen minutes by this point, but he was lucid enough to read the writing on the wall. Nicky never grinned like that unless he’d won. It meant the trap was sprung and you’d already been caught.
Struggling was futile. Did Jesse struggle anyway? Absolutely. He fought for his life. This wasbullying!This wasoppression!His brothers were merciless, tyrannical beings and he didn’t deserve them, he was anangel!
Nicky twirled the umbrella, unfazed. “You know how this goes, buddy. Everybody gets a turn. Isn’t that right, ajumma?Look at that romantic atmosphere. Rainy day, pretty garden, big umbrella. It’s perfect.”
“Oh, sure. I see where you’re going with it.”
Jesse turned to Jiyeon with the pitiful, wide-eyed stare of the freshly betrayed. “Noona, how can you be like this? And why is it my turn? It should be Nicky’s turn, or Keiichi’s!”
This prompted Kei to step behind a pillar, wary of being chosen instead. That didn’t happen. Jesse’s fate was written in stone. “Hear me out,” said Nicky. “All you have to do is hold the umbrella and walk with her to the banquet hall. You’ll have a little chat while the rest of us follow you with the camera. It won’t even take long.”
“That’s too easy,” Kei complained, from the safety of his pillar. “Give him something harder. Isn’t he supposed to be an actor?”
